BG Has Strong Game in Happy Valley

Very proud of our guys.  One of college football's most hostile environments, and BG stood toe-to-toe with the Nittany Lions.  Led for 39 minutes without Terrion Stewart.  It appears that we have the team we have waited since 2015 to watch play.

And mark your calendars.  October 12.  NIU-BG at the Doyt.  It might be our most-anticipated home game since Indiana came in. The Doyt must be full that day.

Back to State College.  BG got the opening kickoff and started a simply dazzling half of offensive football, getting almost 8 yards a play. Bazelak hit Fannin for 30 yards on the first play and Fannin scored on a 6-yard pass to cap a 6-play drive that put BG into a 7-0 lead.

PSU responded with an identical 6-play, 75-yard to tie the score.

BG drove again, getting inside the PSU 20 before failing to convert a 3rd and 1 pass and getting a Kleather FG to go up 10-7.

The defense...forced a three and out.  Yessir. 

BG was inside PSU territory when the quarter ended,  When the 2nd opened, Fannin caught a pass over the middle for 32 yards...from the PSU 11, BG lost a couple yards and then Bazelak hit Malcolm Johnson with a 15-yard completion on 3rd and 14 and BG led 17-7.

Penn State went 75 yards on 3 plays to make it 17-14.

A key sequence follows.  BG had a 4th and 1 on its own 45.  Just inside 9 minutes to play in the half.  BG is going for it. Loeffler calls what he said in the post-game was a "terrible call."  BG tried to run one of those plays where you let the DE rush and then throw in the space he left.  In this case, BG threw right at the guy who is not only PSU's best player but one of the best in the country.  He got too close and Bazelak couldn't get the ball over him.  Loeffler told himself, "what were you thinking?"

PSU took over on downs.  This is a prime moment of danger for a team in BG's position.  On the road, big crowd amping up.  They go in and score a TD and the walls might be breached.

But they didn't.  On 3rd and 3 from the BG 25, the Falcon Dline blew up a PSU run for a 2-yard loss and forced a FG.  17-17.

Then, BG went 75 yards in 4 plays--a Jamal Johnson 41-yard TD run--and took the lead with 3:32 left in the half.  24-17.  BG took a punch and returned it.

PSU drove to the BG 9 before McGary got a third down sack on Allar and PSU kicked a FG to end the half 24-20.

BG is playing as well as they are capable of playing right now.  It's thrilling.  

PSU got the ball in the 2nd half.  Again, this is one of those situations where the P4 teams tend to take control.  It didn't happen.  They drove to their own 48 and on 3rd and 8 BG pressured Allar...he scrambled back, BG stayed with him and forced a 23-yard loss on a sack.

BG went 3 and out and punted for the first time.  PSU took the ball, rode TE Tyler Warren for an 85-yard drive without a 3rd down and took a 27-24 lead, 39 minutes into the game.

At this point, PSU's defense is winning its battles with our offense.  I don't put this in the same category as the UT game, where we moved the ball in the first half and not in the second.  This is a really good defense and they are going to get their share of wins.

And they did.  BG 3 and out again.

PSU from their own 37, driving with a dagger in their hands. They convert a 4th and 5 from the BG 43.  Then, from the 12, Allar throws a terrible ball into the end zone and is intercepted by Jacory Benjamin, a highly productive player at Texas Southern. Benjamin then made a key mistake, trying to run the ball out of the end zone and getting tackled at the 3.  I get it...sometimes when you are near the sideline you can get a pick like that and have the whole field open.  We all screw up sometimes. (To that point, PFF graded him at 79, our best defensive player).

That ended the 3rd Q.  BG only moved to the 19 and punted PSU to their 40.  Aided by a holding penalty, BG got a 3 and out. 

Field position is killing BG here.  And, Coach says the PSU switched to a 2-man (Cover 2 with man instead of zone) and he had not been able to prepare BG for that defense.  BG made two first downs but then Bazleak threw a pick.

BG's defense continued to hang in, forcing a 3 and out.  BG is still only down 3, but on its own 15. Bazelak was picked again and PSU started on the BG 41 and got a 41-yard TD run to go up 10 with 4 minutes left and settle the affair.

BG got the offense moving, driving to the PSU 24 before stalling out and kicking a FG.  The onsides kick was sooooooo close, but it's a desperation play for a reason.  PSU recovered and pulled the game out.

BG led for 39 minutes and was within a FG for 55 minutes.  It was an outstanding effort that came up just short.  As Loeffler said, we ran out of bullets.

Offensively, BG certainly represented up front.  There were wins and losses, but Bazelak was not sacked and only hurried 3 times.  PFF gave PSU 13 total pressures. BG was effective downfield in this one, so the play mix was less favorable than the Fordham game. PSU has a top-flight Dline and BG's line held its own.

The backs did well.  Patterson's numbers aren't great at 3.6 yards per carry but he was often running in tough conditions.  

Coach said that Stewart's injury is not like last year's.  He is expected back.  There's an off week, and then A&M.  Don't know if he will play in that one...BG clearly knows that we need him healthy for the stretch run this year.

Fannin is a dream.  I believe he will be in the NFL next year.  PSU had nobody who could handle him.  11 for 137.  PFF graded him a 93.  He's as good a player as we have had in years.

Johnson also got involved at 8 for 81 and a TD. 

Defensively, BG held them out.  The Nittany Lions did have 7.7 yards per play.  Their 2 backs had 220 yards on 27 carries.  Allar was 13 out of 20 with an INT and BG sacked him twice.  PFF has BG with 11 total pressures. We had a strong tackling game as well.  The defense kept PSU in check and held the lead at 3, but ultimately we were a couple plays short on both sides of the ball.

Kleather made both of his FGs and Henderson had 40 net yards per punt.  That's an improvement over the Fordham game.  The NCAA average right now is 38 or so.  BG is #19 in the country in net punting.

So, no moral victories.  But this was a good sign.  First, A&M isn't as good as Penn State...but I think we saw that we have the team we have been looking for.  If we can be consistent, we have a shot this year.