Game Ball and Helmet Stickers: The Blizzard
There are so many words that describe what we all witnessed on Saturday night. So many in fact that I’m actually at a loss for words. Don’t call it writers block by any means, call it shell-shocked and prideful instead. I was born here in Happy Valley and I’ve spent a lifetime weaving Penn State into the very fabric of my soul just like the rest of you that bleed blue and white. We’ve celebrated all the highs together and we have certainly suffered through the lows. We have watched small town State College grow into a mini mecca and we’ve seen Beaver Stadium parallel it’s rise to the point where both are now bursting at the seams.
It wasn’t as much what I saw on Saturday night that has me hung over in a hazy daze today, it’s much more what I felt; the energy inside our home away from home. It was the electricity flowing through my veins the moment I crossed the threshold of that ramp down below and stepped into the blizzard. I’ve been to many Whiteouts since Whiteouts were born but this one topped them all.
From the pregame festivities right up until KJ ducked his head and crashed through a wave of maize and blue almost twice his size to seal the victory. Now, I’m not much on superheroes but that young Lion brought the storm to Michigan and they had no answer for his electric flow. Maybe it was the atmosphere, maybe not, but I swear I saw sparks of lightning bounce off his heels every time he slipped past the secondary. He may not want to be compared to Saquon but every time he touches that ball, his legend grows larger. As much as I want to bask in the afterglow of the greatest blizzard ever, KJ, this game ball belongs to you!
On defense, the man, the myth, and the Legend of Micah Parsons was a bonafide nightmare wrecking Wolverine dreams all night and led everyone with a career high 14 tackles. Cam Brown racked up 11 of his own and Tariq Castro-Fields snatched up a timely interception. While I’m at it, he may not be splattered all over the stat line, but let’s show some love for Lamont Wade who has been nothing short of a beast ever since he reaffirmed Happy Valley truly was home sweet home.
Jahan Dotson and Ricky “the Dragon” Slade lit the spark that helped us jumped out to a 21-0 lead before we simmered down again. Pat Frieirmuth continues to cause trouble for anyone that gets in his way, and Sean Clifford did more than enough to keep his record as the starting QB spotless.
In the end, give credit to Michigan for weathering the Blizzard. As much as I hate to say it, consider me impressed. I thought for sure once I stepped into that crowd and saw what they had coming, the Wolverines would just wither away, but that pesky mid-game stall struck us once again. If that’s our lone weakness as we stand here undefeated after seven and knocking on the top five door, I’d say the best is yet to come. For all the Sunday morning coaches out there, consider this, it was the paper champs from Michigan left to savor a moral 'win' of survival and the mighty Nittany Lions of Penn State who are moving on to bigger fish. Now it’s back to Sparty, Nittany Nation, and as I watch the rain come down this Tuesday, I am reminded that absolutely nothing comes easy this time of year In the Big Ten!
It wasn’t as much what I saw on Saturday night that has me hung over in a hazy daze today, it’s much more what I felt; the energy inside our home away from home. It was the electricity flowing through my veins the moment I crossed the threshold of that ramp down below and stepped into the blizzard. I’ve been to many Whiteouts since Whiteouts were born but this one topped them all.
From the pregame festivities right up until KJ ducked his head and crashed through a wave of maize and blue almost twice his size to seal the victory. Now, I’m not much on superheroes but that young Lion brought the storm to Michigan and they had no answer for his electric flow. Maybe it was the atmosphere, maybe not, but I swear I saw sparks of lightning bounce off his heels every time he slipped past the secondary. He may not want to be compared to Saquon but every time he touches that ball, his legend grows larger. As much as I want to bask in the afterglow of the greatest blizzard ever, KJ, this game ball belongs to you!
On defense, the man, the myth, and the Legend of Micah Parsons was a bonafide nightmare wrecking Wolverine dreams all night and led everyone with a career high 14 tackles. Cam Brown racked up 11 of his own and Tariq Castro-Fields snatched up a timely interception. While I’m at it, he may not be splattered all over the stat line, but let’s show some love for Lamont Wade who has been nothing short of a beast ever since he reaffirmed Happy Valley truly was home sweet home.
Jahan Dotson and Ricky “the Dragon” Slade lit the spark that helped us jumped out to a 21-0 lead before we simmered down again. Pat Frieirmuth continues to cause trouble for anyone that gets in his way, and Sean Clifford did more than enough to keep his record as the starting QB spotless.
In the end, give credit to Michigan for weathering the Blizzard. As much as I hate to say it, consider me impressed. I thought for sure once I stepped into that crowd and saw what they had coming, the Wolverines would just wither away, but that pesky mid-game stall struck us once again. If that’s our lone weakness as we stand here undefeated after seven and knocking on the top five door, I’d say the best is yet to come. For all the Sunday morning coaches out there, consider this, it was the paper champs from Michigan left to savor a moral 'win' of survival and the mighty Nittany Lions of Penn State who are moving on to bigger fish. Now it’s back to Sparty, Nittany Nation, and as I watch the rain come down this Tuesday, I am reminded that absolutely nothing comes easy this time of year In the Big Ten!
