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Dave Revsine's Bio: Our lead studio host crunches the numbers during football and basketball season. Got a question for Dave? Maybe a stat that caught your eye? Submit a comment below or e-mail Dave on the right. |
| Aug 26 2009, 10:14 AM | Topic: College football |
| As we roll back through the Iowa night towards Chicago, I have been forced to come to grips with a difficult reality: I have failed as a blogger on this trip. I got into the tweeting deal, and, between that, prepping for shows and little insignificant things like, for instance, food and slumber, the blog kind of got the shaft. I feel terrible. So, in the interest of assuaging my guilt and placating my friendly Web editor Chris, here is the trip summary. Trip MVP: The Big Ten Network Bus. There are no words to describe the impact the bus had on our trip. It was comfortable, allowed us to get work done on the road, have our meetings before we rolled into town. Our bus driver, Kevin, always kept plenty of food and drink on hand. Seriously, it changed our lives. Runner-up: Sugar Free Red Bull. As a non-coffee drinker, I could not have possibly made it through the trip were it not for the purveyors of this fine concoction. Outside of having it intravenously pumped into my system, I cannot think of a better delivery mechanism for my daily caffeine. Best Team: Penn State. I say this with one caveat – we saw Ohio State on its second day of practice, so it really was tough to gauge just how good the Buckeyes are. But I was really impressed with PSU. Their only real area of concern is in the secondary, and I'm not sure how many teams on their schedule can make them pay for that (though I'd certainly be worried about that game at Illinois, if I were them). Daryll Clark looked completely in control at QB, the RB crew is as good as any in the conference, and the defensive front seven will be very good. Best Drill: The "M" Drill at Michigan. It's the Oklahoma Drill, but with a twist. There are three layers of blocking going on – linemen going 1 on 1, then a FB or TE engaged with a LB, followed by a WR and a DB. The back with the ball then tries to run through all three levels. Very intense and really well done. Best Offensive Line: Iowa. I was really impressed with the Hawks, and I think they'll be outstanding when they have everyone back at full strength. Honorable Mention: Ohio State and Penn State. I think the Nittany Lions will be fine here – much better than JoePa is letting on. Best Restaurant: Tuscany in Fitchburg, Wisconsin. As regular readers of this blog are well aware, evening meal is far and away the most important component of our trip – particularly for DiNardo. A good pick earns you respect and admiration. A bad pick could haunt you for a lifetime. So when Badgers Coach Bret Bielema told me to try Tuscany, a restaurant owned by a buddy of his, I quickly canceled our plans to re-visit the Tornado Steakhouse – an old favorite in Madison – and told the group of our new destination. Imagine my shock when our cabbie pulled up in front of a Quality Inn and told us the restaurant was attached. Nothing against the Quality Inn as a chain – it's a fine place to rest one's head. But when one thinks "Quality Inn" they normally don't think "gourmet restaurant attached." I thought I may never live it down and quickly disavowed myself of any responsibility for the pick, reminding anyone who would listen, "Hey, I didn't choose it. Bielema did." Well, this turned out to be a classic case of "don't judge a book by its cover." We had a great meal (my lamb chops were among the best I've ever had), some fabulous wine, and a generally outstanding time. Coach Bielema joined us for the last half hour or so, which added to the enjoyment. Next time you see Rick Pizzo, ask him what he thought… Honorable Mention: Maynard's in Excelsior, Minnesota. This was the culmination of a great night on Lake Minnetonka with Glen Mason. We cruised around on a perfect evening on Mason's boat, then docked at Maynard's for a late meal (and bumped into Gophers Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove on the way to our table). The setting was great – beautiful view of the water, lively crowd. And the food was exactly what you'd want. I had a top-notch steak prepared perfectly, and DiNardo declared his cheeseburger to be "the best" he's ever had. Howard could not be reached for comment, as he was too busy chewing. Best Wide Receivers: Illinois. This group is completely loaded. Arrelious Benn is obviously the headliner, but he is far from the only star in this group. Jeff Cumberland is a match-up nightmare, Jarred Fayson will be an instant impact guy, and Chris Duvalt and A.J. Jenkins both have big play capability. This should be the Big Ten's most formidable passing attack. Honorable Mention: Minnesota, Michigan State. Eric Decker is obviously fantastic, but I think the Gophers will be much deeper here this year with the maturation of Brandon Green and the arrival of Hayo Carpenter. MSU's group looks good too – led by a fully-healthy Mark Dell. Best Tight Ends: Penn State. If Andrew Quarless has truly put his off–the-field issues behind him (and all indications are that he has), he could be the best tight end in the Big Ten. What puts Penn State over the top, though, is that Mickey Shuler would be in that conversation as well. Honorable Mention: Wisconsin. Garrett Graham and Lance Kendricks provide an outstanding 1-2 punch. Frankly, it's splitting hairs between Penn State and Wisconsin. Best Hotel Pamphlet: I'm always attracted to those little brochures they have in the hotel lobby advertising the various local attractions. Schlocky amusement parks, tacky shopping areas, "historic" downtowns. It makes you realize just how much there is to see in this vast land of ours. Who knew Kenosha had so much to offer? With that in mind, I report with great regret that our itinerary did not allow for a side trip to the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota. The