Gimme an Oakman like an oak tree and a wooooooooo.

Well, Penn State needed this badly.  Shawn Oakman, all 6'9"ish and 250 pounds of him, has committed to Penn State football recruiting class.  (And hey, he's been offered a few Division One basketball scholarships too, so...beg for permission to call him, Ed DeChellis.)

Oakman told Penn State defensive line coach Larry Johnson and assistant coach Ron Vanderlinden of his decision Thursday night, and plans on making it official with Penn State in February.

"I couldn't be happier," said Oakman, who plans on wearing No. 91 at State College. "It came down to what I thought what college should be and also what college coach was going to push from being good to being great. I think Coach Johnson and Coach Vanderlinden can do that. That's why I choose Penn State."

Oakman is a four-star prospect on Rivals, and a three-star prospect as rated by Scout and ESPN.  He's a defensive end prospect, although with that size and wingspan, wouldn't he make a tremendous offensive tackle someday? The people around him think that Oakman has all the potential in the world:

"He'll probably put on 20 pounds his offseason, and he'll be more comfortable with his body," said Sam Mormando, his football coach. Last year, "He was just a big kid, but now he's a big kid who knows how to play football. "He doesn't look like your traditional 6-9 basketball player who's real thin," Mormando said. "He's got muscle tone and looks like a bodybuilder. He's 250 pounds and plays tough. He's not a finesse player. He doesn't go around blocks, he goes through blocks.

Yes, this helps Penn State's recruiting situation quite a bit, but there's still a long way to go before Signing Day. Here's hoping the Nittany Lion coaching staff can build a little momentum and finally kickstart this recruiting class.

We're all a bit squeamish when it comes to recruiting around here.  Our friends at Black Heart Gold Pants like to caption their recruiting updates, "Caring is creepy."  It must also be said that when it comes to recruiting, "creepy is caring."  While it's ridiculously nearsighted to throw a fit after every single recruiting update on Scout or Rivals, it's important stuff even if it's a bit icky.  All of this said, you may have noticed that Penn State hasn't exactly been doing...well, anything with respect to recruiting.  It's the end of June, and Penn State's lone commit is a two-star tight end from Delaware.  Look at the teams you'd consider Penn State's main competition, and compare.  Ohio State.  Pittsburgh.  Michigan.  Notre Dame.  Rutgers. Yes, it's only mid-summer, but this isn't encouraging.

It's an unbelievably down year for high school football talent in Pennsylvania.  Very down.  Scout's only five-star Pennsylvania player, Oil City tight end Ben Koyack, was considered a toss-up recruit between Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Penn State -- he wound up at Notre Dame.  Of the remaining PA recruits, only Kyshoen Jarrett, Terrell Chestnut, Michael Caputo, and Shawn Oakman appear to have mutual interest with PSU (and a hundred other schools).  Oakman was reportedly ready to pull the trigger for PSU a few weeks ago, but it never happened and he's visiting Pitt this weekend ($). 

Penn State's coaches are no strangers to recruiting in Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and many other mid-Atlantic states, but signs of recruiting life are difficult to discern on those horizons, as well.  The PSU coaching staff told five-star RB Recruit Savon Huggins that he was their only and only true love, and wouldn't even recruit another running back.  He's still playing the field.  Marquis Wright, a defensive tackle considered to be one of Penn State's top targets for this class, just committed to Pitt.  Virginia, North Carolina, Rutgers, and Pitt are all nudging Penn State out for recruits.  Yes, it's not even July.  I know.  Still, cries of "it's just one player" and "stars are irrelevant" are ringing more hollow by the day. 

Continue reading this post »

So what's all this, then?  Six teams looking to bolt the Big Twelve for the Pac-10?  For realskis?

We're just going to get out of the way and let Chip Brown speak his piece here:

[T]he Pac-10, which has its meetings in San Francisco starting this weekend, is prepared to make a bold move and invite Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado to join its league, according to multiple sources close to the situation.

Left out would be Iowa State, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska and Missouri.

Messages left with Pac-10 officials by Orangebloods.com on Thursday were not immediately returned

 

Man Of The Day honors go to Scott Dochterman, who was covering the Big 12 meetings today in Kansas City.  He was tweeting and writing his little heart out:

Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott responded to a report from Orangebloods.com that his league plans to invite six Big 12 schools for membership.

Those schools include Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado.

"We are aware of a story filed today by an Orangebloods.com columnist, speculating about possible expansion plans for the Pac-10 Conference," Scott said. "While many interesting scenarios have been suggested in numerous news reports, around the country, we remain focused on a thorough evaluation process that examines all of the options for increasing the value of the Conference for our member institutions, our student athletes and our fans. We have not developed any definitive plans. We have not extended any invitations for expansion and we do not anticipate any such decisions in the near term."

But he didn’t say no, did he? The plot gets thicker by the minute. Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe expects to respond to the report within the next few minutes.

That Beebe press conference was cancelled at the last minute.  And minutes ago, ESPN's Joe Schad tweeted thusly: " Boulder Daily Camera reports Colorado AD Mike Bohn says six Big 12 schools are on verge of Pac-10 invitation."

Standard operating procedure for this sort of stuff: commence domino arranging in the comments.

(Update: Dochterman has a full story up now.)

We trudge onward through the Big Ten, searching for reasons to live through a summer of boredom.

You May Remember Them From Such Games As...:  Last season's 35-10 bludgeoning in Ann Arbor, which followed 2008's 46-17 bludgeoning in Happy Valley.  That's 81-27 over two years, mathletes.  Ordinarily, this would be a monumental achievement for Penn State, but don't get too proud.  Take away a mid-season guarantee game against severely outmanned Delaware State, and Michigan lost their last seven games, including a 38-13 school bus fire at Illinois on Halloween that inspired the dong-punching webinar over at MGoBlog.

Reasons To Hate:  Every last morsel of this.  Yes, the last two years have been nice, but they don't come close to erasing the pain of 2005, 1999, and a bunch of those other games.

