Where to begin? This is probably going to ramble, so deal with me.

My heart weeps for everyone involved in this mess. I pity the victims and their families who will have to live with the emotional scars for the rest of their lives. I feel for the people who knew Jerry Sandusky and the betrayal they must feel in knowing the guy they knew and loved was leading a secret, destructive life. I sympathize with the millions of Penn State fans and alumni that have to watch in disgust as their cherished Alma Mater is dragged through the national headlines this week. I even feel bad for Sandusky. He's a disturbed man who needed help but was let down by his friends and family who either didn't see the warning signs or they saw them and didn't act on them. This whole thing makes me sick to my stomach.

I wish I knew why people do evil things. For his entire life, Jerry Sandusky was lifted up as a hero. He was praised for his football mind, and he was lauded for his work with The Second Mile in helping disadvantaged children. I'm sure in his sick mind, Sandusky thought he was expressing love for his victims. I'm reminded of Michael Jackson saying, "What could be more beautiful than sharing your bed with a child?" The mind of a pedophile is disturbing. It must be miserable to live such a life telling yourself you love these kids, but at the same time having to constantly hide your actions and make up excuses.

I wish I knew why good people make horrible mistakes. How could so many people know this is going on, and yet nobody thought to pick up a phone and call the police? Ever since I first heard the news this Saturday I've been trying to put myself in people's shoes to ask myself what I would do. It's easy for us to puff out our chests and say we would have called the police, but it's never easy when you're in the situation. When the person involved is like a family member or someone you have always looked up to, or when you might be afraid that rocking the boat could cost you your job, it's just not the same as being an objective outsider. To us, Jerry Sandusky is just a name we match with a face. To a person like Joe Paterno, he was like a son he had known since he was a kid in high school. To a person like Mike McQueary, he was a respected coach and elder with an impeccable reputation. To everyone, Jerry Sandusky was a guy who loved kids and devoted his life to helping them succeed in life. As Paterno said, he fooled us all.

I see a lot of people advocating a total house cleaning, but I don't know if that's the solution. At least not at this time. It certainly won't change the events that got us here. It will just make the people involved go away, and I suppose then we can all pat each other on the back and tell each other how well we handled that. I guess that would feel good for a little while.

I don't really want to get into who did the right thing and who did the wrong thing. We have a justice system, and I'm confident that in time, the truth will be made known. I'll reserve my judgement on who should go to jail and who should be fired until that time. Frankly, the calls to clean house and fire everyone are poorly thought out. We live in an orderly society. One that guarantees all men a trial before their peers and that they are presumed innocent until proven guilty. This is a core value of our society, and must be protected at all costs. Otherwise we become ruled by Kangaroo Courts, and after that we're nothing more than mobs burning witches at the stake. Our criminal justice system is purposely slow and deliberate. While that can be frustrating in an era where we want instant gratification and instant justice, we must protect it because the alternative is something none of us are really prepared to see.

There will be those who say everyone must go, and some of them must go directly to jail without passing Go and without collecting $200. I'm asking you all to take a more measured response. You don't have to defend people when your co-workers ask you what you think. Just say you don't know the facts and we'll wait and see what happens. Let's remember that in the eyes of God, we're all sinners. In the eyes of God, Jerry Sandusky's sins are on the same level as cheating on your tax return or lusting for your neighbor's wife. Jesus said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

I don't know why bad things happen to good people. But I believe God has a plan for us, and while we don't understand it and it doesn't always make sense, His is a perfect plan. This is my approach to life now-a-days, and I cannot describe the comfort and joy it brings knowing God is in control, and He loves us.

It is my prayer that God would comfort the victims and families affected by this terrible tragedy. May they feel the love of Christ. I pray for Jerry Sandusky that if these allegations are true that he would get well and rehabilitate himself. I pray he would see the error of his ways and seek forgiveness for his sins so that God may have mercy on his soul. I pray for restraint by everyone to let the justice system complete its mission and execute the justice we all seek.

I believe God can create something good out of this tragedy. May God's will be done so that His Kingdom would be glorified forever.

