Who Should Win PGA Tour Player of the Year?

Who Should Win PGA Tour Player of Year?

By: Jeff Stewart

PGA Tour Player of the Year is an award given out to the best golfer of the year. They are selected by their peers. Jordan Spieth may seem like the obvious choice , but there may be some hope for players like Jason Day and Rickie Fowler.

Why Jordan Spieth will win?:

He won two majors. He ran away with the Masters and won the US Open in a thriller, when Dustin Johnson three-putted. He has won 5 tournaments this year, including the majors, and finished fourth, one-shot out of the playoff and second in the PGA Championship. He was a favorite going into each major and some even thought he’d win the Grand Slam in one year. Going into the Fedex Cup he was ahead by nearly 2,000 points.

Why Jordan Spieth will not win:

He went into the playoffs by winning by around 2,000 points. That may be a positive but with the way he played, it was very disappointing. He missed the cut in back to back tournaments and lost the lead to Jason Day in the Fedex Cup rankings.  If Day or Fowler wins one of the next two and wins the Fedex Cup, it would be very upsetting for Spieth, who seemed like the favorite going in.

Why Jason Day will win:

He is behind Jordan Spieth in two very big categories, Majors and wins. He did win one major this year, he pulled away in the third round to crush the rest of the field. He has had four wins this year, one less than Spieth. Day is beating Spieth in the Fedex Cup after Day won the Barclays. He may also need to win 1 of the last 2 tournaments and Fedex Cup to win, though.

Why Jason Day will not win:

Jordan Spieth has just been way to dominate this year and if he gets back to his old self and does well in the next two, he may need to win both of them and the Fedex Cup if Spieth is in contention.

Why Rickie Fowler will win:

He has the least likely chance to win this award out of the three but he is hot as of late and may win one of the next tournaments and the Fedex Cup. However, in the long run he would need Day to miss the next two cuts and the same goes for Spieth.

Why Rickie Fowler will not win:

Too much has to happen for him to win. It is very unlikely, even though this is by far his best year on tour. Rickie Fowler is on the rise and look for him to be on the radar to win this award next year as well.

My Prediction:

I think that Jason Day will win. He is hot, unlike Spieth, having won 3 of the last 4 tournaments. I think that he will come through and win one if not 2 of these next tournaments and with Jordan not playing so well. All signs point to a close battle for this prestigious award.

NFL Week in Review

Hello everybody. Welcome to my first ever NFL week in review. In this article, I will discuss major events that happened in the first week of the 2015 NFL season. Let's get into it.

Best Game: Seahawks at Rams
This game had everything. It had offense, it had plenty of back and forth action, and perhaps most importantly, it had story telling. It told the story of a team trying to rediscover its identity in the league pitted up against one of it's giants. It was somewhat of a David and Goliath story, and David prevailed. After going in to the quarter with a 24-13 lead, the Rams fell apart in the final 15 minutes of regulation, falling behind 31-24 before a Nick Foles touchdown pass to Lance Kendricks tied the game with 53 seconds left. This sent the contest into overtime, where a 37 yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein gave the Rams a 34-31 lead. The Seahawks only drive of overtime ended with a turnover on downs, and the Rams got a huge win over the 2-time defending kings of the NFC. Nobody was feeling better than Nick Foles, who gave fans a good impression in his first start as the teams QB. Foles finished 18-27 with 297 yards and a touchdown pass. Hopefully for the City of St. Louis, this is the start of a Rams season that won't give owners any reason at all to move the team back to California.

Honorable Mentions: Eagles at Falcons, Giants at Cowboys

Biggest Statement: Buffalo Bills
The Bills outlook for the 2015 season is a mixed bag. Some expect them to finally take the next step led by a top-notch defense, while other simply don't think the team has enough offensively to compete for a AFC East title. Week one worked out a lot better for the believers than it did for the skeptics. Although the final score of 24-13 does not seem lopsided, the Bills kicked the hell of out the Indianapolis Colts. The 13 points that Indy did score came after Buffalo had a 24-0 lead in the 3rd quarter. The Bills defense was dominant against what looks to be one of the best offensive attacks in the NFL, and I think that they deserve the title of biggest statement made in Week 1. Tyrod Taylor did his job in his first week as the teams starting QB, going 14-19 with 195 yards passing and a QB Rating of 88.2, along with a touchdown. This Bills team has to potential to be the best that Buffalo has seen in 20+ years, and hopefully for upstate New York, last Sunday is a sign of things to come.

