My wife and I are staying at a B&B in Ebensburg over the Iowa weekend and I've never been to Cambria County.  We're looking to have a nice dinner for our anniversary Friday night.  For those who are familiar with the area, is there a restaurant that you can recommend?  I'm not looking for something that's going to run us $75 a plate and not fill me up but I want a good meal in a nice atmosphere.  Thanks in advance for the responses!

I know it's early but I didn't see it mentioned on here anywhere so far.  Lastnight we received another 4star verbal commitment from hard running FB Zach Zwinak.  So lets get the siren going and whoop it up!  As per FOS we now have an average of 3.94 stars which is the best in the country.

Zach Zwinak commits

Look at all those stars!

PSU Football is on a roll!  This is the team to seize the day and take advantage of the negative press that OSU is receiving, the boat loads of talent that we have and will have soon, and the great schedule that we have this year which can put us in the MNC or at least the BCS as the best team in the Big Ten!

I think a Big Ten Championship will catapault us into the forefront of the Big Ten and the media will begin to recognize us as the dominant program in the Big Ten instead of OSU if we take care of business this year.  This year is very, very important off the field IMO.  We can do great things this year!!

WE ARE!!!

Now that I got your attention I just wanted get a discussion going about multiple related topics.

1  Kyle Prater chooses USC over Illinois

I guess we won't have to worry about seeing Aurelius Benn II coming into Happy Valley and tearing up our secondary. 

2  On another note, Villanova and Temple renew their rivalry in the City of Brotherly Love tonight.  There's always the Happy Valley connection with Golden and D'Onofrio and many of us also root for Temple when they're not getting their heads bashed in by our Nits.  If anyone can find a tv listing for this game that would be great!

3  Last but not least (figuratively and literally) we have our first Big Ten team taking the gridiron tonight when Indiana meets mighty Eastern Kentucky.  Hopefully the Hoosiers won't embarass the conference by losing tonight.  Thankfully this game will appear only on the Big Ten Network so if they do lose it'll be our little secret.  :-)

Looks like Chafie pulled a Scott Boris and got Aaron Maybin some pretty decent chedda.  Aaron is in Buffalo and will join them on the practice field.  Details haven't been released except the fact that he can earn up to $25 million with this new 5 year deal.  I hope he has a great rookie season.  That means that 2 PSU Alums got paid today and yes.............there's no flags on the field!!!!!!!

Maybin signs with Buffalo

Looks like the Champs Bowl is history and we're adding another New Year's Day Bowl game with a larger payout to our conference's already impressive list of bowl affiliations.  This speaks to the fact that money talks and bull crap (media slamming Big Ten) walks.  Nice job by Delaney.  I'm not a Big Ten fan but the conference does a great job of running this business like a business.  The Big Ten may not have the on the field glitz of the SEC in recent years but it's probably the best run conference in the country which means even though there's peaks and valleys, it'll remain vibrant and strong in the long term. 

Big Ten adding Gator Bowl in 2010

I think that I'm a good judge of talent when it comes to football.  I've played or coached football my whole life.  I've analyzed film and evaluated mostly offensive skill positions.  When Daryll Clark was being recruited out of Ursuline before he was a commit to PSU and before he went to Kiski I watched his film and I thought that he was something really special, a hidden gem.  He had nice footwork, he was a passer first but he knew when to tuck and run, and he viewed the entire field and delivered a nice ball.  Okay, now that I'm done blowing my own horn, I'd like to say that I see those same qualities in Rob Bolden.  I think that he'll be the best of the 3 QBs when he arrives on campus.  If any of you have seen the reports coming out of the Elite 11 this week, he's been blowing up!  I hope that he does everything he can to digest the playbook and get ready to be the QB at PSU because he's special and I think he could be our starter for a few years if he comes in mentally prepared for college football.  I only wish his school allowed its students to graduate early so he could be here for the Spring. 

None of this is meant to slight PJ or Newsome.  Anyway, does anyone else have an opinion on Bolden or who you think is the best of the 3 future QBs? 

Okay, am I the only freak who's sitting here refreshing BWI, FOS, and BSD to see the announcement from Bolden?  What's taking so long?  Am I also the only one who is nervous about Lville in the last 24hrs?  Hopefully the late jitters are unwarranted and hopefully in the next few minutes we'll get some good news but I thought we'd have something by now.  Okay, now I'm just ranting.........okay, I'm done now.  Come on Robert!  Join the family already!!!!

WE ARE!!!

Since the White Out has been already declared for the Iowa game, we need to come up with a theme for the OSU game.  We all expect the OSU game to be the biggest of the year so it's worthy of some sort of group effort. 

