The Lion's Den

Weather Over State College

2012-01-25T22:44:00.000-05:00

And another still shot . . .

The Paterno Legacy

2012-01-23T20:33:00.002-05:00

The passing of Joe Paterno apparently has done little to alter the debate regarding his ultimate legacy at Penn State. At least in the eyes of a few journalists, and we'll use that term loosely here.

Amidst the anguish of Penn State fans--people who can see all the good that Joe Paterno did for the University and his players and the community at large for 62 years--are the ferocious outcries of those who are willing to throw an entire career out the window for one perceived misdeed.

As my regular readers are quite aware of my stance on this subject--I don't believe Paterno should have done anything different, and even if he had, I don't think he could have stopped Sandusky.

But Dan Bernstein from Chicago wants people to cry for the victims, not Paterno.

For years, he looked the other way while children were being assaulted, and his program was being used to enable the crimes.

No number of victories stacks up against what these boys and their families lost. Not even 409.

It’s repugnant to believe that this was one small oversight by a kind, old man, blemishing an otherwise honorable legacy. Paterno’s inaction was concurrent with everything else. This was not a singular moment of poor judgment – it was boundless, constant, and ongoing.

We know from his own sworn testimony, though, that Paterno knew in 2002.
Read about the victims after that date.

Read the sick details of what these men say Sandusky did to them in those years. Read about the on-campus swimming pool, the hotel sauna, the trips to bowl games, the basement dungeon where they screamed for help while being raped.

And he should rest in no more peace than that of those boys, whose lives were ruined by a monster.

I am sad, and still indescribably angry over what Penn State football helped happen.

I'm not even sure where to begin with this diatribe of contrived misinformation and assumptive extrapolation. How in the wide, wide world of sports did Penn State football help Sandusky? Did Paterno arrange play dates for Sandusky? I have seen no evidence whatsoever that Paterno tried to cover anything up. Indeed, the Grand Jury found no fault with Paterno. There is absolutely no evidence that Paterno knew such activities were continuing and that his silence was in any way leading to more pain.

And I will maintain now and until I see evidence otherwise, that Paterno would not have stopped Sandusky by doing something else. That is because I truly believe that, not because I support pedophilia or childhood rape. I still cannot fathom why you can't support all the good that Paterno has done and still be against pedophilia and rape.

Yes, Paterno wielded power at Penn State. He determined what teams they played. He threw Spanier and Curley out of his house and refused retirement. He kept the uniforms simple and prevented Nike from using them as walking advertisements of poor fashion like some other teams. He kept the media at bay, which really ticked them off, and perhaps in part explains the backlash now.

But he couldn't stop the baseball field from being built in the shadow of his stadium. He couldn't keep his players off of the police blotter. He did pass on the information to his superiors, which is what he was supposed to do.

And it is quite a stretch of the imagination that he could single handedly stop Sandusky based on the ONE incident of second-hand information that he had. Did he trust McQueary? Probably. Did he trust his former defensive coordinator? See, there's the rub. Paterno worked with both of these men. He has admitted that he couldn't comprehend the nature of this problem and he didn't know what to do. He passed it on to the people that should have handled it. If anyone at Penn State enabled Sandusky, it was not McQueary or Paterno--it was Schultz and Curley and possibly even Spanier, if he knew. Note that these writers are not so assured that Spanier knew, but they KNOW that Paterno KNEW.

There is no evidence that Paterno knew of any other incidents. He knew nothing about the children crying out in Sandusky's basement and it is simply piss poor journalism to throw that in there as evidence that Paterno was an enabler. Had he driven the kids over there himself and drank tea with Sandusky's wife while ignoring the muffled screams, then you have a story. But that is not what you have.

Instead, you have a pathetic attempt to make some journalists feel better about themselves while tearing down an individual who was likely twice the man they will ever be.

How many lives have been touched by these hacks compared to Joe Paterno? Listen to the testimony of his former players--how their lives were changed and made better by Paterno.

How many millions of dollars have these so-called journalists donated to provide books and education to children and young adults? Over four times Paterno's yearly salary? I'd like to see their receipts if they have.

The Paterno's have been active in THON and Special Olympics. They CARE about children. This alleged oversight wasn't because Paterno didn't care. He did--but didn't know how to handle it. He was a goddamned football coach for crying out loud. And he did act. Which is more than can be said for the police and DA in 1998. And the officials at Central Mountain in 2008 who counselled the mother to shut up and look the other way. And ESPN with a tape about the Syracuse scandal. Yet none of these people are being harassed in the media, because their names won't sell papers.

Fortunately, they are not all like that. Rick Reilly writes about the Paterno Legacy:

Maybe you will never be convinced Joe Paterno was a good man who made one catastrophic mistake, but do you have time for just one story?

In 2000, Penn State freshman defensive back Adam Taliaferro had his spine crushed when tackling an Ohio State player. He lay on that September field paralyzed and panicked.

The first person he saw when he opened his eyes was Paterno . . .wound up in a hospital bed in Philadelphia, everything frozen solid below the neck. Doctors said he had about a 3 percent chance of walking again. And every other week, Paterno would fly to Philly to see him. . . "I can't tell you what that meant to me," says Taliaferro, now 30. "I'm stuck in that hospital, and here's Coach Paterno bringing a piece of the team to me, in the middle of the season. How many coaches would do that?"

A man is more than his failings.

He was the only coach I've ever known who went to the board of trustees to demand they increase entrance requirements, who went to faculty club meetings to hear the lectures, who listened to opera while drawing up game plans.

If a player was struggling with a subject, Paterno would make him come to his house for wife Sue's homemade pasta and her tutoring.

"The last three months, I've just wanted to go up on a rooftop and shout, 'I wish you knew him like I do!'" Taliaferro says. "I know, in my heart, if he'd understood how serious this situation was, he'd have done more."

I believe that, too. But if you don't, I respect that. I only ask this:

If we're so able to vividly remember the worst a man did, can't we also remember the best?

Even former head coach John Cooper has nice things to say about Paterno . . .

“Why in the world everybody keeps bringing up all this other stuff, I don’t understand,” former OSU coach John Cooper said yesterday. “Joe Paterno was very saddened by what happened over there, but Joe Paterno didn’t do that. ... We say here (in Columbus) that coach Tressel should have passed the information along that he got (concerning his players receiving improper benefits), that’s all he had to do. Well, that’s what coach Paterno did do, from the way I understand it. He passed along the information after he got it.

“But instead, we’re reading about the scandal and what he didn’t do. Lord have mercy, the man won more games than anybody who ever coached in major-college football, and he did it the right way.”

The Joe Paterno I admire, the one I cried for when I heard he had been fired, and then again when he passed on, was a man who did more for college sports than any other man in the history of the sport. He did more for his University than most alumni, professors and students. He has touched countless lives and his donations will continue to help future generations.

But this is not about balancing good deeds over bad. Let's face it. What is worse than the crimes Sandusky allegedly committed? NOTHING. Even St. Peter couldn't balance that out. And no one is asking that you ignore what happened. Instead, let's let the court find justice if that is possible, and meanwhile, let those of us that love Joe Paterno mourn in peace.

Sure, he frustrated me at times with his prevent offense and conservative play calling. Sure, I busted his son for his QB development and his dad's insistence to keep him on staff. But the way Jay Paterno has handled himself these past few months since this happened has taught me that some things are more important than football. And maybe making Daryll Clark and Michael Robinson better people and better men is more important than whether they can win games, or throw passes.

And whether Penn State football ever wins another game or not is not as important as the loss of Joe Paterno for everything he did off the field.

And I'm sorry, but mourning the loss of Joe Paterno does not in any way ever condone what Jerry Sandusky allegedly did.

And if the court testimony should ever prove that Paterno was complicit with any of those acts, I'll be the first to apologize to you right here.

Until then, I love you Joe Paterno. And I will miss you always.

Remembering Joe

2012-01-22T21:49:00.000-05:00

Too bad I have such a LOUSY singing voice. But some nice pics of Joe through the years . . .

Patriots (and O'Brien) Move On To Super Bowl

2012-01-22T18:17:00.000-05:00

While I had mixed feelings about this game (if the Patriot's season ended today, Bill O'Brien would be able to move on to his new job sooner), I have to admit that I smiled and thoroughly enjoyed the stunned look of shock on the faces of the Ravens after thier kicker pushed the ball wide left to lose a chance at the Super Bowl.

Maybe our next head coach will bring a Super Bowl ring to Happy Valley.

Good Bye, Joe

2012-01-22T11:20:00.001-05:00

Reports are trickling in that Joe Paterno (85) has died of complications of his ~~senseless firing~~ lung cancer.

CBS Sports.com Eye of College Football reported Saturday night:

Joe Paterno, the man who for decades was synonymous with Penn State football and was known by the college football world as just "JoePa", has died. Paterno, 85, had been receiving chemotherapy as part of his treatment for lung cancer, and complications from that treatment claimed the longtime Penn State coach's life on Saturday.

The Huffington Post is also reported his death on their site.

Fans were noting that 94.5 in State College was also reporting his death.

In the end, these reports were premature. But according to MSNBC, Paterno did pass away this morning.

Sadly, the grim reports that dominated the college football news cycle beginning Saturday evening were a precursor to the inevitable but still numbing reality: a coaching legend has passed.

A family spokesperson confirmed to the Associated Press that Joseph Vincent Paterno has died at a State College hospital at the age of 85, just over two months after being diagnosed with a form of lung cancer.

A posting to Penn State’s official Facebook page read simply: “With great sadness we mourn the passing of Coach Joe Paterno…Few have done more.”

Paterno passed away at 9:25 a.m. ET Sunday, and the official cause of death was metastic small cell carcinoma of the lung.

Words cannot express my feelings right now.

God Bless the Paterno Family.

What If

2012-01-20T14:49:00.001-05:00

The prevailing perception of the media and some others is that Joe Paterno should have done more. What more could have been done, remains a more obscure question.

The implication though is clear . . . had Paterno done more, then Sandusky would have been stopped and innocent children would not have suffered.

"That was a priceless football program!"
"Not anymore."

But can we make that assumption?

Paterno even said himself, with the benefit of hindsight--in other words, knowing now about Sandusky what he didn't know then--"I wish I had done more." But seriously, what more could he or should he have done?

First of all, Sandusky's guilt has not even been legally established. He has been indicted and will stand trial, but as we all learned in the O.J. Simpson case, a conviction is not guaranteed.

And what if Joe Paterno had gone to the police? I think it is incredibly naive to think that Sandusky would have been brought to justice and the transgressions against kids would have ceased if only Paterno had gone to the police. How would that have changed the situation? What would the police have done?

Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to discuss this with some trooper friends of mine, but I assume they would head over to Sandusky's house with some questions. . .

Where were you that night? Who were you with? What were you doing?

They would probably want to find security camera tapes. Obviously, there would have been none in the shower or locker room area, but perhaps views from buildings outside would confirm Sandusky's presence on campus in a particular building and whether or not he was alone. Maybe--just maybe--an ID could be made of the victim in question.

But aside from the tangible evidence of a camera, which may or may not have even been available, how is Sandusky going to respond to this allegation?

He could easily make up a story. He could tell the police he was alone. With no camera record, who can deny that? It's not clear that the Second Mile organization kept good enough records to confirm or deny that he was with anyone. It is even possible the kid in question wasn't associated with the Second Mile--although that has been assumed. I know of no other witness in this particular instance who could corroborate McQueary's testimony.

Perhaps Sandusky would bring another child forward who would deny that Sandusky did anything. How would we know if it was the victim? Would McQueary have been able to identify the boy from a line-up with absolute certainty?

An investigation might have tipped Sandusky off and he might have been more careful in the future. Had he been more careful, he might not have been caught in 2008. He might STILL be out there preying on young boys, assuming of course that he is guilty. Yeah, it's an assumption but no more a leap of faith than presuming that Paterno calling the police would have stopped this.

The police were involved in 1998. So was the DA. Nothing came of that. Can we really assume that 2002 would have been any different.

Was there even enough evidence in 2002 to go after Sandusky? It's appalling to look at the Grand Jury presentment in its entirety. But the people involved at Penn State--at least Joe Paterno--did not know about the 1998 or 2000 incidents. It's hard to identify a picture puzzle from a single piece--much easier to make the call when all the pieces are laid in front of you. And if it's your own reputation on the line--such as Paterno or the DA--you're more likely to wait until more peices are available before jumping to conclusions.