When I was growing up, having Bar-B-Que meant Hamburger Helper on a bun. For some people we knew, having BBQ meant having a cookout in the back yard where you grill up some hot dogs and hamburgers. Yes, I thought I knew what BBQ was. Then I moved to Texas.

It wasn't until moving to Texas I learned about brisket. And for you Pennsylvania folks that have never had brisket before, let me tell you, you don't know what you're missing. Once I tried it, I just knew I had to learn how to replicate this delicacy, because the day may come when I move back north of the Mason-Dixon line some day, and you better bet I'm bringing my brisket with me.

So I bought a smoker last winter and after a few attemps I think I've got the brisket thing down. Fortunately, in my attempt to create the perfect brisket a nice little side project has been learning how to smoke perfect babyback ribs. I had hoped to do one of these posts to tell you all about smoking brisket, but then I got to thinking this may not be the appropriate place. To do a brisket right, you need to buy a 15 lb piece of meat, and cooking something like that will take you about 18-24 hours. It's not exactly something you can whip up for a tailgate party. So today, we're going to focus on ribs instead. Get yourself a smoker and you should have no problem making some fantasic smoked ribs that will be the envy of every other tailgate party in the downwind direction if you follow these instructions.

Continue reading this post »

Dear Friends and Family of the BSD Community,


I am writing today to inform you this is my last day as the blog administrator for Black Shoe Diaries. I submitted my resignation last week, and this will be my final post.

Before I get into the reasons, let me first assure you that this blog will continue to exist without me. The fine people of SBNation have found a talented group of writers to keep this site going. You will be hearing from them in the coming days. So rest assured you can continue wasting countless hours discussing Penn State sports, bacon, WWII battles, and generals from the War Between the States to your heart's content.

This decision of mine has been in the works for quite some time. Many of you have surely noticed my posting rate had dropped off considerably since January. At first I thought it was just the offseason blues that hit me at the end of every football season. You have no idea how grueling a football season can be on a blogger. But I figured I would eventually get out of that funk like I did every year. Then I became busy with Nittany Lion Kickoff 2011 (Buy your copy today if you haven't already!). I figured once I got that out of the way I'd be alright.

Continue reading this post »

For those of you interested, I thought I would put up an open thread for the show on ESPN tonight. The show will start at 8 PM ET on ESPN, and then the second hour will broadcast at 9 PM on ESPNU.

Here's a blurb from GoPSUSports.

"Difference Makers: Life Lessons with Paterno and Krzyzewski," was taped June 20 in front of an enthusiastic audience of 900 in Penn State's Eisenhower Auditorium. The program will air Thursday at 8 p.m. on ESPN and continue at 9 p.m. on ESNU.

Paterno and Krzyzewski joined host Rece Davis of ESPN in discussing of variety of subjects, including leadership, teaching, values, the impact of family and rules changes they would be like to see implemented.

The Hall of Fame coaches, who have combined to win and 1,301 contests and six national championships, also took questions from the audience and from Duke students on the Durham, N.C campus via Cisco Telepresence technology.

A quartet of former standout Penn State and Duke student-athletes also participated in the special event to talk about the impact Paterno and Krzyzewski have had on them as students and after graduation. Former Nittany Lions Matt Millen and Michael Robinson and former Blue Devils Jay Bilas and Jay Willliams also took questions from Penn State and Duke students.

They had slain the mighty Wolverines in the Big House. They had laid waste to the formidable Buckeyes in historical blowout fashion. But still Joe Paterno had concerns about his 1994 team. When asked if there was anything that could prevent his team from going undefeated, he confessed that they hadn't shown they could overcome adversity. Everything was coming too easily for them, and he was afraid of what the result might be if they found themselves in a hole and had to overcome it. Little did Paterno know that when his team traveled for a late season game against Illinois, they were going to get adversity in spades.

The Illini were ranked #25 in the nation and  4-2 in the Big Ten with an outside chance at going to the Rose Bowl. Their defense was especially tough with three All-American linebackers in Dana Howard, Simeon Rice, and Kevin Hardy. They ranked second in the nation in points allowed (11.3 ppg) and fourth in total defense (254 yds). Head Coach Lou Tepper was confident in his defense, and when asked before the game to predict the point total his offense would have to score in order to win, his response was 29 points. If his offense quarterbacked by veteran Johnny Johnson could put four touchdowns on the board, he liked his chances.