Sole Redeeming Quality:  The oft-quoted Chinese Curse seems appropriate -- "may you live in interesting times."  Not a problem for Michigan fans, who find their coach under siege from a combination of influential alumni and local writers, and see a quarterback derby that could fracture the team before the conference schedule even starts.  Like Michigan or not (and we all know the answer to that), they'll be a wildly compelling team to follow this season.

Last Season, In One Picture:

Above, Tate Forcier and the 2009 Michigan defense.  Not pictured, Brandon Graham eating your quarterback and generally destroying stuff.

Cold Blooded Old Times:  Semi-vintage trickeration from 1995, as Joe Nastasi runs in a fake field goal in Beaver Stadium. 

If Michigan Was A Character In Some Movie Or TV Show Or Whatever:  George Oscar Bluth, Arrested Development.  Wears expensive suits.  Talks loudly.  Accomplishes nothing.  Expects you to care anyway.  Come on!

Oddly Compelling Off-Season Scandal:  This dumb "quality control assistant" / over-practicing thing that's been dogging Rich Rodriguez for months and giving ammo to every anti-Rod columnist in that economically shattered mitten we call Michigan.  Don't care.  Do.  Not.  Care.  On the grand scale of collegiate athletics scandals, this is fun, but piddling.  It's the NCAA equivalent of 140 hours of Congressional testimony about the Clinton's Christmas card list.  Entertaining to see Michigan pump repeated rounds into their own feet?  Most certainly.  OMG CHEETERZ?  Ehh, yeah, a little.  They'll go before the NCAA Committee on Infractions in mid-August, when they'll find out whether their self-imposed sanctions (which do not currently include a reduction of scholarships) are sufficient for the NCAA's liking. 

Either way, bad timing.  It'll be an issue that hangs over the start of the Wolverines' season.  That, and the losing.  The sweet, sweet losing.

Threat Level, From Amy Grant To G.G. Allin:  KANYE WEST.  Still garners our collective, fascinated attention despite producing nothing of significance during the past few years.  Prone to sudden outbursts of frustration and futility, yet there's a lurking sense that they'll be back and annoying us sooner than later.  Their success makes them even more unbearable.  Enjoy the quiet time while it lasts.

Fall practice won't start for eleven or twelve more weeks.  Recruiting news is practically non-existent.  Every angle on Big Ten expansion and the Beaver Stadium STEP program has been mercilessly beaten into the ground.  No, this is not the optimal time to be a college football fan or blogger.  However, there are a few issues floating about (and yes, some old issues as well):

Go Lion:  First, "gradulations" are due to three recently-graduated Nittany Lion footballers: LB Josh Hull, P Jeremy Boone, and LS Andrew Pitz.  All three were named to the National Football Foundation's Hampshire Honor Society for the 2009 season. 

Retro Recruiting Information:  We recently welcomed Canadian offensive lineman Alex Mateas to the Nittany Lions as the last member of the 2010 recruiting class, only three months after National Signing Day (didn't specify which nation, right?).  The Ottawa Citizen has a Mateas write-up:

For most of his athletic life, Mateas benefited, in many ways, from the people and clubs around him, whether playing soccer (12 years with Capital United), judo (six years with Takahashi Dojo), basketball (six years with Guardsmen) or weightlifting (YM-YWCA, Ironwill Gym).

So when he stepped onto the football field, he did so as a young, fit athlete as opposed to a big, awkward teenager meant to fill a hole on the offensive line.

"Rob Smart and I were sitting in the stands and he said, 'You have good feet. Give football a try,'" Mateas said. "That's an aspect you can't teach. When you see that, it's easier to mould a football player. You can't teach co-ordination or body awareness. I was lucky to be better than most because I have been in sports."

...

Mateas worked closely with [Ottawa] Sooners co-head coach Bino Cesario and Ron Dias of All Canada Gridiron to secure the football scholarship. He sent his personal résumé and a football highlights DVD to many schools, including favourites such as the University of Oregon, University of Nebraska, Virginia Tech and Penn State. After a while, he followed up to see if there was any interest.

"I tried to e-mail them and didn't get a response. I tried calling. The only one I could reach was Penn State. I talked to the offensive guards coach and once he saw my film, he gave it to Jay Paterno."

Sky Still Blue, Sun Still Hot:  Joe Paterno is still the university's highest-paid employee.  Who else is getting paid?

According to Penn State's filing, which for pay purposes covered calendar year 2008, Mr. Paterno earned the most in total compensation -- a sum of $1,109,977 in pay and benefits, that included a base salary of $540,942. He also topped the list when Penn State released its first right-to-know request last year.

The next four highest compensated by the university include:

--- Harold Paz, Hershey Medical Center chief executive officer, whose $938,420 in total compensation includes a base salary of $643,002.

--- Robert Harbaugh, chair of the department of neurosurgery, whose $825,196 in total compensation includes $685,834 in base salary.

--- [Graham] Spanier, whose $799,386 in total compensation includes $605,004 in base salary.

--- Alan Brechbill, Hershey Medical Center executive director, whose $719,130 in total compensation includes a base salary of $582,035.

And yes, Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon is paid more than Joe Paterno.

No.  No, They're Not Ready: Bob Flounders of the Harrisburg Patriot-News ponders the 2010 quarterback situation and sees dead people.

The Nittany Lions won 22 games in 2008 and 2009 and, despite a more challenging schedule, another 10 or 11-win season is anticipated.

It's not going to happen.

PSU doesn't have a quarterback ready to replace Daryll Clark, the starter the last two years. Clark was a good, not great, college quarterback. He could make some plays with his arm or his legs. He also knew that in most games his offensive line could consistently give him time to find the open man.

The Lions' two biggest problem areas coming out of spring are quarterback and offensive line. Those problems all but guarantee losses at defensive-minded Alabama, Iowa and Ohio State and could lead to trouble at Minnesota and possibly at home against Northwestern and Michigan State.

I don't know a semi-reasonable person who is anticipating 10 or 11 wins this season.  Maybe 9-3 with a bowl win against Opponent To Be Named Later -- and don't you hate people who offer pre-season predictions that include the bowl game?  This is likely to be the subject of a longer post some other time, but here's my advice for all Penn State fans:  sit back, enjoy what you can, don't complain.  It's going to be a long, hard slog this autumn if you're expecting huge things from the Lions.  No game is unwinnable, and save for the puff pastries and MACrifices, no game is unloseable.  Sit back, enjoy what you can, don't complain.  Hope for massive improvement at QB and OL, and reload your brain for a potential monster 2011 run with an experienced team and a vastly easier schedule.