I would love to hear from some law enforcement officials as to what kind of investigation would have been carried out. Would they talk to Sandusky or not? Would they set up a "sting" operation? Seriously, it's one thing to watch this kind of Law & Order drama on TV for entertainment, but the real world does not always follow the Hollywood script.

And, I would love to know if the Board of Trustees has given Bill O'Brien the authority to conduct his own investigations and call in outside agencies at his discretion without first running the decision by an administrator or the Board itself. If they haven't, then why not? That's what they expected of Paterno in 2002.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

2012-01-18T20:26:00.000-05:00

First I had to get new seats.

Now we have a new head coach. And mostly new staff.

And now the Blue Band is apparently going to do away with Rock & Roll in the pre-game ceremony.

What's next? Will the band march slowly onto the field in single file, playing a funeral dirge? Will we change the name of the Lion Shrine to the Lion Mausoleum? Is it even possible to drown my pain in a pint of Peachy Paterno anymore? Is nothing sacred? Next you'll tell me we're changing back to pink and black colors and we're going to put NAMES on the uniforms! Instead of the Nittany Lions we could be the Farmin' Amish!

And why is the Blue Band doing this?

‘Rock and Roll’, also known as ‘The Hey Song’, was written by British glam rock artist Gary Glitter in 1972. Glitter is a registered sex offender, and was convicted of possession of child pornography in 1997. He was convicted again in 2005, for obscene acts with minors.

Are you kidding me? Seriously, how many fans out there even KNOW that? I'll take Scandalous Trivia for $200, Alex.

Will Sandusky, Ohio change their name because of all this . . .

Thanks to the Nittany Turkey for the comic relief video.

But change is what it is and it's coming our way, like it or not.

Lubrano Speaks Out

2012-01-17T16:47:00.000-05:00

While the Board of Trustees at Penn State may try to cloak themselves in secrecy, Anthony Lubrano has apparently found some holes.

From CentreDaily.com:

But ever since that surreal night, when the Penn State trustees dismissed Joe Paterno, the Nittany Lions’ legendary football coach and Lubrano’s friend, the 1982 graduate has been obsessed with finding out why.

“I was horrified that night,” said Lubrano, 51.

Lubrano said he has spoken so far to 17 of the 32 trustees who, in a unanimous vote, dismissed the coach — five days after his former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, was arrested on child sex-abuse charges. In addition, Lubrano also talked with administrators, fellow donors and, as recently as Tuesday, to Paterno himself.

As a result, Lubrano has become convinced the Sandusky scandal provided a convenient excuse for an administration that had been trying since 2004 to gently nudge Paterno out the door.

“His firing had nothing to do with Sandusky,” Lubrano said. “Nothing. ... He (Paterno) had become less involved in fundraising and there’d been some kind of falling out with Spanier. Spanier got to the point where he really wanted to replace him.”

The stunning dismissal came shortly after Paterno had announced he would step down after the season.

But according to Lubrano, Paterno had informed Penn State before the season of his intention to retire after 2011. The coach, he added, also provided administrators at that time with a list of four prospective replacements. One of the men on that list, Lubrano said, was Urban Meyer.

As is the norm for people in power, the mantra at PSU as far as the BOT is concerned is do as we say, not as we do. Transparency and accountability can be demanded of the athletic department, but not of the Board itself.

I was personally surprised that the Board came to a "unanimous" decision regarding the firing of Paterno, but a lawyer I know corrected me by saying that the original vote probably wasn't unanimous, but when it was clear that the majority was going to move in that direction, the rest were coerced to changing their vote in a stand of solidarity. I don't know if that indeed did happen, but I would like to think that a few members of the board were reluctant to throw an 84 year old icon out of the building to appease a self-righteous media mob. And neither the mob nor the Board had all the facts anyway. I'm not sure anyone yet has all the facts. But truth isn't as important as perception and the BOT chose perception over justice. Sometimes, you have to stand up for what you believe, even if you are the only person standing.

Had I been on the board, the vote would not have been unanimous.

I applaud Lubrano and Franco Harris for taking the initiative to provide truth over propaganda.

In the end, the destruction of Joe Paterno does nothing for any of the victims. Their pain only served as a convenient vehicle for the Board to push its own agenda with misguided public support.

Nominate Me!

2012-01-16T20:41:00.002-05:00

Penn State has sent out requests for nominations to the BOT to all alumni.

After much thought--well, as much thought as I ever put into anything I blog about, which ain't much I'll grant you, but probably more than than other people put into it, but that's not saying much either and where the hell was I going with this?

Oh yes! I have decided to throw my ~~head~~ hat into the ring. I just need something like 50 nominations to get on the ballot, so if a number of you vote several times (okay, they only allow you to nominate three candidates ONCE) but if 50 of you put my name down, accidentally or otherwise, then I'll represent you as an alumni member on the BOT.

Here are the qualifications:

Bylaws, "Qualifications for Membership on the Board of Trustees"

(1) Members of the Board of Trustees shall be natural persons of full age who need

not be residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

(2) A person who is employed in any capacity by the University shall not be eligible

to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees. This qualification for membership

shall not apply to a person who is an ex officio member of the Board, nor to a person

who is a student employed part-time by the University.

(3) A person shall not be eligible to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees for a

period of three (3) years from the July 1 coincident with or next following the date of

last employment in any capacity by the University. This qualification for

membership shall not apply to a person who is an ex officio member of the Board,

nor to a person who is a student employed part-time by the University.

(4) Only graduates of The Pennsylvania State University who shall have received an

associate degree, a bachelor's degree, or an advanced degree from the University

shall be eligible to serve as a trustee elected by the Alumni. No member of the

faculty or the governing board of any other college or university in Pennsylvania

shall be eligible to serve as a trustee elected by the Alumni.

I think I'm a natural person. I don't have any artificial body parts yet. I'm probably as close as one can get to being full age without being OLD. I'm middle aged and this is my crisis. Some people buy a red corvette. I try to get nominated for a thankless job. Maybe I am unnatural?

I have never been employed by the University in any capacity. I wanted to be the next coach but they wouldn't let me. I'll have to settle for this. I wonder if it pays well???

I have a medical degree from Hershey.

I am fully commited to seeing the leadership of our fine University become true leadership. I believe that the transparency that the Board of Trustees is demanding of the athletic department be applied to every aspect of the University--including and perhaps starting with--the Board of Trustees. Of course, Item #10 on the list of expectations of Board Members is to "maintain confidentiality without exception." Change needs to be initiated from the top. Leaders lead by example. I further believe that the alumni representatives on the board should do just that . . . represent the alumni--and not their own personal interests or agendas.

And while some of us may not agree with how Paterno handled this particular situation with Sandusky, there are still few who can find fault with his record of service to the University and the countless thousands of young men that he made better by virtue of his presence. With sweeping changes in the administration and atheltic department, it will be a task of the BOT to seek to maintain the integrity of the football program without feeling like it needs to de-emphasize it. The standards that Joe Paterno set and lived up to on and off the field must be maintained in his absence. Despite this dark shadow brought on by the Sandusky Scandal, the bright light of Success with Honor must shine on.

As a physician, I understand the importance of academics, and in no way am I claiming that my representation will be limited to management of athletic decisions. We need to be at the level where the University President does not feel a need to emphasize academics. That should speak for itself, and the decisions of the BOT must represent that goal.

As a former member of a marching band (not the Blue Band unfortunately, since that would have required actual talent) I also understand the importance of other pursuits, including and not limited to the Blue Band, music, art, and theatre.

So if you are looking for someone to nominate, someone who shares your vision of Penn State as a University committed to academics, arts and athletics then please consider adding my nomination to your list:

TODD A. SPONSLER Class of 1990 (Hershey--MED)

And I thank you for your support.

PS(u): I AM NOT A CROOK either!

I also recommend you vote for Adam Taliaferro, class of 2005 I believe.

Nomination forms were emailed but can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

I'm Baaaaaack!

2012-01-15T00:02:00.001-05:00

As I have said before, the rumors of my demise have been grossly exaggerated.

The blog has been quiet for a reason, though entirely unrelated to Penn State.

I was on vacation--plans which were booked prior to the season even being played.

So I hopped off the plane in Honolulu on January 2nd to discover that Penn State lost to Houston 30-14. I managed to read a few on-line blurbs, but quite frankly, I was on vacation at that point, Joe Paterno is no longer at the helm, and my interest level has waned. I have no plans to watch any replay or recap the game here in this blog. For my loyal readers who actually look forward to and read my recaps, I sincerely apologize.

We then flew to the island of Kauai and I got off the plane and made it to the hotel in time--literally-- to see the Broncos score a TD in OT to beat my Pittsburgh Steelers. I'm serious. I hit the power button and find the channel to see Denver scoring the touchdown. The timing could not have been worse. Off goes the TV. On goes the vacation.

I did hear word that Penn State hired someone called Bill O'Brien. I am going to be brutally honest here. Before I googled him, I had no idea who on earth this person was. He wasn't even on the list of names being thrown about the internet before I left. Apparently he is the offensive coordinator for the NE Patriots who are currently pounding the Broncos 42-7 as I type this. After what the Broncos did to Pittsburgh last week, I hope they lose by one hundred! OK--the Pats can score some points. Can they do that without Tom Brady? Last I looked, we don't have ANYONE on our roster with that kind of talent.

So I did some more research. Wikipedia, here we come.

In terms of college experience, here is the lowdown on O'Brien:

As Offensive Coordinator at Georgia Tech in 2001 and 2002 his teams averaged 31 and 21.5 points per game, respectively as the teams went 9–4 and 7–6.

In 2003, he left to coach running backs at the University of Maryland, spending two seasons there before being offered and then accepting the position of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Duke in 2005.

As offensive coordinator at Duke in 2005 and 2006, his teams averaged 16.1 and 14.9 points per game, respectively as the teams went 1–10, and 0–12.

His offenses those two years ranked 112 and 113 out of 120 teams.

Not exactly a Les Miles or Nick Saban is he? Certainly not a Chris Petersen either. No earthquake on the RICHT-er scale. I must admit it . . . I am disappointed by this hire. It would appear we have settled not for Plan A or B, but rather plan Q. Maybe T. The spin doctor's have been working furiously to make this sound like a home run, but if this guy fizzles out, they should be sued for malpractice.

Now this may not be Joyner and company's fault. ESPN has more than once dubbed our program as TOXIC and I'm not even going to debate that issue in my current mood (I stepped off the plane in Pittsburgh to 14 degree weather and snow so I AM NOT happy right now!) I may have to face the fact that this was the best that we could do right now. Perception is everything.

One of my friends texted me and pondered whether the PSU job was just a stepping stone for O'Brien on the way to an NFL head coaching job. Perhaps. I really couldn't answer him since I HAVE NO FREAKING CLUE WHO THIS GUY IS.

No one knew in 1966 that Joe Paterno would go on to be the winningest Division I coach of all time, but at least he had been on the staff for 16 years and had the endorsement of Rip Engle. Who endorsed this guy? Apparently not Brandon Short.

"There is a tangible standard at Penn State that this poor (O'Brien) guy knows nothing about,'' Short said. "I feel badly for him (because) he is clueless and will not have the support of the majority of the Lettermen. This is a hornet's nest (for him).''

"By not hiring (defensive coordinator Tom) Bradley or a Penn Stater what they have effectively done is turn their backs on 100 years of tradition,'' Short said. "Penn State never has been about winning football games. They didn't recruit the best players — they recruited the best people. If you go to Penn State, you have a better chance of graduating.''

Short is upset that Bradley, name interim coach after Paterno was fired in November, was not given serious consideration for the job. Bradley was interviewed by Joyner, as were some other Penn State assistant coaches. Like Bradley, Joyner also played for Paterno. Short said many members are upset that they were not consulted during the hiring process and are considering a lawsuit that would prevent the Big Ten school from using their likeness or image in any marketing campaign.

"We are strongly considering a move of that nature,'' Short said. "We are not going to threaten anyone — we're going to give Dave Joyner choices.''

And I wonder if Dave Joyner plans to eschew his medical training and become a permanent Atheletic Director? As far as I know, he still has that "interim" label attached. Do they expect Tim Curley to return after being exonerated? Wouldn't it have made more sense to hire an AD who would then hire the people below him? Granted, that would have taken more time, and time is of the essence with Letter of Intent Day approaching. Time was not a luxury that Penn State has. Which is all the more reason, in my humble opinion, to name Bradley as "interim" head coach moving forward, until the proper pieces are put in place at the top. Bill O'Brien has taken a job and he doesn't even really know who is boss is going to be!