Penn State's troubles started long before kickoff when the power suspiciously went out in the team hotel which was conveniently located in the middle of the Illinois fraternity houses that had blared their music all night long in anticipation of the game. The hotel staff could not prepare the team meal in the morning, so they had to scramble to find a place that could deliver pizzas and hoagies for breakfast. And since the elevators weren't working, the players had to walk up and down 15 flights of stairs to the trainers' room to get taped up.


Whether all of the setbacks were coincidence or deliberate sabotage, the effect was clear. The Penn State offense that had made a habit of disecting Big Ten defenses with lethal precision looked sluggish and unfocused to start the game. While Illinois, energized by over 76,000 frenzied fans, came ready to play and make a statement.

On the third play from scrimmage, Ki-Jana Carter fumbled on the PSU 24 yard line and five plays later Illinois pushed the ball into the endzone to take a 7-0 lead. After the teams traded punts, Kerry Collins threw an interception to Tyrone Washington who ran the ball back to the PSU 23. Again, five plays later Illinois scored and took a 14-0 lead. Then a short punt gave Illinois the ball at the PSU 40 yard line, and a few plays later a pass to Shane Fisher gave the Illini a 21-point lead with 10:06 still to go in the first quarter.

Except for the small contingent of Nittany Lion fans tucked in the endzone seats, the stadium was rocking. In the press box, sports writers that had dropped the Lions in the polls after they destroyed Ohio State high-fived each other saying, "We knew it. This team was overrated."

But on the Penn State sideline there was no sign of panic. Nobody was screaming in the huddle. Nobody was staring at the scoreboard with glassy eyes. This was a team that could drop 35 points on a team by halftime and often did. They knew what they had to do. Swing the field position and stop shooting themselves in the foot. Do that, and everything would be fine.

Early in the second quarter a pooch punt pinned State at their own 1 yard line. The fans whooped it up in hopes that their heralded defense would come up with a safety to put an exclamation point on the death of the paper tiger Nittany Lions. But it was here where Penn State would make their stand. There would be no celebration in Champaign tonight. It was time to turn the tide.

Continue reading this post »

I don't know if it's the fire in Mauti's eyes or the blood on his knee, but I absolutely love this cover.

It was another long spring full of working weekends and way past my normal bedtime, but I'm pleased to announce the third edition of Maple Street Press' Penn State preview magazine is due to hit bookshelves this July. You may notice on the cover we changed the name this year. The magazine formerly known as We Are Penn State now goes by Nittany Lions Kickoff 2011.

Just like past editions of WAPS, Nittany Lions Kickoff 2011 brings you unprecedented Penn State football coverage that you will not find anywhere else. Unlike other college football preview magazines where you get maybe one or two pages devoted to Penn State, Nittany Lions Kickoff 2011 gives you 128 pages of advertising-free coverage of nothing but Penn State football.

After the jump you can get a quick rundown of what you can expect to see in this year's edition.

Continue reading this post »

Folks, as many of you are probably aware, some of our fine BSD community members had a run in with the SBN Ohio State blog Around the Olentangy. Apparently, they have an issue with members using subject lines in their comments. And they even pointed to a post on BSD as an example of this wretched behavior. Whatever, that's their business. We love using the subject line here at BSD. In fact, the one line comments where only the subject line is used are the best comments in my opinion.

But I just wanted to make you all aware of this policy so if you happen to wander over there you don't get yourself banned. We wouldn't want that to happen, now, would we?

Gimme an offensive tackle and a SIREN WHOOOOOOOO

Unlike last year, the 2012 Penn State recruiting season is off to a fast start. Tonight the Nittany Lions landed their eighth commitment for the class of 2012 when Fairless Hills, PA offensive tackle J.J. Denman gave his verbal commitment to the coaching staff this evening.

