ROBO got it done today
It wouldn’t be hard to argue that today’s game against Youngstown State was one of the most anticipated home openers in several years. The hype surrounding true Freshman Robert Bolden was one of nervous anticipation and excitement as Nittany Lion fans had only read about Bolden’s ability but had yet to see anything in person.
Bolden met expectations. We’ll just leave it at that. In the span of 3 full quarters of work he put together a 20-29, 239 yard, 2 TD, 1INT day which included a masterful 10 play 85 yard drive in 3:38. Bolden isn’t finished developing (*see video after jump) but he ran the offense with relative ease making quick decisions, delivering throws accurately, and stood in the pocket with noticeable confidence (the interception occurred after his receiver slipped/fell/was pushed). In short Bolden looks the part, you can’t put your finger on what it is but he exudes a future of success.
So what about the rest of the team? Lets hand out grades
Special Teams: A
After riding the struggle bus game after game last season, the special teams unit seems to have turned the corner. While the jury will remain out until Penn State faces a good return game , their first showing was strong. Colin Wagner added about 15 yards to his range this offseason and has said multiple times that his 100% performance against LSU last season boosted his confidence. Whatever it was, he connected on field goals from 44,48 and 49 yards all while dealing with the wind. Anthony Fera has a weapon of mass destruction in the form of legs, sending most of his kickoffs into the endzone and one through the uprights. An aspect of the kicking game that has been sourly missing.
Offense: C+
It’s hard to really grade the offense when the playbook is intentionally thin and the parts of the puzzle are still being put together. On the whole though the offense looks to be headed in the right direction putting together a balanced attack. The passing game is obviously there but the offensive line didn’t have the vertical downfield push to give Royster a lot of room to run. That being said Royster seems to have lost a little step in his run and continually runs up his blockers back rather than cutting before the block so the fault isn’t entirely on the line. We would be remiss if the name Silas Redd was not mentioned, while he only ran 3 times for 20 yards he showed moves that would have made Reggie Bush proud.
A tell tail sign of a good offense is it’s ability to convert on 3rd down, something Penn State was able to do 7 out of 11 times. Penn State isn’t lacking talent or skill on the offensive side of the ball, rather they just need to focus on the execution of details, something you can come to expect after the first game of the season.
Defense: B-
This may seem a bit harsh on a unit that shutdown a team to less than 300 yards of total offense, but the grade is based more off of the unit’s potential versus their performance. Penn State had issues tackling in the first half and seemed to lack focus to take care of the little details. The second half was dominant for the Penn State defense but they still have a ways to go to reach their potential.
Final Thought
Today could have gone two ways, Penn State could have looked like they had lost multiple All American/Big Ten players and taken a step back, or it could step up and maintain a winning tradition. While there are many games left to be played and obstacles to overcome it looks as though Penn State fans will be able to avoid the trials and tribulations of a rebuilding year.
Tags: Robert Bolden
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