A win that feels like a loss

My observant wife made this comment Saturday while watching the game, "They just don't seem to want to win like last season" and I think it sums up what we've been witnessing from this team all season.  They don't play with a ton of energy and just go through the motions.  I'm not sure you point to one specific thing to say why, but most likely it's the make-up of this team.  Part of it can be laid at the coaches feet, part of it at players.  I think ultimately the biggest reason is senior leadership, which is a crucial part to any Penn State Football team, and this seasons group are made of up a solid players but no one who is dynamic.  I think Darryl Clark wants to be that person but his play on the field in crucial situations holds him back.  He likes to say the rights things, but he can't seem to do the right things when the team needs him the most. As for the other captain, Sean Lee, he's not had the senior season he would have liked and it's tough to be a leader when you're injured for 1/3 of the season.

How does this translate to the Indiana game?  Not having this leadership didn't help this team rebound very easily from the Ohio State lost, as they seemed to be in a fog the first half.  Committing four turnovers should have been a killer but thankfully we were playing Indiana, any other average team would have made us pay for those and we would have been staring at a double digit lead at halftime, and we all know how well this team plays when they fall behind.

But a win is a win, and sometimes they happen ugly.  Now onto Michigan State and a win keeps our BCS hopes alive, but the worst that can for us is either the Capital One Bowl or Outback Bowl, both on New Years Day.