However, Flounders addresses a rather concerning issue in the first half of that column:  Joe Paterno has been missing from various "An Evening With Joe" functions across the state.  These meet and greets have been a staple of the offseason for a while, but JoePa's been absent, citing intestinal troubles.  The recent Hershey cancellation last Thursday night came after Paterno cancelled on an early May date in Pittsburgh.  Nobody needs to be reminded, but Joe Paterno is 83 years old, and anytime someone that age is out of action for multiple weeks, there's obvious room for worry.

Depending on your source for this sort of information, it's easy to be freaked or nonchalant.  Freaked, see above.  Octogenerian with understandable difficulty coping with ailments.  Nonchalant, well, there's a segment of the fanbase who lump these cancellations in with many other knocks against Paterno.  In other words, he just doesn't do things he perceives as a hassle, such as hitting the road for recruiting purposes.  Not completely implausible.

Another of these "Evening With Joe" events is scheduled for June 16 in Philly.  Keep an eye on it.

The Review Is Under Review:  LBU dives into the Phil Steele preview, complete with translations and speculation.

Okay, Okay, I'll Play Your Stupid Game:  A Seat Transfer and Equity Plan (STEP) debate in the York Daily Record, specifically cited because (1) it's a very fair article and (2) they found three very reasonable fans with different seating situations and are dealing with the new plan in their own ways.  With respect to our other Dead Horse Topic, an interview with Ohio State A.D. Gene Smith.

Future Siren Watch: Also from the YDR, an Angelo Mangiro profile.

In Scores Of Other Games:  Totally badass soundtrack to accompany totally badass Curt Warner touchdown runs.  Upon implied request from the comments to the recent Illinois post, the 2005 PSU v. Illinois highlights, or as it's known in some parts, the Tim Brasic Death Reel. Tried to embed this one, but SBN's hamsters are apparently on strike or something.

[Update: One of Alex's coaches provides some actual insight in the comments.]

Double barrel news this morning:  First, wide receiver A.J. Price is leaving Penn State ($).  The eternally skinny Price has languished at the bottom of the depth chart since his arrival in Happy Valley, and never seemed able to put on the necessary weight to become a Big Ten receiver.  With many true freshmen making an impact for PSU at that position last year, Price appeared destined for a career as a benchwarmer.

The other news is that Penn State has apparently landed its very last recruit of the 2010 class (you thought the obscure Brad Bars was it?  Oh, no.).  No, you've never heard of him.  And yes, he's from Canada.  FOS' Matt Alkire scoops it:

Offensive tackle from Ottawa commits to Penn State and will be on campus this fall. He played club football in Canada.

Alex Mateas, an offensive lineman from Ottawa, recently committed to the Penn State football team, according to Scout.com's Matt Alkire. Mateas will be on the PSU campus this fall and will be on scholarship.

Mateas told Alkire he is 6-foot-4, 310 pounds and played club football in Ottawa last season. He was on a team called the Ottawa Sooners.

Yes, the Ottawa Sooners.  As a matter of personal policy, I don't like to be upset or dismissive when it comes to new kids joining the program, but...this and the Brad Bars scholarships are headscratchers, right?  Here's what All Canada Gridiron had to say:

One of the premier OT in Canada for the class of 2010 Ottawa Sooner Alex Mateas has made his university choice. Alex has committed to Penn St.  Alex who is quick, agile, very strong and plays with an edge  decided on PSU after strongly considering an offer from Connecticut.

And, highlights of Canadian club football:

It's been almost five months since we've seen real college football.  In that time, you've forgotten more about your Big Ten colleagues than you even know, man.  Why were you so angry at Mark Dantonio?  What was up with that guy who threw the interceptions for Michigan?  And remember that one fat guy?  Time to get reacquainted with the enemy.  Next up, Illinois.

You May Remember Them From Such Games As...:  Well, there was the clinical 35-17 drubbing that Penn State dropped on the Fighting Zookers in Chambana.  PSU ran for 338 yards at a 8.5 ypc clip, and both Evan Royster and Stephfon Green went for over 100 yards.  But who can bring up Illinois without thinking back to 1994? 

(Many college freshmen enrolling this fall will have been born in 1992, by the way.  Consider that.)  

Reasons To Hate:  Illinois Nazis.  I hate Illinois Nazis.

Sole Redeeming Quality: The bubbling fountain of comedy that is Ron Zook.  Whether he's waterskiing, macking in his Rolls Royce golf cart, or riding the tea cups with J. Leman, he brings us nothing but pure, unadulterated joy.  Miraculously, he returns as the Illini head coach, presumably because the new university president previously worked at Iowa and Ohio State, and views this as a rather sublime sabotage opportunity.  Well, not sabotage per se, but a hands-off approach in order to assure the further disintegration of the Illini football program, and society at large*.  Either way, nice to have him aboard.

Last Season, In One Picture:

Yeah, there was a lot of this. 

If Illinois Was A Character In Some Movie Or TV Show Or Whatever:  Dennis Reynolds, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.  Sure, Illinois always looks good and has a system, which inevitably fools many casual prognosticators.  However, for Illinois and Dennis, things always seem to end in a fiery heap of fail when the stakes are highest.  For Illinois, that meant back-to-back losses against Indiana and Purdue on the way to a 2-6 Big Ten record.

(Notable exception: The D.E.N.N.I.S. System apparently works on Christina Hendricks.)

Threat Level, From Amy Grant To G.G. Allin: BELLE AND SEBASTIAN.  Sure, they get love from an annoying segment of the population, but the rest of the world doesn't take them all that seriously.  And they'll probably suck in 2010 just as much as they did in 2009.  And 2008.

* - This link added strictly as an excuse to link back to pre-BHGP.

