Anytime I've ever attended a meaningful Michigan State vs. Penn State game, it seemed like mother nature wanted to make it the coldest experience possible.  In 2002, when Larry Johnson was chasing 2,000 yards, I sat in the student section with my brother after a solid 8 hours of preparation in the intramural lot.  No amount of liquid courage could stop the blistering cold on that day.  Luckily for us, Larry Johnson made quick work of an over matched Spartan defense and eclipsed the 2,000 yard mark in the first half (279 yards in one half of football, quite impressive).

Fast forward to 2008 - Penn State once again had a meaningful game against Michigan State, a Big Ten title clincher, the first since Michael Robinson's 2005 season (wasn't a long time, but felt like it because of the previous two mediocre seasons).  This time, the weather was colder and included snow.  It must have been like 20 degrees but felt like 5.  It also didn't help that I was sitting (pre-game, must standing during the game) on a metal bench that resembled the counter at your local Cold Stone Creamery and not  a seating apparatus.  Making the whole situation even more surreal, on the walk to the stadium, the Big Ten Network was setting up their talking-head booth.  And who do i see getting ready to tell Big Ten country everything they need to know about the game, none other than former Illinois hero, J Leman.

 When game time finally arrived, it felt like it was over before it began.  Penn State put up points early and often.  It was a fitting way to send out the trio of wide receivers - Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood, perhaps the greatest trio Penn State has had on the roster at one time.  The trio led Penn State back to the promise land as freshman and 2005 and were about to cap off some fantastic careers in 2008.

BSD hero Graham Zug got the scoring party started in the first when Clark connected with the deceptive athlete for a five yard TD.  Senior Dan Lawlor got the call the next time the Lions were in the red zone and was able to score a rare TD.  By this point, the game was already getting out of hand.  The defense was relentless and did an outstanding job of containing the Big Ten's top runner, Javon Ringer and QB Brian Hoyer.

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After 16 fairly successful seasons in the NFL, former Penn State standout Kerry Collins has decided to call it a career.

After 16 fulfilling years of playing quarterback in the NFL, I am officially announcing my retirement from professional football," Collins said in a statement released by Athletes First, the agency that represents him.  "The past several months have brought much introspection, and I have decided that while my desire to compete on Sundays is still and always will be there, my willingness to commit to the preparation necessary to play another season has waned to a level that I feel is no longer adequate to meet the demands of the position

Collins is the last Nittany Lion QB to lead Penn State to an undefeated season.  He won the first of Penn State's three Big Ten Championships back in 1994 and led his team team to a romp of Oregon in the Rose Bowl.  In 1994 he was also the recipient of the Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brein Award, Sammy Baugh Award, and was named College Quarterback of the Year.

Collins finished his Penn State career with 5,304 yards and 39 TDs.  His record as a starter was a solid 21-5.

Collins was selected 5th overall by the Carolina Panthers and after a few off the field incidents honed his craft with the New Orleans Saints and eventually the New York Giants whom he took to the Super Bowl (although he didn't exactly have a duplicate performance of the Rose Bowl).  He survived playing for the dysfunctional Oakland Raiders and finished his career with the Tennessee Titans where he made his final Pro Bowl appearance back in 2008.  For his career Collins threw for 40,441 yards, 206 TDs, and 195 INTs.  He also didn't forget to thanks some important people.

I feel very fortunate to have played with and to have been coached by some of the greatest the game has ever seen," Collins added.  "I feel especially fortunate to have played under some of the true patriarchs of the modern game:  Joe Paterno, the late Wellington Mara, Al Davis and Bud Adams. I would like to thank all of the coaches, players and other team personnel along the way who have shaped me both personally and professionally.  I want to wish Mike Munchak and the Tennessee Titans the best of luck in the future. 

 Good luck to Kerry and his family.  Hopefully he can continue his country music career.

While the 2008 Ohio State game doesn't quite stack as high as its 1994 and especially 2005 brethren, the game is never the less important in the grand scheme of things when it comes to Penn State and the Big Ten.   Any time you can make Terrelle Pryor pay for his mistakes, it is a great day.

If you are like most Penn State fanatics(and I assume most of us are), you can recall with great detail, your exact location, beverage, seat, and company of every major Penn State football game or breaking news.  For this game, I was at my future in-laws house sitting in my lucky spot on the coach biting my nails and yelling like a maniac at the TV, or basically a typical Saturday during Penn State's away games. What I don't recall with great detail is where I was when the Anthony Morelli era ended and the Daryll Clark era began. Did it begin during the Alamo Bowl with his version of Michael Robinson's 2002 Nebraska Performance? Or was it his Spring and Summer long battle with former Prep star Pat Devlin?  Clark's ascension to the first seat on the blue bus is a big reason why I'm writing about this game. 

Prior to arriving in Columbus, Penn State was putting up some serious offensive numbers (through the first 8 games), averaging just over 45 points per game, which rivaled the storied 1994 offensive juggernaut team's first 8 games led by Kerry Collins and Ki-Jana Carter (48 points per game).  The 2008 teams defense was actually giving up fewer points per game, 11.7 compared to 19.12, although the '08 team did play Coastal Carolina and the '94 bunch wasn't yet into the era of non D-1A cupcake diets.

Clark was like a Robinson-lite on the field, utilizing his arm and his bruising running style to make things happen for the Nittany Lions.  Two weeks prior to the OSU game, Clark introduced Wisconsin to his signature fist pump en route to a 48-7 thumping in Madison.  The next week, Penn State paid back Michigan for 2005 and beat the Wolverines 46-17, their first win in ten games. All of this set the tone for another crucial Ohio State game, with this one being played in Columbus, a place Penn State had not won in since joining the Big Ten back in 1993.  All of that would change on October 25th, 2008 in a very typical Tressel-ball vs. Paterno-ball match up.

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I for one am totally enjoying this offseason. Normally bloggers around the country have to beat the same horse about depth charts, recruiting, and coaching changes (or in Penn State's case, age).  But a variety of off the field "situations" at Ohio State have put the spotlight squarely on the shoulders of morality in college athletics.  

Fortunately for all of us, someone named Jeremiah from Men of the Scarlet and Gray has, how do you say, a unique perspective regarding the issue.Trying to paraphrase Jeremiah's words wouldn't give the pure gold that you are about to read justice.  So here we  go.

I firmly believe from the bottom of my broken sports heart that bending the rules or breaking the rules happens at every institution where sports is played from pee wee football to the NFL.

In case you didn't know, illegal recruit is a big issue in pee wee football.  I was once bribed with a Big Wheel and some Fun Dip to play for a rival team - true story.  Right out of the gate, one of Jerry's (Can I call you Jerry?) first sentences throws up the world's largest blanket at not only college and NFL football put Pee Wee football.   Interesting, but it gets better.

In college sports only two schools have never had a major violation against their athletic program. Penn State is one and (I think) Standford (SIC) is the other.

 

Penn State's lack of major violations can be attributed to the program Joe Paterno has run for over 40 years.  That is not to say Penn State is without issue.  We've had some issues in the past, no doubt about it; but getting busted drinking Cruzan Mango Rum and "buying" a free car are not even in the same stratosphere. 

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It feels like D'Anton Lynn has been around the program forever.  Lynn has been a four year contributor and three year starter for the Nittany Lions since he arrived on campus from Celina, Texas as a 4 star prospect.  He was a great get for a Nittany Lion team that doesn't necessarily dip into Texas all too often, unless of course we are looking for a kicker that has a hankering for Cruzan Mango Rum. 

