This is the 32nd in a 33-day series about Penn State football leading up to the Blue-White Game on Saturday. Click here for past installments in the series.
C’mon, admit it: You thought Bill O’Brien’s mathematic formula for keeping score in last year’s Blue-White Game was a bit…er, ah…different.
You know, devised by either celestial mechanics savant John Urschel or hoodie savant Bill Belichick. If you recall, it went something like this:
OFFENSE: Touchdown = 6 points; Field goal = 3 points; Big play (15+ yard play) = 2 points; Two consecutive first downs = 2 points; PAT = 1 point.
DEFENSE: Touchdown = 7 points; Turnover (unless TD) = 6 points; Sack = 4 points; Three-and-out = 1 point; Tackle for loss = 2 points.
And O’Brien plans to do it again on Saturday. “I don’t know why that’s such a big deal,” the second-year coach said last week, “although some people think it is.”
Here’s the funny thing about it: They’re on board with Bill in Evanston, Ill., and Madison, Wis. To them, it’s the status quo. Both Big Ten schools either used (Northwestern, April 13) or plan to use (Wisconsin, 5 p.m. Saturday) similar scoring systems in their spring games.
With Pat Fitzgerald’s Northwestern Wildcats, the result was a 47-43 nail-biter won by the defense over the offense. The big play of the game was a Pick 17 – an interception (worth 5 points) by 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive lineman Chance Carter, who took it to the house for a touchdown (another 12 points).
That’s far better than Michigan, which didn’t even keep score in its spring game in Ann Arbor last week. The Wolverines did have snow, a robot who delivered the game ball and orange jerseys for the quarterbacks.
In their spring games, Purdue and Illinois barely beat Purdue and Illinois (no, they did not play each other). Purdue’s Black beat Purdue’s Gold, 14-0, in a game that featured five turnovers, including three interceptions, and a missed field goal from 21 yards. Boilermakers all around afterwards would seem to be the rule after a mess like that.
Illinois played last Friday night in Memorial Stadium and the contest was not memorable in the least, save for temperatures in the 30s. The Illini squeaked out a 13-12 victory, but also lost 13-12. The good news? Only 2,100 fans were in attendance.
Ohio State played its spring game in Cincinnati last weekend before a crowd of about 40,000, who saw Buckeye quarterback Braxton Miller shred the Buckeye defense for 217 yards and two touchdowns passing, with a third TD on a run. OSU managed just 122 rushing yards on 45 carries, as head coach Urban Meyer spent the game standing behind the offense. Still, ESPN.com reported that after the scrimmage Meyer said, “I would be disappointed if we’re not the best offense in the Big Ten.”
Meyer certainly gave his place-kicker Drew Basil a workout. Basil had a heckuva thyme and was peppered with requests to kick for both Scarlet and Grey. It was a sage decision for Meyer, as Basil got some seasoning when he kicked seven PATs in a row, the last from 54 yards out, to help Scarlet salt away Gray, 31-14.
Of course, nothing can beat the 69-yard touchdown run by 7-year-old Jack Hoffman in Nebraska’s spring game. The cancer patient outran the Husker defense – and offense – to score the biggest touchdown of the spring, not only in the Big Ten but all of college football. A YouTube of the tear-jerking carry now has over 7.5 million views and is right here.
You also have to like what Michigan State is doing at its Green-White scrimmage held Saturday afternoon – it’s selling seats in its Spartan Stadium press box. A total of 100 seats are going for $50 a piece to Wilbon and Simmons wannabes who want to sit with the ink- and Web-stained Fourth Estate.
One Michigan State caveat: No kids under age 12. What, like there’s enough childish behavior in the press box already?
Finally, for his part, this whole spring game thing bemuses O’Brien a bit. When asked about his scoring system last week, O’Brien gave a little shrug of his shoulders, like, “Does it matter?”
“You win the game,” is what the Nittany Lions coach did say. “You’re Penn State.”
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Day 6: O’Brien Looking to Get Everyone Involved in Running Game
Day 5: Ficken Ready to Continue Streak Into 2013
Day 4: Will Penn State Be as Aggressive on Fourth Down in 2013?
Day 3: What the Loss of Zordich Means for the Fullback Position