It's been almost five months since we've seen real college football.  In that time, you've forgotten more about your Big Ten colleagues than you even know, man.  Why were you so angry at Mark Dantonio?  What was up with that guy who threw the interceptions for Michigan?  And remember that one fat guy?  Time to get reacquainted with the enemy.  First, the teams Penn State won't play: Wisconsin and Purdue.  Because nobody gives a shit about Purdue, let's just skip them and take a look at Wisconsin.  Hate, hate, hate!

You May Remember Them From Such Games As...:  October 11, 2008, at Camp Randall Stadium.  Penn State doled out a 48-7 reaming of the Badgers, a game that provided us with this indelible moment:

Unfair, Irreversible Stereotype:  Fat, festive, and shitfaced.  Forget the facts, which hold that Pennsylvania is a slightly fatter state than Wisconsin.  The state is known for beer, brats, and quadruple bypasses, regardless of the season:

Reasons To Hate:  Perennial Douche Of The Year candidate, Bret Bielema, who memorably exploited a rules loophole in the 2006 game between Wisconsin and Penn State, to the scorn of Joe Paterno and many other Big Ten coaches.  Aggregate score of PSU-UW games since that day?  Penn State 86, Wisconsin 14.  JoePa plays the old fuddy-duddy card to the hilt, but he'll always be a cut-throat Italian from Brooklyn.

Sole Redeeming Quality: A style of football that is just modern enough to be aesthetically pleasing.  Sure, Wisconsin is known for running backs who look like offensive guards, but they throw in enough play action passing -- usually with an annoyingly mobile quarterback -- to keep things interesting.

Last Season, In One Picture:

Wisconsin knocked off Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl, 20-14, a victory which seems to have propelled the Badgers toward the top of many pre-pre-preseason polls.  Lindy's has Wisconsin ranked sixth -- in the whole country!  Seriously!  Sure, they're returning RB John Clay, QB Scott Tolzien, and a bunch of other starters (10 offense, 6 defense) including their entire offensive line, but...sixth?

If Wisconsin Was A Character In Some Movie Or TV Show Or Whatever:  The King Of Town.  Occasionally relevant, always amusing.  Very hungry.

Threat Level, From Amy Grant To G.G. Allin:  They don't play Penn State or Illinois this season, which we'll have to call a net gain in Wisconsin's favor.  Overall, their schedule is rather favorable -- road games at Michigan State and Iowa are the biggest tests along with a home date against Ohio State.  The non-conference schedule is your standard bunch of jokers (UNLV, Austin Peay, Arizona State, San Jose State).  Wisconsin's combination of returning starters and passable schedule puts them at a threat level of LITTLE KIDS PLAYING SEPULTURA:

Oh sure, they're cute now.  Turn your back on them at your own peril, however.  One day, they're playing cover songs in their parents basement.  Next thing you know, they're running away with a BCS at-large bid in hand.

[There's also a FanShot on this topic.]

After a week or two of whispers and rumor, FOS is reporting that Penn State has granted Levi Norwood his release from scholarship before he even showed up on campus:

The Norwood era at Penn State is over, after all.

Brian Norwood served as a Nittany Lion secondary coach from 2001-07 before leaving to take the defensive coordinator job at Baylor. His son, Jordan Norwood, was a standout receiver at PSU from 2005-08.

Another son, Levi, was supposed to join the Lion football team this summer as a member of State's Class of 2010. But according to a source close to the family, Levi asked for and was given a release from his letter of intent with the Nittany Lions.

No specific reason was given for his change of heart.

Norwood's departure open up another scholarship for Penn State's Class of 2011.

Norwood's inclusion in Penn State's most recent recruiting class raised a lot of concerns among Penn State fans, not because Levi was a bit of an unknown (he didn't play football when he first moved to Waco with his father), but because it appeared that Penn State nudged away five-star WR recruit Kenny Stills in the process.  Stills was a California kid who showed initial interest in PSU but eventually landed at Oklahoma, where he tore up this year's spring game:

"Kenny is very comfortable, very natural," coach Bob Stoops said. "With body control, going after the ball, running routes — he sure has made some excellent progress in a short time.

"He has a chance to be a really good player."

Stills showed that chance might come as soon as next season.

He led all receivers with six catches for 84 yards, which featured a pair of electric catches downfield that turned out to be the two best plays of the day.

Not sure how much the coaching staff could have done with this situation, however.  Norwood was a bit of an unknown, although the PSU coaches supposedly loved his performance at one of their camps in Happy Valley.  They chose to cut bait with the five-star kid who was a 30% shot to sign with PSU, and instead went with the legacy kid from Texas who was practically a sure thing -- only to get burned late in the game.  This dings the wide receiver depth a bit for next season, but opens up a new scholarship for PSU's tiny (and painfully vacant) current recruiting class.

Last night, while checking the mighty 700 Level for Philly sports news, I saw the headline, "Cops At CBP Officially Not Messing Around Anymore," accompanied by this supremely hysterical photo:

(Credit: the700level.com; AP Photo/Matt Slocum and the Merciful Gods of Comedy)

And, you know, ha-ha rioting Philly fans and whatnot.  In fact, the story prompted a Facebook friend to write, "people should be tasered just for being Philadelphia fans at a sporting event."  Fair enough.  But this kid's no simple Philly fan.  He belongs to all of us now:

"He wasn't drinking. He was not on drugs," said the father of the teen Tasered by police in the outfield at Citizens Bank Park last night.

Steve Consalvi, 17, is a senior at Boyertown High and "a real good student, heading to Penn State," according to his father, Wayne, 45, who owns Consalvi Auto Repair in Pottstown.

Steve even called from the park last night, asking for permission to run on the field, as the Phillies hosted the St. Louis Cardinals, the elder Consalvi said.

"He said, 'Dad, can I run on the field? I said, 'I don't think you should, son.' "

"This would be a once in a lifetime experience!" the son said.

Now, before we look at the video -- because we're going to look at the video -- let's make a few things clear to anyone in the Penn State admissions office who is thinking about overreacting to this incident.  First, he wasn't drinking or on drugs.  Second, he's a good student.  Third, he asked for permission from his father.  All the signs of a perfectly sober, scholarly, polite young man with a penchant for excitement and enough lateral mobility to avoid chubby security guards for a long enough period of time that a freaking taser had to be drawn to stop him. 