Lynn was a highly touted prospect with offers from USC, Florida, Ohio State, and Oklahoma but he choose to come to Penn State to play for Tom Bradley and his bend but don't break defense.  Lynn does have a strong set of bloodlines, one of the reasons fans were so excited for him to arrive on campus.  His father, Anthony, is the current New York Jets running back coach and former two time Super Bowl Championship (backup) running back with the Denver Broncos. 

Because his dad has the NFL connections, a few people (message boards mostly) thought Lynn might bolt Happy Valley for the greener pastures of the NFL after last season.  Luckily for us he stayed put and Penn State will look for Lynn to hold down one of the corner spots while Stephon Morris, Chaz Powell and maybe Derrick Thomas (if he stops trying to star in the remake of 'The Fighter' and the Up in Smoke Tour) battle for the other spot.

Lynn was by far Penn State's best defensive back last season finishing the season 2nd on the team with 75 tackles and tied for first with 3 interceptions with safety Nick Sukay.  Lynn did have a few moments where he got burned deep (see photo above) and that is the type of stuff he will need to work on this spring if Penn State wants to have a shot against Alabama, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Nebraska.  The fact that he doesn't have any competition for his spot could be a bad thing, but hopefully Lynn wants to win another Big 10 Championship before he takes off for the NFL.

Lynn  also has a chance to be the defensive captain this season, that is if his teammates don't opt for a surprise pick like Jack Crawford or Brandon Ware.  Like Lynn says in the clip below, the secondary is the most experienced unit on the defense, which is a scary thought considering the style of defense we play.  It might be tough for the 2011 version of the Smurfs to get things done if they get zero help from a defensive line that is practically a skeleton crew at this point and a linebacker corps that has had its own injury issues and is fairly young.  There is always hope.  And if that doesn't work...there is always next season.

Check out D'Anton's spring comments.  It's all about experience.

2010 was a unique year to be a QB at Penn State.  The summer was the first open competition since the Daryll Clark vs. Pat Devlin derby back in 2008.  True freshman Robert Bolden and Paul Jones were battling former walk-on (in case you haven't heard yet) sophomore Matt McGloin.  To the surprise of everyone not named Rob Bolden, he won the job coming out of summer camp, Jones was redshirt and McGloin would caddy for the first few weeks of the season.  McGloin ascended to the top spot on the depth chart due to a Bolden injury and despite an atrocious bowl game performance that included a record five interceptions, McGloin was never benched.

The made for TMZ drama was comical after the bowl game.  Bolden Sr. and Jr. met with Joe Paterno to demand a release from his scholarship, a practice that has become fairly common in college football.  Typically the school will grant the release with restrictions on a few schools.  JoePa had other ideas.  He denied Bolden his release and told him there would be an open competition for the position in the spring.  Bolden is still on campus, but he appears to have one foot out the door, delivering multiple cryptic messages about him being here this Spring and doesn't know about the future.  Well Rob, I can save you some time; Joe will not name a starter until the end of summer.  He did it with Clark-Devlin and he even did it with John Shaffer and Matt Knizner after Shaffer led the team to the doorstep of a national championship back in 1985.

Lil' Red.  McFavre.  Scranton Slinger. FIGO. Jon Moxon.  Joe Kane.  The list is endless. There is even some wannabe Buzz Bissinger, Esq. in the Twitterverse who likes to call him by a different name (short form of Richard), but he is about as credible as Jim Tressel teaching a class on compliance in college football.  The bottom line is McGloin has six months to win this job for the next two years.  Like him or not, the kid got Penn State into a bowl game and the much needed practices that come along with it.  Did he save the season?  Maybe.  Could Bolden have done what he did?  Maybe.  We only know what we saw and who we saw do it.  And we saw Matt McGloin

There is no doubt he had a roller coaster season.  Great games against Michigan, Northwestern, and the first half of the Ohio State game were often overshadowed by awful performances in the second half against Ohio State and in the bowl game against Florida.  Statistically neither he nor Bolden were anything special.  Bolden had the higher completion percentage (58% to 55%) while McGloin gets the edge for TDs (14 to 5), yards (1,548 to 1,360), and INTs (9 to 7).  All those numbers show is there is plenty of room for improvement this spring.

The first measuring stick comes during the practices.  As fans, we won't be able to see the progress of the QBs until April 16th during the Blue/White Game (Presented by AAA of course).  In 2010, Jones was the headline grabber during the game, tossing two TDs.  This years all eyes will be on McGloin and Bolden.  Regardless of what happens in the spring, I suspect we won't find out the week one starter until the end of August.  If they really wanted to make it a fair, open competition, they would make the kids compete through the summer.

The biggest thing Matt needs to work on this off-season is to stop trying to be "the next Brett Favre" and start being the first Matt McGloin.

Now before you read the title of this post, roll your eyes and check out, hear me out for a minute.  While football and basketball (and to a lesser degree wrestling and volleyball) grab the headlines, and rightfully so, Penn State softball is entering a new era for the program.  On Thursday, March 24 PSU softball opens up their brand new stadium, Nittany Lion Softball Park against Buffalo.  The $10.2 million Park has been years in the making and is a great edition to Penn State's stable of facilities (PSU Athletic Communications provided the photo for this article).  Penn State softball has been getting prospects and signees excited about a new stadium as far back as 2001.

To be competitive in collegiate softball, a sport dominated by the Pac 10's Arizona Wildcats and UCLA Bruins, you need to have facilities to attract the top California talent.  Penn State will never be able to replicate the California weather, but they will be able to stand toe to toe with any program in the country with their new 1,084 seat stadium.  In the Big 10, Michigan's stadium, Alumni Field (part of the Wilpon Baseball and Softball Complex), was the class of the Big 10 until Penn State came along and built a state of the art facility. 

Beard Field, named for Lee and William Beard (they donated $500,000) gives the softball team a home to be proud of.  It also allows the team, for the first time in school history, the ability to charge admission to the games (Free to students with ID, $5 for fans).  Penn State can also earn additional revenue by hosting NCAA Regionals, something they weren't able to do before due to the lack of facilities.  You see, before Penn State was graced with this amazing facility, they were stuck playing on field that most high school teams would laugh at.  Seriously, the "stadium" had metal bleachers for an overall capacity of 500.  Most students found it easier to drink Boone's Farm in right field and cheer the girls on.  For years, the biggest cheering section for PSU softball came from the Penn State men's rugby team, but I assume they may have been more interested in the off the field exploits of the players than the on the field ones.  Now?  Well now players can step up to the plate and have a view of Beaver Stadium - pretty awesome if you ask me.  And fans can enjoy a fast paced game in one of the, if not the best stadiums in the country.

We saw first hand what happens when you invest into your non-revenue generating programs.  Cael Sanderson took over the wrestling program last season and in two years Penn State has their first Big 10 title and first team National Championship since the 1950's.  I'm not saying head coach Robin Petrini is going to take this team to the World Series next season, but the stadium is a stepping stone for the program, a giant feather in her cap.  To win big in softball you need to have facilities and an ace pitcher.  Penn State has the facilities and now they have the ability to attract the top talent in the nation.

Penn State is currently 13-11 on the season and begins Big 10 play this Saturday against Wisconsin.  Head out to Beard Field to checkout the girls in action tomorrow or this weekend.

