So i've decide with the Halloween game being at Northwestern and me have 2 cousins it would make a pretty good road trip.  I have a couple questions for BSD nation and any TLP'ers here to visit.

 

Firstly has anyone ever been to a game in Evanston before?  What's the tailgating scene like?

If you've been to a roadtrip out there before how was the PSU representation?

Is anyone around here thinking about going this year?

If you're the superstitious type then i would say don't read on cuz i'm about to jinx the hell out of Royster.

 

Looking at the numbers I think that Evan Royster is a shoe in to leave State College with the most career rushing yards and has a good chance to take the career TD record too.  The records currently stand at 3398 yards by Curt Warner and 38 rushing TD's by Lydell Mitchell.  Evan is sitting at 1749 and 17 TD's with 2 years left to play (assuming he doesn't leave early for the NFL).

I think we are going be witnessing history every time he carries the ball.  Each carry will bring him several steps closer to those records.

With spring practices just around the corner this is not the kind of news I want to be reading.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3994231

 

It's an article about another alledged fight involving a PSU Defensive Tackle.  The bad news is it's Jared Odrick this time.

 

I'm getting tired of this business.  I was just getting excited that things were turning around.  I thought we were on track to becoming a serious national power again.  I know we're good but i'm talking perrenial top 10 or even top 5 team.

I hope Wiscy can beat Bobby Bowden and F$U.

The parts of the preview that weren't all about how awesome Myron Rolle was were all about how fast F$U was and how Wisconsin wont be able to handle it.  It reminds me soo much of the Tennessee Outback bowl hype.  I hate the media.

I'm going to be cheering for all the Big 10 teams.  Lets gain us some respect back.

Goo Badgers!!!

 

 

So in case you haven't heard last night on MNF Obama and McCain were asked to comment on how they would change sports today if they were elected.  McCain went vanilla and said he'd eliminate steroids.  Obama on the other hand came out with guns blazing and said he'd institute a college football playoff system.

I didn't see this last night but a colleague of mine told me about.  I couldn’t believe it.  I proceeded to explain about the hose job that Penn State got the last time a President stuck his nose in the National Championship picture.  I went to hunt the interwebs for a suitable Paterno vs. Nixon article and I found this gem:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE7D9133BF937A35752C0A961948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1

You should note that it’s from 1987 and it still highlights how often PSU gets the raw deal with undefeated, untied, uncrowned teams.  I especially love how the second page of the article degenerates basically to anticommunist ranting.

 

I was just checking out the lines for next saturday's games and  I noticed that Directional Michigan + THEM + Michigan State are all favourites in their games.  I wonder when the last time all 5 of those teams were favourites was.

Incidentally our Nittany Lions are favoured by 27.5 at Syracuse.  And in the most lopsided spread of the week we have LSU -41 for a night game in Death Valley vs. North Texas.

Or whatever you guys call yourselves (I'm sorry for my ignorance).

 

What is the general consensus that the outcome of this Saturdays game is going to be?  Over at the PSU blog everyone thinks it's going to be 3 TD+ blowout.  Personally i think it could go that way if OSU gets overwhelmed by the hype/crowd or if they fall a touchdown or 2 behind and then give up.  However i don't see how that would happen; a team doesn't beat USC one year and then totally panic about playing the #19 team in then nation.  I think it will be a 7-21 point win for PSU totally dependent on how open the playbook gets.  The way stanford ran the ball on you guys i just dont see how you're going to be able to control the line of scrimmage enough against us to win.

Some info on the players that will be missing as a result of what has been dubbed "the 5204 incident" (since "the apartment incident" was taken last off season).

TE - Andrew Quarless - very talented guy but has been in trouble before and been successfully replaced before.  Also the team should be going farther and farther way from relying on a TE to begin with.  Conclussion - wont be missed much at all.

DE - Maurice Evans - Very very talented player, pre-season All-American, All-Big10, had a metric assload of sacks last year.  Is the best player on our defense.  Luckily we have many talented DE's waiting in the wings (watchout for #59 aaron maybin and #5 Jarome Hayes).  Conclussion - Will definitely will be missed, but with depth at the position not devastating.

DT - Abe Koroma - Good runstopper, and solid cog in our DT rotation.  We went in the offseason from being 6 deep at DT down to 2 good ones and 1 serviceable one (all due to off-field shenanigans).  Conclussion - Not the best player missing but may be the most missed.  If the PSU offense can keep the D off the field this wont matter, but if time of position is split, our DT's could be tired come the end of the game.

From the front page of bwi.rivals.com there is a link to a subscribers only article about who the 11th commit is.

I know what you're thinking, dang they going to hold all the good info back.  Well, they didn't hide the title of the article that is "Felder makes a decision".

Brandon Felder, a 6'3" WR from Oxon Hill, MD appears to be either 165 or 164 pounds and run a forty in either 4.43 or 4.5 s.  Other than that couldn't find anything.