Let there be no doubt that Penn State got a gem in Denman. The 6'6" 310 offensive lineman is a four star prospect on Scout, Rivals, and Lions 24/7. Denman had his choice of offers from schools like Michigan, Notre Dame, Miami (FL), Michigan State, Northwestern, Pitt, Wisconsin and about 20 other schools.

Denman is projected to play offensive tackle on the college level. He joins Anthony Stanko and Brian Gaia as the third offensive lineman in the class.

Watch the big left tackle in this video. This is what you've won.

JJ Denman (via reese1277)

This weekend Penn State landed their seventh verbal commitment for the class of 2012 when Baltimore, MD lineman Brian Gaia called the coaches and let them know. Gaia is the fourth defensive lineman to already commit to the Lions.

The 6'3" 290 lb prospect is listed as a three-star player on both Scout.com and Rivals.com and sports an impressive offer list that includes Boston College, Iowa, Maryland, Pitt, Rutgers, Virginia, and West Virginia. And as an added bonus, he also holds an offer from that bastion of eliteness, Virginia Tech. He was also seeing interest from Alabama and LSU.

All of the other schools offered Gaia as an offensive lineman. Penn State is the only school to offer him as a defensive lineman. I'm not sure how he feels about that, but Penn State was reportedly his favorite school growing up. Doing the math, he was probably about 12 years old in 2005, so it's nice to see we're getting to the point where the kids we're recruiting were too young to remember that awful stretch from 2000-2004.

I have to think there's maybe one more spot available on the defensive line. So come on down, Mr. Spence.

Congratulations, Mr. Gaia, and welcome to Penn State.

I know we beat this topic to death last week complete with a big twitter fight and everything, but I've been so busy putting together We Are Penn State 2011 I didn't really get a chance to put my thoughts together on the issue. Today I read some new thoughts on the topic, and I got a few hours to kill, it's the offseason, and I'm sick of working on WAPS 2011, so lucky you.

I was reading Linebacker U this morning and I see our friend Junny has a fine recruiting update post where he gives us a lot of good information and another slightly out-of-place image of some random celebrity with nice... boobs...........Sorry. I got distracted there. Back to the topic at hand.

What caught my eye in the post is that once again he's beating the drum that kind of makes me squirm in my seat.

Stars Matter

Stars Matter

Stars Matter

Long story short, stars do matter, but so does player development. Everyone from 11 Warriors to mGoBlog to EDSBS and everyone in between (including numerous message boards) has covered this article, and rightfully so.

Continue reading this post »

We are not officially T-minus 24 hours away from the Blue-White game, the most anticipated and most highly disappointing sporting event in all of Penn State sports. Where every event is a positive and a negative, and we all come away not really sure what to think about anything. One thing is for sure, it looks like there's going to be some bad weather which is going to put a damper on the festivities.

Yesterday we talked about the Penn State defense. Today we look at the offense. Here are the thoughts of your BSD contributors minus jtothep who elected to start not caring today instead of waiting until the third quarter of the game tomorrow like the rest of us.

BSD Mike Says...

Like everyone else, I'll be most interested in seeing the quarterbacks. From Rob Bolden, I want to see if he's showing confidence in throwing down field. Last year I felt the coaches were justified in yanking him when they did because he looked like he was looking for his check downs right away without letting the play develop. Whether or not he should have got another shot later in the year is up for debate, but I thought it was the right thing to do at the time.

From Matt McGloin I'm looking to see if he has learned to make smarter decisions. Does he realize the limitations of his physical ability and not try to force a ball into a space where it doesn't belong?

It will be interesting to see which guy starts with the first team to begin the game. That will lead to a ton of speculation. If I were JoePa, I would start Paul Jones just to mess with everyone.

Beyond the quarterback situation, I'll be watching the offensive line. I really think those guys are going to make or break the season. Whoever plays center and right guard better show me something.

Continue reading this post »

Give me a defensive tackle...no, a guard...give me a big dude and a siren WHOOOOO!!!

Good news on the recruiting front today as Penn State landed their fifth verbal commitment for the class of 2012  when New Jersey defensive tackle Jamil Pollard informed the coaches of his intentions.