Please don't be dicks about this, PSU admissions folks.  You have much bigger problems to deal with than this kid.

Oh, right.  The video:

We made the trip from Harrisburg to Happy Valley early Saturday morning in exactly one hour, 25 minutes.  Seriously.  No traffic jams 15 miles outside of State College, no freaky weather in the mountains.  That, along with the 3-4 hours of early morning sunshine at our tailgate, was the highlight of the day.  Football?  Didn't even set foot inside the stadium, and didn't watch a single play of the game until Sunday afternoon.  Also didn't feel even a minor pang of guilt after learning that the game was played in the usual Blue/White tradition of, "yeah, football is nice, but this is kind of boring.  And who the hell is #96?"

You know who was in the stadium, though?  Beat writers.  Lowly, pathetically sober beat writers.  Obviously, the quarterback competition was the headliner, and as predicted, nothing was resolved.  Matt McGloin, supposedly the steady and accurate alternative to the more athletic and wild-throwing Kevin Newsome, did not make a favorable impression.  McGloin finished 10-for-23 with no touchdowns and two interceptions.  The interceptions were ugly -- a pair of passes into coverage that had absolutely no business being even contemplated, nevermind thrown.

For his part, Newsome was slightly better.  His stat line (5 for 12, 50 yards) doesn't reflect it and his quirky throwing motion (it's "quirky" until it causes a backbreaking interception during a real game, at which point it obviously becomes JayPa's fault) is rough on the eyes, but he seems to have a good enough command of the short passing game to stake his claim as the nominal starter until further notice.

Of course, then there's Paul Jones, who threw the game's only two touchdowns on beautifully lobbed fade routes to Shawney Kersey.  Jones had an even more limited playbook than Newsome and McGloin, but threw against defenses consisting of true freshmen and career backups.  Still, he looked comfortable and polished, and that can only be a good thing moving forward.

How did the professional writers see things?

Mark Wogenrich, Allentown Morning Call:

After the freshman appeared to upstage the two quarterbacks ahead of him, Jay Paterno checked his e-mail to find several predictable suggestions.

Paul Jones, they wrote, should be Penn State's starting quarterback.

''Doesn't take long for people to make their decisions,'' said Paterno, Penn State's quarterbacks coach.

But since none of those e-mails were signed by the head coach – ''It's an e-mail. That should tell you it didn't come from him,'' Jay Paterno joked – they don't represent the general temperament regarding the Lions' quarterback search. Which is closer to this: There's no hurry.

...

Jay Paterno said Newsome proved his desire last fall, when he called his position coach while watching film at 10:30 p.m. As for the throwing motion, Jay Paterno said it's an issue that will be addressed in due time.

''When he came in last year, he really had no basis and exposure to reading coverages,'' the quarterbacks coach said. "He's got that part down now, I think. Now, he's transitioning to dropping back, hitting his fifth step, knowing the blitz is coming from here, and I have to throw this slant on the backside. And now I have to smoothly throw the ball. He's gotten a lot better at that.''

McGloin said some teammates call him Brett, a reference to Vikings quarterback Brett Favre and his penchant for ''throwing into tight windows.'' McGloin tried that once too often Saturday, which resulted in a pair of picks. Still, he's confident in his ability.

''I feel more comfortable in the pocket,'' he said. ''I like to sit back, make my reads and deliver the ball. I think the line knows that, and I think we're going to continue going in that direction.''

Much, much more after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

For the past few days, I've noticed an article ("Stop This Crazy Notre Dame, Big Ten Talk") by Terence Moore showing up in our AOL Fanhouse widget.  Unable to resist any longer, I clicked through this morning and you'll never believe what I found:  a self-important Notre Dame fan living in the past and cluelessly bitching about the present and future*. 

I know, I know.  Try to breathe.  We're all shocked.

Moore addresses the "whiners" (there's some variant of "whiner" or "whining" no less than 13 times in this piece) who believe Notre Dame should give up on their independence and join a conference.  Or more specifically:

[E]very spring about this time, the wondering turns to whining over why Notre Dame won't do the ridiculous by joining the Big Ten, the Big East, the MAC, the Sun Belt or some other conference.

The whining goes like this: Don't those silly folks around the Golden Dome know they should do this conference thing for their own good? And, yes, the Fighting Irish have survived as an independent in football for 124 seasons, but they need to join a conference, because -- well, they just need to.

Normally, we would collectively let this sort of garbage slide (although I think the MAC and Notre Dame would be a terrific idea in terms of competitiveness), but the article is so replete with arrogance, delusion, and other such atrocities that it leaves but one option -- the mini-FJM treatment.  Let us begin.

Why won't they listen?

Can't they see we're getting angry?

Who do they think they are?

Oh, we know who you are.  A proud, wounded football program that is egregiously overrated practically every August and has compiled the 39th best winning percentage in major college football over the past decade.  Yeah.  We're aware.  The question is, do Notre Dame fans realize who they are?

Quack, quack, quack -- you know, as in the Penguin from Batman fame -- with the whiners suggesting that if Notre Dame doesn't join a conference soon, they will hold their breaths until they turn Fighting Irish blue then gold.

It sounds like jealousy to me.

Of course it does!  It's the ingrained response from any Notre Dame fan to the statement, "hey, uh, you guys kind of suck now, don't you?"  OH YEAH WELL OUR PLAYERS TAKE CALCULUS.  Great.  You know what everybody is truly jealous of?  Blowing a 13-point fourth quarter lead at home to a worthless 3-9 team that earlier lost to Akron by two touchdowns:

"I couldn't agree with you more on that," said Lou Holtz, who should know as Notre Dame's last coaching icon for 11 seasons through 1996. Now, Holtz hears the whiners on a regular basis as a college football analyst for ESPN, and he added, "I tell you what, Notre Dame is the only school in the country that can go into the state of California and compete with Southern Cal for a prospect.

"They can go into Texas and compete with the University of Texas. They can go into Ohio and compete with Ohio State. They can go anywhere in the country and have a 50-50 chance to defeat the in-state school who happens to be recruiting."