I understand that O'Brien has chosen to keep Vanderlinden and Johnson on his staff. Best news I have heard so far! Smart guy. But then he picks ~~Red~~ Ted Roof ~~Inn~~ as his defensive coordinator. I NEVER HEARD OF HIM EITHER. Let's ask Alex Trebek for Obscure Coordinators for $100.

Roof took his first job as defensive coordinator in 1997 at Western Carolina University, where he stayed one season before being lured away to join George O'Leary's staff at his alma mater. After spending the first season coaching the Yellow Jackets linebackers, Roof was promoted to defensive coordinator. He was nominated for the 2000 Broyles Award, an annual honor given to the nation's top assistant coach, when his defense finished the season ranked 12th in the nation in rushing defense and 20th in scoring defense. The following season, the Yellow Jackets were again one of the top defenses in the nation, ranking 23rd nationally in total defense and 32nd against the run.

While those rankings sound good, I suspect that most of Bradley's defenses have been ranked better and against stiffer competition. But I am just speculating there because I am too lazy to actually look up the data.

When O'Leary left for the University of Notre Dame, Roof left Georgia Tech to become the defensive coordinator at Duke for the 2002 season. Roof's instruction brought marked improvement to the Duke Blue Devils defense, which [led?] the ACC in rushing defense after finishing ninth in the league the previous year. From 2001 to 2002, the Blue Devils moved from ninth to fifth in the ACC and from 113th to 58th nationally in total defense. They progressed in passing defense in the 2003 season, jumping to third-place in the ACC from ninth the previous year. When head coach Carl Franks was released mid-way through the 2003 season, Roof was promoted to interim head coach. The team finished the season by winning two of the last three games and Roof was subsequently hired as the 20th head coach at Duke on December 6, 2003. However, after winning only four games over the next four seasons, he was fired on November 26, 2007, having compiled a 6–45 record. Despite the dismal record of Duke teams under Roof, his aggressive defenses consistently ranked in the top-30 nationally in tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

His defenses didn't rank in the top 30--only in that one category. Doesn't that latter stat have eerie echoes of Jay Paterno defending Penn State's offense by quoting obscure offensive stats (e.g. best third down conversion team in the Big Ten?) that completely ignored the fact that Penn State couldn't score points?

So do I have anything good to say about all this?

Despite my disappointment (instead of getting that cool new video game for Christmas, I opened up a three pack of underwear) I am going to try and keep an open mind and give O'Brien a chance here. Maybe the underwear will fit. Maybe it will be the best underwear I have ever worn. Who knows? He sounds good to the media--and we all know how important it is to please the media! He has worked with many of these people on his new staff (chemistry is important), and the two Penn Stater's he has chosen to keep are key recruiters and are phenomenal at their positions.

I am really scared that Penn State has chosen to go down the path of schools like Notre Dame (who also hired an offensive genius from the Patriots and we all saw how that worked out for them!) I personally would have stuck behind Bradley for awhile, showed him some love for all his time at Penn State, and given the situation time to quiet down before initiating a national search. And if Bradley continued success at Penn State, then no further search would even be needed.

I went away for a while and came back. The house is still there, but a new family has moved in. Everything is the same, yet everything is different. It will never be the same.

I'm also pissed I didn't get an interview either, despite emailing my application to Joyner multiple times.

GO TEAM, Air Force and Constipated Birds

2011-12-28T20:47:00.000-05:00

Have you picked up your Citizen's Bank Button for the Bowl game?

Were you expecting the usual pun or insightful play on words ala Forrest Thump?

Maybe something like Houston, you have a problem . . .

Well if this football season hasn't been disappointing enough already, prepare yeself for the illustrious slogan for this year's TicketCity Bowl . . .

GO Nittany Lions!

That's it. That's all folks. I. Kid. You. Not.

Well, at least GO is capitalized and there's an exclamation point!

Seriously? Is this the best they can do? Houston, are we a GO? Is there that little interest in this game that putting together a decent slogan was too much work for somebody?

But then bad decisions are a part of bowl season apparently. Just ask Air Force. After scoring the potentially tying TD with less than a minute to go, they opted for a two-point conversion to "win" the game. It failed and they lost.

I guess overtime is too much to ask for--or hope for--in a bowl game. Of course, I'm just pissed because I picked Air Force in the football bowl pool!

And then there was Louisville, losing to NC State. I actually picked NC State. But what is with that angry bird mascot for Louisville. Looks more constipated than mean . . . .

Happy Birthday AND Merry Christmas Joe!

2011-12-23T19:10:00.000-05:00

We'll have a Blue Christmas without you!

Statistically Speaking: Ticket City Edition

2011-12-19T19:00:00.002-05:00

Here are the national rankings for Houston vs. Penn State from the NCAA:

NCAA Stats Comparison

Category:	Penn St.	Houston	Delta

Rushing	54	62	8
Passing Offense	96	1	-95
Total Offense	94	1	-93
Scoring Offense	110	1	-109
Rushing Defense	48	77	29
Turnovers Gained	28	16	-12
Passes Had Intercepted	35	9	-26
Pass Defense	5	48	43
Net Punting	78	60	-18
Punt Returns	77	9	-68
Kickoff Returns	32	55	23
Turnover Margin	32	8	-24
Fumbles Recovered	29	52	23
Passes Intercepted	24	5	-19
Fumbles Lost	92	42	-50
Turnovers Lost	65	11	-54
Passing Efficiency	112	3	-109
Pass Efficiency Defense	5	24	19
Total Defense	10	64	54
Scoring Defense	5	41	36
Fewest Penalties Per Game	29	64	35
Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game	30	58	28
Punt Return Yardage Defense	66	74	8
Kickoff Return Yardage Defense	63	60	-3
Offense Third-down Efficiency	95	6	-89
Offense Fourth-down Efficiency	27	39	12
Defense Third-down Efficiency	52	47	-5
Defense Fourth-down Efficiency	32	47	15
Tackles for Loss	30	4	-26
Offense Tackles for Loss	2	5	3
Pass Sacks	26	35	9
Pass Sacks Allowed	16	33	17
Time of Possession	55	115	60
First Downs	89	2	-87
First Downs Allowed	19	64	45
Red Zone Efficiency	91	39	-52
Red Zone Efficiency - Defense	119	2	-117

Average NCAA Rank:	50.59	34.68	-15.92
Weighted Avg. Rank:	54.08	32.5	-21.58

Here is Houston's schedule for 2011:

2011	Houston	Cougars	Schedule

Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Opp. Record
Sept. 3	UCLA	W 38-34	1-0 (0-0)	6-7 *
Sept. 10	at North Texas	W 48-23	2-0 (0-0)	5-7
Sept. 17	at La Tech	W 35-34	3-0 (0-0)	8-4 *
Sept. 24	GEORGIA STATE	W 56-0	4-0 (0-0)	3-8
Sept. 29	at UTEP	W 49-42	5-0 (1-0)	5-7
Oct. 8	EAST CAROLINA	W 56-3	6-0 (2-0)	5-7
Oct. 22	MARSHALL	W 63-28	7-0 (3-0)	6-6 *
Oct. 27	RICE	W 73-34	8-0 (4-0)	4-8
Nov. 5	at UAB	W 56-13	9-0 (5-0)	3-9
Nov. 10	at Tulane	W 73-17	10-0 (6-0)	2-11
Nov. 19	SMU	W 37-7	11-0 (7-0)	7-5 *
Nov. 25	at Tulsa	W 48-16	12-0 (8-0)	8-4 *
Dec. 3	SOUTHERN MISS	L 49-28	12-1 (8-1)	11-2 *
				*=bowl

While Houston's national NCAA rankings are impressive (34.68 ranks 6th in the country--PSU's 50.59 ranks 37th), I am kind of underwhelmed by their schedule. Southern Miss (21st in the BCS) is the only ranked team they have played. By contrast, Penn State played nine bowl bound opponents and the Owls have already won their bowl impressively, beating Wyoming 37-15. Five oppoennts play in January.

Houston's offensive numbers are impressive--their defense is meh. But how good is that offense? If you look at the defenses (Georgia Southern not included) they have faced, the best defense was Southern Miss at 31, with an average NCAA ranking of 80 among all the Division 1A teams they faced.

To be fair, I compared the offenses that Penn State's defense has faced to date. The best was Wisconsin at 15th in the country, with an overall average ranking of 66, not including Indiana State.

Penn State may be without starting QB Matt McGloin. It is not clear whether Drake and McGloin will face punishment for their altercation, but McGloin will need to be medically cleared to play. Paul Jones might be eligible if his GPA cooperates. Bolden apparently will not suffer any team punishment for a prank gone awry, where he stole a $2.00 bottle of Gatorade and then returned it to the store. What? No tattoo??? Don't these kids today even know how to get into trouble?

The unknown quantity of coaching may play a factor. Does Bradley have the job or not? Honestly, rumors aside, he will not be the coach next season. Rumors are flying that Larry Johnson, Sr. could be headed to Columbus to head up a defense for Urban Renewal. Regardless of the outcome of the changes, the situation has to be a dsitraction both for the players and the coaches.

Penn State is currently a 5-6 point underdog. Take McGloin out of the equation and add a coaching staff that is working on finding jobs elsewhere, and it doesn't add up to a Penn State victory. Unless of course, the Cougar offense is really over-rated.

Even though this isn't a Joe Paterno-coached team anymore, it would be really nice to send his last team out on a positive note.

But that won't happen unless Houston has a problem.

No Coach Yet

2011-12-15T16:38:00.000-05:00

No white smoke over Old Main . . .

That's The Ticket . . . City

2011-12-07T21:59:00.000-05:00

Did you hear what Tom Starr, President and CEO of the TicketCity Bowl said about Penn State?

For weeks, Starr had been telling anybody who would listen the same thing: If Penn State was available, the Nittany Lions would be more-than-welcomed in Dallas.

The TicketCity Bowl, being in just its second year, didn't have some of the political issues to consider that the more-established bowls did. It had a chance to take a stand if it could get over the qualms other bowls had with inviting Penn State.

That was the easiest part of the decision, Starr said.

"We had none. We really didn't. I say that in all honesty," Starr said. "All we were focused on is that Penn State has a great football legacy and is a proud academic institution. ... This may sound corny, and I obviously can't answer for the other bowls (that passed over Penn State). But sometimes, in life, you have to be the one to do the right thing. It was important for us not to punish the players. I can't understand why there should be a mass punishment for the act of one man. And it's not just the players. It's the alumni. It's the faculty. It's the student body. What did they do? We thought, 'Why would you want to punish all those people for the horrible acts of one person?' "

Doing the right thing, in Starr's mind, also happened to net Dallas one of the most intriguing matchups of the bowl season.
Only two bowls - the BCS Championship Game and the Fiesta Bowl - feature two teams with fewer combined losses than the four between the Nittany Lions and Cougars in the TicketCity Bowl.

Finally! Someone not only "gets" it, but isn't afraid of pissing off the politically correct pussies by saying it out loud! Amen!

Not So Great Expectations

2011-12-07T18:52:00.009-05:00

Charles Dickens wrote Great Expectations, but the stories being written at Penn State would more appropriately be attributable to Greek or Shakespearean tragedies.

Prior to November 5th, the head coaching job at Penn State was perhaps one of the more attractive coaching jobs in the country. Now, we may be lucky to find a high school coach who will be willing to take this job.

Okay. That's an exaggeration to some degree. But the short list of candidates seems to be getting shorter the further we go in this process. And that's NOT a good thing. And the rationalization of how these coaches who don't look good on paper but will suddenly be taking us to national championship heights is almost comical.

I have often said that the problem with electing a president of the United States is that the individuals who are best suited, most capable, and would do the best job . . . are all smart enough not to want the job.

That describes the Penn State coaching vacancy at this point.

While Urban Meyer may not be the best coach in the country, and may not even have been the best coach for THIS job, he was probably the best available coach given our circumstances. He would bring in a record of success (although Florida did have its share of off-the-field problems under his tenure) and a name that would bring recruits in immediately.

But whether because of the Sandusky Scandal or in spite of it, he has chosen to sign with the enemy.

