UPA 2003 COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Penn State University
How they got here:
2nd in Metro East Region
Scouting Report
A lot of people around the Metro East have been surprised year after year as Penn State Spank fielded incredibly-athletic class after class but continued to fall in the regional quarters or semis. Well, those days are over, as Spank has made it back to the big dance. The team struggled early in the season, as a conditioning-intensive WUFF Spring Break Camp claimed the hamstrings of 2 or 3 of Spank's stars, but as time went on, the muscles healed and the big guys came back out to provide Spank with the control and confidence they needed to pull out huge wins (see 17-16 double GP victory over GWU on a Callahan goal).
Spank's offense uses some controlled dumping and swinging to keep the flow moving, but let there be no doubt that they love the deep look. With their team of ridiculously fast receivers, PSU will relentlessly take you deep, relying on the fact that their one-on-one matchups will eventually come out in their favor. If the first cut isn't there, they'll wait it out til someone's open. Part of the frustrating aspect of PSU's offense is that their best throwers are also, in general, their best receivers. Point in case: Ian McClellan. Ian, with his trademark neon green shorts, has been known to possess some of the best throws in the region for some time -- one look at his bullet flick huck will demonstrate his mastery -- but many people underestimate his abilities downfield and in the air. Ian is probably the hardest player in the Metro East to guard one-on-one, because of all the ways he can hurt you. When Ian's not ripping down the disc in the endzone, he's probably the one who put the huck there for one of his other receivers -- "Hands," Tom, Foss "Mike G is my idol" Foss, Matthew "Digs" Leydig, and Herschel all spring to mind. These guys are all great athletes, and will contort their bodies in whatever way necessary to make a big grab. Hands in particular was dominant all over the place during regionals, and will continue to own his matchups at nationals.
As for defense, expect the same stars to come at you hard. PSU plays a tough man defense, relying once again on their stellar athletes to come up with big plays. Ian and Tom will undoubtedly come up with some crazy layout D's down in the Austin heat.
Historically, PSU has always been a very dangerous team, but in past years they turned the disc over too much on questionable looks into coverage. Now that they have their current personnel, they have seriously cut back on these mistakes, as they don't have to rely on getting the disc to one or two key guys anymore. They have also transitioned in a horizontal stack offense, popularized so much over the past couple of years. With a solid line of receivers and their new, more patient offense, Spank will give any opposing defense fits trying to match up.
Penn State is also a team that feeds on their emotion. Once they get a roll going, it's awfully hard to stop them...
Self-reported stats
Big season wins:
None reported.
Big season losses:
None reported.
Players to watch on offense:
None reported.
Players to watch on defense:
None reported.