Get the picture?

Totally!  And look what all of those recruiting advantages have reaped!  Even though the Tom Lemmings of the world are happy to bump a one-armed, peg-legged carnival accident victim to a five-star ranking for just considering Notre Dame, it's hard to argue against Notre Dame's recruiting ability.  South Bend: Where Overhyped Recruits Achieve Total Obscurity. 

(The rest of us?  JELLUS.)

If you're among the whiners, and if Notre Dame is part of somebody's conference, you're thinking that your favorite team wouldn't have to worry about the Irish owning such a recruiting advantage. You're thinking that Notre Dame would be viewed like everybody else, and that's really what this is about: The whiners want Notre Dame to join a conference so Notre Dame can be like everybody else.

It's just that Notre Dame isn't like everybody else, because Notre Dame doesn't have to be, and the whiners can't stand it.

No, people who want Notre Dame to join their conference (Big Ten, MAC, Patriot League, whatever) are interested in a few things, none of which have anything to do with dragging Notre Dame up to the level of, say, Michigan State.  Here's a hint -- everybody likes beating Notre Dame.  It's not because we're jealous.  It's because nobody likes you.  And that's not because we're jealous.  It's because you're douchebags. 

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Reports from Penn State's annual Coaches' Clinic scrimmage are filtering in from all over the state, and you already know the two big areas of concern -- quarterback and offensive line.  And the situation on the line seems even more jumbled than we could have imagined.  Your two big, basic headlines:

Kevin Newsome's scrambling ability may eventually be the deciding factor in the QB competition.

The Wilkes Barre Times-Leader's Derek Levarse has a ridiculously comprehensive summary of the lineups used and drive summaries, but here's his ultimate take of the quarterbacks (and referring to a long Newsome scramble that thrilled the assembled crowd):

Well, we saw the QB dilemma laid out clearly today. McGloin looked to be the sharper passer, completing more of his throws, including a few very nice spirals. Newsome struggled at the start of the afternoon but improved a bit as the scrimmage went on. But he's very plainly a huge threat with his legs. That 26-yard scramble he had was as good as you'll see from a college QB, making guys miss and working into the open field for a big game.

 

The question -- from now until September -- which will help Penn State's offense more?

A more troubling detailed analysis from Mark Brennan in the Altoona Mirror:

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Now that you're scared, a little context from the Kremlin:

All-Big Ten point-guard Talor Battle (Albany, N.Y.) will submit his name for the 2010 NBA Draft. Wednesday was the first day players could do so and underclassmen have until April 25th to declare for the NBA Draft. Battle will gauge his NBA Draft status but will not hire an agent, meaning he could return for his senior season. Under new NCAA rules, Battle will have until May 8th to make a final decision to keep his name in the draft or return for his senior season.

"I'm looking forward to going and working out with some teams around the country and competing against the top players in the country and see where I stand," Battle said. "I'll do that, get an evaluation of where I'm at and then go from there."

This doesn't mean he's leaving, of course.  He's not hiring an agent, nor has he said that he's definitely going to be in the draft.  Just testing the professional waters, for now.  Plenty of players go through this process every year, with many of them withdrawing their names prior to the deadline and returning to school:

All players who wish to be drafted, and are not automatically eligible, must declare their eligibility no later than 60 days before the draft. After this date, prospective draftees may attend NBA pre-draft camps and individual team workouts to show off their skills and obtain feedback regarding their draft positions. A player may withdraw his name from consideration from the draft at any time before the final declaration date, which is 10 days before the draft.

A player who declares for the draft will lose his college eligibility, even if he is not drafted, if any of the following is true:

- The player signs with an agent.

- The player has declared for and withdrawn from a previous draft. Although the NBA collective bargaining agreement allows a player to withdraw twice, the NCAA only allows one withdrawal.

In reality, it's hard to believe that Battle is NBA-ready from a physical standpoint, or that he's planning to leave before his brother gets on campus next year -- unless Taran Buie isn't actually planning to enroll at PSU, which would effectively (and mercifully?) pull the plug on the Ed DeChellis era.  More likely than not, this is a way to get his name out there for next year's draft.

We'll find out the answer in early May.

The 2010 BSD bracket contest has concluded, and your winner is...

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And with that quote, Joe Paterno began yesterday's press conference in Happy Valley.

Like almost all of his other interactions with the assembled media, Joe Paterno's annual spring practice press conference is an exercise in Kremlinology.  Oh, there are questions and answers, sure.  But the answers usually aren't answers in the strictest sense of the word -- they're more like responses to the general subject, if you're lucky.  So you can ask Joe Paterno a specific question about how Kevin Newsome's throwing the ball, but he's going to opaquely ramble on the general topic of quarterbacks.  Maybe he'll give you a useful quote about Newsome.  More likely than not, he'll spend a minute or two saying he doesn't know anything about anybody, then finish the statement with a short story about Doug Strang and say, "I just hope we're ready for Youngstown State."

And hey, he's Joe Paterno.  He's never been obligated to give you the desired information.  Never will be.  As usual, he's mostly right about the uselessness of these types of press conferences -- reporters have waited all winter to ask specific questions, and Joe just doesn't have answers yet.  However, there are some sporadic nuggets of information and insight that trickle out of these press gaggles, so let's get with the parsing.

On selecting a quarterback:

"There's no timetable. You just go day by day.  We want to just get them comfortable, find out what they can do and try not to give them more than they can handle. Every year is a little different. If we have to modify some things we do offensively to adjust to their ability, we will. But we don't know that. We're going into the season with the idea that we have some really good prospects.  We'll see what happens from there."

Joe trots out this sort of quote even when there's a clear leader at a position, but this year it's actually true.  There's no way to pick a starter at this point, and there probably won't be a clear choice until the Saturday before the Youngstown State game.  It'll probably be Newsome.  Might be McGloin.  Paul Jones, don't hold your breath:

"Freshmen! I don't even know they exist. You can't count on freshmen. Do you want to go down to Tuscaloosa with freshmen?"

So, Newsome and McGloin.  Uh, anything on their progress, Joe?

