Bauer: Allen, Singleton Have Changed 'Entire Identity' of Penn St Offense

your Steve Jones Show podcast is loading now the Steve Jones Show podcast is sponsored by Sunberry Motors North Fourth Street in Sunberry and Sunbury Motors Kia routes 11 and 15 in hwarf all right let's go to the um 16th green because nothing keeps him away from the golf course he gets his work done so efficiently on three.com Blue Illustrated a power sir welcome thanks so much for having me that's not accurate and I'm missing a golf day today but the work must be done I understand demand no I understand that all right so um so go through a bye you've written a lot of Articles put a lot of thought in so what do you is it through five games where is this football team right now Penn State yeah that's I I gotta stop yet to put a lot of thought in the bye is my mental vacation but uh no I think I here's my issue uh you know and even before we get to Michigan uh when I look at Penn State I see three games that I took something from and two games that I didn't really take a whole lot from sure and the issue is the two games that I didn't take a whole lot from and can't really quite figure out are the two most recent and so when you add and compound a bye on top of that it feels like a month since I've seen Penn State play a game resembling what I think they are or want to be um you know and so so that's kind of the conundrum that I have right now is is sizing up who they are I uh Nick Singleton has changed KRON Allen has changed yeah the entirety of the identity of Penn State's offense they create a dynamic that Penn State did not have last year um you know in terms of the ability to have a balanced offensive attack their receiving options and quarterback play are not as dynamic as they were last year but they're more than serviceable for what they've had to face to this point in the season and defensively I think Penn State's been really good yeah right I mean I I do I think I think that they will continue to be uh very good I think that the challenges that they have coming are again more than they've faced previously they have not faced anything as um as versatile as Michigan will be right they they have faced some one-dimensional offenses that are pretty good but they haven't faced uh a team that can kind of beat you in both directions so yeah I you know I I I feel like I have a a a a pretty good grip on on who these guys are but you know this weekend will tell me much much more than I feel like I presently know so flip to the other side as Michigan face the defense this versatile nope nope nope no and this is and this is the part where I realize there's always this fatalistic attitude they got this they got this well guess what what do you have chop liver y i I just watched uh I just watched this morning a you know it's like a YouTube bootleg of the broadcast right of of a Michigan game I just watched them against Indiana yeah uh that was not an impressive win for Michigan and they ended up pulling away but that was a seven-point game uh into the fourth quarter well yeah it's tied with seven minutes to go in the third and Indiana had a touchdown called back we're not so sure it should have been called back yes yes and so did I see a Michigan offense that was lights out no I I didn't uh did I see a Michigan defense that was Unstoppable no they had some sacks I mean that that Indiana team is not impressive but they moved the ball they had opportunities um you know Blake korm I think is I don't know why he just he reminds me a little bit of Evan Royster just I I don't think he is a home run like he hit a home run in that game but but doesn't have uh you know like he's not going to blow you away I guess on his own he's not going to make those plays on his own it demands that you know as as offenses do a a conjunctive or a a Cooperative effort right it takes that offensive line being good it takes JJ McCarthy putting them into good field position yeah you know uh and so yeah I Steve I pulled pulled some stats this morning uh five of the six offenses that Penn State or that Michigan has faced so far this season have been ranked 998th or worst in the country in scoring offense and four of the defenses that they've faced so far this season have been 98 or worse in the country this season like it's just it's hard to get a good grip on exactly what they are too yeah it it's again it's hard to get a read on them in part because the non-conference schedule was not great uh and now they've played in conference Marilyn pushed them to the wire even Billy Edwards the backup quarterback came and he he threw a touchdown pass and you know Iowa here here's one of the interesting Parts Michigan has scored on its opening drive in five of the six games yeah right they played with the lead they've also scored their opening drive four out of six times to start the second half so they've been good in those situations where it's given them the opportunity to play without as much stress how about that uh was it I started to watch it's all blending together for me right now but didn't Maryland fumble the opening kickoff yeah right off the face mask you know uh so so I think when you when you combine that I'm seeing now what James Franklin was talking about on Tuesday which is how the game changes for Michigan uh in in the way that it has been dictated by time and score yes uh M by the defense can change what it does for Michigan the offense can change what it does for Michigan based on having those advantages and so uh yes I think that Penn State will represent by far the toughest test that Michigan has faced to this point in the season but I think that there's a a counterbalance narrative that James Franklin is for warning which is very simply don't put yourself in a hole don't go out to and find and find yourself down 14 to nothing because if you're trying to play catchup it's going to be much more difficult to do they're going to take the air out of the football they're not going to be um a team that you can just explosive play to death that's just not that's not the way it's going to work and the other element is you talk about the number of sacks yes they do get