To say Brandon Ware's time so far in Happy Valley has been a disappointment would be like saying Brandon barely likes to eat at the Old Country Buffet.  The mammoth (6-3, 337lb) junior to be has spent more time on Twitter, JoePa's Doghouse, and the bench than he has anywhere near the field.  By all accounts Brandon is a funny kid, one would only need to look at the registered name of his Twitter account for that (Oliver Klozoff).  What Brandon hasn't learned yet is that being the funny fat kid won't get you out of Joe's Doghouse or into Larry Johnson's defensive line rotation.

Ware was a late addition to the 2007 recruiting class.  A two star prospect out of Harrisburg, many fans envisioned the second coming of former Nittany Lion defensive lineman, and resident large man, Jimmy Kennedy.  After three years in the program, Ware has yet to make the leap.  His last meaningful playing time came during the 2007 Big 33 game.  The 2011 season is Brandon's time to crack the rotation.  If he can't, well it looks like his window of opportunity will be closed.

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Admit it.  Regardless of what happens during tomorrow's game, being in the NCAA's is way more exciting than winning the NIT.  Nittany Nation has been all a buzz since we were selected to face the Temple Owls on Sunday night.  Talor Battle deserves this opportunity.  Who knows, he might pull a Stephen Curry and play out of his mind for a few rounds.

Temple is a familiar foe. We asked Temple blog, The Owl's Nest to give us some insight on his team.  Personally, I like Penn State's chances to get to the Sweet 16, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.  We just have to take it one game at a time, one game at a time....everybody into it!

QBsneak12: A lot has been made of the Penn State/Temple scrimmage that took place during preseason this year.  By all accounts, Temple was the better team that day.  What does Temple need to do to win on Thursday?

Owlified: Everyone knows that both of these teams are completely changed from what they were before the season started. Temple has suffered a number of injuries that have definitely altered the way we approach games. The major example is Micheal Eric, who is our team's biggest guy and the team's second leading rebounder. Coming into the year, we thought that we would have more depth in the frontcourt then what we have. Forward Craig Williams missed this year to foot problems, and Anthony Lee had back surgery right before the year began. That left us with Lavoy Allen and Micheal Eric being the only two bigs on scholarship. A season-ending knee injury to Eric has put much more pressure and responsibility on Lavoy Allen.

Scootie Randall was also injured a few weeks ago and he was another major rebounder. Bottom line, Temple needs to rebound and hold Penn State to one shot opportunities on O.

QBsneak12: What are your thoughts on the game being played in Tuscon?  Do you think the selection committee made a mistake?

Owlified: Of course. The fact that Temple and Penn State are relatively close really doesn't mean much at this point. It would have made much more sense if the two teams were playing closer east like in DC. Temple played in Miami last year and had a decent showing. Playing in Arizona makes that much more difficult. I'm sure that Nittany Lion fans will make the trip, but you can throw out any type of "fan advantage".

QBsneak12: How concerned are you that this Temple team didn't win the regular season or conference A-10 Championship?

Owlified: Not at all. This might even be a good thing. All three years that Temple won the A10 Championship they were eliminated in the first round of the tournament. I would trade the 2011 trophy for a tournament win in a heartbeat. I heard the other day (and didn't realize) that there wasn't a single time this season that Temple lost more than one game in a row. Maybe that's a good sign of what is to come on Thursday.

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Part One

Part Two

Nebraska is not just a football school.  You have many other outstanding athletic programs.  Which non-revenue generating sport will benefit the most from the move to the Big 10?

HM: You know what, I'm going to go with baseball. I think the Husker program could dominate here.  The Big Ten really hasn’t been very good in baseball, and Nebraska’s been a national contender at times recently. One could argue that a weak conference could hurt the Huskers, but then we’ve seen schools come out of weak conferences and compete nationally. It just means those non-conference games have to be beefed up.

Jon: That is tough, but it has to be baseball if Nebraska can keep a non-conference schedule that maintains a high RPI. Nebraska has one of the best college baseball stadiums in the nation in Haymarket Park - Penn State baseball fans will enjoy making that trip. In fact, I'll go so far as to say it might embarrass some Big Ten teams into improving their baseball experience.

Penn State Women's Volleyball team are the reigning and defending four time National Champions.  Nebraska's women's team is also pretty dominant.  Be honest, are you excited for the annual Penn State vs. Nebraska women's volleyball matches?

HM: Volleyball is big here, and watching the way your fans followed the team to KC this December makes me think this is going to be one heck of a rivalry.

Jon: Yes. Very much so. No sarcasm intended - the Big Ten is going to be one helluva volleyball conference.

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Part One.

When we last spoke with our corn feed brothers in the midwest, we discussed the general background information.  This week we take a look at Nebraska football.



What is the biggest difference from the Bill Callahan era  (27-22) and the current Bo Pelini era (30-12)?  Just the offense, or something more?

HM:  Defense.  In November 2007, Nebraska gave up nearly as many points in three games as they gave up the entire 2009 season.

Jon: Bo Pelini’s biggest fault appears to be how he handles the media. Bill Callahan’s biggest fault was that he couldn’t teach players his 500-page playbook, he broke Nebraska’s winning streak and bowl season streaks without giving them much thought and he pissed all over a number of Nebraska traditions on his way to total suck.

That and we have a defense.

It seems that Coach Pelini's name always comes up in the off-season for various head coaching positions and he has yet to pay them any attention.  But what happens when the Ohio State job opens up (Pelini was a former co-captain and 2 year starter back in 1987-90)?  Do you think Pelini would jump ship and head to a now conference rival?

HM: Hard to say. It’s hard to reject the lure of home. A lot depends on the roots Pelini puts down here.  I get the feeling he likes it here.

Jon: Leave for OHIO STATE? WTF?

Are you happy with the move from the Big 12 to the Big 10?  It seems that Nebraska has the academics and athletics to fit in nicely in the Big 10.

HM: Husker fans liked to ridicule Big Ten football in the past. But considering how things were going in the Big XII, we’re happy to be gone.  The Big Ten is a nice home athletically, and a huge jump academically.

Jon: Not at all. I hate change. I would have loved to stay in a conference that could disintegrate at any time, is heavily skewed towards it’s southern members, and doesn’t have the academic prestige of the Big Ten. I’m particularly upset that I’ll be able to see tons of Husker coverage on the Big Ten Network and that my alma mater will benefit financially from a conference that does things the right way.

Mostly, though, I’m really disgusted at the thought of playing Iowa every year. How the hell have you people tolerated that all these years?

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In life, it is always new and exciting when we make a new friend.  Well the Nebraska Cornhuskers are going to be both our new  friend and our defacto "rival".  Until Pittsburgh and Penn State stop hating on each other like they are on an episode of "Cheaters", Penn State's rivalary with Nebraska will be the closest thing we will get to having an actual rival until further notice (and no, Ohio State did not think of us as a rival - more like a nagging itch).

So what exactly do we know about Nebraska?  We know they have great tradition in football.  We know they have our National Championship from 1994 (sorry Jon and Husker Mike).  We also know they have an outstanding Women's Volleyball program that will push our Lady Lions even harder.

We asked Jon and Husker Mike from Corn Nation to take some time to introduce the Penn State fans to all things Nebraska.  In part one of this three part Q&A we take a look at things to do in Lincoln, Nebraska's history, and previous Penn State vs. Nebraska games.

Now that Nebraska is Penn State's official "rival" the Nittany Lions will be making trips out to Lincoln ever other year. Can you describe a typical (if there is such a thing) game day atmosphere outside (tailgating) and inside Memorial Stadium?