At first I thought of bacon but then I thought that would be too greasy so then my mind wandered to the Urban legend that is Terrelle Pryor.  I thought of how awesome it would be if we let him know just how country we all are in Happy Valley.  Now of course some of us like myself are Urban Cowboys but that doesn't matter none(threw that in for affect).  We're all rural brothers from Happy Valley regardless of our background so maybe we can all do our best to dress the part on 11/7.  I definitely think my youngin(I'm scaring myself) and I will be in HV with a Too Country Tshirt and a pair of overalls!  Who's with me?!!!! 

I like this one because it's redneck sheik!  It shows some skin but covers the nipples! 

This is a nice selection for the ladies because they can wear their sports bras under the overalls if it's an Indian Summer!  Nice!!

He apparently died in the booth prior to today's 3pm start.  I can't believe he's gone.  I know this is a Penn State site but so many of us are Phillies fans and even if you're not a Phillies fan, Harry's popularity went beyond Philly.  His voice was unmistakable and his presence will be missed.  I actually had to hold back a tear when I heard the news. 

Story on Harry's passing

Maybe we could recall our favorite Harry Kalas call or story below? 

"Watch that baby.....that ball's outta here!"

Does anyone know how to see more than the "Top Performers?"  I'm hoping that Evans and Maybin haven't run the 40 yet because their names aren't showing up on NFL.com as being in the Top 10 in the 40.  Any help or information would be apprecaited.  If anyone has their overall stats and wants to discuss them, I'm all in.  I have yet to find a place where I can find how each player performed in each event.  That's information I'd love to see.  Thanks!

Speed kills! It separates the haves and the have nots more often than not. Having said that, PSU brought in the most speed in the Big Ten and that's a great sign for Penn Staters.  I know that football isn't track but in recruiting it's probably the best tool for judging talent without first hand knowledge. Looking at the 3 national contending programs in the Big Ten, here's what I see according to Rivals:

PSU

Avg 40 = 4.62
# of recruits under 4.6 = 14
% of players at skill positions = 60%

OSU

Avg 40 = 4.66
# of recruits under 4.6 = 8
% of players at skill positions = 52%

Michigan

Avg 40 = 4.64
# of recruits under 4.6 = 7
% of players at skill positions = 61%

*These stats of course are based off of reported times. Some of the players did not have reported 40 times so they were not included. Skill positions include RB, WR, Ath, QB, TE & DB.

I was looking at the coach's poll which just came out and we received 13 votes.  Looking at the schedule this week we have Michigan and Wiscy at home.  I think that we can and will win both of those games to push the record to 19-5 and 8-3 in conference.  I think that will finally get us ranked in the Top 25.  I know that ultimately it doesn't mean anything but I think it shows that this program is progressing and improving.  It's something Ed can point to when he walks into a kid's house and tries to convince him that playing in Happy Valley is best for him. 

Question....when's the last time our Men's BBall team was ranked?  Were we ranked during the 2000-01 season? 

Exciting times!  WE ARE!!!!!

Kersey chooses PSU over Rutgers

Some of you may have already seen this but I didn't see anything posted yet.  Nice size with a 4.45 forty and apparently has very quick and can cut on a dime.  He's also 6' 2" which is a very nice size for a WR.  Hopefully we'll also get Brown's commitment this weekend and then I'll be feeling a lot better about our WR situation for the next few years.  This is a good get on paper and I hope it works out on the field too.  We've got a very good QB this year in Clark and we've already got a top QB in waiting (Newsome) so I'm sure WRs are starting to realize that they can do great things at PSU over the coming years. 

Welcome aboard Mr. Kersey!

I understand that there's certain academic benefits by being in the Big Ten but I thought we could examine the sports benefits.  I believe that the ACC would have been a better fit for PSU than the Big East or the Big Ten.  Here's my reason:

1.  The Big Ten and Big East programs are all in the Northern Rustbelt region.  The populations of each state where these programs are located are decreasing.  Thus, the recruiting opportunities are decreasing.  If PSU was in the ACC it would open up the VA/NC/SC/GA region for PSU recruiting.  We already have a good connection to MD and this would only increase that presence. 

2.  Perception.  We would be playing against Southern teams and it would garner more respect for PSU sports in the media because we'd be playing more Southern teams like Miami, FSU, Clemson, GA Tech, and UNC. 

3.  Weather factor.  We'd be playing some of our games in the fairer weather of the Southeast and that would be more appealing to recruits.  It would also possibly help us with preparation for the bowls which are played in the South.  We wouldn't be locked into Northern games in the cold from September to November. 

4.  Third Wheel.  The Big Ten loves Michigan and Ohio State and doesn't have room for another top program.  I think our program has suffered in all aspects because we're on the outside looking in.  When we're up the conference is down.  When we're down and Michigan and OSU are up, the conference is up.