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Predicting the members of an offensive line five months before the start of the season is a borderline pointless endeavor.  Players will be switched from tackle to guard, from offense to defense, and so on.  But let's just try to muck our way through this one, mmkay?

2009 Review:  Well, there were good days, and days against Ohio State and Iowa.  The good days saw a lot of rushing yardage for Evan Royster and Stephfon Green, and Daryll Clark walked off the field with a relatively clean jersey.  The other days involved a lot of Broderick Binns, Adrian Clayborn, and Cameron Heyward crumpling the line of scrimmage, destroying the PSU running game, and harassing Clark into bad decisions.  You'll recall, the Iowa game spawned this representation of the offensive line:

Sadly, stop sign and banana peel have graduated, leaving Penn State to find two new offensive tackles. 

Perhaps the best way to attack this mess is to start with the most experienced uglies.  And again, keep in mind that this is the part of the starting lineup most susceptable to changes.  So when Quinn Barham ends up playing free safety in ten days, don't come back here complaining.  Also, it's generally safe to assume that Penn State will redshirt an incoming freshman lineman whenever possible.

The Likely

#61 Stefen Wisniewski - SR 6-3/297 - Almost certain to be the starting center.  Hard to believe he's a senior already, isn't it?  He started his PSU career as a guard but was moved to center prior to last season.  He struggled a bit with his new responsibilities (not to mention his many low shotgun snaps), but let's face facts here -- he's our best offensive lineman right now.

#74 Johnnie Troutman - JR 6-4/309 -- Started last season in the Paterno Home For Wayward Canines, which led to Matt Stankiewitch starting the first few games of the year.  Troutman was shaky at times, but generally improved as the season passed.  Put it this way, the left guard position is his if he wants it.

#77 Lou Eliades - SR 6-4/310 - Penciled in as the starting right guard, but available to play tackle if things get a little squirrely out there.  You'd think the coaching staff would prefer to avoid breaking up the returning interior line if possible.

#50 DeOn'tae Pannell - JR 6-5/300 - The probable starting left tackle, Pannell was actually "Banana Peel" during the Iowa game before he was replaced by a combination of JUCO transfers Nerraw McCormack and Ako Poti, who would eventually solidify the position for the latter half of the season.  Pannell worked his way back onto the field as a guard toward the end of 2009, but he'll be shuffled back out to tackle and expected to perform much better than he did against Iowa's Broderick Binns in 2009.

#75 Eric Shrive -  FR 6-6/298 - Former five-star recruit out of Scranton.   Many expected Shrive to get some playing time as a true freshman, but a nagging knee injury made that a bit less practical from the coaching staff's perspective.  Like Pannell, Shrive ran plenty of practice reps at guard last season.  Played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl after his senior year in high school.  Looks like the giant 19 year old that he is:

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Yes, it's time. The smoldering crater that is the Penn State men's basketball program is, until further notice, directly in our collective rearview mirror as we look ahead toward our one true love: dissecting spring position battles that are likely to look substantially different when Youngstown State comes knocking on September 4.

Of course we're looking at quarterbacks first. They're a group of very young, very talented signal callers who have an opportunity to nail down a starting job for three or four years.

The Likely

You're doing it wrong. Photo credit: PennLive.com

#12 Kevin Newsome - SO 6-2/220 - Played sparingly in ten games as a true freshman last year, mostly while Penn State was running out the clock in the fourth quarter. Newsome ran 20 times for 121 yards and lost a total of 26 yards on a variety of comically disasterous plays, for an overall average of 4.8 yards per carry. He also scored two touchdowns on the ground. Newsome's legs have never been the issue, though. Can he throw the ball? Count us as firmly undecided on that one, although he did complete 8 of 11 passes for 66 yards last season. His longest completion was for 14 yards. Newsome is the solid favorite to be the starter in the fall unless he struggles mightily and one of his backups vaults over him. With an army of capable RB's at his disposal (Royster, Green, Suhey, Curtis Dukes) and an emerging group of wide receivers, Newsome will at least have plenty of talent around him.

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Penn State held its annual Pro Day combine for NFL scouts on Wednesday.  For players like Sean Lee, Jared Odrick, and the other Nittany Lions invited to the recent NFL combine, it's a chance for them to solidify their test numbers in a more familiar, less intimidating environment.  For guys who weren't invited to Indianapolis, like Mickey Shuler, A.J. Wallace, and yes, Anthony Morelli, Pro Day gives them exposure to scouts from every NFL team.

Reports are beginning to filter in, from the Allentown Morning Call, and the Harrisburg Patriot-News.

The Big Ten tournament begins tonight, #11 seeded Penn State has but one option remaining.  The opponent is Minnesota, a team that Penn State took to the wire twice this season.  Minnesota is 9-9 in the conference and 18-12 overall.  They definitely need a deep run in the tournament to get into The Dance.  They're also coming off two very weird performances -- a 28-point loss against Michigan in which they allowed the Wolverines to shoot 60.4% from the floor, and most recently, a 35-point win against an Iowa team that made the Washington Generals look like the original Dream Team.  Basically, nobody knows what they'll do tonight.

As for Penn State, they'll play their usual loose, "how are they staying in this game?" style, and lose by four points.  (But hey, maybe not!)

Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. from Indianapolis.  Standard rules apply.  Do it for America, Lions.  For America.

Back in the BSD newsroom, I was kicking around the idea of doing a State Patty's Day post before my motivation to condescendingly scold the current student body just sort of fizzled out.  I figured it would be unbelievably hypocritical, given that I spent the bulk of my college career either actively in, or recovering from, some sort of intoxicated stupor.   Besides, who wants to hear a lecture from someone who graduated over ten years ago?  I'm practically ancient in the eyes of current students, and if State Patty's Day existed when I was at Penn State, hell yes I would've been part of it. 

But damn it, this is my neatly manicured lawn, and no, you may not set your feet upon it.

Slight background for the uninformed.  SPD started as most funny, half-baked ideas start these days -- as a Facebook group.  You know, like "Should Betty White Host SNL?" or "Can This Pickle Get More Fans Than Nickelback?"  (Answer to both of those issues, incidentally -- yes, yes.)