Husker Mike: Memorial Stadium is located on campus a few blocks from downtown; it’s an urban setting, so there aren’t acres of parking lots there. It’s a split between tailgating and bar hopping downtown.  

Jon: Mike is a season ticket holder, and I’m going to let him cover the Lincoln game day questions. Given that, Corn Nation has a Vistor’s Guide to Lincoln, and we’ll be updating that before the start of the 2011 football season.

Best place to eat in Lincoln?

HM:  I’d have to say Misty’s...especially if you arrive in town the day before the game.  It’s THE place to go the night before the game, as they hold a pep rally with the Husker pep band.  

Jon: What you didn’t ask is - "Are there any food traditions specific to Nebraska that we should know about?", so I’ll ask and answer that for you. Runza’s seem to be specific to Nebraska. A runza is basically bread filled with beef, pork, cabbage and other seasonings. If you don’t want to eat them, you can stick them in your pocket and they’ll help you stay warm at November games.
The other is red beer. That’s typically tomato juice mixed with a typical cheap American beer. Personally, I favor V8 juice with a little tabasco, but either way, it makes a good breakfast.

Best bar to watch a game?

HM: Most everybody is at the game...but your best bet is probably Barry’s.

The treatment of visiting Big 10 fans always seems to be a problem at certain Big 10 schools (I'm looking in your direction Ohio State).  What type of hospitality do visiting fans receive in Lincoln?  If I'm wearing blue and white will I be in for a long afternoon?

HM: Nebraska fans typically pride themselves on being a little more civil to visitors than others. Doesn’t mean we don’t have our share of d-bags who want to stir up some trouble, but as long as you come in looking to have a good time and keep your screaming and yelling confined to the game action, you’ll likely be greeted warmly.

Memorial Stadium currently holds 81k+.  A few Big 10 schools seat 100k+, with Michigan once again claiming the title of largest stadium.  I know this takes time and lots of money but, any chance Nebraska joins the 100k club in the near (15 years) future?

HM:  100K?  Not a chance.  NU (get the message, Northwestern? :-) is expanding the stadium by 5k, which will get Husker game attendance to top 90k.  Remember, Nebraska is still a relatively small state population wise.

Penn State have played some pretty memorable games in past years.  For younger Penn State fans, the 2002 game at Beaver Stadium was an environment that was so intense and fanatical that it was arguable one of the Top 5 games ever played at the stadium.  For the older generation, 1982's  last second 27-24 Penn State victory is also pretty memorable.  Can you recall any memorable Nebraska vs. Penn State games?

HM: I think Nebraska fans have their own opinions about 1982. :-)   I think you’ve nailed them all, though Husker fans do remember that 1983 Kickoff Classic as a great start to that season.

Jon: Oh, man. The 1982 game happened while I was at Nebraska, and it still sticks with me to this day. I remember the 1983 game, largely because revenge was still fresh in my mind at the beginning of the next season. I remember a friend of mine asking me before that game what I thought would happen, and I turned to him and said "We’re going to crush them". 44-6, not bad.

2002 was like watching a bad dream, while 2003 was nice revenge, but at that time we were still trying to figure out what was happening to the football team, so it’s mostly forgotten.

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I was hoping this week's NLOTW would come from the world of wrestling, but it just wasn't meant to be.  Instead, congratulations to Penn State's Talor Battle for being named this week's Nittany Lion of the Week.

This week's Big Ten Player of the Week, Battle had a monster week for the NCAA hopeful men's basketball team.  He recorded his 40th and 41st career 20 point game (11th of his senior season) in victories over Iowa and #15 Wisconsin.  Battle also surpassed the 1,900 point mark and now seats at a cool 1,934.  Battle is only 52 points behind the #2 spot held by Penn State legend Joe Crispin (1,986).  Battle could possibly pass Jesse Arnelle's scoring record of 2,138 if he averages over 20 points a game and the team plays a couple of games in the Big 10 and NCAA tournament.  some sort of injury (knocking on extreme amounts of wood right now - insert joke here), Battle should become the second 2,000 point scorer for the men's team in the near future (Susan Robinson Kelly Mazzante is the schools all-timer leading scorer (and Big Ten) with 2,253 2,919 points).

Battle has done everything asked of him during his career and especially his senior season. Battle's play in the second half of Wisconsin, especially his clutch shooting from the floor (with the exception of those 2 missed free throws late in the game) helped seal the victory for the Nittany Lions in front of a crowed of 14k+.

In Penn State's 65-51 victory over Iowa Talor finished with 23 points on 8-13 shooting with 2 rebounds and 3 steals.  During Penn State's 56-52 upset of the #15 ranked Wisconsin Badgers, Battled chipped in with 22 points, 5 clutch rebounds and 3 assists.

Penn State will try to play (if weather permits) #24 Illinois tonight at 9pm on the Big Ten Network.  Penn State returns home on Sunday, February 6th against the Michigan Wolverines.

Honorable Mention

Shavon Greaves  (Track and Field) - The Lakewood, NJ senior was named Big Ten Athlete of the Week after a pair of second place finishes this weekend.  She is also now an automatic qualifier for NCAAs.

Penn State sophomore women's hoopster Nikki Greene had a record setting week for the Lady Lions and for that she wins BSD's Nittany Lion of the Week. 

In a loss to 79-69 loss to Purdue, Greene pulled down 11 rebounds to go along with 8 points and 1 block.  That block made Greene the 7thLady Lion in school history with 100 career blocks, not bad for someone who has two and half seasons remaining in Blue and White.

The six foot-four inch Greene wasn't finished.  Greene, a defensive and rebounding specialist at this point in her career grabbed a mind blowing 20 rebounds in Penn State's 82-69 victory of Big Ten foe Indiana.  She became the first Lady Lion to accomplish that feat since 1987 when Vicki Link grabbed 20 boards against Rutgers. Greene also tied the Bryce Jordan Center rebounding record with Michigan State's Kristen Rasmussen. Not to be out done, the entire Lady Lion team broke a school rebounding record with 61, surpassing the previous high (58) against Northwestern back in 2000.  Sheniqua (Nikki's full name) also added 6 points and 5 blocks to round out the stat sheet.

Greene came to Penn State with plenty of high school accolades. She was the 19th ranked played in the ESPN/HoopGurls, First team All-State, 3AAA player of the year and was a four sport star at  Diboll high school in Diboll, TX (basketball, volleyball, track & field, powerlifting).

Nice work Nikki!

Honorable Mention:

Mia Nickson (Women's Basketball) - The redshirt sophomore dropped 25 and grabbed another 17 boards in the win against Indiana.

Cameron Wade (Wrestling) - The heavweight was a total beast on the mat for the Nittany Lions this past weekend defeating two nationally ranked grapplers in Pitt's #3 ranked Ryan Tomei and Indiana's #14 ranked Ricky Alcala

Margherita Guzzi-Vincenti (Fencing) - The Italian national (as if you didn't already guess that much) ruled the St. John's Invitational finishing off all opponents, while not dropping one bout. The sophomore was the only Undefeated Nittany Lion at the event. 

The beauty about BSD's Nittany Lion of the Week is that it exposes all of us to some lesser known, yet immensely talented Nittany Lions.  It's easy to forget that football and basketball aren't the only sports on campus.  So hopefully this week's NLOTW will serve as a reminder that Penn State has athletic talent all over campus.