*This is just football.  I think our football program and basketball program would benefit as well by having the chance to play in a stronger conference for each sport.

Hopefully Evans doesn't follow him because if we lose both of them our DL won't be nearly as effective in 2009 as it's been in recent years.  If he ends up in the 1st round then it'll be a smart move financially but if he doesn't make the 1st round then I think it's a bad move.  I just can't believe that his weight or lack there of won't be an issue???

Sad news

Article in Cleveland Plain Dealer on his decision

Absolutely the right move for him because he's physically ready for the NFL and he's already proven his worth in college.  The same can't be said for Maybin or Evans so I hope their decision is different. 

I think our chances against OSU next year in Happy Valley just got a little bit easier.  Our schedule is set for another run at the BCS.  Hopefully we won't fall asleep in one of our lesser games and we show up against OSU at home. 

Discuss

The Trojans dominated OSU thoroughly. But that was a home game for USC and Ohio State was swapping QB's faster than a nympho changing partners, and the Buckeyes were without Beanie Welles.

PSU Blog on Pennlive

It's not everyday you see that in print!!!  I figured a lot of you/us would enjoy this if you didn't see it already.  I think the comparison is quite fitting if you ask me.  I think I found the girl that Todd had in mind!

I really think that we've got to give them a new look in order to put up points in the Rose Bowl.  I don't mean throwing in a gadget play here or there either.  These guys are very athletic so we've got to get them off of their timing so they're a step behind. 

I think we'd be doing ourselves a favor if we ran our offense from the no-huddle in the beginning of the game to see how USC reacts to it.  If memory serves me correctly, Oregon State did this against USC and it caught them off guard.  I don't think USC would gameplan for it against Penn State either.  Why would they?  We've never done it this year. 

I remember one of the great things about the 1987 Fiesta Bowl was how PSU came out with a totally new look on defense against Miami's great offense.  We came out with over 150 different formations on defense for that game!  We made them uncomfortable and Miami's offense was their greatest threat.  USC's greatest threat is their defense so I say, make 'em uncomfortable and take away the talent factor. 

Even if we don't run the no-huddle offense, I hope we do something new that shocks USC on the 1st!  Here's to hope!  WE ARE!!!

Here's the entire game.  If you don't want to sit through the entire game in order to get to the good part, you can forward the video to 22:30.  That's when Devon takes a punt 88 yards to the hizzy.  We definitely picked up some serious speed and quickness with his commitment!  I think he'll pick up right where DWill left off on special teams.   WE ARE!!

Video of the game

I just heard on ESPN Radio that Pete Carrol(sp?) is going to accept a 2 timeout penalty in the UCLA game in order to spice it up by having USC's team wear their home uniforms instead of their white away uniforms.  This is their cross-town rival and UCLA has shocked USC before.  It's pretty arrogant to give up your timeouts in order to wear a certain type of uniform and just say....oh well we do as we please and we don't need those timeouts anyway. 

Seriously, these guys at USC might outdo Miami in 1987!!

Seriously people, it's a football game!!!  Pride is the primary motivation in most murders but this is just insane.  This is the kind of stuff that we should think about when we look the other way when visiting fans are being taunted by our students or fans.  Pride can cause somebody to snap and make a decision that will cause a lot of pain and regret for a lot of people.  Everyone has a responsibility in ensuring the safety of ALL fans. 

I know that the situation which is linked below and the situations that I'm talking about are different but they're both related by the emotions that cause people to act out or make bad decisions.  Pride.  Lets be proud of our school and our program but never misdirect that pride and turn it into something that could get people hurt.

WE ARE!!

2 dead over Bama v LSU:  story

Jeron, there's some guy named JoePa on the phone for you!  Great news on the Stokes front.  I wonder how Boyd feels about this one as well!  College football is like a soap opera......one day someone's committed to somebody and the next day they're with somebody new.  Jeron, there's a certain undefeated team that is requesting your presence in the near future.  How about a visit for MSU when we'll hopefully be wrapping up the Big Ten Championship and a slot in the BCS Championship!

Fulmer is gone!

I didn't see it posted here previously.  Maybe I'm blind so I apologize if that's the case.  I was looking at the site and I couldn't believe that more than a few of the voters have us 4th, 5th, and unbelievably 6th!!!  Obviously for the voters who have us this low, there's no convincing them.  They have their bias and hell hath no fury like a journalist's scorn!

Pollspeak Week 10

Anthony Fera commits to PSU!

It's not often that you see a kicker get 3 stars by the recruiting sites so it's safe to say that we got a good one in Fera!  It doesn't hurt that he decommitted from THEM and committed to the good guys!  Welcome aboard Mr. Fera!  You're a part of the family now!  I wish you all the best on and off the field!!

WE ARE!!