tongue-in-cheek brochure advertises that the museum has absolutely everything you'd want, including restrooms. And the price is right – admission is free. Plus, if you'd like, you get to wear a hairnet, just like those who package America's favorite processed meat. It's on my "Bucket List." Best Defensive Line: Ohio State. Again, it's tough to truly judge the Buckeyes, since they weren't even wearing shoulder pads the day we saw them. But they certainly look the part physically, and we've seen most of these guys enough in past years to know how talented they are. Lawrence Wilson looks like he's ready to go after two straight season-ending injuries, Thaddeus Gibson and Cameron Heyward are tough to block, and they are solid at tackle, with Doug Worthington and Dexter Larimore, among others. Honorable Mention: Minnesota, Penn State. Both these teams stand out due to the quality of their tackles, an area where the Big Ten is not particularly deep this season. OSU wins out solely due to its depth. The Gophers, in particular, will surprise some people, with Eric Small, Garret Brown and Jewhan Edwards making up a formidable trio. Impact Freshman: Tate Forcier, Michigan. I think Forcier is perfect for Rodriguez's system. Throws well, particularly on the run, and he runs well. He has everything they need. Seems Rodriguez isn't quite as convinced, given his plans to play three QBs in the opener against Western Michigan, but I still think that, ultimately, Forcier will be the guy. Honorable Mention: Edwin Baker, Michigan State. It's evident that both of the freshmen RBs at MSU will get some playing time. I really liked Baker. He was tough to bring down in the drills we saw – really ran hard. I don't think the Spartans will have one "feature" back, but I do think Baker will get his fair share of carries and make quite an impact. Best Quarterback: Daryll Clark, Penn State. Terrelle Pryor is obviously remarkably talented, and Juice Williams is in the hunt if he can cut down on his mistakes, but I think Clark is still the best guy in the conference. He looked incredibly confident in his role this year – such a contrast from a year ago, when he was battling with Pat Devlin in camp. Most Improved Quarterback: Mike Kafka, Northwestern. Kafka really threw the ball well when we were in Kenosha, and he did so in extremely windy conditions. Combine that with his obvious skills as a runner, and NU should be fine at the QB position. Best Campus Run: Last year, I gained 10 pounds on this trip (consuming a steak at every stop might just do that to you), so I focused a bit more on exercise this time around. While I was relegated to the hotel workout room at a few of the stops due to weather, time constraints, etc, I did get a chance to do a campus run at PSU, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. While each has its own redeeming features, it's hard not to choose Wisconsin for the prettiest run. Two lakes, nice architecture – it's tough to beat. Penn State also has a beautiful natural setting, and Indiana's campus area is gorgeous, but the nod goes to Madison here. Best Defensive Backs: Ohio State. They do lose Malcolm Jenkins, one of the better CBs in America, but everyone else is back from a group that was 13th nationally in Pass Efficiency Defense last year. Devon Torrence and Andre Amos both looked fine in the battle to replace Jenkins, and the safety tandem is the best in the conference. Honorable Mention: Michigan State, Northwestern. Though there's no individual who blows you away for MSU, they're all solid, and they're very deep. Northwestern's secondary appears to be its best since the 1995 team led the nation in scoring defense. They also have impressive depth. Best Running Backs: Penn State. Evan Royster and Stephfon Green make up a fabulous 1-2 punch. Between those two and Darryl Clark, the Nittany Lions should again be dynamic on offense. Honorable Mention: Wisconsin, Michigan State. Though both Gerry and Howard thought John Clay looked a little uninspired and a little out of shape, he's still an awfully good back. Add in Zach Brown (who looks as if he's leap-frogged Clay), Erik Smith, and freshman Montee Ball (who might end up redshirting, but really impressed me), and the Badgers are once again loaded. As for the Spartans, I know they don't have a starter yet, but it's not for a lack of worthy candidates. They go about seven-deep here, and many of them look capable of playing and playing well. Perhaps a bit of a stretch, but I think they'll be just fine here. Best Linebackers: Penn State. The loss of Michael Mauti does hurt. They were raving about him, and it was easy to see why. I watched him in a couple of individual drills and was really impressed. He's the next great one. Still, even without Mauti, it's hard to not to like a group that includes Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman. Honorable Mention: Michigan State, Iowa. The Spartans have the conference's best defensive player in Greg Jones. He blitzed from all over the place in the drills. He's going to make some QBs very nervous. Eric Gordon, Adam Decker and Brandon Denson also impressed. Iowa's group is extremely good too. Pat Angerer was all over the field at the practice we saw, and A.J. Edds is outstanding as well. Most Exciting Freshman: Devon Smith, Penn State. I love this guy. Five-foot-seven and an absolute burner. They threw deep balls to him on two straight passes in 7-on-7 drills where he as at least five yards behind the DB. Look for him to be an instant big-play threat. Honorable Mention: Vincent Smith, Michigan. Another tiny Smith who packs some serious punch, Smith absolutely bowled over a defender in a tackling drill, then, the next time he had the ball, juked another guy out of his uniform with a great move. Best Sign: "Chicago – 60 miles." Ready to head home. Fired up for the season. You can look forward to seeing you for our team-by-team preview shows starting Wednesday night with Ohio State and Michigan.
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