This week's Nittany Lion of the Week is junior track and field star Caitlin Lane.  Lane, from Greenwich, NY set a new school record in the 1,000-meter at the Nittany Lion Challenge this past Saturday.  The Challenge was Caitlin's first meet of the season and she did not disappoint.  Caitlin's time of 2:45:95 bested Nittany Lion sprinting standout Briene Simmons' time of 2:48:07 which has stood since 2007.

Lane is an NCAA Regional finisher and is continuing to improve her resume each season on the track.  In high school Lane was a two time New York Class C cross country champion back in 2006 and 2007.

Overall Penn State's team success at the Nittany Lion Challenge can't be over looked.  Penn State's track and field athletes set multiple personal and school records during the meet.  Other teams participating in the meet were Cornell, Florida, Maryland, and Albany.

Congratulations Caitlin.

Honorable Mention:

Ryan Foster (Track and Field) - The Tasmania, Australia (yes it is a real place) won the 1,000 meters at the Nittany Lion Challenge  and now holds the 2nd and 6th best times in NCAA history.

Maggie Lucas (Women's Basketball) - The freshman dropped 20 points on Minnesota and chipped in with 3 rebounds and 3 assists in route to a 58-54 Penn State win.  Lucas followed that performance up with a 22 point, a career high 8 rebounds, and 1 assist. Lucas broke Kelly Mazzante's freshman 3 point record.  All of this damage has been done without starting one game for the Lady Lions. I have a feeling Lucas will win a couple of these NLOTWs in the near future.

Penn State senior wrestler Brad Pataky completed the bakers hat trick (4-0) on the mat this weekend at the 2011 Virginia Duals earning this week's Nittany Lion of the Week.

Pataky, a 5-3, 125 pounder from Clearfield, PA set the table all weekend for Cael Sanderson's #2 ranked Nittany Lions.  Pataky was the first man up during all four of Penn State's Duals, and he did not disappoint.

First on the slate was VMI's Jonathan Pope, who did his best weighted dummy impression.  Pataky scored a 21-4 major decision setting the tone for Penn State's crushing 42-3 beat down.

Not to be outdone, Pataky's next opponent, Bijan Banks from Edinboro University was pinned in 1:36 seconds into the very first round.  Brad once again set the tone for the Nittany Lions, who followed up his pin with five straight majors en route to a 37-12 victory.

#23 Kent State would prove to be no match for Pataky and the Nittany Lions.  His opponent, tenth ranked Nick Bedelyon, put up a better fight than Edinoboro's Banks, but in the end it didn't matter.  Bedelyon was pinned 4 minutes into the very first round (after riding Pataky for over two minutes).  Bedelyon was by far the best grappler Pataky faced during the duals, and he proved to be no match for the pint-sized Nittany Lion.  As a team, Penn State came out on top 27-15.  If you are sensing a theme here, congratulations, you've earned $5 BSD bucks.

To cap off his 4-0 weekend, Pataky's final test came against #15 Michigan's Sean Boyle.  One week earlier, Boyle defeated Pataky 11-3 at the Southern Scuffle.  What a difference a week makes.  Sanderson obviously had Pataky ready this time around as the lead off man won 8-2 and gave the Nittany Lions an early 3-0 lead.  Penn State would go on to defeat their conference rival 24-12, winning the Virginia Duals in the process.  This was Penn State's first Virginia Duals title since 1991. 

Don't look now, but Sanderson's boys are still undefeated (11-0, 1-0 Big Ten) and look to extend that streak against #20 Pittsburgh at Rec Hall on Friday, January 21st.

Honorable Mention:

Jeff Brooks (Men's Basketball) - 17 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks in an upset win against #18 Michigan State and 15 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks in a loss to #10 Purdue.

Casimer Loxsom (Track and Field) - set school and facility records in the 500-meters at the Penn State Relays

Only two days away from our match up with the Florida Gators and I already can't wait.  Mimintampa from Alligator Army took some time to answer some important questions about the Penn State vs. Florida game. 

Temple thought they hit the lottery with the hiring of Gator's offensive coordinator Steve Addazio, but it looks like Gator fans would have sold Addazio for a pack of Slim Jims, citing him as the second worst coach in school history, behind only the legendary Ron Zook.

Let's get into it.

QBsneak12: How surprising was the second Urban Meyer retirement?  Was there a sense in Gator Nation that this was going to happen?

Alligator Army: People were surprised, but a lot of people were relieved. Many Gator fans thought Meyer's heart was not into it, and Will Muschamp at least offers a new start. Plus, it means no more Steve Addazio, Florida's very hated former offensive coordinator.
 
QBsneak12: A lot has been made of the Florida underclassmen saying they were going to transfer after Meyer announced his retirement.  What is the issue with the underclassmen?  Is it just a case of being young and immature, or is the media making a big deal out of nothing?

AA: The only player to openly discuss transferring has been QB John Brantley, who has been completely misused by Addazio and Meyer. Earlier this season, it was rumored that two defensive freshmen wanted to transfer, but it appears as if that was nothing serious.

QBsneak12: Will Muschamp has never been a head coach, but was a highly respected coordinator and coach in waiting (which obviously means absolutely nothing at this point) at Texas.  The last time Florida hired a coordinator without any head coaching experience it was Ron Zook.  Are you worried history will repeat itself or do you think things will be different the second time around?

AA: I do worry about it but for the admittedly stupid reason of that I thought Muschamp was trying to sell himself in his introductory press conference. Zook had similar traits because he lacked the confidence and leadership to be a head coach. However, Muschamp comes to Florida with a much more significant resume than Zook had. I think Muschamp will be successful at UF, but it will depend on who he surrounds himself with. Remember, including Addazio at Temple, four former Meyer assistants at UF became college head coaches and another is the Ravens' defensive coordinator.
 
QBsneak12: From an outsiders perspective, it seemed like John Brantley was not a good fit in Florida's Spread-Option offense.  In your opinion, what was Brantley's biggest issue and what can Penn State expect to see on January 1st?

AA: Physically, Brantley cannot run the option (he doesn't have the body or legs for it). Florida only stopped running it when he broke his ribs on an option play against Alabama. Brantley's biggest issue is that his confidence is shot. Expect to see a lot of Trey Burton and Jordan Reed as Brantley moves closer towards transferring.
 

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After everything that had happened in the 2010 season, the Florida Gators still had a chance to reach the SEC Title Game, all they had to do was beat the South Carolina Gamecocks, led by former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier, at home and as 6.5 point favorites.  Marcus Lattimore had other ideas.

 Florida couldn't have asked for a better start to the game.  Andrew Dubose took the opening kickoff 99 yards for a TD.  After that, there wasn't much to be excited about if you were a Gator fan.

South Carolina scored 29 unanswered points, led by true freshman running back Marcus Lattimore's career high 212 yards rushing.  Lattimore also scored 3 TDs.  By the end of the game, there was no doubt who the better team was.

Offensively, Florida couldn't get anything going.  "Threebow" the nickname for John Brantley, Trey Burton,  and Jordan Reed, because it takes all three of them to do what Tim Tebow did on his own, were wildly ineffective.  Brantley finished 16-31 for a 130 yards and 1 INT.  Reed threw a TD late, but the game was over at that point.

It was surprising that Meyer didn't tailor the offense to Brantley's strengths.  All season long they tried to force him to fit into Tebow's Spread-Option offense, something Brantley wasn't able to do.  Despite all of his physical tools, Brantley is not a Spread-Option QB (just like Ryan Mallet realized he wasn't before he transferred from Michigan).  Urban Meyer had every opportunity to bring the offense back to the Chris Leak days, when Leak was the pocket passing national champion and Tebow was his jump passing side-show.  I guess Urban had some other "things" on his mind.