Pollard has the ability to play defensive tackle or offensive guard, but most people feel he will end up on the defensive side of the ball. He stands 6'5" and weighs in at 280 lbs. As a junior, Pollard recorded 56 tackles and 4 sacks. Scout ranks him as a three star prospect and the #40 defensive tackle in the country. Rivals is a little more generous giving him a fourth star.

For you non-star gazers out there, Pollard also had a pretty impressive offer list that includes Alabama, Florida, Iowa, and Rutgers. He was also seeing interest from Nebraska and Syracuse.

 Pollard joins TE Jesse James, DE Brent Wilkerson, LB Camren Williams, and OG Anthony Stanko as the early members of the class of 2012. There is still room in this class to take one or two more defensive tackles, but what's great about Pollard is the staff has some flexibility to move him over to offense. Though he has mentioned in the past that he really wants to play defense.

Mr. Gameday had a rough night last night. He did his best to put together a Nitt Links for you this morning, but at some time everything went dark and the last thing he remembers is waking up on the bathroom floor this morning. So you get me instead.

The Big Ten Schedule for the 2013 and 2014 seasons were announced recently. Iowa and Northwestern rotate off the schedule while Michigan and Minnesota come back on. That leaves out Sparty, who I assume Penn State will play in the 2015 season. Personally, I don't like the thought of going four years without playing an opponent. Maybe they could work it some how where they don't exchange home-and-home in successive years to mix up the opponents. I don't know. It is what it is. Not that Michigan State is complaining. The Spartans don't have to play Ohio State, Penn State, or Wisconsin in 2013 or 2014.

The BSD Curse?

Apparently we have our own version of the Sports Illustrated cover curse going on around here. First we told Curtis Drake it was time to step up and he broke his leg. Then we told Pete Massaro to step up and he tore his ACL. This week we told Derek Moye to step up, and now we learn Moye has suffered a concussion. Not a major injury, but Moye has officially been shut down for spring practice.

Continue reading this post »

Fairly or unfairly, there were a lot of high expectations put on Justin Brown when he was a true freshman in 2009. The heralded triumvirate of Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood were finally gone after starting the previous four years. The four star prospect seemed destined  to claim one of those spots the moment he stepped on campus and have a good chance at claiming a lot of Penn State's career receiving records.

Brown's freshman year probably didn't work out the way he had hoped. Derek Moye, Graham Zug, and Chaz Powell grabbed most of the playing time. Brown struggled to get on the field, and when he did he didn't get many opportunities only catching five passes for 78 yards on the year. Three of those catches came against Eastern Illinois in a 52-3 blowout.

Last year Brown was more seasoned and appeared ready to challenge for a starting spot. Graham Zug suffered through a season-long slump seemingly opening the door. But it was Brett Brackett that walked through it. Personally, I think Paterno wanted Brackett on the field to provide some leadership to a squad that was very young. Still, Brown managed to see considerable playing time and make some big catches finishing with 33 catches for 452 yards and a touchdown.

This year Brackett and Zug are gone. Brown is a junior and one of the most experienced wide receivers on the team. He probably won't outshine Derek Moye, but he has the potential to be a major weapon. Defenses are going to pay a lot of attention to Moye. It will be up to Brown to keep them honest.

Some pretty somber news out of Happy Valley today as the second Nittany Lion has gone down with a serious injury. Yesterday it was Curtis Drake breaking his leg. Today, it's defensive end Pete Massaro injuring his knee. So far, the prognosis is not good.

Penn State defensive end Pete Massaro, arguably the team's best pass rusher, suffered a significant knee injry during a late-Friday workout, two sources close to the program told The Patriot-News on Friday.

The extent of the injury is still to be determined but Massaro could miss the 2011 season.

This is the second major injury of Massaro's career. In 2009 he sat out his entire redshirt freshman year with a torn ACL he suffered in the Blue-White game. Last year Massaro played in all 13 games and started the last 11. He recorded 37 tackles, 8 TFL, and 3.5 sacks in his redshirt freshman season. Massaro was easily the most effective defensive end Penn State had in getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Losing Massaro for the 2011 season is a huge blow to the defensive line. Jack Crawford and Eric Latimore will most likely be your starters now. Youngsters like C.J. Olaniyan, Kyle Baublitz, and Brad Bars will have to fill in the gaps. But this is a position where Penn State was already weak. They cannot afford any more injuries on the defensive line.

