No Treat
My dad watches every Penn State game. When I was a kid, I remember that if the game was going particularly poorly he would shut it off. Just, wave his hand at the screen in disgust and walk out. It felt like an unexpected treat for my sister and I who, preferring Care Bears and Rainbow Brite, could now control the remote.
But it was only a matter of time before I could hear the radio broadcast coming in from the back yard or up from the basement. He couldn’t watch, but he had to know. I was totally feeling that vibe last night— I could not watch our Lions get destroyed by the Buckeyes but I had to know. Bad news is better delivered by a loyal friend and I tuned right into Jack Ham and Steve Jones to hear it.
It seems a poor twist of fate to have to play Ohio State in a night game at home with no white out crowd behind us. It’s hard to say how much that factors into a contest like this but it certainly couldn’t have hurt us. Its hard not to imagine what things might have been like had this been our ninth or tenth game rather than our second. Or had it been an actual blue moon white out on Halloween in a non pandemic year, had there been actual crowd noise rather than simulated, or had there been all that Penn State energy flowing through the stadium. The “if only” game could go on forever.
Though it was no treat to watch a loss to OSU, 38-25 is a far more respectable score than I feared would be the final. I’m glad we didn’t have to wake up this morning to the dreaded adjectives in the headlines
The fact is, Ohio State is a VERY good football team. As my favorite radio broadcast said, “they are every inch of the number 3 team.” And the fact is, it IS a pandemic year and a weird schedule and all the things that go along with that.
I hate that we are 0-2 for the first time since 2010. I hate that we are pretty much out of Big Ten championship contention. I hate that we are still making so many mistakes. But I love that even still, we are Penn State. I love that all the players in the post game interviews were positive. I love that there are always bright spots. Jahan Dotson beat out an OSU star over and over again with his eight catches for 144 yards and three touchdowns. Sean Clifford kept his head on straight despite the score and was able to complete five straight passes in a third quarter touchdown drive.
Once again, we have to regroup and come back better next week. Hang on to that waning positive attitude, Penn State. We have got to turn this thing around against Maryland. We’re not packing it in yet. As our quarterback said “If you’re somebody who is just going to fold and say, ‘Alright, we’re going to get them next year,’ then I don’t want you here.” All my true Penn Staters out there are sticking with these guys until the end, win or lose. Go State, Beat the Terrapins!
But it was only a matter of time before I could hear the radio broadcast coming in from the back yard or up from the basement. He couldn’t watch, but he had to know. I was totally feeling that vibe last night— I could not watch our Lions get destroyed by the Buckeyes but I had to know. Bad news is better delivered by a loyal friend and I tuned right into Jack Ham and Steve Jones to hear it.
It seems a poor twist of fate to have to play Ohio State in a night game at home with no white out crowd behind us. It’s hard to say how much that factors into a contest like this but it certainly couldn’t have hurt us. Its hard not to imagine what things might have been like had this been our ninth or tenth game rather than our second. Or had it been an actual blue moon white out on Halloween in a non pandemic year, had there been actual crowd noise rather than simulated, or had there been all that Penn State energy flowing through the stadium. The “if only” game could go on forever.
Though it was no treat to watch a loss to OSU, 38-25 is a far more respectable score than I feared would be the final. I’m glad we didn’t have to wake up this morning to the dreaded adjectives in the headlines
The fact is, Ohio State is a VERY good football team. As my favorite radio broadcast said, “they are every inch of the number 3 team.” And the fact is, it IS a pandemic year and a weird schedule and all the things that go along with that.
I hate that we are 0-2 for the first time since 2010. I hate that we are pretty much out of Big Ten championship contention. I hate that we are still making so many mistakes. But I love that even still, we are Penn State. I love that all the players in the post game interviews were positive. I love that there are always bright spots. Jahan Dotson beat out an OSU star over and over again with his eight catches for 144 yards and three touchdowns. Sean Clifford kept his head on straight despite the score and was able to complete five straight passes in a third quarter touchdown drive.
Once again, we have to regroup and come back better next week. Hang on to that waning positive attitude, Penn State. We have got to turn this thing around against Maryland. We’re not packing it in yet. As our quarterback said “If you’re somebody who is just going to fold and say, ‘Alright, we’re going to get them next year,’ then I don’t want you here.” All my true Penn Staters out there are sticking with these guys until the end, win or lose. Go State, Beat the Terrapins!