 

I'm guessing others will be able to post much more shortly

check it out.

http://thenittanyline.blogspot.com/2008/04/another-lesson-of-be-careful-what-you.html

the lack of details makes it feel like leaked secret.  Would have been better if it was a more believable candidate.  Also cuz he got this up so early the other bloggers have to come up with a different april fool's joke.

reports have it that 20 F$U football players (and other athletes as well) were fed answer for an online based class dating back to 2006.

The 20 players haven't been named but they could miss the upcoming bowl game and first 3 games next season.  This year the first 3 games included Clemson and Colorado.  That could translate to loses next year, not just underpowered wins.  Check out the story at ESPN here:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3159534

Whether you think he should retire or not, vote for JoePa in this poll Espn is running for the greatest coach in college football history.  JoePa is way behind so get in there and stuff those ballot boxes.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/specialsection/citirosebowl/2007/

big ups to TINNOMJ for posting it orginal.

and mike maybe you can post this on the main page.

Just looked at some of the stats for the season and found some interesting stuff that shifts some of the blame for our losses from the Secondary to the DLine.

In the 4 losses we had a total of 4 sacks, we never got fewer than 4 in any of the wins.

181.75 ypg and 4.01 ypc allowed rushing in the losses, 41 ypg and 1.43 ypc rushing in the wins

the secondary also got 6 of their 10 pick for the year in those 4 loses.

Maybe guys were so open that the DLine didn't have time to put on pressure...but i do also recall a number of plays where the QB had all day.

Coming into the year everyone was wondering what would happen without Big Kap.  We even game a scholarship to a punter to try and get a solid replacement.  Breen has been a disappointment so far but maybe he's just got beat by a better man a la Scott vs. Hunt.

Cheers to Jeremy Boone and his consensus first team all-Big10 selection.

on a side note I just found out who the 3rd leading kick returner on the team was this year: Jerome Hayes.  Take that Rodney Kinlaw, who finished 4th.

What bowl game do you think PSU will end up at?  Take a second to hit the read more link and vote.  I just through the Outback bowl on there for the truly delusional.

Personally i'm convinced we'll get the Alamo bowl.  I think this cuz I believe Illinois is going to the BCS, which leaves THEM in the CapitalOne, and Wisconsin at the Outback. To read My crazy explanation for this hit the read more link.

Poll

What Bowl Game is PSU headed to?

57%

Champ Sports Bowl

19 votes

6%

Outback Bowl

2 votes

36%

Alamo Bowl

12 votes

33 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

I cant stand #14 anymore so i need think of things other than this season.

Firstly to wrap up this season, i think the Big10 will send tOSU and Illinois to the BCS (if you dont believe me, leave a comment and i'll explain my reasoning) and we will go to the Alamo bowl, where we will probably win just cuz "Joe Knows Bowls".

Worst think that can happen to PSU in the off-season?  Bowden signs that extention we've heard about.  I'm a big Joe supporter, but something needs to change in our coaching staff, the big man will be around as long as Bobby is, and he's also not the type to do some house cleaning.

I'm expecting big things for next year.  Mostly because of the volume of returning starts. How great is it to return the entire O and D lines?  I'm going to try and forget all about MRod, it's not fair to DC17 to expect him to be the kind of leader that MRob was.  i really thought we could go undefeated this year, and was drooling thinking of next.  Now i will temper that enthusiasm and make goals like breaking the streak, and reaching the BCS.

I dont know what to think.  Did he do it?  Is she lying?  Most likely something in the middle where they both believe they are telling the truth.

At any rate after the on again, off again relationship AS33 has had with JoePa's doghouse, you'd think he wouldn't let himself get anywhere near a situation that could lead to him breaking that "Unspecified Rule" that every team has.

"No raping chicks in your dorm room!"

If he's so sure it was consensual, and his lawyer is so sure he'll be found innocent, then why didn't JoePa stand by him, like he did with Scirrotto and his crew?  It's cuz JoePa doesn't trust or like AS33.  If it turns out he's innocent he should still be off the team for being so dumb that he let it get this far, and for distracting his team during the meat of a tough season, that at this moment is hanging in the balance.

Criminal allegations swirl around the squad; what impact will this have on the team?  My own fall off of my high-horse-of-PSU's-sterling-reputation has been terrible, have you experienced the same?

I think with the lack of leadership this team has the allegations will destroy the team.  They handled "The Fight" it's too soon to absorb more pressure.  To be fair I suspect that Terrell Golden is probably a good kid doing all he can to fix things.  He probably just doesn't have the locker room clout to really right the ship.  The fall from the horse has been personally tragic, 1994 tragic, but no one at work or my friends have made a big deal about it.

Evan Royster provided Penn State with the spark it needed to get going on Saturday, did he win himself the starting job?  If not, how does your depth chart read at RB and why?