Can I get a linebacker and a siren? WHOOOOOOOO

About a week after getting their first verbal commitment for the class of 2012, Penn State has just landed their second commit in the form of Massachusetts linebacker Camren Williams. Williams is currently on the Penn State campus as part of a large contingent of juniors the Nittany Lion coaching staff is hosting on unofficial visits this weekend. Let's hope whatever Williams is feeling tonight is contagious. Williams' teammate, wide receiver Armani Reeves, is also being pursued by Penn State and is also on campus.

Williams stands 6'2" and weighs 200 lbs. Scout rates Williams a three star prospect while Rivals is more generous in giving him four stars. Either way, his offer list is an impressively long one with Boston College, UConn, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wake Forest.

Penn State has a good young stable of linebackers, but they could always use more. Nathan Stupar is the only linebacker with senior eligibility this year, but Michael Mauti, Mike Yancich, and Gerald Hodges only have two years left. Williams might be the only linebacker Penn State takes this year. I'd say no more than two.

Here's what you won.

Okay, so yesterday we featured Curtis Drake in this series, and then later in the day the news came out that Curtis Drake broke his leg in practice which will force him to sit out the entire spring and puts his future in doubt for the fall. Since the two events are obviously linked together, a twitter mob came together last night to demand that today's post feature Jay Paterno. The thought crossed my mind, but since Brandon Ware didn't suffer some kind of buffalo wing injury on Tuesday, I think we're safe to keep going. So today we'll look at Jack Crawford.

To say Penn State's defensive line was disappointing in 2010 would be a pretty accurate statement. The Nittany Lions ranked 74th in rushing defense giving up 165 yards per game. They ranked 101 in sacks with just 17. Michael Mauti and Nathan Stupar combined for four of those from the linebacker position. For Jack Crawfords part, he only contributed two sacks. Not very impressive for a man who fans have given the nickname "Jack the Ripper".

In fairness, Crawford suffered an ankle injury against Iowa that forced him to miss the next three games. And after he returned it was obvious he wasn't 100% and it took him some time until he got back into playing shape.

Continue reading this post »

For those of you in the State College area, as luck would have it I have some business in northwest PA next week, so I will be flying into State College on Monday. While there I thought it would be cool to have a little BSD get together to put some faces to the names. Here are the details.

When: Monday March 28 from 2 PM to ???

Who: Myself, Fugi, and NGameday will be there along with whoever else shows up.

Where: Cafe 210 West

Are you buying beer for everyone? Probably not. But I might buy the first few pitchers and a few appetizers if we get a good turnout.

I hope y'all can make it. Let me know in the comments so I get an idea on how many people to expect.

It's no secret that there are a lot of people out there who think Penn State would be better off with someone other than Ed DeChellis coaching the basketball team. They might be right. Heck, there I've been known to suggest it myself. One trip to the NCAA tournament in eight years isn't very impressive on its face. And now that Talor Battle, Jeff Brooks, Andrew Jones, and David Jackson have run out of eligibility, Penn State is facing a multiyear rebuilding project that many fans don't have the stomach for. So the calls for cutting our losses now and going in a new coaching direction have been bubbling under the surface for the past several days ever since Penn State lost the heartbreaker to Temple in Arizona.

But of course, it doesn't matter what we think. It only matters what Tim Curley thinks. Cory Giger from the Altoona Mirror had a conversation with Curley, and the head of Penn State's athletic department gave DeChellis a ringing endorsement.

Saying the future of the men's basketball program is "bright," Penn State athletic director Tim Curley gave coach Ed DeChellis a vote of confidence following the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 10 years.

"He just runs a class program," Curley said, "and I'm supportive of everything he's doing.

"I just hope people will support Ed and his staff," Curley added. "They've done a fantastic job."