Honorable Mentions: Tennessee Titans, St. Louis Rams

Biggest Flop: Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Embarrassing. Pathetic. Awful. Disgusting. Those are 4 adjectives that accurately describe Tampa Bay's performance on Sunday, but there is another word that should sting more than any other for Tampa fans: Typical. After all, a putrid performance like this is fitting for a team with a total of 6 wins in the past 2 seasons. After drafting Jameis Winston at #1 over all this May and tagging him at starting QB, I'm sure there were plenty of Bucs fans who came in to this season with an attitude of ''hey, we might not be laughing stocks''! Well, if getting demolished by the Tennessee Titans(2-14 in 2014) in your home opener and letting an anxious QB in his first start in the NFL ever throw more touchdown passes than incompletions is any indication, 2015 will not be much different for Tampa than 13 and 14 was. In fact, it might be worse. It could write a whole article picking apart the Bucs and how pathetic they have been since firing John Gurdun after the 2008 season(1 winning season in 6 years, 0 playoff appearances) but I think I have summed up my point pretty well for now.

Not Very Honorable Mentions: Cleveland Browns, New York Giants

Biggest Surprise: Marcus Mariota
Many people are expecting big things out of the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner from Oregon. However, I don't think many expected Mariota to perform as well as he did in his NFL debut behind center. Mariota finished the afternoon 13-16 passing with 4 touchdowns. When you throw more touchdown passes than incompletions, you had a special day. Even if it was against the woeful Bucs, Titans fans have to be very encouraged by the glimpse into the future that they saw on Sunday.

That's it for my first NFL Week in review. I hope it was a good read and stay tuned for the rest of the season.

Penn State 27 Buffalo 14: Offense still needs work

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Penn State 27 Buffalo 14: Offense still needs work

Last Saturday, I attended my first Penn State game of the 2015 season. I traveled to Happy Valley with my uncle Mark, my cousin Marky, and my Dad. Marky planned the whole trip, and I thank him a great deal for doing so.  I had a fun experience in State College as I always do, but not a whole lot of the experience took place in Beaver Stadium. It poured rain, and the weather was so miserable to be in that we the 4 of us decided to leave halfway through the 2nd quarter. Nevertheless, it was a fun experience and I'm grateful that I was able to spend my Saturday afternoon at Penn State.

Now to talk about the game. Although it was a much better showing than that woeful Temple game, there are still some question marks that remain unanswered. I will tell you what I think those are in my ''Nittnay Lion Report Card'', in which I will give letter grades to the offense, defense and special teams.

Offense: C-
Yes, John Donovan's offense is still not clicking. While 27 points may not seem too bad, it must be considered how those scores were set up. The first score was set up by a massive 58 yard punt return from DeAndre Thompkins, which put the ball on the Buffalo 24 yard line. Penn State would proceeded to score 2 plays later on a 22 yard TD run from Brandon Polk. This touchdown was brought to you by special teams, not the offense.

The 2nd score of the game was set up by an interception by Carl Nassib on the ensuing Buffalo possession. This put the ball on the Buffalo 12 yard line, and only resulted in a Joey Julius field goal. Getting the ball on the opponents 12 yard line and only managing 3 points is a massive underachievement, and one that Penn State can not turn into a habit if they want to have a competitive season in the Big 10.

If you take away these 10 points that were set up by other parts of the Penn State team, that leaves 17 points that the offense truly had to earn. 17 points is not an impressive showing, especially against a team like Buffalo. Things simply need to change. Christian Hackenburg is still an enigma as the blue chipper had another sub-par performance, going 14-27 with 128 yards passing, 1 touchdown pass, and a QB rating of 58.6. Not acceptable numbers for a prospect with that much talent. There were some bright spots, as Chris Godwin had 5 receptions for 75 yards. Saquon Barkley took over the game in the 2nd half, rushing for 115 yards on just 12 carries.