The committee to select the next head coach is not rife with football experts.

PSU President Erickson, said this in a USA Today article by Johnson and Whiteside:

President Rodney Erickson told USA TODAY on Tuesday that he is seeking to transform the university's public image from a football school to a "world class research institution."

"We need to refocus the spotlight on those things [academics] and de-emphasize the spotlight on athletics," he [Sims, Penn State's vice president of student affairs] said, adding that a de-emphasis does not equate to "damaging" the program. "I think we also need to understand that there's all this other stuff that's more important to us than football."

One way to demonstrate that, Sims suggested, was the selection of the new football coach.

He said it would be a "terrible mistake" to pay a new coach on a scale equal to other recent football hires, including Urban Meyer at Ohio State where he is expected to earn $4.5 million per year.

So now we are going to try and hire a guy to a position that we are trying to de-emphasize, and at a salary less than his direct competitors. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!

What is really maddening is that the academic side has never been an issue under Paterno, who has always stressed education as a priority of the Grand Experiment. There is a library named after him. And despite his 409 wins, if there has ever been a criticism of Paterno's experiment, it was with the results on the field, not in the classroom.

Exhibit A: The Academic BCS

New America Foundation 5th Annual Academic Bowl Championship Series

Penn State - 117
Boise State - 107
TCU - 101
Stanford - 100
Alabama - 78.7
West Virginia - 75.7
Georgia - 72.3
Southern Miss - 69.3
Kansas State - 64
Nebraska - 64

Note that the two Big Ten schools are the newest members of the conference. LSU is 13th on this list.

And while most people associate Penn State with the legendary coach and his football program, it is not --and despite this scandal STILL is not --- a "bad" association. It was a cleanly run program and has never been a football factory like some other programs out there. The implication that the football program is somehow to blame for the Sandusky scandal or that because there may have been some mistakes made in the handling of that information that the football program has less integrity is simply poor logic and fallacious.

Just because President Clinton fooled around with Monica Lewinsky does not mean the whole system of American Democracy is disreputable. Schultz and Curley were part of the football system: they were NOT the system. But I digress.

Based on all this to date, I don't see Penn State hiring a "qualified" candidate because basically that would mean that said candidate was not good enough to command more salary elsewhere. In other words, I don't think there is anyone out there with the right qualifications at the price we seem to be willing to pay.

Is Penn State willing to ink a contract for 4 million dollars a year, say 24-30 million over six years with incentives and the like, when attendance was already down this year, the economy is not improving that fast, and STEP is discouraging folks from getting season tickets when there are so many tickets available at single game prices?

Unfortunately, the football program has educated countless athletes in a wide variety of sports over the years--and it has not cost Penn State one dime from the academic budget. If football fails, then either student athletic scholarships will be reduced--we educate fewer people--and we offer fewer sports. That ladies and gentlemen is the harsh reality.

De-emphasizing football does not emphasize academics and research. You can't build up the poor by destroying the rich. Socialism fails because eventually you run out of other people's money. (Paraphrased from Margaret Thatcher.)

So could we end up with a coach like Petersen (Boise State)? Look where Boise State is in the academic BCS. But can we match his salary, and would he be interested in the job? Salary (see below) is not an issue so much. But I think not. I hope I am wrong because he is (and was prior to all this) my personal first choice to succeed Joe.

David Shaw at Stanford? Another nice rumor and fun to debate, but seriously? Why would he leave Stanford for Penn State?

I couldn't find Shaw's current salary, but my search found this site about coaching salaries on the rise. Shaw is listed as N/A.

I mean if you were going to go out and get a coach, wouldn't you want someone like a Les Miles or a Nick Saban? A proven winner. National Championships. Recruiting gurus. Evidence on the field. Both are in the top 13 of the academic BCS.

If you are--and assuming they would even think about coming to Happy Valley-- the price tag is going to be $3.7-4.8 million per year.

Petersen is a bargain at $1.5 million.

Mullen (MSU) is at $2.5 million. London at Virginia--$1.8 million. Neuheisal was making $1.25 million at UCLA. Patterson (TCU) pulls in just over $2 million. Sumlin (Houston) is at $1.2 million. Despite a great year for Houston, he is 35-17 overall as a head coach. Petersen is 71-6 in case you are wondering. Miles is 103-38. Al Golden is largely unproven, and has as many ties to Penn State as Bradley. He isn't on that list of salaries either. I saw some rumors about Mark Richt (Georgia). That's almost a $3 million price tag.

I have seen some fans excited by Harvard Coach Tim Murphy. Seriously? The man is 119-59 at Harvard since 1994. He is 151-104-1 as a head coach overall including time at Cincinnati pre-Kelley. He had one winning season (8-3) with the Bearcats. He originally started coaching as an assistant at Brown, where Joe Paterno came from, so he's got that going for him. How can you extrapolate from these numbers that this man is going to be a successful coach at Penn State???? He's also 55 years old. Bradley's resume is better than this!

Bill Cowher? Gruden? Tony Dungy? Great wish list fans, but NFL salaries are even higher. None of these guys has significant, if any, college coaching experience . . . and if they had been good at it, why aren't they still doing it? They either want too much money, or don't want to coach college. Don't get me wrong . . . I'd be excited as hell to see them take a shot at it, and I think any of them would fill the stadium next year. But the reality is that we fans have a better shot at winning the Powerball, than Penn State has of signing one of these guys.

Mike Munchak (PSU grad and current Titan Head Coach) is in his first head coaching gig and is 7-5. I've seen fans post that he could be the salvation of Penn State football. I'm not seeing it. I'm not feeling it. It's just wishful thinking. I don't know what he's being paid at Tennessee, but I kind of think it's more than we'd be able to offer.

In the end, Tom Bradley might be (and in reality is) the best choice. He is affordable and available. He loves Penn State. He is most likely to retain key elements of the staff such as Vanderlinden and Johnson. All three are great recruiters. Any new coach is going to need to set up a system and rapport with high school coaches. These guys are already there. Our defense will continue to be good, if not great. The only down-side to Tom Bradley is that he is "part of the system." He is Al Gore to Bill Clinton. He coached under Sandusky. Did he know anything about this scandal? Can the University afford to continue with a man who might be tainted?

My personal opinion: Bradley has NO chance, unless the committee absolutely can't come up with a candidate by the bowl game or before LOI day. Then, he would probably be kept year to year.

But I sense that the BOT and Joyner want to clean the slate and start over. And depending on how hell-bent they are to clean house, that might mean signing a less than ideal coach just for the sake of moving on.

But I don't think they want to invest the capital they need to keep this $100+ million business running.

And even IF they open up the checkbook and are willing to spend big bucks . . . who is going to be willing to come to Penn State with this scandal hanging over the stadium like a black cloud? After all, there is more to job satisfaction than money. And who knows how serious the administration is about "de-emphasizing" the football program and what ramifications that will have in the future. I actually think the scandal and fall-out thereof would actually take some pressure off the new hire, much as it has endeared Tom Bradley to many Penn Staters who wouldn't have wanted him to succeed Paterno before this scandal--i.e. look how good a job Bradley did under the circumstances, when the reality is that Bradley went 1-3 and didn't make it to the Big Ten Title game. A new head coach could "buy" an extra year or two claiming that the scandal has hurt his recruiting, etc. Just a thought if you're considering applying for the job.

Who do I think will be the next head coach? I haven't a clue. But we could do worse than Chris Petersen. I truly expect Penn State to go low budget, lose recruits and season ticket holders and struggle for probably a decade. But then, I have lowered my expectations. Maybe this merry band of non-football folks can pull a Paterno out of a hat for a song. But I'm not going to hold my breath.

And BTW, Dr. Joyner . . . if I were you, I'd be keeping a list of those that don't return your calls or express no interest. Because the odds are that whoever is selected will be there for only a few years. That is what history has taught us. Notre Dame since Lou Holtz. Alabama after the Bear. Nebraska after Tom Osborne. Oklahoma after Switzer. The jury is still out on Jimbo Fisher, but if F$U doesn't get back into the Top Ten at the end of the season pretty soon, we will likely add the post Bowden era to that list.

Not every coaching change is as successful as the Engle to Paterno transfer was.

So I'd keep a list of those that turn you down now. They wouldn't get another opportunity down the road when the dust from this scandal has settled, if it were up to me.

And if it were up to me, I'd throw my hat in for a nomination to the BOT. I'll show them some change.

Bowling Season Opens December 17

2011-12-06T21:03:00.000-05:00

Trouble With a Capital T?

2011-12-05T10:40:00.001-05:00

Well, either you're closing your eyes

To a situation you do not wish to acknowledge
Or you are not aware of the caliber of disaster indicated
By the presence of a scandal in your community.
Ya got trouble, my friend, right here,
I say, trouble right here in Ticket City.
Trouble with a capital "T"
And that rhymes with "P" and that stands for Paterno!
--adapted from THE MUSIC MAN

Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, Ticket City said scandal be damned--we want Penn State! I applaud their testicular fortitude. For the other bowls . . . Gator on down . . . shame on you.

Here are the Big Ten Bowl tie-ins:
Rose Bowl (Wisconsin)
Cap One Bowl (Nebraska)
Outback Bowl (Michigan State)
Gator Bowl (Ohio State)
Insight Bowl (Iowa)
Meineke Car Care (Northwestern)
Ticket City (Penn State)
Litle Ceasars (Purdue)

OK. I don't think for one minute that the Bowl system or the BCS is FAIR. It never has been, and until a major overhaul occurs, it never will be.

Is it fair that Oklahoma State not have a chance at LSU? Boise State is one missed field goal away from a perfect season and they are relegated to a December 22nd snooze fest against a 6-6 barely bowl eligible Arizona State. Talk about injustice!

And our opponent, Houston, was one game away from a BCS spot, and now they are stuck playing us. Thank Heavens I ain't a Cougar fan.

Don't even get me started about West Virginia. The Big Least needs to lose that automatic bid and fast. Hell, you have to be in the top 14 I think just to be eligible for an at-large bid, and they couldn't even manage that. I hope Clemson clobbers them.

But we fans have no say in the bowl system--and probably shouldn't have any say. Otherwise, it becomes a popularity contest rather than a match-up of competitive teams.

And in the final analysis, the LSU-Bama match-up will be competitive. Unfortunately, we've already been there and done that. If I were overhauling the BCS system, one change I'd make is to eliminate rematches. If the teams have already played, then the team that previously lost is skipped and you match up the next best team. But that would make too much sense. And I digress.

The system also gives us some interesting matchups to look forward to: Oregon-Wisconsin, Georgia-Michigan State, and Stanford-Oklahoma State, to name a few.

The problem I have with the system is the Big Ten tie ins. Penn State tied for first in their division (so came in second at worst) and maybe fifth overall behind THEM, Nebraska, MSU and Wisconsin. We lost to three of those teams and I have no problem seeing them get good bowls. I hate THEM, but they have a better record. I personally think MSU should have gotten their bowl bid, but I'm not going to go there right now.

But for Ohio State to go to the Gator Bowl when we beat the Buckeyes and they are only 6-6 is simply unacceptable. Likewise for Iowa and Northwestern whom we beat. We have a better record on the field overall and won the head-to-head games against them, yet the bowls selected them ahead of Penn State.

Why? Well, we don't need to mention that here, but if you have been living under a rock, you can save 15% on your car insurance AND the reason is Sandusky.

But how do the players on this team and we ardent fans of the game have any blame in this? Why are the players and fans being penalized because of this?

Because life isn't fair. Thank you Mr. Obvious.

On the other hand, the match-up with the cougars is not a bad opportunity to challenge our defense. We are playing a team with only one loss, and a team ranked 19th in the BCS. Only Iowa is playing a higher ranked bowl opponent (Oklahoma at 14.) The Gator bowl would be a Florida rematch, which quite frankly doesn't excite me. Northwestern can have A&M. It would be nice to play a team like Oklahoma, but who wants to play a bowl game on December 30th?

It sucks that the game is on ESPNU. Who? The U? Give me a freaking break. Why???? (Because all the other "better" games are on the other channels.) It's also a noon start--but it is the day after the first, so maybe the hangover won't be so bad.

All in all, things could have been worse. I hope our guys give Houston a problem.

We're Bowling! Strike up the band and strike down the Cougars!