When the article hit twitter last night you can pretty much anticipate the response it got. To a lot of people, this endorsements sounded a lot like George W. Bush standing in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina saying, "Heckuva job, Brownie." (To be fair and balanced before you conservatives flood my email defending Bush, substitute the last sentence with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano saying "the system worked" after the bomb in Times Square failed to detonate. Now let's leave the politics at that.)

More after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Amidst all of the hoopla of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, the Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament, and the Penn State wrestling team bringing home the national championship this past weekend, there was another event that occurred that went rather unnoticed. For the first time in months the Penn State football team got together and went through some organized drills. Spring practice has arrived.

This is always an interesting time of year. By the very nature of the college game, every team has obstacles they need to overcome. Players graduate. Recruiting plans don't always work out. So everybody has holes to fill, and in most cases it's not exactly clear who is going to fill them.

This year all during spring practice we're going to highlight one player per day that has to step up this spring. These may be redshirt freshmen that haven't seen the field yet, or they may be journeyman seniors that have not been major contributors to this point. But in every case we'll outline what we think the play is capable of bringing to the field and why it is imperative they step up their game. Today I'll start with linebacker Gerald Hodges.

Hodges burst onto the Penn State scene immediately after he gave his verbal commitment in December 2008. One month late he was enrolled and taking classes on the Penn State campus. Penn State had just gotten wholloped by USC in Rose Bowl and everyone was talking about Taylor Mays, the Trojan's huge safety that was destroying wide receivers with his physical play. Many people were hoping Hodges could fill that role for the Nittany Lions whose own secondary had just been embarrassed.

Upon arriving on campus Hodges immediately drew high praise for his physical condition by program observers. Many people said he didn't "look like a freshman." He started out his career at safety, and saw immediate playing time on defense and special teams when the season began. But midway through the season a rash of injuries at the linebacker position forced the coaches to move Hodges to outside linebacker where he has played ever since.

Continue reading this post »

Give me an offensive lineman and a siren WHOOOOO!!!!

Last year's recruiting class got off to a really slow start. This year the coaches put the full court press on their 2012 targets starting in December. So far the results haven't shown much, but Penn State is now on the board with their first verbal commitment of the 2012 class with Anthony Stanko.

Stanko is a massive 6'5" 302 lb. offensive lineman from Warren, Ohio. He had been very vocal about his admiration for Penn State over the past few months, so this commitment is far from out of the blue. Though I'm kind of surprised he didn't hold out for an offer from Ohio State. Pulling talent out of Ohio is like pulling teeth. Stanko was on an unofficial visit to Penn State this weekend along with a group of other recruits when he finally pulled the trigger.

Scout and Rivals each rate him a three star prospect. The talented offensive lineman had offers from Kent State, Northwestern, Akron, Stanford, and West Virginia. He was also seeing interest from Ohio State, Northwestern, Alabama, and Florida. Most project him to play guard on the college level.

From looking at his film I'm really impressed with how he stays low and drives with his legs out of his stance. It looks like he has a real nasty streak and doesn't finish his block until he has his man on his back. All-in-all I would say this is a good way to kick off the class of 2012.

The best part of this is that we now officially have two "Stanks" on the team. We'll have to call them Stank One and Stank Two or something. 

Here's what you've won.

Here are the late night games on tap.

No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Michigan State - 9:20 PM on TBS

No. 6 St. John's vs. No. 11 Gonzaga - 9:45 PM on CBS

No. 6 Cincinnati vs. No. 11 Missouri - 9:50 PM on TNT

No. 5 Kansas St. vs. No. 12 Utah St. - 9:57 PM on truTV


Last thread of the night, people. Finish your beer, wipe up your tears with what's left of your worthless bracket, wrap it up, and go home.

We'll do another thread at 9 PM tonight. Here are your early evening games.

No. 2 Florida vs. No. 15 UC Santa Barbara - 6:50 PM on TBS

No. 3 BYU vs. No. 14 Wofford - 7:15 PM on CBS

No. 3 UConn vs. No. 14 Bucknell - 7:20 PM on TNT

No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 Belmont - 7:27 on truTV