There are plenty of weapons on this offense to make things work, but things just aren't moving yet and it's very frustrating. John Donovan needs to open up the field more with his play calling, as painfully short passes just aren't getting things done. I am not sold on the Pro Style offense as I think that going to a spread or multiple type could be more effective as those styles fit Penn State's speedy receivers that have the potential to do a lot of damage.  Although the offensive line performed light years better than in the Temple game, it received a blow when tackle Andrew Nelson left the game with an undisclosed injury. It is not certain if Nelson will be available this Saturday against Rutgers.

Defense: B+
Solid as usual. The Penn State D was on the field more than it should have been in the first half, and they did a admirable job keeping the team in the game as it was a rough half offensively. Not a whole lot to say about the defense. They were expected to limit the Buffalo attack and they did, and I won't give them more than a B+ because they did not really prove anything that fans did not know already.

Special Teams: A
Certainly the biggest eye-opener of the game for me was the special teams. Nick Scott had a 58 yard return on the opening kickoff, although the offense could not turn it in to points just because. DeAndre Thompkins had a huge punt return in the 2nd quarter, which led to the Penn State's first points on the board. In my mind, whenever there is more then one play made on special teams that can have an positive impact on the game and doesn't make any big mistakes, it is worthy of nothing less than an A.

Overall: C
Seems somewhat harsh, but Penn State as a whole did not make a big splash in week 2. A win is a win, but the quality of play is still not where it should be. Next week is another home game, this time against Rutgers. Hopefully we see more of a statement, as the Lions are going up against the team that will likely be the bottom feeders of the Big 10 east.

Thank you for reading, and Fight On State!

A Lost Great

Its always interesting to me when great players fall through the cracks.  Its a fascinating discussion, even among hall of famers: what causes certain players to live on for casual basketball fans? Many times its the numbers, the titles, or the iconic plays that stand out so brightly that nobody can ignore them.  I guess to put it simply, quiet greatness doesn't stand out.  

Death seems to force us to remember the best about a person. We seem to be in that stage now with Moses Malone.  There have been the obligatory career summations on ESPN and other sports outlets,

  covering his tremendous rebounding, longevity, and MVP seasons.  All very significant points in the historical player discussions that he is so often left out of, but they all seem to ignore the color and incredible story of his career.  If someone were to look back 50 years later at the obituaries produced for basketball players in the September of 2015, they would conclude Darryl Dawkins and Moses were about the same in terms of impact on the league.  I love chocolate thunder as much as anyone, but this is an attempt to prove them wrong.

This is a young Moses Malone.  Much has been made about him being the first player to go straight from high school to the pros, and while that is historically significant, the ride that young Moses went on between his first and third year of pro basketball is one of the most incredible and "what if?" worthy in the history of not just basketball, but all of professional sports.  It was sort of a perfect storm.  Moses entered the ABA in 1974 signing a 1 million dollar contract (one of the famous back loaded ones that had payouts 25 years down the line) with the Utah Stars, who promptly folded the following season.  He was picked up by the immortal Spirits of Saint Louis, the ultimate head case team, featuring Marvin "Bad News" Barnes (who unfortunately also passed away relatively 

recently) of "I'm not getting in that damn time machine!" fame when asked to get on a plane that, because of a time change, landed before it took off.  Along with the rest of the zany crew (See Terry 

Pluto's Loose Balls for details) its a miracle a 19 year old Moses didn't end up showing up to games 2 minutes before tip wearing a mink coat, with only his uniform on underneath,  and a bag of 

Mcdonalds (yes Barnes did this also, and it is the writers opinion this moment should be immortalized in bronze).  

So it was probably for the best when the ABA reached a merger agreement with the NBA, which set the stage for Moses Malone to switch teams five times in less than a year.  It began when the New Orleans Jazz picked him first in the NBA's pre-merger draft of "underage" players at the expense of a first round pick.  They quickly went back on their decision, however, and asked for their pick back. They received it, and Moses was thrown into the general merger dispersal draft.  The pick and 3 others were used to "pry" Gail Goodrich away from Los Angles, and even though its almost impossible to justify choosing a 33 year old shooting guard over a future 3 time MVP or Magic Johnson (the 1979 first overall pick by the Lakers from the Jazz) I guess when you've got a chance to get a past his prime shooting guard for 3 first rounders you've got to do it.  