Imagine where Florida would have been if Cam Newton didn't purchase a stolen laptop. 

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After multiple attempts to fit John Brantley (square peg) into Tim Tebow's shoes (round hole), Florida unleashed freshmanTrey Burton (6-2 220) on the Kentucky Wildcats.  Burton switched numbers from 13 (Cam Newton's # at Florida) to 8 (in an attempt to channel his inner Rex Grossman) during the week and did his best Super Tebow impression accounting for six TDs (5 running, 1 receiving).

The win put the Gators at 4-0 (2-0 SEC).  It was also a milestone for head coach Urban Meyer.  Meyer notched his 100th career victory.  Meyer was one of the fastest coaches in 1-A (FBS) to accomplish this feat.  Ironically, Meyer enters the Outback Bowl against Penn State with only 103 victories.

John Brantley was effective throwing for 248 yards on 24-35 passing and 1 TD, but Burton stole the show with his 6 TD performance playing three different positions.

Florida's defense held Kentucky to just 99 yards on the ground.  The Gators did give up some big plays in the passing game, due to a combination of Kentucky's need to catch up and throw the ball and Florida's lack of pass rush.

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The 2011 season starts today.  I know that may seem odd, especially with the yet to be announced bowl game looming (hopefully on January 1), but the foundation for the 2011 season will be set during these bowl practices and continue on into the Spring. 

Playing in a bowl game is not the honor it once was.  In today's bowl landscape, if you are 6-6, chances are you are going bowling.  If you believe a 6-6 team should be bowling is a discussion for another day.  We are hear to talk about practice (man).

 Most teams use bowl practice to prep for the following season.  It's during these practices that players will switch positions, either on a permanent or temporary basis, in preparation for the following season.  Penn State struggled to a 7-5 record this season.  The number one culprit was the defense.  It's been touched on all year long.  The defensive line can't get consistent pressure on the QB.  The linebackers are a step slow (no matter which direction they were going), and the defensive backs are inconsistent and don't create turnovers. 

Much has been made of Penn State's 2009 and 2010 recruiting classes.  We've already seen members of the 2009 class show what they can do (Curtis Drake, Devon Smith, Stephon Morris - the 2009 version, Sean Stanley, Malcolm Willis, Justin Brown) and some of the 2010 kids (Silas Redd, Robert Bolden, Khairi Fortt).  Well it will be during these four weeks that the redshirted kids of 2010 and the 2009 backups get an opportunity (their first of three) to crack the two deep for next season.

Five Players Penn State needs to step up during bowl practice:

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While this loss doesn't sting nearly as much as the Illinois loss, it still hurts.  Many of us thought Penn State had a chance to pull the upset.  Everything was in place.  It was senior day.  A chance to ruin Sparty's season.  We don't like Mike Dantonio and his timeouts.  Despite coming on strong late (thanks to team MVP Derek Moye), the game was already decided.

The 2010 season is something we will reflect on in the coming weeks.  We will have the entire off-season to rage on about who the 2011 QB should be.  Currently only two houses are on that block, but i'm sure some upstart blogger will try to force the "Paul Jones for QB" campaign on us soon enough (not to be confused with the "I know someone, who knows someone, who walked past someone, that knows JoePa is going to retire after the Bowl Game" fodder).


Quarterback

Matt McGloin has some very deceiving numbers.  If you didn't watch the game on Saturday and picked up the sports section on Sunday and read 23-43, 312 yards, 2 TDS, 1 INT - you might assume McGloin had a great game in a PSU win.  Despite becoming the only QB in PSU history to throw for 300+ yards in back to back games, McGloin did not have his best day in Blue and White.

The blame can't be placed on his shoulders alone.  He was a victim of some self induced bad throws/timing (opening drive delay of game), untimely drops (Brett Brackett), consistent penalties (Quinn Barham), weather (wind, but Cousins didn't seem to have a problem exploiting the black hole that was the middle of the PSU defense), and solid defensive plays (Johnny Adams).  In any event, the Nittany Lion pass game locked out of wack for three quarters before finally turning it on in the fourth.  McGloin made a throw to Devon Smith in the first quarter that i'm not sure any other QB currently on the active roster would have been able to make.  It took touch, accuracy, and timing: things McGloin has surprisingly improved on since the Spring, to the Minnesota game, till now.

The Twitterverse was loudly calling for Rob Bolden to get into the game when the offense was struggling.  Wisely, Joe Paterno and company decided to stick with McGloin.  At this point in the season, it wouldn't have made any sense to insert Bolden for a few plays here and there.  No longer is he the number one cheerleader on the sideline.  When the camera pans to the PSU sideline, he is seen looking visibly "checked out" and not excited.  However, I do think Bolden should get some reps during the bowl game, especially if there is any chance the coaching staff is going to re-open the starting competition in the Spring (ala Daryll Clark in the Alamo Bowl a few years back).

Final Grade: C

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Happy Thanksgiving BSDers.  In an effort to entertain you, or at least give you something to look out as you attempt to come out of your turkey coma, LVS from The Only Colors took some time to answer a few of our questions.  Penn State has an opportunity to play spoiler against Michigan State, something Michigan State was unable to pull off against Penn State back in 2008.  I've checked with Penn State officials - Mark Dantonio only gets 3 timeouts per half (how he uses them, unfortunately is still up to him.)

QBsneak12: Penn State and Michigan State have played some pretty competitive games during this series.  What does Penn State have to do in order to have a chance to hand MSU their second loss?

 
LVS: Two major things.  First, knock down Kirk Cousins.  He's vulnerable right now and can be prone to turning the ball over.  (He's thrown two pick-sixes in the past three games.)  Like most above-average quarterbacks, however, he's more than capable of picking apart a secondary when given time to do so.

Second, PSU needs to run the ball effectively; if they can do that, MSU's linebackers will have to concentrate on stopping the run.  If that's the case, McGloin and Co. will have the opportunity to go crazy in play action.
 
QBsneak12: Who is a player Penn State fans will know about after this game?

LVS: Edwin Baker.  He's an exceptional running back; he has quickness, vision, and better breakaway speed than any MSU running back in recent memory.  His rushing total last week wasn't enormously impressive because MSU fell behind early and spent the entire second half passing the ball, but Baker is excellent and has been a huge part of the team's success this season.

QBsneak12: Duke and North Carolina will always be basketball schools.  Do you think Michigan State is a basketball school?

LVS: No.  MSU has excellent basketball tradition, but MSU fans take football more seriously than either of those schools do-or other Big Ten "basketball schools" like Indiana, Illinois, and Purdue do, for that matter.  Even in the darkest days of the football program, there would always be 70,000+ at home games.  Calling MSU a basketball school is a gross oversimplification.

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If they haven't already, Penn State's starting defense needs to take Andrew Dailey and James Van Fleet to the Corner Room or Spats Cafe to thank them for saving what could have been an embarrassing loss (and first ever) to the Indiana Hoosiers in what was essentially a home game for Penn State (even though there were about 40,000 empty seats).

Tandon Doss was an absolute thorn in Tom Bradley's side on Saturday.  The kid made plays on special teams, in the receiving game, and even in the run game.  Without Doss, Indiana wouldn't have been in the game.