Bowl Lineup

2011-12-04T23:05:00.001-05:00

Bowl/Teams	Location	Date/Time	TV
Gildan New Mexico	Albuquerque, NM	Sat., Dec. 17	ESPN
Temple vs. Wyoming	University Stadium	2:00 p.m. ET
Famous Idaho Potato	Boise, ID	Sat., Dec. 17	ESPN
Ohio vs. Utah State	Bronco Stadium	5:30 p.m. ET
R+L Carriers New Orleans	New Orleans, LA	Sat., Dec. 17	ESPN
La.-Lafayette vs. San Diego St.	Mercedes-Benz Superdome	9:00 p.m. ET	(3D)
Beef O' Brady's St. Petersburg	St. Petersburg, FL	Tue., Dec. 20	ESPN
Florida International vs. Marshall	Tropicana Field	8:00 p.m. ET	(3D)
San Diego County CU Poinsettia	San Diego, CA	Wed., Dec. 21	ESPN
Louisiana Tech vs. TCU	Qualcomm Stadium	8:00 p.m. ET
MAACO Las Vegas	Las Vegas, NV	Thu., Dec. 22	ESPN
Arizona State vs. Boise State	Sam Boyd Stadium	8:00 p.m. ET
Sheraton Hawaii	Honolulu, HI	Sat., Dec. 24	ESPN
Nevada vs. Southern Miss	Aloha Stadium	8:00 p.m. ET
AdvoCare V100 Independence	Shreveport, LA	Mon., Dec. 26	ESPN
Missouri vs. North Carolina	Independence Stadium	5:00 p.m. ET
Little Caesars Pizza	Detroit, MI	Tue., Dec. 27	ESPN
Purdue vs. Western Michigan	Ford Field	4:30 p.m. ET
Belk	Charlotte, NC	Tue., Dec. 27	ESPN
Louisville vs. NC State	Bank of America Stadium	8:00 p.m. ET
Military	Washington, DC	Wed., Dec. 28	ESPN
Air Force vs. Toledo	RFK Stadium	4:30 p.m. ET
Bridgepoint Education Holiday	San Diego, CA	Wed., Dec. 28	ESPN
California vs. Texas	Qualcomm Stadium	8:00 p.m. ET
Champs Sports	Orlando, FL	Thu., Dec. 29	ESPN
Florida State vs. Notre Dame	Florida Citrus Bowl	5:30 p.m. ET	(3D)
Valero Alamo	San Antonio, TX	Thu., Dec. 29	ESPN
Baylor vs. Washington	Alamodome	9:00 p.m. ET
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces	Dallas, TX	Fri., Dec. 30	ESPN
BYU vs. Tulsa	Gerald J. Ford Stadium	12:00 p.m. ET
New Era Pinstripe	Bronx, NY	Fri., Dec. 30	ESPN
Iowa State vs. Rutgers	Yankee Stadium	3:20 p.m. ET
Franklin Amer. Mort. Music City	Nashville, TN	Fri., Dec. 30	ESPN
Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest	LP Field	6:40 p.m. ET
Insight	Tempe, AZ	Fri., Dec. 30	ESPN
Iowa vs. Oklahoma	Sun Devil Stadium	10:00 p.m. ET
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas	Houston, TX	Sat., Dec. 31	ESPN
Northwestern vs. Texas AM	Reliant Stadium	12:00 p.m. ET
Hyundai Sun	El Paso, TX	Sat., Dec. 31	CBS
Georgia Tech vs. Utah	Sun Bowl	2:00 p.m. ET
Kraft Fight Hunger	San Francisco, CA	Sat., Dec. 31	ESPN
Illinois vs. UCLA	AT&T Park	3:30 p.m. ET
AutoZone Liberty	Memphis, TN	Sat., Dec. 31	ABC
Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt	Liberty Bowl	3:30 p.m. ET
Chick-fil-A	Atlanta, GA	Sat., Dec. 31	ESPN
Auburn vs. Virginia	Georgia Dome	7:30 p.m. ET	(3D)
TicketCity	Dallas, TX	Mon., Jan. 2	ESPNU
Houston vs. Penn State	Cotton Bowl	12:00 p.m. ET
Capital One	Orlando, FL	Mon., Jan. 2	ESPN
Nebraska vs. South Carolina	Florida Citrus Bowl	1:00 p.m. ET	(3D)
Outback	Tampa, FL	Mon., Jan. 2	ABC
Georgia vs. Michigan State	Raymond James Stadium	1:00 p.m. ET
Taxslayer.com Gator	Jacksonville, FL	Mon., Jan. 2	ESPN2
Florida vs. Ohio State	EverBank Field	1:00 p.m. ET
Rose Bowl Game	Pasadena, CA	Mon., Jan. 2	ESPN
Oregon vs. Wisconsin	Rose Bowl	5:00 p.m. ET
Tostitos Fiesta	Glendale, AZ	Mon., Jan. 2	ESPN
Oklahoma State vs. Stanford	U. of Phoenix Stadium	8:30 p.m. ET
Allstate Sugar	New Orleans, LA	Tue., Jan. 3	ESPN
THEM vs. Virginia Tech	Mercedes-Benz Superdome	8:30 p.m. ET
Discover Orange	Miami Gardens, FL	Wed., Jan. 4	ESPN
Clemson vs. West Virginia	Sun Life Stadium	8:00 p.m. ET
AT&T Cotton	Arlington, TX	Fri., Jan. 6	FOX
Arkansas vs. Kansas State	Cowboys Stadium	8:00 p.m. ET
BBVA Compass	Birmingham, AL	Sat., Jan. 7	ESPN
Pittsburgh vs. SMU	Legion Field	1:00 p.m. ET
GoDaddy.com	Mobile, AL	Sun., Jan. 8	ESPN
Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois	Ladd-Peebles Stadium	9:00 p.m. ET
Allstate BCS National Championship	New Orleans, LA	Mon., Jan. 9	ESPN
Alabama vs. LSU	Mercedes-Benz Superdome	8:30 p.m. ET	(3D)

Coming to a Blog Near You

2011-12-04T22:48:00.000-05:00

Football Finale

2011-12-04T19:19:00.001-05:00

As we anxiously await the ~~screw Penn State~~ bowl selection process, here's a brief and irreverent (and more likely irrelevant) recap of Championship Saturday, which I guess technically began Friday night with the PAC-12 Championship game between UCLA and the Mutant Ninja Turtles of Eugene.

UCLA lost. Oregon outquacked them 49-31. Neuheisal is now available for the Penn State position. Wasn't he seen at the Tavern a few years ago?

Northern Illinois won the MAC Championship, defeating Ohio University 23-20. Penn State opens with Ohio next season. Maybe Frank Solich would want to be our next head coach? Wait a minute, Ohio was ahead 20-0 at the half. I guess we can cross him off the list. Not that he was ever on it.

My second favorite team, Boise State, beat New Mexico 45-0. Go Broncos! Man, I'd like to see what that coach could do with the facilities and tradition at Penn State. But I guess some recent NCAA infractions at Boise and our own little off the field diversion have made that possibility a no-go.

Speaking of a No-Go. . . Houston . . . we have a problem. The Cougars went from BCS buster to bust in one game, losing to Southern Miss 49-28. On the other hand, I've heard we might match up with Houston in the Nobody Else Wants You Toilet Bowl.

The Va Tech Chokies were in big game form, as the Clemson Tigers pounded them 38-10. Don't be surprised if they still end ranked in the top 10. The Chokies are almost as over-rated as Notre Dame.

Speaking of taking a pounding, Oklahoma was crushed by Oklahoma State 44-10. Has Stoops been mentioned as a possible candidate for Penn State? Who hasn't? I was wondering how they could stage the Big XII championship on the same day that Texas played Baylor--granted, neither of the latter teams were in the running at this point, but you wouldn't have known that when the Texas game was scheduled. But then I realized, the Big XII is really the Big X, and thus doesn't have enough teams to stage a championship. My, how the tables have turned.

LSU looked mortal, falling behind Mark Richt's Bulldogs 10-0 (isn't Mark Richt on the list of potential head coaching candidates as well?), but then LSU woke up and scored 42 unanswered points to seal the SEC Title and the BCS Title game rematch with the red elephants. The SEC is 7-0 in BCS Title games . . .they will lose one this year, since 8-1 is the best they can hope for. Or, maybe the computers will suddenly hate Alabama. Stranger things have happened, but I think ESPN has scheduled this rematch and nothing short of armageddon will stop it. Go Bama . . . just for the hell of it!

And in the Big Ten's inaugural title game, the Badgers managed not to make the last mistake this time, and MSU cooperated with a running into the punter penalty that sealed their doom. Mark Dantonio hates rematches. I hate rematches. I think LSU will hate them as well. For that matter, Okie State probably loathes the rematch. And, for what it's worth, Wisconsin won 42-39. LSU and Bama played to a six six tie in regulation. The Big Ten scores 81 points. What is this world coming to?

And now we sit back and see how many teams with worse records get better bowls than Penn State.

Mullin' Over Mullen

2011-11-29T20:21:00.000-05:00

One of the potential candidates for the Penn State coaching position is Dan Mullen of Mississippi State.

A news source WAPT is reporting:

Sources close to Mississippi State University's program have said that football coach Dan Mullen is close to signing a deal to replace Joe Paterno at Penn State.

Here is a YouTube Video of Mullen:

What are your thoughts, Nittany Nation?

Here is a man who has composed a most unimpressive record of 20-17 in three seasons at Mississippi State. The only jewel I can see is the pounding of the wolverines in the Gator Bowl, 52-14.

This season, his team is 6-6 with losses to Auburn, LSU, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Arkansas. The Bulldogs don't have a victory over a ranked team. In his best season, 9-4 in 2010, the team lost to the usual suspects: Auburn, LSU, Alabama and Arkansas, but did beat Florida 10-7 and then spanked the wolverines silly in the bowl game. The win over Florida, and a win over Ole Miss ranked 25th in 2009 are the only wins over a ranked team in that period. Miss State's best conference finish was fourth in a division with six teams.

Am I missing something here?

Of course, you probably could say the same thing about Penn State over the past three seasons, albeit we did tie for first in our division this year. But beating ranked teams is not something that Penn State seems to do anymore. At best, we appear to be aspiring to the status quo.

Hypocritical Media

2011-11-29T19:59:00.001-05:00

Should we be surprised that the media is hypocritical? Do as we say. . . not as we do?

Tom In Paine talks about this in his blog:

Two major events have occurred since the firing of Joe Paterno which prove that the news media are not only incompetent and dishonest but hypocritical beyond anything anyone would have thought possible.

The first revelation concerns the molestation charges against Syracuse assistant coach Bernie Fine.One of Fine's accusers secretly tape recorded a phone conversation he had with Fine's wife in 2002 in which the sexual contact with Fine was discussed and where Fine's wife admitted she knew everything her husband had been doing. Fine's accuser says he took the tape to the Syracuse Post Standard in 2002 along with his allegations against Fine and played the audio tape for them. The newspaper declined to report the allegations saying that, even with the tape they wanted more corroborating evidence before they would report it. In other words the Syracuse Post Standard gave more of the benefit of the doubt to an accused child molester than the news media in general gave to Joe Paterno, a man with a polished solid gold reputation for 60 years. And there has been no outcry by any of the sanctimonious self-serving members of the media who railed against Joe Paterno focused on the Post Standard for "having knowledge of" sexual abuse and not reporting it.

It gets a lot worse. It has also been revealed that the victim took the same audio tape to ESPN more than ten years ago with his allegations against Fine and played the tape for them, No one at ESPN did a thing. For ten years. They didnt talk to their own lawyers.They didnt refer it to any child protective agency. They didnt refer it to any law enforcement agency. They did nothing.

This is the same ESPN whose commentators called for Joe Paterno's firing immediately for, in their factually challenged hypocritical world, "not going to the authorities". The same ESPN whose commentators said Joe Paterno going to the administrative head of campus police the next day with McQueary's non-specific report wasn't enough. The same ESPN who accused Joe Paterno without a shred of proof, of being aware of child sexual abuse and "not doing enough". The same ESPN that had an audio tape confirming from the mouth of the abuser's own wife, the sexual abuse of a ball boy at Syracuse university. And did nothing.

And are the same sanctimonious self-righteous group of journalists insisting that anyone at ESPN who had been aware of those tapes for the last ten years and who is still with ESPN be fired? No. Of course not.

Unfortunately the second set of revelations makes it even worse for the media.