Moses next found himself in Portland when they picked him in the dispersal draft, but the Blazers refused to pay his 300,000 dollar a year salary. So they didn't read much into the only 21 year old Malone challenging Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas (at the time the most dominate big man pairing in the league) in training camp.  He played one tremendous exhibition game for them, which finally caused everyone involved to realize that they had a potential super star on their hands.  They rushed to stop the trade talks, but as fate would have it, higher ups had already agreed to traded him to buffalo for a first round pick and 232,000 $ (lord knows why that number).  

This obviously leaves the most haunting impression.  The 77' blazers are revered for playing some of the best team basketball of the last half century.  They won the title even after loosing Moses, but as we know, Walton s feet fell apart, and the hopes of a franchise crumbled with them. Its impossible to say what the exact impact would have been, but we know that with Malone there to take Walton's minutes (and a lot of his production) they wouldn't have felt pressured to rush him back.  He was exactly what the Blazers needed, they just didn't know it yet. 

                     

The Braves (now Clippers) were also not interested.  Its a miracle this picture exists because Moses only played 6 minutes over two games for them before they sent him to Houston for two first rounders.  The question lingers for Buffalo/San Diego/Los Angles, With Bob McAdoo steaming about his contract and likely to be traded, why not just keep Moses around? The picks didn't pan out because Moses finally found a franchise willing to give him a chance in Houston, and his production there was obviously a huge part of what would quickly making those picks irrelevant.

The rest, to some extent, is history.  Moses would go down a the best statistical offensive rebounder ever (its not close he holds the career, season, and game, records along with having lead the league nine times and finishing top three another five) third most total rebounds, and 8th all time in scoring. Throw 12 time all-star, 8 time first or second team all NBA, and the Championship and Finals MVP with the Sixers (what makes the Moses poster is the Nike staff, and also just the shear amount of basketballs) and Moses made an incredible career for himself despite the early instability.  He stayed committed even in situations like the ABA where anything went, and believed in himself enough not to be discouraged by the ridiculous turn of events that kept him hopping from one team to another when the leagues merged.  He played 21 years in the NBA retiring with the spurs in 1995.  But his significance can only really be grasped by the number of teams that didn't realize what they had. Bill Simmons puts it best in the Book of Basketball:  "so if you're scoring at home, Moses hot potato ended up swinging the destinies of six franchise in fewer than five months: New Orleans, Los Angeles (drafted Magic), Buffalo, Houston (made 81 finals with him) and Philly (acquired from Houston won title)." So many of us are in the same stage now all those unwitting executives were when Moses entered the league. They didn't realize his significance until he was already gone.           

 

Steelers Fall 28-21 in Season Opener: Game Analysis

Steelers Fall 28-21 in Season Opener: Game Analysis

By: Bradley Stewart

            Make no mistake, I'm a Steelers fan for life, but I did not expect us to win this football game.  Pittsburgh lost to the defending- champion  New England Patriots, 28-21.  Keep in mind that the Steelers were missing three major pieces in Le'veon Bell, Martavis Bryant, and Maurkice Pouncey.  Even while those three pieces were lost, the Steelers are already seeming to start to fit in pieces to the Super Bowl puzzle together. Bell, Pouncey, and Bryant are all out for Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers (0-0).

Offense:

        

  Even while missing the standout wide receiver and the all-pro runningback and center, the Steelers still picked up a total of 464 yards of offense in the Week one loss.  With a healthy Roethlisbeger and Antonio Brown, the question mark of the Steelers' offense was on the running side of the ball.  With Le'veon Bell out for the first two games of the season, people wondered who and how the Steelers would gain rushing yards.  Pittsburgh's new signed veteran DeAngelo Williams took the lead and did not disappoint.  Finding holes that the offensive-line easily provided for him, Williams gained127 of the Steelers' 134 rushing yards.  New England played a lot of man-to-man coverage against the Pittsburgh receiving core, which greatly benefits speed.  It just so happens that suspended receiver, Martavis Bryant, has a rare combination of  speed and height that would have posed deadly against the weak New England secondary.  This offense looked magnificent as they seemed to drive down the field easily.  I can't wait to see how this offense will look full strength.