Defensive Line

The d-line was forced to play a few men down to start the game, and it showed.  Ollie Ogbu and Devon Still missed the entire first half (violation of team rules) and Sean Stanley was also held out (Peeing).  James Terry and Jordan Hill held down the fort until they were available.  Pete Massaro continued his impressive play from his defensive end spot and Jack Crawford was on the field doing what Jack Crawford does.

With the exception of the 39 yard run by Doss, the d-line did an outstanding job stopping the run, partially because the Hoosiers are a throwing team and also because the d-line was able to get some pressure.  Brandon Ware even took some time out from JoePa's dog house to get a few reps in (1 assisted tackle). 

Overall, this unit played fairly decent.  They were able to sack Chappell two times, and put consistent pressure on him for most of the afternoon. 

Final Grade: B

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Wow, what a game.  First off, congratulations to Joseph Vincent Paterno on his 400th career win.  It's been said by just about everyone, but it is highly unlikely we will ever see this happen again.  JoePa has always done things the right way, and the Nittany Lion faithful should be very proud. With that said, let's talk about the offense baby!

For the first 29 minutes, it looked like the Penn State offense had thrown away any progress they made the previous two weeks against Minnesota and Michigan.  They were out of sync, no real direction and the execution was just not there.  The dropsy's made a reappearance during the game, but ultimately they didn't matter.

If Penn State's offense played every game like they did in the second half, it would be awfully hard not to compare them to the the 94' offense, the greatest in Penn State history.  Robert Bolden got the start and he should have, but it was the call to the bullpen and Matt McGloin that made all the difference in the world.  It's safe to say, at least for the rest of this season, that the Scranton Slinger is now QB1.

Quarterbacks

Rob Bolden started the game and played two series before being replaced by Matt McGloin.  Bolden finished 3-4 for 43 yards and a fumble.  Bolden did not have any trouble moving the offense, they just weren't able to score any points.  Bolden handled the QB switch with poise (we get paid $1 for every poise reference).  At one point, the cameras caught Bolden asking Joe to go back in the game, but it just wasn't to be. 

Matt McGloin entered the game on the third offensive series and did not relinquish the spot, despite some early struggles (4-10 passing on his first three drives of the game).  McGloin finished the day 18-29 for 225 and 4 TDs, one shy of tying the Penn State record.  Including the drive at the end of the first half, McGloin led 5 straight Penn State scoring drives, all TDs.  Every time I saw Mac get into the huddle I pictured him doing his best Joe Kane impersonation from "The Program", "let's put the women and children to bed and go lookin' for dinner", a line Joe used in the move before the most important scoring drives.

The biggest difference for this Penn State offense, besides the offensive line, has been the ability to score in the red zone with Matt McGloin at QB.  McGloin had the Nittany Lions in the red zone four times against Northwestern and all four times Penn State came away with a TD.  Flash back to the Illinois game and Penn State's offense was booed off the field after not being able to score a TD after they started the drive on the Illini 9 yard line.  The offense has a different kind of swagger with Mac in at QB.  I'm not sure if it his maturity, personality, knowledge of the playbook, or just the confidence he has in his abilities to make plays, but whatever it is, it's working. 

As of today, Matt McGloin is the best man to lead this offense.  He may not have the size or arm strength of Bolden or Paul Jones, but he is a winner - much like John Shaffer was before him.  All too often, fans seem to confuse college success with pro success.  Daryll Clark was the perfect trigger man for the Spread HD, while Pat Devlin will be drafted into the NFL.  The battle of looking the part and playing the part has been around for years.  For my money, i'll take the guy that can play the part.

Final Grade: A

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Penn State looks to avoid the big game hangover this week as the Wildcats of Northwestern come to Happy Valley.  Rodger from Sippin' On Purple was very excited to answer a bunch of our questions.  The Cardiac Cats almost defeated the Nittany Lions last year, so this game should be interesting.

And. Here. We. Go.

 
QBSneak12: Pennsylvania's own, Dan Persa has done an outstanding job for the Wildcats this season (completing over 74% of his passes).  What does Persa bring to the table that doesn't show up in the stat sheet?

Sippin' on Purple: Tough to say, because of how ridiculous Dan Persa's stat sheet is. He's insanely accurate on short passes - hence the completion percentage -  can hit guys on deep balls without throwing many bad passes - hence the 12 touchdowns to only three picks - and can create plays with his feet, sometimes throwing on the run and sometimes scrambling - hence the fact that he leads our team in rushing yards. He is our offense. I don't have kids, but if I did, I would want Dan Persa to be their father.

QBSneak12: Who is a player Penn State fans will find out more about come Saturday?

SOP: Our running back, Mike Trumpy, because we're finding out about him every week. Since Tyrell Sutton graduated in 2008, NU has been searching for running backs, having gone through five different starters. Trumpy got his first shot at the starting gig on Saturday and busted out 110 yards, the first 100-yard outing since the 2008 Alamo Bowl for an NU player. Some of our guys were too slow, some were too good at running backwards after getting options, Trumpy just goes north and south and gets yards after contact.

QBSneak12: As a Penn State fan, we've had to deal with the Joe Paterno is retiring rumors since 1980.  Northwestern has a similar situation with Pat Fitzgerald.  Fitzgerald seems to be on the short list for just about every University that has an opening.  Give us your thoughts on the job Pat has done and do you think he will ever leave Northwestern, or will he become the midwest's Joe Paterno?

SOP: Remember earlier when I said I wanted Dan Persa to be the father of my children? Scratch that. Make it Pat Fitzgerald. It's common coach speak for somebody to say that they love the place that they work and have no intentions of ever leaving ever, but with Fitz, I'm tempted to believe him: NU was the only school that recruited him out of high school, and he's done everything he can to pay them back.

In a hypothetical world, I'd like to say that he'd stay at NU even if other schools were offering him more money, but to be honest, I think NU knows what they have in him - he is the face of NU's program and has completely, totally revitalized it in a very short amount of time. He's already one of the winningest coaches in program history, the fans love him, and he promotes the school amazingly - even if he was a crappy coach, NU would be silly to not pony up when he wants cash.

QBSneak12: Is Bryce McNaul a clone of your head coach Pat Fitzgerald?

SOP: Same number, same position, less likely to murder somebody with sheer intensity.

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Penn State's 41-31 victory over Michigan on Saturday was a team effort.  For the first time all year, all aspects of the offense were clicking. 

Making his first career start, Matt McGloin did everything he needed to and was asked to do.  "Mac" put his "I'm going deep" membership in his back pocket and took what the Michigan defense, which didn't seem to do anything well on Saturday, gave him.

McGloin was a enthusiastic 17-28 for 250 yards 1 TD and more importantly, no INTs.  Mac played beyond a lot of his critics expectations.  Kirk Herbstreit said Penn State would not be able to move the ball offensively with Matt Mcgloin at QB.  Well Herby, it looks you couldn't have been more wrong.  On this night, McGloin was McAwesome.

McGloin spread the ball around to eight different receivers.  One of the game changing plays of the game was Mac's 11 yard first down scramble on third down during the opening drive of the game.  That play kept that drive alive and Evan Royster eventually punched the ball in for six.  McGloin was poised with a capital P.  But don't let the win cloud your mind...the offensive line finally coming together and opening running lanes was one of the biggest reasons for the team's success on Saturday.  Would Bolden have been able to do what McGloin did?  Possibly.  This is Rob Bolden's team.  He was the chosen one at the start of the season and will continue to be next week against Northwestern.  What Penn State did find out on Saturday is that they have a more than capable backup, in the Jonathan Moxon mold.

