Buzz On Broad is proud to bring to you a brand new segment called "Inside PSU." We are all aware of the recent events surrounding the proud university involving some deranged higher-ups formerly employed by Penn State. The 2012 football season at PSU marks the first season under a new regime and even more monumentally, the start of a brand new chapter in Penn State history.
While the national media will have their eyes closely affixed to the school from the outside looking in, you can now rely on Buzz On Broad and our newest contributor, PSU Insider Dan Smith, to shed light on the morale and attitude from within the confines of Happy Valley.
Look for Dan Smith to break down every game this season each week, from a gridiron perspective to the pulse of the fan base and student body. Enjoy this recap from Penn State's rout of Purdue.
Penn State 34, Purdue 9
PASSING
Matt McGloin (PSU): 22-36, 321
yards, 2 TD
Caleb TerBush (PUR): 10-20, 155
yards, 1 TD
RUSHING
Zach Zwinak (PSU): 21 carries, 134
yards
Akeem Shavers (PUR): 7 carries, 57
yards
RECEIVING
Brandon Moseby-Felder (PSU): 6
receptions, 129 yards, 1 TD
Antavian Edison (PUR): 9 receptions,
93 yards, 1 TD
SCORING
SUMMARY
First Quarter
12:59 - PUR - Sam McCartney 21 Yd FG
... PUR 3-0
6:03 - PSU - Sam Ficken 27 Yd FG ... Tied 3-3
3:53 - PSU - Michael Zordich 6 Yd TD Run (Sam Ficken Kick) ... PSU 10-3
Second Quarter
3:47 - PSU - Sam Ficken 24 Yd FG ... PSU 17-3
1:16 - PSU - Michael Zordich 5 Yd TD Run (Sam Ficken Kick) ... PSU 20-3
Third Quarter
12:19 - PSU - Matt McGloin 12 Yd TD
Pass to Jesse James (Sam Ficken Kick) ... PSU 27-3
8:28 - PSU - Matt McGloin 41 Yd TD Pass to Brandon Moseby-Felder (Sam Ficken
Kick) ... PSU 34-3
Fourth Quarter
0:00 - PUR - Caleb TerBush 2 Yd TD
Pass to Antavian Edison ... PSU 34-9
NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS
- This week brought with it a nice bounce-back win for Penn State. Purdue is not a great team (far from it), but a road win in the Big Ten after a tough loss at home lays the right foundation for the Nittany Lions moving forward. With a game at Nebraska coming up, laying a biblical beatdown on the Boilermakers certainly is not a bad thing.
- Matt McGloin played very well, and improved on the one continued weakness in his game: the deep ball. His touchdown pass to Brandon Moseby-Felder was a good deep pass. Another 300-yard game for McGloin is becoming almost expected at this point.
- We also saw Steven Bench for the first time since the Virginia game, albeit in mop-up duty while handing the ball off. It's still pretty much impossible to have any idea what Bill O'Brien has there.
- Zach Zwinak has pretty much locked up the starting running back job, as O'Brien used Bill Belton hardly at all. Belton had no carries and was only on the field for one play that I can remember (he missed a pass blocking assignment in the first half). Zwinak ran the ball very well and continued to do a good job shedding tackles once he gets beyond the line of scrimmage.
- Michael Zordich is a nice complement, showing tremendous ability in goal line situations to find the end zone. He's not an every down back, but near the end zone he is very useful.
- How about that breakout game from Moseby-Felder? I did not see that coming. With Kyle Carter out, someone needed to step up, and Felder did in a big way. Even just last year, Felder only saw the field to run block. Now, he's the number two receiver in a dynamic offense. It's been quite the turnaround.
- Amazingly, it sounds like Jordan Hill's injury is not serious. That's a huge help for Penn State. Hill is a tremendous talent. It's also good for Hill, who is a legitimate NFL prospect and cannot afford an injury at this point if he wants to go high in the draft.
- The front seven was, again, tremendous. They tackle well, get pressure on the quarterback and stop the run. They're also a deep unit: Pete Massaro, James Terry, Kyle Baublitz, Mike Hull and Ben Kline are all solid, starter-worthy players. They back up on this unit. It's quite impressive.
- This may be the best game the Nittany Lions' secondary played all season. Cornerbacks Adrian Amos and Stephon Morris showed much better instincts both in pass coverage and in pursuing the ball carrier. That's big, especially from Morris, a senior who has struggled throughout his career. Stephen Obeng-Agyapong and Malcolm Willis also had solid afternoons.
- I was there in West Lafayette to broadcast the game for ComRadio. The mood was ... bizarre. Purdue's fans are actively rooting for the end of the Danny Hope era, which has been an unmitigated disaster. That makes their emotions very mixed. They want to boo, but they also hope that Hope's exit is expedited.
- Penn State has its last ranked test of the season this week, traveling to No. 16 Nebraska. It will be a tough but winnable game for Penn State, and a good barometer for exactly what potential this unit could have had with a full squad and bowl eligibility.
Dan Smith is Buzz on Broad's Penn State Insider and the Executive Editor of Penn State's ComRadio. Contact him by email at des5249@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ThatDanSmith.
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