Defense:

   Coming into the game, the one weak point of this Steelers team was the defense.  I'm not going to spend much time describing Pittsburgh's poor defensive effort, because I don't want to cry myself to bed tonight.  The Steelers' defense came into this game like a piece of a new china glass.  And by the end of the game, the cup was in thousands of pieces from Gronk spiking it every twenty minutes.  

    Anyone who watched the game could clearly see the secondary's failure to play the game of football.  What annoyed me the most was not the big plays, but that New England just continually threw eight to fifteen yard passed across the middle of the field with ease.  Shockingly, the Steelers had over 100 more total yards than New England.  I am optimistic that Keith Butler and Mike Tomlin can fix the defense in the next ten days leading up to an important Week 2 game against the San Francisco 49ers. However, if the defense allows Colin Kaepernick to throw all over them like he is the greatest person to ever pick up a football in the history of mankind, than there is going to be a huge issue.  

Special Teams:

        Newly acquired Steelers kicker Josh Scobee missed two 40-45 yard field goals in Thursday night's loss to New England.  Not one, but two field goals missed inside forty-five yards.  Heck, my high-school kicker nailed a 44-yarder straight through the uprights, and my school has never had a consistent and powerful leg kicker field goals for us.  I guess you could say he made up for it by hitting a chip shot and a 44-yarder, but what else can you expect for the third kicker on your team in three weeks.  Hopefully, the Steelers will not need to rely on the shaky veteran's leg from here on out, but don't expect any 'chip' shots from Scobee this season.

Overall:

            I can not wait for the rest of this season.  This Steelers offense was terrific on Thursday night 

without three important pieces.  In order for the Steelers to even make the playoffs, they can not let opposing Tight Ends score four touchdowns a game.  Overall, I was very pleased with the way the Steelers played.  If they only get better, I have no doubt that the no team in the country will want to face this team in January.

2015 NFL Week 1 Predictions

Thursday Night marks the beginning of the 2015 NFL Season. This is a very exciting time for most American sports fans, and I'm intrigued to see how the season unfolds. Below are predictions for each Week 1 game. This is not a one man show, as my cousins Brad, Jeff, and Ryan have also contributed their picks for this week.

Thursday Night: Steelers at Patriots

All for of us have picked the Pats in this one. We all agree that the combination of Tom Brady's suspension being lifted, and the suspensions of Le'veon  Bell and Martavis Bryant, will be too much for the Steelers to handle. The Patriots will be raising their Super Bowl Banner, and it will be hard to stop them with the energy that will be packed into Gillette Stadium.

Sunday
1:00
Packers at Bears

Another game in which the four of us are in agreement. The Packers are overwhelming favorites to win the NFC North, and a Superbowl birth is not out of the question. The Bears, on the other hand, are expected by many to be among the worst teams in football, as new head coach John Fox will inherit a horrid defense and shaky QB in Jay Cutler. My cousin Brad summed it up perfectly when he stated, ''simply, the Packers are the better team''.

Chiefs at Texans
The four of us were split here. I, along with my cousin Brad, picked the Chiefs to win this one while my cousins Jeff and Ryan both picked the Texans. I think that this will be a very close game, but the Chiefs will pull it out in the end. Houston is a team that made great strides in 2014 after a woeful 2-14 campaign 2 years ago, but I think Kansas City has a balanced offense that will chew up a lot of clock, which will be a huge factor in this game. The loss of Arian Foster is a bige blow to the Houston offense, and KC's solid D will take advantage of it. My cousin Jeff thinks otherwise. He stated: ''Brian Hoyer and Deandre Hopkins light it up and survive against the Chiefs late in the game''

Browns at Jets

Again, the four of us are all united. The New York Jets offense is a mess. QB Geno Smith was punched in the face during training camp, leaving him with a broken jaw. The Browns have a solid defensive unit that could make life very tough for new Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Jets have a good defense of their own which will keep this game relativity close, but I expected Cleveland to hold on for a Week 1 win. When asked to predict, Jeff said: ''The Browns defense will start to shine, creating turnovers and propelling them to a win.''