In State College, State Patty's Day started in 2007 from a Facebook group created by Joe Veltre because St. Patrick's Day fell during spring break.

"It was kind of meant as a joke for me, my close friends and roommates. The group within a week had 1,000 people," said Veltre, a university senior who also works as a bartender.

Veltre said he never planned to continue the holiday in 2008, but got positive feedback from students. A now-defunct student organization called "Safeguard Old State" began promoting the day.

Last year, SOS promoted it thusly:

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These topics and much more are discussed on the Black Heart Gold Pants podcast, with super special guests Sean Keeley (from SB Nation's mothership and SBN's Syracuse blog, Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician) and my lovely self.  We take on the eastern expansion candidates: Pitt, Syracuse, Rutgers, and even Maryland.  It's nearly a half hour of fun, though the proverbial money shot is at the 23:00 mark as Oops Pow details Jim Delany's decidedly NSFW powers of persuasion.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE.

If you order now, you'll also receive another BHGPodcast for free, featuring Burnt Orange Nation head honcho Peter Bean and M Rock Nation's Bill C., as they discuss the Big 12 candidates for annexation.  It's SBNation corporate synergy at its finest!

Visit BHGP for the direct link, or subscribe through iTunes.

When a team sits at 0-11 in conference, loses to two abject patsies in the non-conference schedule, and its best win is over a team currently sitting in Joe Lunardi's "Next Four Out" category, it's perfectly understandable for fans to demand the head coach's dismissal.  But this isn't about a bad coach / nice guy, or disasterous plays after timeouts.  It's not about weird substitution patterns, or the stunning lack of improvement among key players.

This is about reality, and the reality is that Penn State basketball is wildly successful to the only people who matter -- the spreadsheet enthusiasts in the athletic department. 

Tim Curley, artist's rendering

The estimable Tailgate Shogun, a longtime friend and BSD commenteur rather familiar with the inner workings of Penn State, loves to tell me that PSU is eternally interested in two goals:  make lots of money, don't get sued.  Here's a poorly kept secret about Penn State basketball -- it's kind of profitable.  A flashback to the 2004-05 season, when Penn State finished 3-13 in the conference:

No Big Ten men's basketball team generated less revenue and less profit than the Lions in 2004-05, according to the Office of Post-secondary Education and the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA). Total expenses came to $2.5 million, while revenues totaled just under $5.2 million. Northwestern, the closest program to Penn State at the depths of this ranking, grossed more than $6.7 million from less than $2.7 million in expenses. 

That's right, just Northwestern brought in more money than Penn State.  With incoming Big Ten television revenues set against a meager outlay of cash by Penn State, the men's program usually bagged a few million every year -- and certainly more today, now that the insanely profitable Big Ten Network has hit its stride.  Why?  The men's basketball program is run on the cheap.  Always has been, and probably always will. 

You Gotta Pay The Troll Toll

Ed DeChellis' reputation as a great guy can't be overstated.  Nobody wants to see him fail.  He came from a tough background, worked in steel mills during his younger days, survived cancer, donates countless hours to charity, runs a clean program, and does nothing in his personal or professional life to bring shame upon Penn State.  Okay, his teams lose a lot of games.  There's that.  He also works for relative peanuts, compared to his Big Ten colleagues.  A Right To Know request revealed that DeChellis' salary is $642,366, which seems to be an absurd amount until you look around the conference. For example, Bill Freaking Carmody "earns" $1,132,965 as Northwestern's coach. 

Here's the full list, as compiled by stltoday.com's Stu Durando last year:

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"Suicide Is Painless" will forever be our anthem, but let's provide some video from State College last night.

Surprise, surprise, surprise.  Just when you thought Penn State was completely done with recruiting, it looks like our Signing Day cliffhanger has arrived in the form of five-star safety prospect Keenan Allen.

With National Signing Day almost here, Alabama has all but lost the top-rated commitment on its board.  North Carolina wide receiver/defensive back Keenan Allen has dropped Alabama from consideration, according to multiple sources familiar with his recruitment.

...

Rodney Orr of TiderInsider.com is reporting that Allen will now choose Wednesday between Cal and Penn State, which would be a surprise contender.

We're talking the #1 safety prospect in the nation here, according to Scout and Rivals.  Ironically, there are rumors that he doesn't want to go to a school where he'll play safety.

Allen visited Penn State for the 2008 Illinois White House game, so it's not like we're totally sight-unseen.  And there's another Happy Valley connection in play here (props to the Googling skills on the FOS boards for this one):

Two other surprise visitors were the Greensboro, N.C., Northen Guilford tandem of Chris McCain and Keenan Allen. McCain is a 6-6, 210 senior defensive end. Allen (6-2, 200), whose father is from State College, might be one of the top athlete prospects in the junior class and is already being pursued by a host of programs across the country, including Alabama.

To say this is out of left field is the understatement of the year.  There's talk of Allen being a package deal with his half-brother Zach Maynard, a soon-to-be transferring quarterback at Buffalo.  National recruiting analysts aren't buying the Penn State rumors yet, predicting that Allen and Maynard end up at Cal.  Still, something to watch during a week in which we thought we'd be spectators.

Ahh, Sunday.  God's day.  A day of reflection, praise, hope, and getting crushed by 25 points at Purdue (17-3, 5-3).  Penn State's history in West Lafayette is, how you say, butt-ass awful.  Last year, the Lions lost, 61-47.  In 2008, 67-53.  Purdue looked vulnerable for a brief, three-game stretch earlier this month in losses to Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Northwestern.  Since then, the Boilermakers have rebounded with wins against Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

As for Penn State (8-12, 0-8), they've squandered their most reasonable shots at winning a conference game, and now face today's road effort at Purdue, a Wednesday night game at Ohio State, and home dates with Minnesota and Michigan State.  There's a light at the end of the tunnel, my friends, and that light is the conclusion of the Big Ten tournament's first round.

The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network at 3:00 p.m.  Our Nittykitties are fifteen point underdogs.  If you're curious as to what a successful Penn State basketball team looks like, there's always the replay of PSU's second round NCAA tournament victory over North Carolina -- seriously, that happened! -- 8 p.m. Monday night on the BTN.

Battle music, yes.