According to the mother, in a piece that can be read here, the principal of the high school her son attended, Karen Probst, was present in 2002 when her son openly accused Sandusky of molesting him and not only did the the school principle do nothing, according to the mother the principle actually tried to talk her and her son out of reporting it.

Additionally, according to the mother, Steve Turchetta, the boy's high school coach in 2002, repeatedly allowed Sandusky to come to the school and take the boy out of school not only without parental consent but without even any parental notification. And Turchetta continued to allow Sandusky to take the boy out of school even after the mother found out and protested.

It was Joe Paterno's picture that sold newspapers and got web hits, not Karen Probst's. It was going after Paterno that made the very small and sanctimonious feel very big.

The irony is, that in the end, Joe Paterno did more and with less knowledge, and did it faster than anyone connected to either the Sandusky allegations or the Bernie Fine allegations, all of whom had more knowledge that he did.

So what will ESPN do now? Will they accuse themselves of "not doing enough"? Will they accuse themselves of allowing a sexual predator to remain free? Will there be any media condemnation by others of ESPN? Anyone hear any media condemnation? Anyone demanding people at ESPN be fired? Or will they all hide under their sheets?

I don't think I'll live long enough to see something like that happen.

And unfortunately for Joe, I don't think he'll live long enough to see his name restored.

Searching for an Answer

2011-11-28T21:18:00.004-05:00

Fear not, beleaguered Penn State fans. Help is on the way. Penn State has organized a search ~~party~~ committee to find us a new head coach.

Yaaaaaaay! Are you tingling like I am?

From the Penn State release:

Penn State President Rodney Erickson appointed Joyner to head the search committee, which is comprised of:

- Linda Caldwell, Penn State Faculty Athletics Representative;
- Charmelle Green, Penn State Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator;
- Ira Lubert, Chairman and co-founder, Independence Capital Partners and Lubert Adler Partners;
- John Nichols, Emeritus Professor, Penn State College of Communications and Chair, Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics;
- Russ Rose, Head Coach, Penn State Women's Volleyball Team

Joyner said the search committee will meet this week.

Let's analyze this line by line, just for $hits and giggles.

The committee is appointed by the cyborg Erickson--the stiff doing the commercials now for Penn State during the football games. He's also president, so he's got that going for him. Why are we still playing that? Is it because all our other commericials are forever tainted with JoePa or Spanier stink? Could we pay LSU Freek to paste Erickson's head over top of Spanier and Tom Bradley over Joe in the old commercials???

Ok. So then we have the list of ~~party~~ committee members, starting with Joyner at the top. At least he comes with football experience, and is the ONLY committee member with any football experience.

Here is his bio:

Dr. David Joyner received his B.S. in Science from Penn State in 1972 and his M.D. from Penn State's College of Medicine in 1976. Following residencies in general and orthopedic surgery at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and a brief stint in the World Football League, Dr. Joyner began a medical career with a sports medicine emphasis.

Dr. Joyner is a health care and business consultant as well as an orthopedic physician.

As a physician, I suppose I should be happy with a colleague in control, and a brief stint in the World Football League looks great on any resumé, I'm just not really sold that Dr. Joyner has found what makes him happy in life yet.

Dr. Caldwell was appointed by ~~the devil~~ GRAHAM SPANIER.

Penn State President Graham Spanier has appointed Dr. Linda Caldwell, professor of recreation, park, and tourism management, to serve as Penn State's faculty athletics representative to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

A 1976 graduate of Penn State, Caldwell earned a master’s degree in recreation resources administration in 1982 from North Carolina State University. She earned a Ph. D. in recreation in 1986 from the University of Maryland.

She will bring a lot of recreational influence to this committee.

Charmelle Green was hired by ~~Beelzebub~~ Tim Curley, to "bring a broad combination of professional experience from Notre Dame." And we all know how successful the Irish are at hiring coaches!

Most recently the head of the Office of Student-Athlete Welfare & Development and the sport administrator for women's swimming & diving, Green has spent the past six years in Notre Dame's athletic administration. During that time, she oversaw the student development program, with the mission of providing a balanced Notre Dame experience for student-athletes by focusing on five key areas: academic excellence, athletic success, career preparation, community involvement and personal development.

Prior to joining athletic administration at Notre Dame, Green was an assistant softball coach from 2001-05. During her tenure on the coaching staff, the Fighting Irish were selected for the NCAA Tournament four times and won four Big East Conference regular season championships.

An All-American softball player at the University of Utah, Green spent time in Salt Lake City after graduation working as a recreation program coordinator from 1995-98. Among her notable achievements was raising more than $700,000 in annual revenue. She was also an integral part of developing an advisory board for the development of an inner-city school for the arts.

Hopefully she can improve on that fund raising ability to put the down payment on a coach for Penn State. Don't look too hard, but you won't see the word football in any of these other bios.

Ira Lubert sounds like he should have been a linebacker. Lubert Trophy winner?

Mr. Lubert has thirty years experience in the real estate investment sector. . . Mr. Lubert holds a B.S. in human development from Pennsylvania State University and currently serves on the board of directors for Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, The Franklin Institute, and PREIT (NYSE: PEI).

Mr. Lubert also serves on community boards, and is currently on the Board of Trustees of Pennsylvania State University.

I wonder how he got this gig? What more could you want from someone trying to pick a football coach? He probably drew the short straw, or he was absent from the last meeting whereupon they nominated him as punishment.

John Nichols completed all his education in Minnesota, and by virtue of that fact, is a football connoisseur.

John S. Nichols, a member of the Penn State faculty since 1977, is a professor of communications and a specialist in international communications, comparative media systems and telecommunications policy.

He is the co-author of "Clandestine Radio Broadcasting," selected as a Choice "Outstanding Academic Book," and a contributing author to 18 other books in the fields of international communications and foreign affairs, two of which also won Choice awards. Books to which he contributed include: "Telecommunications in Latin America" (Noam), "Nicaragua in Revolution" (Walker), "U.S.-Latin America Policymaking" (Dent), "International Communication" (Anokwa, Lin and Salwen) and "Communications in Latin America" (Cole).

He reportedly watched a football game one time, and has stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. How is a background in telecommunications in Latin America going to help us find a head coach? Is our next coach even going to speak English?

Russ Rose. At last! A head coach! Not in football, but at least we're getting warm here.

Record-breaking. History-making. Unprecedented. All of those words can be used to describe the tenure of Penn State women's volleyball head coach Russ Rose's career in Happy Valley. After 32 seasons leading the Nittany Lions, his name has become synonymous with the pride and tradition of the program. At the helm of arguably the most successful program in the country, Russ Rose continues to pass along the confidence and character he has gained during his career.

In 32 seasons at Penn State, Rose has collected wins at a staggering pace. Never having posted fewer than 22 wins in a season, he enters the 2011 season as the NCAA leader in career winning percentage, having won more than 86 percent of the matches he has coached at Penn State. He is just the third active Division I head coach to reach 1,000 career wins, having reached the milestone with an NCAA National Semifinal victory against Hawaii in 2009. A victory which earned the Nittany Lions a spot in the NCAA Championship match.

I like Russ. I'm glad he's on this committee, even if he doesn't have any direct football ties. He is a successful head coach himself, and of all the people on this list, he probably has the biggest vested interest in the next head coach at Penn State. Why? Because the football program underwrites all the other sports (with the possible exception of men's basketball, and let's face it . . . this program wouldn't be playing in the Bryce Jordan Center if Beaver Stadium wasn't next door.) In other words, his salary depends on football and the success of that program. Volleyball probably wouldn't be the first to go if cuts have to be made, but how far down on the list will the pain go if football falls apart???

Joyner said the committee will meet this week--over coffee and donuts. Maybe they'll meet at the Tavern and see which big time football coaches are hanging out there!

Maybe they should have organized a committee to select the committee to search for the next head coach?

I guess I'm just pissed they didn't ask me!

Wrecking Ball

2011-11-27T22:23:00.000-05:00

Lions have "CHEESE TOUCH!"

Monte Ball rolled all over Penn State en route to scoring 4 touchdowns and leading the Badgers to a 45-7 victory over the Nittany Lions in Madison. Ball brought his season TD total to 34, five behind all-time leader Barry Sanders. And while the offensive output against this Penn State defense was impressive, the key to the Badgers success was four turn-overs. Three fumbles--two on punts--and an interception gave the Badger offense great field position and kept our defense on the field a long time. The Badgers had the ball almost twice as long as Penn State and they ran 36 more offensive plays.

I don't need to tell you how big this game was. Although the Lions can claim a "share" of the Leaders Division title, the claim is hollow and meaningless, as Wisconsin will head to Indy to face Michigan State again. But don't worry, football fans. Rematches are in this season as it appears we will have to endure another LSU-Bama bore fest for all the marbles.

I could dissect this game in detail, but you probably watched it and you don't want to hear about it again. In a capsule, we played sloppy and unfocused. We lost time of possession by the largest margin since probably 1994, when Penn State's average scoring drive was around two minutes on the season. Throw in a few turnovers and we never stood a chance.

It was a whine and cheese party in Madison. They brought the cheese, and I will provide the whine. Yes. I'm going to say it. I am going to go there. The officiating sucked. IT DID NOT COST US THE GAME--Wisconsin was too good for that. But that makes the piss-poor officiating all that more egregious.

The night before the game I was talking with a friend about this. I knew that Penn State could not hope to blow-out Wisconsin. Our only hope was a close game. But in a close game, the referee can make the critical call that swings things. I told my friend that the Big Ten had already decided that Penn State could not be in this title game. They did not want that kind of publicity. Who am I kidding? They never wanted us in any title race. But the point I made to him was that the referees would favor the Badgers at all costs.

Not even half way through the game--at 4:30 PM--he texted me saying I was right about the referees and he bows to my greatnesss. There are times when I hate to be right.

Seriously. Wisconsin did not need the help. And the bad calls--like the blatant PI on Haplea that wasn't called and the unsportsmanlike penalty on McGloin for throwing the ball incomplete after the play was whistled dead for a penalty--only kept Penn State from ever having a chance to climb back into this game. Again, the calls did not keep us from winning--we weren't good enough to win this game. But they made an uncompetitive game even more lopsided.

And why was Russell Wilson still taking snaps in the fourth quarter? You never want to see a player injured, but there would have been some poetic justice to watch Bielema's face if his star QB suffered an injury slipping on the wet field when he didn't need to be out there.

In the end, the game was disappointing beyond words.

And now the fate of this program is in the hands of the Board of Trustees and David Joyner (who was on the board!) The list of potential candidates has shrunk due to circumstances beyond the football field. Will they rush to fill the position, perhaps making a bad choice just to make a choice? The precedent has been set: they rushed to fire Paterno before they even investigated the situation.

My how the tables have turned. At the beginning of this season, a large number of PSU fans were hoping Paterno would retire and that Penn State would direct a national search for a replacement instead of staying in house like Paterno wanted to do. Now, just months later, we miss Paterno and would prefer to see Tom Bradley take the helm, rather than a second-rate coach with no proven ability.

Think about it. Who do you want to coach this team? Al Golden does not have the experience. London at Virginia? Did you see that Virginia team against Va Tech? Meyer might be a good temporary choice, but it doesn't look likely that will happen. He's either a liar and he is going to Ohio State, or he's not going there. I've heard rumors of Tony Dungy, and of all the candidates I've heard so far, that might be the best.

Unfortunately, the buffoons on the BOT either don't realize how importnat this football program is to the University--or they don't care. Either way, I fear a knee jerk move to erase Paterno completely from the picture and anyone ever associated with him. They will act too quickly in the name of wanting to do something, to start the healing, and to move forward. But making a bad decision is worse than making no decision in this case.

Say what you will about Paterno. Maybe he knew more about Sandusky than we know. Maybe he should have done more. But he still built this program to what it is today--or at least to what it was before November 5th. He graduated students. He cared about the athletes under his supervision. He spurned changing uniform designs to make a buck or show off. He benched players for celebration. He did football the way it was meant to be done, even if he didn't always win and didn't always make us armchair quarterbacks happy.

But in its time of need, Penn State has seen fit to expel the strongest moral compass in collegiate football--EVER--just when we need morality the most.

We can only pray that his replacement is a fraction as noble and successful as Paterno, while still doing football the right way.