Well he looked ok but I'm not sold.  If he is starting this week, which he won't it is still Penn State with JoePa at the helm, Kinlaw's fumble and Royster's play in practice will have had more to with the switch than his 86 years.

My personal depth chart goes Kinlaw, Royster.  But behind this line I have no confidence in running the ball period.

Anthony Morelli gets it done while looking both awful and excellent in the same game.  What the hell is PSU supposed to do at QB?

Ditch the stiff, he looked way worse than good.  I don't even think he looked that good.  You can win with a junky QB who doesn't turn it over, take our current recruiting coordinator.  Simple as that.  Clark/Devlin might not be ready, but let them learn, at least slip them a few drives to actually prepare them, this season is lost, but next year we get 10 defensive starters back, the entire receiving corps (minus Golden), and the entire O-Line.  That is a serious foundation to work with.  A semi-experienced QB can really make some things happen.

Lightning Round

What games are you watching on Saturday?

PSU vs. the Milkmen from Madison
England vs. France in the Rugby World Cup Semi-finals
for sure, and maybe catch a bit of the Holy War, just to watch the Domers eating it.

What are your predictions for the second half of the season?

5-2 including bowl game.

Who will be PSU's MVP come January?

Dan Connor or a kicker.

1. We're halfway through the season. Practically the entire national media has declared that the Big Ten is having a down year. Is this cyclical, or is the conference actually becoming less and less relevant? What is your team doing to enhance or destroy the conference's reputation?

Why don't we answer this 2 parter in reverse order in an attempt to open up our playbook this Wed.  The answer to this question is obvious but still needs to be said.  Penn State is helping to destroy the Big 10 rep by scheduling; an Airport, a school named after a Big 12 mascot, and a place of worship all in the same year.  To be fair no one thought the Domers would be this bad when we signed up to play them all those years ago.

Secondly is the Big 10 having a down year?  Sure probably, but it's coming in the overall depth of the conference.  The teams that used to 3-5 in Big 10 play and then crush some chump in a Bowl game haven't been doing that recently, and don't appear capable of doing it this year either.  However the teams that will fight and claw their way the 4 yards you need to get out of the cloud of dust that is the Big 10, will learn important lessons.  Like commitment, hard work and how to win.  This will serve the conference well in some Big bowl victories that will ensure that the Big 10 is forever relevant.

2. Illinois is winning football games. Football games! Illinois! How much longer will we have to put up with this crap?

Not too much longer.  They won some games in the late 90's and then promptly turned to crap again.  As soon as the other 10 teams in the Big 10 realize Illinois isn't a push over, they'll start beating Illinois up again.  This will cause a tailspin and back to the old ways.  I say they are losing again.

3. I'm a man! I'm 32! For you, fair Big Ten Blogger, where does the line get drawn when, as Sunday Morning QB eloquently states, "second-guessing the split-second decisions of college kids under extreme physical duress"? Hypothetically speaking, would you settle for saying that your underwhelming quarterback "simply isn't performing well and needs to be replaced", or would you call him "a functional retard that is one drool cup shy of riding the short bus to practice"?

I'll answer that question with 2 short statements:

1. (Ed. Note - deleted by blog administrator.)
2. These guys come to major programs to prepare for the pros, that includes the media attention and scrutiny.  If we ain't harsh they'll end up like Ricky Williams and his Helmet interviews.
4. Finally, a quick two-part question. Which player or players on your team have you been pleasantly surprised with this season, and what is the most important game remaining on your schedule?
   

I have definitely been pleasantly surprised by our young defensive line and Jared Odrick in particular.  The kid is everywhere, well for a DT.
Our most important remaining game is as always, (pause for emphasis) the next one!
Be sure to check out the other guys at whatever they heck their websites are.

Hope has been rekindled with a solid win over Iowa.  But let's take a second to dream of what could have been... The loses to THEM and [TEAM REDACTED] were crushing because we dared to dream.  We all thought "THEM are down, we can break the steak, even in the BIG quiet House".  Then by thursday or friday of the next week most of us had put our shattered lives back together to think; "Well we always lose to THEM, we can still come together and do some big things this year.  Who knows a few loses by the right teams and maybe we can start talking National Championship." (hey we had a 1 loss title when I was 2, why not again)

I know at the start of the season I was thinking; "the Big 10 is having a down year, so if we're going to have a run at the crystal we'll need some upsets to help us out."

Guess what everyone, we're getting all those upsets.  That's why I'm still so disappointed even after such a good victory.  Week by week more upsets pile up and rub more salt in the wounds of our season that are the game with THEM, and @ [TEAM REDACTED].

Ohhhh how great this season could have been...

Cheerier Diary tomorrow, I promise.

Poll

Even with 2 losses. Can PSU make the BCS?

65%

Not a chance!

13 votes

25%

There will be a 2 lose BCS team, could be us.

5 votes

10%

JoePa will win a BCS game this yeah!!!

2 votes

20 votes | Poll has closed