Colts at Bills

All in agreement again for this game. The Colts offense was explosive in 2015, with QB Andrew Luck and receiver T.Y. Hilton leading the way. The Bills could surprise a lot of people in 2015, but I am not sold on them yet. They have a good defensive unit, but their offense may be in for a sub-par year. Tyrod Taylor has been chosen by Rex Ryan to be the man at quarterback. If Taylor proves to be unsuccessful, it could be another disappointing season in upstate New York. The Colts will have too much firepower for Buffalo to handle in this one, as their defense will be able to control Buffalo's questionable offense.

Dolphins at Redskins

All four of us are going with the Fins in this contest. The Dolphins offense, led by underrated quarterback Ryan Tannehill, should have little issues scoring on the Redskins iffy secondary. Miami also has a solid defense, and Redskins running back Alfred Morris will have a tough time getting something going on the Dolphins run D. These 2 things are a recipe for a Miami victory.

Panthers at Jags
3 of the 4 men in our panel have Carolina winning this, with Jeff being the only person believing in the Jags. ''The Jags somehow squeak out a win in a very bad game from both sides. The Panthers offense just can't click and they fail to score points''. While Jeff does have a point, I'm sticking with Carolina. Although the Panthers have an inconsistent offense, Cam Newton knows how to run the option, and I think that the Carolina offense will have one of its good days in Jacksonville. The Panthers defense should make life miserable for Blake Bortles, as Bortles was the most sacked QB in the NFL last season, hitting the ground 55 times, a testament to how badly the Jags Offensive Line struggled in 2014.

Seahawks at Rams

Once again, all four of us have the same winner. The Seahawks are the 2 time defending NFC Champions, and they will be looking to get back to the Superbowl for the 3rd straight year. While the Edward Jones Dome is no easy place to play, I think that the Seahawks simply have too much talent for the Rams to overcome. Brad stated: ''The Seahawks' offense and defense are simply better than a Rams team lacking a fully elite player''.

4:05
Saints at Cardinals
I am the only one out of us four that picked the Saints here. I picked them because I have a gut feeling that Drew Brees will have a big game, narrowly edging out a good Cardinals team. The Saints have the tools on offense to score a lot of points, and I think that will happen on Sunday. When asked to predict, Brad said: ''The Cardinals were 9-0 last year until Carson Palmer got hurt. Well, Palmer is back and this team will only get better''.

Lions at Chargers
In a rare twist, the 4 of us are split. Jeff and I have the Lions winning, while Brad and Ryan have the Chargers. I picked the Lions because of the combination of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. I think that ''Megatron'' will have a huge game to propel Detroit to a win. Brad has a different opinion. ''The Lions didn't get any better in the off season, they got worse. Lions can't beat a Phillip Rivers lead team''.

4:25
Titans at Buccaneers
This match-up would be dreadfully boring if not for the debuts of Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. All four of us have Tampa being the lesser of 2 evils. Jeff stated: "Winston gets the best of Mariota in their first game as pros. Winston has more weapons on offense and that will be the difference''.

Bengals at Raiders
I don't see the Bengals losing this one, and neither do the other 3. While drafting Amari Cooper makes the Raiders a better team, it doesn't make them that much better. They still have a long way to go, and are not ready to beat a possible playoff team like the Bengals week 1. Brad summed it up perfectly: ''They are playing the Raiders''.

Ravens at Broncos
Jeff, Ryan, and I all have Denver in this one, while Brad has picked the Ravens, ''The Ravens need a confidence boosting win after losing to the Pats in the playoffs''. I think that Peyton Manning has too many weapons offensively for Joe Flacco's squad to keep pace, and that will be the difference in a Bronco victory.

8:30
Giants at Cowboys
We are all united again. The Cowboys have a great offense, and their defense will be good enough to shut down New York. The Giants simply are not a good team and they are playing against a Dallas squad that will be pumped up playing at home on opening night. Expect Tony Romo and Dez Bryant to shine.

Monday Night
6:55
Eagles at Falcons
We all have the Eagles. Sam Bradford is going against a bad defense Week 1, and the likes of him, Jordan Matthews, and Zach Ertz still make up a good offensive core even after trading LeSean McCoy to the Bills. Atlanta will not be able to hold Philly's attack, and the Eagles will be flying to a week 1 win.

