Monday, October 14, 2013

To Penn State Football Players and Fans, I Am Sorry!



     In life there are times when we get so emotionally invested into something, that we let them get the best of us and say things we do not really mean. Whether it be between a spouse, family, or friends, one time or another it happens. Same can also translate over in the sports world. This past weekend Penn State won in what many are already calling an instant classic when they defeated unbeaten #18 ranked Michigan Wolverines.  As always, I took to Twitter and tweeted throughout the games, praising Penn State whenever something positive happened. Beginning with the second half my attitude began to shift and negativity began to surface. I feel I was unjustly harsh with some of my tweets and that is why I am going to share them with you so I can bash and critique all of my knee jerk reactions from the game. Plus I will give an explanation to what happened when I wrote each of these tweets. So without further ado, lets look at my tweets and brutally attack them like I brutally attacked Penn State!


     Penn State just scored on a touchdown(TD) pass from Christian Hackenberg to Brandon Felder. It only took three plays on Michigan's ensuing drive to respond with a touchdown pass of its own. I still had the horrible taste in my mouth when Indiana put up 44 points on us the previous week and I wondered if we were in store to repeat that performance against a high scoring Michigan team.

    
     Yeah okay, like I would be able to do a much better job than Bill O'Brien as a head coach! This tweet was after Penn State decided to go for it on 4th and short midway through the 1st quarter. Hackenberg attempted a Quarterback (QB) Sneak but was stuffed behind the line of scrimmage and turned the ball over on downs on their OWN 33! (Okay so maybe I did have a right to question BOB's call there, but luckily forced a 3 & Out on Michigan's ensuing drive)

    
     This is actually something that many Penn Stater's will agree on as the Nittany Lions have had constant struggle of converting on 3rd down throughout the first six games thus far.


    
     As great as a QB Christian Hackenberg is, there have been times where he has had the opportunity to tuck the ball and run for positive yards, and yet decides to throw in hopes for a huge gain. Again this is not really one of my worse tweets. In fact, this is probably fair criticism. Hold on though folks, it begins to take a nasty turn!

    

     Penn State lead at halftime 21-10 and would receive the ball to start the 2nd half. On the first play from scrimmage, Zach Zwinak fumbled the ball and Michigan scooped it up and returned it for a TD. Quickly cutting the lead to four in just 10 seconds. Penn State continued to struggle and Michigan reclaimed the lead for the second time of the game. Though one could consider it to be a choke job, there was still an entire quarter of football to be played!

    
     Wow! Was that really necessarily? Yes Penn State had just given up another TD to Michigan to make the score 34-24 in favor of the Wolverines. Because of the sequence of events, my lack of support was really beginning to show as I was already giving up on them.

    

    Yeah I really do need to watch my language! Especially because young kids could see this! Michigan was a team that averaged 38 points a game entering this matchup. (Michigan would ultimately surpassing their average finishing with 40 points, thanks though to 4 overtimes OT)


     Man was I truly an asshole! I am ashamed that I even wrote this! Considering all of the unjustly things that have happened to this team in the past year, I can not believe I had the nerve to say something like this! Also, what the fuck is up with putting the word "team" in quotation marks? Is that suppose to be a jab that this group of players lack what a team makes? To myself I say "fuck off!"

    
      Yes, Hackenberg did make mistakes. To single him out like this though was unfair to him. Add another point for me to the Jackass counter!


      
     

     Oh look, it is me continuing to be a complete "fucktard" and an irrational scumbag!


    

      Okay, so their special teams at times is shaky, but by now I was already shitting all over Happy Valley with my pessimism.

     I briefly stopped tweeting as Penn State had one last chance to send the game into OT. Hackenberg led Penn State 80 yards in just 23 seconds for a TD. Allen Robinson made a huge catch at the 1yd. line and Hackenberg would punch it in. I think the tweet above was in regards to the ensuing kickoff the gave Michigan great field position that allowed them a shot a winning the game in regulation. Fortunately Michigan placekicker Brendan Gibbons, came up short on a 52 yd. field goal (FG) attempt as time expired.

     I was glued to the television and completely away from Twitter. When Sam Ficken missed his FG attempt in the 1st OT, I figured it was all but over and knew Gibbons would make good on his mishap at the end of regulation. Michigan ran conservative plays to set up an easy kick for Gibbons. I felt a knot in my stomach and could not believe this was how it was going to end....BUT IT DIDN'T! Penn State Special Teams blocked Gibbons FG and survived to force a 2nd OT! Both teams would exchange FG's in the 2nd OT, making the score 37-37.

     Like in the 1st OT session, Penn State received the ball first in the 3rd OT. On their first play from scrimmage, Penn State drew up an end around for Allen Robinson and had daylight ahead of him. Robinson however could not secure the ball and coughed it up and Michigan recovered. Though I did not take to Twitter, I did say "I fucking hate Allen Robinson". Michigan would get the ball all the way down to the Penn State 16 yd. line and set up a FG attempt for Brendan Gibbons that was straight on right between the hashes. No way he was going to miss a third opportunity. It was only a 33 yd. attempt, and Gibbons was automatic heading into this contest. So I sat there prepared to accept defeat when all of a sudden....GIBBONS HOOKED IT LEFT! PENN STATE SURVIVED AGAIN!

     Now entering a 4th OT, both teams were gassed. Michigan would receive the ball first and settle for a FG attempt. Gibbons would this time connect on the attempt to give the Wolverines a 40-37 lead with Penn State receiving another attempt to either tie the game and send it to a 5th OT or win it. Penn State faced a decision on 4th & 1 and instead of kicking the tying FG, Bill O'Brien decided to go for it. Bill Belton converted, but not without working hard first to get a fresh set of downs and keep Penn State's chances of winning the game alive. A few plays later, Hackenberg stepped up in the pocket and threw to Robinson in the end zone and though he did not catch it, he was able to draw the flag for defensive pass interference. With a 1st & Goal set up at the 2 yd. line, Bill Belton accepted a handoff and ran to the outside for a Penn State touchdown! I was screaming up in down with joy. Let us not forget though, I gave up on this team, but they themselves never quit. here was my final tweet after the game had concluded

    
  To the Penn State Football players, fans, alumni, students, I am sorry for what I wrote and tweeted on Twitter. I have and will always love Penn State no matter what! As stated in the tweet above I equated everything I said as if I were a child (I certainly acted like one!) who tells their mom or dad that they hate them because they are mad at them. Even though they do not actually mean it. Sometimes I say these things because I want the best for someone or something because I get so emotionally invested and get carried away at times (obviously!) I can not promise Penn State players, fans, alumni, students, etc, that I will not say something stupid again. What I can promise though is that I will always support you through thick and thin! (and to be fair to myself I still had faith even down 10 late in the game, I just did not show it because of frustration and bitterness) We though as a Penn State family always need to have "Success With Honor" and because "We Are Penn State!"


For updates when I write a new piece, "LIKE" My Facebook Page for my Sports Blog : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nams-Noodle-Sports-Blog-FB-Page/252192688235247


2 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The team requires the subsequent three baseball offseasons to finish the Wrigley Field restoration undertaking. onebidwonders has more information on college football bowl game.

    ReplyDelete