So Close, Yet So Far Away
Well folks, welcome to the knock-down, drag-out, mud-slinging slugfest that is the Big Ten in November. More specifically, the heavyweight division they call the Big Ten East. Last year, we ruled the roost (not counting that beat-down in Ann Arbor, obviously) and this year, not so much. So close, yet so far away it seems. By now, you know all too well that things didn’t go our way in East Lansing, Michigan as Penn State took another one on the chin 27-24. Forgive me for taking an extra day to collect my thoughts, but I’ve been busy deep inside the trenches of social media hashing it out like the rest of you. Let me say, man it gets ugly in there after a loss and that’s an understatement. But really, that’s nothing new, just the downside of the twitter-verse I suppose.
If you ask me, and judging by what happened over there in Iowa to the Evil Empire (please note the one time I’ve smiled since Saturday), I think we both left it all out on the field in Columbus. Two heavyweights that stood toe-to-toe two weeks ago, but had nothing left in the tank one week later. Emotionally and physically. Don’t get me wrong, we gave it our best shot, but sometimes visions of ‘what could have been' stand in the way. Sometimes playoff scenarios and ‘who's ranked where’ mumble jumble interfere with the usual Sparty, Sparty, Sparty we've become accustomed to under James Franklin. Mother Nature certainly didn’t help in this one either, but I guess that goes for the opponent as well. Although, I will point out the Spartans had a leg up by playing hated rival Michigan in a pouring monsoon a few weeks earlier. How else can you explain those immaculate receptions their wideouts made while ours were busy trying to get a grip with wet fingers?
So here we are today, 7-2 and 4 points short of being undefeated. Counting the Rose Bowl, our last 3 losses are by a grand total of 7. SO close, yet so far away. Out of playoff contention and left to fight for a coveted slot in the New Year’s 6 batch of bowl games. The so-called ‘Gauntlet’ is nothing more than a bad memory. The Nittany Lions are now looking at a three-game swing to right the ship. Another ‘Gauntlet’ that is by no means a gimme, but much less stressful than the road they just jumped off of. Nothing heals a broken heart like some home cooked meals and 107k all decked out in Blue and White. The players need it, the coaches need it, and we do too. Back-to-back in Happy Valley is a certain cure for all our aches and pains as the season of great expectations winds down. So close, yet so far away. But remember this my friends, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
If you ask me, and judging by what happened over there in Iowa to the Evil Empire (please note the one time I’ve smiled since Saturday), I think we both left it all out on the field in Columbus. Two heavyweights that stood toe-to-toe two weeks ago, but had nothing left in the tank one week later. Emotionally and physically. Don’t get me wrong, we gave it our best shot, but sometimes visions of ‘what could have been' stand in the way. Sometimes playoff scenarios and ‘who's ranked where’ mumble jumble interfere with the usual Sparty, Sparty, Sparty we've become accustomed to under James Franklin. Mother Nature certainly didn’t help in this one either, but I guess that goes for the opponent as well. Although, I will point out the Spartans had a leg up by playing hated rival Michigan in a pouring monsoon a few weeks earlier. How else can you explain those immaculate receptions their wideouts made while ours were busy trying to get a grip with wet fingers?
So here we are today, 7-2 and 4 points short of being undefeated. Counting the Rose Bowl, our last 3 losses are by a grand total of 7. SO close, yet so far away. Out of playoff contention and left to fight for a coveted slot in the New Year’s 6 batch of bowl games. The so-called ‘Gauntlet’ is nothing more than a bad memory. The Nittany Lions are now looking at a three-game swing to right the ship. Another ‘Gauntlet’ that is by no means a gimme, but much less stressful than the road they just jumped off of. Nothing heals a broken heart like some home cooked meals and 107k all decked out in Blue and White. The players need it, the coaches need it, and we do too. Back-to-back in Happy Valley is a certain cure for all our aches and pains as the season of great expectations winds down. So close, yet so far away. But remember this my friends, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