sacks but how many of those sacks and then watching the Indiana it's a good good example how many sacks were I'm behind I got to throw the ball and you know they have to throw the ball and that's you know that's why when you start looking at numbers numbers don't tell you everything you got to actually watch the games to see and that's where they've been able and they do get sack they got guys that Morris is really good off the edge he's an impressive player a couple of no doubt they have some impressive guys that can make plays no doubt but situationally it's played to their favor as out of the games because they've taken care of business by the way in the first three quarters themselves I mean they put themselves in that spot yep very much so and and if you but if you think about it in context of what Penn State is you don't want Sean Clifford to have to be under those circumstances either you don't want Penn State's off line to be under those circumstances you don't want to you don't want to take uh the the ability of what arguably is your best home run hitter in Nick Singleton out of the game and into pass protection exactly because right like th those are the Domino effects that that those circumstances can have on the game and uh you know I I do I I absolutely think that that is uh James frankon does it uh it's very interesting to me because people you know people talk sometimes about how uh you know I don't know if elusive is the right word but that he doesn't say much it at press conferences I I disagree with that wholeheartedly he told you what's going to happen on Saturday or what the keys to the game for Penn State are yeah which is Penn State defensively cannot give up five yards on every first down can't do it right they they have to be able to limit Michigan's running game on first down specifically and force second and seven force third and long get into those circumstances and Penn State is in a much better position defensively than it would be otherwise and on the offensive side of the ball uh again you cannot play from behind right you just you cannot find yourself in those circumstances because it's going to be a tough hole to dig out of uh Mike Shrewsberry did meet with the media today in Minneapolis as part of the Big 10 media days what was your impression of what he brought to the table yeah it was the it was the um you know kind of the greatest hits of uh of the summer for for him I mean it's it's funny I've been having kind of this conversation with our our message board and our online community uh at Blue at Illustrated uh uh you know trying to kind of glean some insights as as things are going along here in the preseason for them uh nothing's really changed you know like uh they they have more offensive Firepower than they did last season no doubt and that is very much thanks to the introduction of Cam winter from Drexel uh and Andrew Funk from buckell and they both those two guys you're talking about a couple guys had more than 1200 points a piece in their career so totally capable y experienced pieces that Penn State has added to the offensive end of the floor uh but but most ially in terms of the narrative for what this team is this season yes you've lost John Hera but Seth Lundy is a stud defensively Jaylen picket is a stud defensively uh and if you can build around those guys kind of carry over that Foundation that you had last season and add to it a little bit of offensive Firepower you give yourself a better chance to win some of those games that they came up uh just a little bit short on so yeah I thought I thought uh I thought he was but I didn't think there was a ton of you know new information right you know of what this team is and what it can possibly be look the only new information that came out in the entire two days was how measured the commissioner was when it came to expansion that's the only news that came out of it what he said in July and what he said yesterday were not in the same ballpark yeah very measured about it so yeah yeah yep it it's uh I'm not I'm not quite ready for basketball Seasons but I'm getting there well let put you this way U when November 7th rolls around I better be ready so I'm yeah there you go so I mean and I like and I you know I'm not going to get too deep into it but I like what I've seen when I've gone how about that and I've gone maybe I've gone maybe seven or eight times so I I like I I will be interested to the what the influence of um keba is right in terms of the the interior of that offense and defensively uh what what he can provide Penn State um in terms of a big and then and then and just so everybody knows it's keba ji okay as he as he said to me he said uh Mr Jones he says the N is silent I said well my last name's Jones and the Jay is not so was we had a good I but it's ke ji is how you say it just so everybody you know knows when you go to the games that's how you say it and and he will be a name that I suspect Penn State fans will very quickly become familiar with and need to know how to pronounce his name yeah well so I mean really a lot of potential but also let's face it he has a he'll need help because you're talking about Zack Edy Hunter Dickinson Trace Jackson Davis I mean he's got a big job against some really experienced guys he'll endure it because he's he's a talent unto himself but it but you think about it you got a big job man yep and he does at a tender age but you know what he's got the talent so and that's not and that's not as you know the only way the game is played of course not no Abol you know you just you don't have to be you don't it's just it's just not as critical as making three pointers that's the bottom line is make threes and you could be in business and uh Penn State I think is trying to do that they are better equipped from long range than they were last year yep we're always better equipped with knowledge on the show when you show up ah stop I'm blushing that was the goal all right check mark another goal offer today my friend thank you so much appreciate you always always appreciate you having me on I will see you in an arbor looking forward to it looking forward to it Nate thanks all right see