BY THE NUMBERS:

From the GoPSUsports site:

Team Totals	PSU	WIS
FIRST DOWNS	12	27
Rushing	6	13
Passing	4	13
Penalty	2	1
NET YARDS RUSHING	114	264
Rushing Attempts	27	49
Average Per Rush	4.2	5.4
Rushing Touchdowns	0	4
Yards Gained Rushing	114	279
Yards Lost Rushing	0	15
NET YARDS PASSING	119	186
Completions-Attempts-Int	11-25-1	19-29-0
Average Per Attempt	4.8	6.4
Average Per Completion	10.8	9.8
Passing Touchdowns	1	2
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS	233	450
Total offense plays	52	78
Average Gain Per Play	4.5	5.8
Fumbles: Number-Lost	4-3	1-1
Penalties: Number-Yards	7-58	4-35
PUNTS-YARDS	5-231	5-203
Average Yards Per Punt	46.2	40.6
Net Yards Per Punt	41.4	29.8
Inside 20	3	1
50+ Yards	2	1
Touchbacks	0	1
Fair catch	1	0
KICKOFFS-YARDS	2-127	8-457
Average Yards Per Kickoff	63.5	57.1
Net Yards Per Kickoff	39.5	41.1
Touchbacks	0	0
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD	4-34-0	2-24-0
Average Per Return	8.5	12
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD	6-128-0	2-48-0
Average Per Return	21.3	24
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD	0-0-0	1-0-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD	1-6-0	0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards	0	0
Possession Time	21:43	38:47
1st Quarter	3:37	11:23
2nd Quarter	4:29	10:31
3rd Quarter	7:44	7:16
4th Quarter	5:53	9:07
Third-Down Conversions	4 of 13	9 of 16
Fourth-Down Conversions	0 of 2	0 of 0
Red-Zone Scores-Chances	0-1	6-6
Touchdowns	0-1	5-6
Field goals	0-1	1-6
Sacks By: Number-Yards	2-12	0-0
PAT Kicks	1-1	6-6
Field Goals	0-0	1-1

Again, time of possession and turnovers absolutely killed us. The interception by McGloin occurred right after the Badgers had kicked out of bounds and we had good field position at the forty. Bad pass. Killed us. The fumble by Redd on the opening drive of the second half was a killer too. No chance to get back in the game.

INTANGIBLES:

The only thing we won on Saturday was the coin toss. We deferred.

A wet crowd of 79,708 jumped around Camp Randall Stadium.

Wisconsin leads the all-time series 6-9.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

Michigan State and Wisconsin will square off AGAIN for the Big Ten title. Personally, I think the tie breaker system sucks. Why send Wisconsin back to face the Spartans. Been there done that. Head to head competition ought to play a rule in who they face, not just in the division. Wisconsin had their shot and blew it. The next ranked team in the division should have shot. Otherwise, why did they even play the first game in the first place?

Illinois has fired Ron Zook, after becoming the first school to win their first six games, and then lose the last six.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1. For college football fans--who will be forced to watch a rematch between LSU and Alabama in all likelihood. See BIG PICTURE above. Oh yeah, like Georgia might win.
2. Arkansas--pounded by LSU
3. Pitt--WVU wins the backyard brawl by one point
4. Notre Dame--LUCK is with Stanford, not the Irish
5. Clemson - lost to South Carolina; must face Va Tech in the ACC championship

LOOKING AHEAD:

I'm not going to speculate on the bowl here. We'll preview that after the picks are made.

Microphone Man #2

2011-11-25T13:31:00.001-05:00

Hey! It worked last week. . .

All right, Penn State!

This half of the Internet yells BEAT. The other half yells WISCONSIN.

BEAT.

WISCONSIN.

BEAT.

WISCONSIN.

I can't hear you!

BEAT . . . . WISCONSIN!

BEAT . . . . WISCONSIN!

Celebrate Thanksgiving . . .

2011-11-23T22:00:00.001-05:00

Baste a Hokie!

And my favorite Thanksgiving clip . . . again:

Statistically Speaking: Monte Ball Edition

2011-11-23T14:14:00.002-05:00

What IS behind curtain number 3?

The NCAA rankings don't favor Penn State well this week in the match-up with Wisconsin.

NCAA Stats Comparison

Category:	Penn St.	Wisconsin	Delta

Rushing	45	10	-35
Passing Offense	95	57	-38
Total Offense	89	12	-77
Scoring Offense	106	5	-101
Rushing Defense	34	44	10
Turnovers Gained	14	61	47
Passes Had Intercepted	36	2	-34
Pass Defense	6	3	-3
Net Punting	92	70	-22
Punt Returns	80	5	-75
Kickoff Returns	26	91	65
Turnover Margin	23	7	-16
Fumbles Recovered	27	108	81
Passes Intercepted	14	19	5
Fumbles Lost	70	1	-69
Turnovers Lost	49	2	-47
Passing Efficiency	110	2	-108
Pass Efficiency Defense	4	10	6
Total Defense	8	6	-2
Scoring Defense	3	6	3
Fewest Penalties Per Game	20	32	12
Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game	23	25	2
Punt Return Yardage Defense	61	55	-6
Kickoff Return Yardage Defense	66	80	14
Offense Third-down Efficiency	92	3	-89
Offense Fourth-down Efficiency	17	10	-7
Defense Third-down Efficiency	41	39	-2
Defense Fourth-down Efficiency	35	69	34
Tackles for Loss	22	29	7
Offense Tackles for Loss	5	16	11
Pass Sacks	25	42	17
Pass Sacks Allowed	21	47	26
Time of Possession	40	27	-13
First Downs	83	22	-61
First Downs Allowed	12	4	-8
Red Zone Efficiency	86	3	-83
Red Zone Efficiency - Defense	115	69	-46

Average NCAA Rank:	45.81	29.54	-16.27
Weighted Avg. Rank:	51.25	19.33	-31.92

The Badgers are better than Penn State in almost every category. Wisconsin's 29.54 average NCAA rank is good for FOURTH in the nation, behind LSU, Alabama and Stanford in that order. In case you are wondering, PSU's 45.81 is ranked 20th in the Nation.

Even in the categories where PSU has an "edge", that edge is thin. Kickoff returns and fumbles recovered is where it is at. We need to recover fumbles and run back kicks to win this game.

Penn State is a 15 point underdog.

Well, throw out those stats. Stifle Edith. Come on Eileen. Good Night Irene.

This game is going to come down to the team that wants it the most. Penn State has overcome incredible tragedy and odds to even be in this position. Yeah, they've won a lot of close ugly games against less than marquee opponents. In fact, the two marquee opponents to date--Nebraska and Alabama--beat us.

But Ohio State beat the Badgers (in Ohio Stadium.) And in case you forgot, Penn State beat those same Buckeyes (actually a better Buckeye team because they had Posey back) last Saturday in Ohio Stadium. Michigan State needed a Hail Mary pass to beat the Badgers, but again, that was not in Madison. The guys with a W on their helmet are averaging about 52 points per home game.

Make no mistake about it. Penn State will be lucky if they are still in this game going into the fourth quarter. But if they are still in the game--watch out. This team is on a mission, and that mission is not to lose.

In my preseason assessment, I ranked this game as the second most difficult game to win behind the Alabama game. It still is. Here's what I said:

After I put this list together, I found out that Jon Budmayr, who was supposed to start for the Badgers at Quarterback, has been injured. NC State transfer Russell Wilson is going to be thrust into the job early on, according to the ESPN Big 10 Blog. Of course, he may be back by the last game of the season, but who knows if he can win his job back (ala Bolden last year) or if he will mentally and physically be able to manage the team.

Had I known this, I might have dropped the Badgers down to 4th. But maybe not. Does it really matter who is the quarterback? They are going to line up a herd of cattle across the field and pound the ball at you come hell or high water. They have depth at running back--Montee Ball (are you kidding me!), James White and Zach Brown. Despite losing two all-Americans on the line, the Badgers are expected to reload. That's what they do. Big. Offensive. Linemen.

Prediction: We lose. We might win, but I just don't have the confidence (stupidity) that I used to have. I think a lot will come down to how banged up these teams are after the Big Ten season. It should be an interesting finale, and hopefully will have some championship implications.

Well, well, well. I wasn't far off. But who knew a reject from NC State would end up being a star QB for the Badgers? And while I'm not sure there's enough Kool Aid to really make me think we can or will win this game, I just can't shake the feeling that this team, these players, these coaches--won't find some way to pull this out and head to Indy for the Big Ten Championship.

And perhaps the stars are aligning. Apparently, the starting center for Wisconsin is out due to an injury.

The Badgers are known for their outstanding offensive lines, but they are dealing with a key injury as center Peter Konz is out with a bad ankle. That has led to some shuffling on the line, which could be a break for Penn State's defensive front.

Tom Bradley has gone on record saying he wants the PSU head coaching job. This is a big test, but if he brings home a win--and perhaps a Big Ten Title--can the Board of Trustees really look past him?

GO STATE! BEAT BADGERS!

The New Big Ten Trophy

2011-11-21T20:46:00.000-05:00

What Might Have Been

2011-11-20T16:17:00.000-05:00

From ESPN:

If only we had found a way to beat Nebraska! Every one loss team is in the Top 10! Oh, well. With the benefit of hindsight, maybe we wish we'd have done more!

Nuttin' to It

2011-11-19T23:33:00.001-05:00

WE BEAT THE BUCKEYES!!!!!!

The mighty Nuts of Columbus fell to the Nittany Lions 20-14. What many expected to be a defensive struggle turned into a plethora of points in the first half, but in the end, defense was the name of the game in the second half. Ohio State withstood a goal line stand, turning the men in white away with no points, while the Lions managed to recover two fumbles that helped keep the Buckeyes off the board.

The Penn State offense looked like it had found new life with the wildcat formation but in the end, we scored one less point than our season average of 21. The addition of Belton and Drake seemed to spark the offense in the first half, but couldn't produce points in the second. It was particularly disappointing and frustrating to see Penn State fail to convert on first and goal from the two. It was like the 1979 Sugar Bowl all over again, sans Joe Paterno.

The play calling on that series was baffling. Two fullback dives up the middle? An ineffective QB sneak? Another dive up the middle by Green? Joe must have been on the phone calling plays! Perhaps it's just easy to second guess from our armchairs, but seriously? As imaginative as the offense seemed elsewhere on the field, the anal sphincter still squeezes tighter than a boa constrictor inside the red zone.

I said in my statistical analysis this week that the game would be won by the team that made the fewest mistakes. They had two fumbles. We threw one pick. But it was not a pick six, so we had that going for us for once. So we won by one score and one turnover.

And a win is sweet. This is the first victory in the post-Paterno era.

The Lions advance to 9-2 on the season, 6-1 in the conference and they still control their own destiny. Of course, so does Wisconsin. Next week's battle in Madison will decide the Big Ten Leaders division. Ohio State falls to 6-5 (3-4) and are still bowl eligible. Perhaps they can salvage their season with a win over THEM next week.

After seeing our "new" offense today, I am more optimistic about our chances. Consider this: this was the first game we use Belton and Drake like this. It now gives the Badgers something else they have to prepare for this week. And it gives our coaches some options we didn't have before. I am going to assume another week of practice will produce another wrinkle and better results.

Anthony Fera hit two field goals. I was a little concerned about the kicking game, but he came through.

After watching Nebraska today, I can only wonder why that team didn't show up last week in Beaver Stadium. With teams in the top ten falling right and left, who knows how far this team could have gone?

But, the still have another Big test next week.

This coaching staff is doing an amazing job of keeping this team focused and playing well. I have been on record as saying I wasn't sure Bradley was "head coach" material. I was wrong. And if there is some way he can be the next coach--not just the interim coach--I am okay with that.