10:15
Vikings at 49ers
This is another "lesser of 2 evils" game. All four of us think that the Vikings are the "lesser" here. The 49ers lost so much in the off-season, with Patrick Willis's sudden retirement the biggest of them all. Fans in San Fran will be disappointed, as Adrian Peterson will shine in his return to the Vikings, while Colin Kaepernick will struggle, resulting in a Vikings win.

Penn State loses to Temple for first time since 1941: My depressing thoughts

It was January 3rd, 1987. A loyal and true Penn State fan had just fallen into a coma, just one day after the Nittany Lions captured their 2nd national title with a 14-10 win over Miami. The coma lasted 28 years, 8 months, and 3 days. When the fan finally woke in his hospital bed on September 6th, 2015, ESPN was on the television in his room. The first thing he recognized on the screen was Penn State's familiar plain white helmets. The second thing he recognized was the score: Temple 27, Penn State 10

The scenario that I mentioned above is not a true event and is medically improbable, but I will tell you that if that fan had been Joseph Arthur Smeltzer, he probably would have gone straight back to sleep, hoping to go back to the 80's. Losing to Temple should not happen to Penn State. I'm not saying that to disrespect the 2015 Temple Owls: they played a fine football game on Saturday and deserved to win. They were the better team and have a lot to look forward to this season under head coach (and Penn State grad) Matt Ruhle. The reason that this Penn State loss was so shocking is simple: before Saturday afternoon, the last time a Penn State team lost to Temple was before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.

Since that fateful day in 1941, Penn State's football history has been excellent. Temple's - not so much. How good has Penn State been? The Nittnay Lions built a football empire under Joe Paterno, winning 2 national titles and countless other honors. How bad has Temple been? After the 2004 season, the Owls were kicked out of the Big East Conference after finishing with a record of 2-9. That's right, kicked out. Between 2004-2006, the Owls won a total of 3 football games. While the Owls have done a remarkable job rebuilding their program over the past decade, to me, that thought is only a small band-aid on the Beaver-Stadium-sized wound that was opened on Saturday. For a Penn State team to go 74 years without losing even once to Temple, and then to not only lose to the Owls but be publicly undressed for 3 quarters of the game, shows that this program has fallen from national prominence. While the Nittany Lions have not quite fallen off of a cliff as far as relevance goes, the Blue and White have taken a step back on the national scale over the past 5 years.

Temple is a respectable team, but with Penn States talent, national exposure and recruiting base, the Nittnay Lions should be handling Temple with little issue. Christian Hackenberg was touted by many over the summer (notably ESPN draft expert Todd McShay) as a possible #1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. A school with the ability to recruit a player with that talent should not be losing to Temple. DaeSean Hamilton led the Big 10 in receptions in 2014 and should be even better as a Sophomore. A school with the ability to recruit a player with that talent should not be losing to Temple. The Penn State defense is the strong point of the team, and has several key players returning from a very successful 2014 season under first year Defensive Coordinator Bob Shoop. Long story short, any team with what are theoretically  two of the biggest offensive weapons in the Big 10 and one of the better defensive units in the nation, as well as one of the biggest names in college football that still manages to reel in much better recruits then teams like Temple should not be losing to a team like Temple.

Although a 7-6 season in 2014 was not an ideal result for Penn State fans, the season was salvaged somewhat with an exciting 31-30 OT win over Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl. What encouraged me more than anything else about that win was that it was so different from most Penn State games that season. It really seemed like Hackenberg was running the show on offense, and Penn State opened up the field a lot more than in previous games, and as a result, more points were scored. I was expecting that change to carry over into 2015, but instead, I got more of the same, boring and ineffective play calling that had held the Lions back offensively in 2014, and I was greatly disappointed. Offensive Coordinator John Donovan needs to change things up, or else he won't win over very many fans in Happy Valley. I was also expecting an improved offensive line, but judging by the Temple defense picking up 10 sacks, that problem has not been fixed either.

The Lions have a game at home this upcoming Saturday against Buffalo. I will be attending this contest at Beaver Stadium. Hopefully, I will not have to write another post like this in 2015. The way I see it, things have nowhere to go but up.