Iceland12
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Looks like the Gophers should come out strong on Saturday
Another road game, another opportunity for the Penn State football program to show that it has made some progress since the beginning of the season.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are a surprising 7-2 as they prepare to host Bill O'Brien's 5-3 Lions Saturday.
Minnesota is a slight (2 points) favorite and you can believe the Gophers have O'Brien's full attention after their last three games -- wins over Northwestern, Nebraska and Indiana.
It's safe to say not many saw 7-2 coming for Minnesota.
It's also safe to say not many saw Penn State's road struggles coming.
True, the Lions opened the season with a 23-17 victory over Syracuse at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. but that neutral site contest was really a PSU home game, given the large percentage of Lions fans in attendance.
PSU has been outscored 107-38 in its two Big Ten road games, losses to Indiana (44-24) and Ohio State (63-14). And the Gophers won 42-39 at Indiana last Saturday, which makes PSU-Minnesota all the more interesting.
I think you'll know where PSU stands against the Gophers after 15 minutes.
Because the Lions' road failures are directly linked to their starts, not their finishes.
Penn State has not scored a single point in the first quarter on the road this season.
That is an amazing statistic. Indiana led 7-0 after a quarter and Ohio State built a 14-0 lead after one.
Fast starts are critical on the road because an early lead for the visitor tends to take the crowd out of the game a little bit. A slow start tends to make the home folks get louder.
And it's not like Penn State hasn't had its chances early..
http://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2013/11/early_warning_signs_penn_state.html
Another road game, another opportunity for the Penn State football program to show that it has made some progress since the beginning of the season.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are a surprising 7-2 as they prepare to host Bill O'Brien's 5-3 Lions Saturday.
Minnesota is a slight (2 points) favorite and you can believe the Gophers have O'Brien's full attention after their last three games -- wins over Northwestern, Nebraska and Indiana.
It's safe to say not many saw 7-2 coming for Minnesota.
It's also safe to say not many saw Penn State's road struggles coming.
True, the Lions opened the season with a 23-17 victory over Syracuse at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. but that neutral site contest was really a PSU home game, given the large percentage of Lions fans in attendance.
PSU has been outscored 107-38 in its two Big Ten road games, losses to Indiana (44-24) and Ohio State (63-14). And the Gophers won 42-39 at Indiana last Saturday, which makes PSU-Minnesota all the more interesting.
I think you'll know where PSU stands against the Gophers after 15 minutes.
Because the Lions' road failures are directly linked to their starts, not their finishes.
Penn State has not scored a single point in the first quarter on the road this season.
That is an amazing statistic. Indiana led 7-0 after a quarter and Ohio State built a 14-0 lead after one.
Fast starts are critical on the road because an early lead for the visitor tends to take the crowd out of the game a little bit. A slow start tends to make the home folks get louder.
And it's not like Penn State hasn't had its chances early..
http://www.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/index.ssf/2013/11/early_warning_signs_penn_state.html