Now it's official: Kevin Newsome has zero chance of ever starting a game at QB for Penn State.

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On Saturday, when you were watching the Penn State-Minnesota game, you may have noticed #10 playing a little bit of  free safety for Penn State. The casual fan quickly reached for the game day program trying to determine just who this kid was.  Another freshman getting significant playing time under Joe Paterno?  Couldn't be.  But it was.  The kid you saw making all of those tackles on Saturday (nine) was none other than redshirt freshman Malcolm Willis. 

Willis saw increased reps, filling in for the injured Andrew Dailey (stinger). He teamed with Drew Astornio and showed he is an outstanding tackler, something that the team has struggled with all season.  Willis should make his first career start on Saturday against Michigan.  But the question still remains:

Who is Malcolm Willis?  Let's go to the tale of the tape.

Vitals:

Height 5-11 (According to the PSU website, Willis is 5-1, see for yourself)

Weight: 217lbs

40: 4.65

Class: Redshirt Freshman

Hometown: Marbury, MD

High School: Lackey HS (3.75 GPA)

Scout Rating: 3 Stars (#78 Safety)

Rivals Rating: 3 Stars (#68 Safety)

ESPN Rating: 74 (#150 Safety)

Bench: 310lbs

Squat: 585lbs

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Penn State got back to winning last Saturday, defeating Minnesota 33-21.  The score actually surprised me in a couple of ways.  I never thought our offense would be able to put up more than 10 points (i'm a believer now, even though it was against a horrid football team) and I didn't think our defense would still be playing this uncharacteristically this late in the season.

All season, even on Saturday, the defense has not be able to consistently tackle anyone.  And while the defense got more pressure than usual against Minnesota, that is still an area of concern.

Defensive Line

Jordan Hill earned his first career start but the d-line still left plenty to be desired.  Ollie Ogbu, despite making one good play behind the line of scrimmage, was a non-factor.  Devon Still was the best of the bunch, including sacking Adam Weber in the end zone for a safety.

Pete Massaro started at the other end position and had some great pressure on the QB but wasn't able to finish the job.  He finished the day with 4 tackles (one for a loss).

Sean Stanley, who missed the past few games due to an off the field situation, also saw some action.

The d-line has been hit pretty hard by injuries, but some of the younger players need to step up.  tackling is still a problem, but we did see some increased pressure on the QB this week.

Final Grade: C+

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And we're back.  It's been a rough two weeks.  Penn State fans had to sit around and listen to everyone with a microphone or twitter account say the sky is falling and Joe should go.  Well it's not and he shouldn't.  This week, Jeff from The Daily Gopher took a few minutes to answer some questions.  And as you'll read, he doesn't seem to have any faith in his Golden Gophers.

Also, be sure to check out part two of the Q&A over at The Daily Gopher, where my delusions of awesomeness shine.

Since the Tim Brewster hot seat is no longer hot, who would you like to see as the next coach of the Golden Gophers?  Is there any circumstance in which Minnesota pulls a Kansas State (they brought back Bill Snyder) and brings back their former coach, Glen Mason?

The Daily Gopher: Hard to say who we'd like for the next coach, since all the big names (Gary Patterson, Chris Petersen, Jim Harbaugh, Al Golden) will likely say no. My top choice right now is Brady Hoke at San Diego State.

As for bringing back Glen Mason? Hell no. Bill Snyder took K-State from perhaps the worst D1 program in the country in 1989, to four Big 12 North division titles and a Big 12 title. The man retired, on his own accord in 2005, and they renamed the stadium after him.

Mason was fired in 2006 because after he didn't get the Ohio St job he thought he deserved in 2003, his attitude and work ethic declined. He was a smarmy, arrogant SOB who definitely was the best coach Minnesota has had in decades, but had worn out his welcome.Firing him was the correct move. Hiring as his replacement a glorified cheer leader who was a career position coach with ZERO experience as a head coaching or even coordinator? From day one that was a mistake, and the past four years have only reinforced it.
 
What are your three keys to the game?

TDG: Besides Penn State missing their flight out and missing the game? Or AD Joel Maturi getting wise and also firing DC Kevin Cosgrove before Saturday? If neither of those things happen, I don't see Minnesota winning, because it'll just mean more of the same sloppy, undisciplined play we've seen from them all year.

How do you see things playing out on Saturday?

TDG: See above. We needed to fire our DC as much as the head coach. It's like Cosgrove is purposely trying to call the opposite plays defensive calls from the ones that would actually work. It would be amazing to watch for his total ineptitude if it wasn't so sad and frustrating. Seriously, your offense will find it's groove both running and passing. Whichever you want will work. Just look at Purdue last week- redshirt frosh QB Rob Henry looked like a deer in the headlights in his first start against Northwestern. Last week against Minnesota? He was wearing Drew Brees' old #15, and it was hard to tell them apart. Purdue shredded out defense. Just like everyone shreds our defense. So you'll be fine. Just don't take it as an omen for your season offensively, because things might be more difficult the rest of the way when you go back to playing real defenses.

The Gophers are currently 1-6 and 0-4 at home.  TCF Bank Stadium doesn't seem to be providing the home field advantage many thought it would.  How can the Gophers turn this thing around?  Is it more of a personnel issue?

TDG: As you can probably guess from the previous answers, it's not as much about personnel as it is the coaching. On both sides of the ball. And special teams. It's been flat awful. Most of us Gopher fans truly believe there's enough talent here to be 5-2 (losses to USC and Wisconsin), but our coaching has been so inept that we're 1-6.  

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Enjoy part one here.

Yesterday Lou discussed this years Penn State team, NHL, Icers, Michigan State, and Nebraska.  Today he'll cover great Penn State books/authors and also technology in this generation, have kids really stopped reading newspapers?

QBsneak12: You seem to be the most prolific writer of books about Penn State football.  Besides your own, what other books would you recommend to BSD readers?

LP: There are so many good books out there, and some of the best are out of print.

If readers want to know more about the complete history of Penn State football, Ridge Riley's Road to Number One is the definitive book that not only covers the beginning of Penn State football in 1881 - yes, 1881, not 1887 - but also is a succinct overview on the birth of college football and the rules and changes in the game from the mid 1800s to 1975 when Ridge's book was published.  The book was fundamental in the research of my Penn State Football Encyclopedia.  Ridge was a long-time Penn State alumni executive and a really good guy, who, ironically, had a fatal heart attack in Joe Paterno's kitchen a few days after the1975 Sugar Bowl as he was gathering material for the weekly Alumni Football Newsletter he created in 1938.  John Black, who succeeded Ridge in writing the newsletter - and still does - also helped finish Ridge's book.

There are three books that I would recommend for a deeper insight into football in the Paterno years, and all for specific reasons.

For the Glory by Ken Denlinger may be the best book ever written about Penn State football because of its exclusive, candid and incisive behind the scenes look at how the football program really works.  Denlinger, a one-time Daily Collegian and Washington Post reporter, spent five years following the recruitting class of 1992 that would up being the last Penn State team to play as an independent.  Unlike my latest book, Game Changers: The Greatest Plays in Penn State Football History, or the What It Means to Be a Nittany Lion, that I wrote with Scott Brown, Denlinger's book is not one of those gung-ho; publications that fans crave.  Paterno never has given any writer the access he gave Denlinger and Denlinger didn't sugar coat anything.  The warts are there as well as the Kool-Aid but he is fair and honest all the way. 

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