The Big News: Joe says if Sean Lee isn’t 100-percent, he’s very close. His stamina is getting better and gaining confidence in how hard he can go.
The Big News II: Stephfon Green practiced yesterday and Joe is eager to see how his ankle responds today in practice.
Highlights:
- Pryor has been red hot the last couple of weeks after starting slow.
- If you can’t slow Pryor down, you can’t be in the football game.
- “They’ve very very good defensive football team. We’ve got to be precise. Mix up things. We can’t have foolish penalties,” says Joe about the Ohio State defense.
- You have to look at the punters PSU has played against. Joe was again asked by YDR’s Frankie “BoJangles” Bodani about the punt return unit, which still stinks.
- More love for Jared Odrick. “He reminds me a lot of the good ones we’ve had,”….Odrick is compared to Matt Millen, Mike Reid, Steve Smear, according to Joe.
- Wide receiver Derek Moye is getting better all the time.
- Joe is asked about DC and the Heisman. Joe says DC has been an outstanding performer. But Joe said he hasn’t seen enough of the other guys playing to decide on the Heisman. “Daryll Clark is one heckuva football player,” says Joe. Again he said Clark isn’t getting the attention he deserves, like Odrick.
- Ogbu has become a surprise for Joe. He said Crawford and Bowman have been good but they knew that going into the season.
- Joe said he watched a little IU-Iowa on Saturday and he tries to not let what else is going on in the conference become a distraction for his team or him personally.
- Brandon Beachum has been solid in place of Stephfon Green
- The secondary is better with Astorino at strong safety because they can get him involved in the defense more. “He can be involved in more plays and have more leadership impact.”
- Comparing styles with Jim Tressel, Joe doesn’t want to.
- Joe is aware of the situation if they lose to Ohio State, but he is more worried about doing the best they can vs. Ohio State.
- Royster is “certainly a big league tailback,” says Joe.
- Joe likes hanging with Matt Millen when he comes back to do games for ABC. Joe says that Millen has two daughters at PSU and they looked at his son in recruiting but he opted for Army.
- Doesn’t know if this will be like last year’s game vs. Ohio State.
- Adversity at NW helps? “Hopefully we learned from that, but I don’t know, I really don’t. I would think every game you play you learn something.”
- Joe was asked if he should still vote, but said he was told he’s not allowed to because he voted Auburn No. 1 in 2004 and they told him he couldn’t.
- Crawford has been a surprise because of his lack of playing time. Joe says he’s been mature, handled problems well, he’s learning and has become a very good football player.