BY THE NUMBERS:

From the GoPSUsports site:

Team Totals	PSU	OSU
FIRST DOWNS	16	15
Rushing	9	10
Passing	5	4
Penalty	2	1
NET YARDS RUSHING	239	206
Rushing Attempts	39	43
Average Per Rush	6.1	4.8
Rushing Touchdowns	2	1
Yards Gained Rushing	241	235
Yards Lost Rushing	2	29
NET YARDS PASSING	88	83
Completions-Attempts-Int	10-18-1	7-17-0
Average Per Attempt	4.9	4.9
Average Per Completion	8.8	11.9
Passing Touchdowns	0	1
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS	327	289
Total offense plays	57	60
Average Gain Per Play	5.7	4.8
Fumbles: Number-Lost	0-0	2-2
Penalties: Number-Yards	5-40	6-32
PUNTS-YARDS	4-144	4-153
Average Yards Per Punt	36	38.2
Net Yards Per Punt	36	30.8
Inside 20	3	0
50+ Yards	0	0
Touchbacks	0	1
Fair catch	1	1
KICKOFFS-YARDS	4-277	3-203
Average Yards Per Kickoff	69.2	67.7
Net Yards Per Kickoff	46.2	49.7
Touchbacks	1	1
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD	2-10-0	0-0-0
Average Per Return	5	0
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD	2-34-0	3-72-0
Average Per Return	17	24
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD	0-0-0	1-15-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD	0-0-0	0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards	0	0
Possession Time	30:08	29:52
1st Quarter	8:02	6:58
2nd Quarter	7:58	7:02
3rd Quarter	8:42	6:18
4th Quarter	5:26	9:34
Third-Down Conversions	6 of 13	7 of 13
Fourth-Down Conversions	0 of 1	0 of 2
Red-Zone Scores-Chances	1-2	1-1
Touchdowns	1-2	1-1
Field goals	0-2	0-1
Sacks By: Number-Yards	3-17	0-0
PAT Kicks	2-2	2-2
Field Goals	2-2	0-0

Time of possession is equal. In fact, nearly every category is equal except for the fumbles. Neither team passed well, and Penn State logged three sacks.

INTANGIBLES:

Ohio State won the toss and deferred.

Ohio State leads the all-time series 14-13.

Tom Bradley notches win #1. 408 more to go . . .

Attendance was listed at 105,493.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

Michigan State locked up the Legends division, throttling Indiana 55-3.

The Ann Arbor Aholes ran the score up on Nebraska 45-17. Welcome to the real Big Ten, Huskers.

Iowa beat Purdue 31-21.

Northwestern beat Minnesota 28-13.

Wisconsin forces game seven by beating Illinois 28-17.

Thankfully, the inaugural Big Ten Championship won't include O$U or THEM. Hallelujah!

SHEDDING TEARS:

1. Okie State--missed a field goal (maybe!) and threw an INT in OT to lose to ISU.
2. Clemson--locked up ACC title game, but lost to NC State 37-13
3. F$U--amazing loss as time expires on clock mismanagement, but then a review calls the play incomplete which stopped the clock. A defensive penalty moves it five yards closer, but then the kicker misses anyway. Virginia's first win ever in Tallahassee.
4. Oregon falls to USC on a missed FG that would have tied them in regulation--doesn't anyone want to face LSU in the title game???
5. Oklahoma lost to Baylor 45-38--doesn't anyone want to face LSU in the title game???

LOOKING AHEAD:

Okay, be honest. Did you expect PSU to be playing for the Big Ten Championship game at this point?

Did you expect to see Wisconsin lose after the Badgers manhandled Nebraska?

But here we are. One game away from Indianapolis.

And the Badgers are beatable.

Here is their season to date:

W UNLV 51-17
W Oregon State 35-0
W Northern Illinois 49-7
W South Dakota 59-10
W Nebraska 48-17
W Indiana 59-7
L @ Michigan State 37-31
L @ Ohio State 33-29
W Purdue 62-17
W @ Minnesota 42-13
W @ Illinois 28-17

Wisconsin did not play an away game until OCTOBER 22. Both losses are on the road, and were close. But they struggled early against the Illini. Penn State may be the best defensive team they will face all year.

And let us end with this thought from "not so fast" Lee Corso:

Microphone Man

2011-11-19T13:46:00.000-05:00

All right, Penn State!

This half of the Internet yells BEAT. The other half yells BUCKEYES.

BEAT.

BUCKEYES.

BEAT.

BUCKEYES.

I can't hear you!

The mighty Zookers are fighting for their lives against the Big Ten refs. Should be up 21-7 on Whisky, but only 17-7 in Big Ten points.

GO ILLINI!

BEAT . . . . BADGERS!

BEAT . . . . BADGERS!

Oklahoma State destroyed by Cyclones

2011-11-19T09:43:00.007-05:00

The Number 2 team in the country has fallen. Only LSU and Houston are still undefeated.

The Cowpokes missed a field goal in the fourth quarter (did he miss it or not--man it was close) that sent the game into OT. Iowa State picked off Okie State in the second quarter to keep them from scoring, and then pounded the ball in for a TD to win 37-31.

It was the first time Iowa State ever beat a team ranked higher than seventh. And what did their fans do then?

They sang Sweet Caroline. (music starts about the 1:50 mark.)

I don't see him. Can you find Guido in this video????

May this be the first of many upsets this weekend . . . PSU, Nebraska, Illinois. I'll even sing Sweet Caroline if Illinois wins!

Sweet, Illinois . . . . BOM BOM BOM . . . so good, so good, so good!!!

Is there something in the air, or did I just pass gas???

Game Guide: Heels over Hokies Edition

2011-11-17T21:13:00.000-05:00

North Carolina is facing off against the Chokies tonight on ESPN. GO UNC!

In the Big Ten:

PSU heads to Columbus as a 7 point dog. GO STATE! CRACK NUTS!

Northwestern is favored by 15.5 over the Gophers. GO WILDCATS!

Wisconsin is favored by 14.5 over Illinois. Trap Game? Looking ahead to PSU? Who cares, as long as Illinois wins. GO ILLINI!

Iowa is favored by 3 over Purdue. Purdue deserves some love after upsetting O$U last week. GO BOILERS!

Michigan State is favored by 28 over Indiana. As long as MSU keeps winning, we won't see Denard Robinson in the inaugural title game. That's a good thing. GO SPARTY!

Nebraska is a 3.5 dog in the Big outHouse. No brainer. GO HUSKERS!

In games featuring past opponents:

Alabama faced Georgia . . . Southern. NL. ROLL TIDE!

The Owls are a 2 touchdown favorite over Army. I hate to root against the armed services, and quite frankly, strength of schedule means squat to PSU right now. GO ARMY!

Kent State is favored by 3 over EMU. GO EMU!

Indiana State (6-4) takes on Southern Illinois.

Guilt By Association

2011-11-17T11:00:00.001-05:00

It is simply incredible what has happened to Penn State since Sandusky was charged. Keep in mind through all this, he has maintained his innocence, and no one has been convicted of any wrong doing. The only two people fired by Penn State (Paterno and Spanier) were NOT INDICTED.

David Brooks admonishes us all to feel superior.

First came the atrocity, then came the vanity. The atrocity is what Jerry Sandusky has been accused of doing at Penn State. The vanity is the outraged reaction of a zillion commentators over the past week, whose indignation is based on the assumption that if they had been in Joe Paterno’s shoes, or assistant coach Mike McQueary’s shoes, they would have behaved better. They would have taken action and stopped any sexual assaults.

Even in cases where people consciously register some offense, they still often don’t intervene. In research done at Penn State and published in 1999, students were asked if they would make a stink if someone made a sexist remark in their presence. Half said yes. When researchers arranged for that to happen, only 16 percent protested.

In another experiment at a different school, 68 percent of students insisted they would refuse to answer if they were asked offensive questions during a job interview. But none actually objected when asked questions like, “Do you think it is appropriate for women to wear bras to work?”

So many people do nothing while witnessing ongoing crimes, psychologists have a name for it: the Bystander Effect. The more people are around to witness the crime, the less likely they are to intervene.

Unfortunately, the court of public opinion moves much faster than actual courts, and is not subject to the constraints of something silly like the Constitution. Penn State (and those apparently affiliated with the University) are apparently guilty until proven innocent to wit:

Alphalion75 writes on BWI:

This morning, my manager asked to meet with me.....

She knows I'm a Penn State grad....and simply wanted to give me some advice not to put up any PSU items in my workspace and not to make it public where I went to school......for my own protection. I told her, no disrespect and I appreciate the advice, but I'm "Penn State Proud" and she can dismiss me if she wants, I'm not going to take down my Penn State flag for anyone....the gall of some people.

Franco Harris responded to the firing of Paterno by supporting the venerable coach. What did he get for his valor?

The fallout of the Jerry Sandusky sexual-abuse scandal have taken down another Penn State man.
Not for what he did, but for what he said.
The Meadows Race Track and Casino has fired former Penn State and Steelers great Franco Harris as a spokesman for his support of Joe Paterno.

Apparently, you are NOT allowed to have an opinion in America anymore. At least one that your boss does not share. It get worse . . .

Gregory White tells The Daily Collegian he will never hire a Penn Stater.

I am sickened beyond belief by the disgusting support of pedophilia shown by Penn State students. To go as far as to riot by the thousands in support of people who did little to nothing to protect young children is inhuman.

As this seems to be the majority or at least not a minority of the student body morals I have had my corporation’s staff working this holiday weekend to go through all employee files. Anyone who went to Penn State will have their final checks waiting for them Monday morning and no one from Penn State will ever be hired by any company I run in the future!

Gregory White
Austin, Texas

Are you kidding me???? Having a college degree is now grounds for being fired?

Did you know that Jeffrey Dahmer spent a semester at Ohio State (before failing out)? Check out his picture--he even has the Buckstache! Don't hire any Ohio State graduates unless you support cannibalism! The Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski went to Harvard, Michigan and taught at Berkley. Don't hire anyone from those schools unless you support mail bombings!

Didn't anyone ever teach these people that two wrongs don't make a right? Punishing innocent students/faculty members does not atone or make up for the horrific acts which allegedly have been committed. Can't we just let the courts handle the punishment?

Advertisers are getting in on the flagellation, as Cars.com has pulled advertising on ESPN for Penn State games. And Citizen's Bank has decided not to hand out the buttons for the final two games:

In light of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, Citizens Bank is reportedly stopping distribution of Penn State football buttons for away contests at Ohio State and Wisconsin.

The slogans for the buttons were to be "Much Ado About Nuttin'" for Ohio State and "Brie 'em to Their Knees" for Wisconsin.

Granted, the slogans could be construed to have other meanings, but come on. They're football buttons, and have never been intended to have political or social commentaries. Only the narrow minded, who have already passed judgement, and like David Brooks said above, have decided that they are morally superior to all those involved, would have a problem with these buttons.

They have removed Paterno's name from the Big Ten Championship Trophy.

And, as if things can't get any worse, Rick Chandler warns fans to enjoy Paterno's statue while they can.

And I know just what you are wondering? Who is Sandusky anyway?

WE ARE PENN STATE!

2011-11-16T21:09:00.001-05:00

Statistically Speaking: Going Nuts Edition

2011-11-16T20:17:00.000-05:00

Here are the NCAA statistical rankings for PSU and O$U:

NCAA Stats Comparison

Category:	Penn St.	Ohio St.	Delta

Rushing	58	27	-31
Passing Offense	87	118	31
Total Offense	88	108	20
Scoring Offense	102	74	-28
Rushing Defense	28	27	-1
Turnovers Gained	14	79	65
Passes Had Intercepted	31	4	-27
Pass Defense	5	28	23
Net Punting	92	35	-57
Punt Returns	78	33	-45
Kickoff Returns	19	10	-9
Turnover Margin	21	27	6
Fumbles Recovered	38	109	71
Passes Intercepted	9	33	24
Fumbles Lost	87	21	-66
Turnovers Lost	60	3	-57
Passing Efficiency	108	82	-26
Pass Efficiency Defense	4	46	42
Total Defense	8	15	7
Scoring Defense	3	16	13
Fewest Penalties Per Game	22	46	24
Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game	27	47	20
Punt Return Yardage Defense	62	30	-32
Kickoff Return Yardage Defense	67	11	-56
Offense Third-down Efficiency	96	78	-18
Offense Fourth-down Efficiency	12	21	9
Defense Third-down Efficiency	30	53	23
Defense Fourth-down Efficiency	56	48	-8
Tackles for Loss	16	61	45
Offense Tackles for Loss	7	98	91
Pass Sacks	28	38	10
Pass Sacks Allowed	24	116	92
Time of Possession	43	34	-9
First Downs	78	105	27
First Downs Allowed	14	17	3
Red Zone Efficiency	77	24	-53
Red Zone Efficiency - Defense	116	56	-60

Average NCAA Rank:	46.35	48.05	1.70
Weighted Avg. Rank:	50.33	50.25	-0.08

It almost goes without saying that Penn State has to minimize turnovers to win this game. I don't know if there is any other team that has thrown more pick sixes in Ohio Stadium since 1993. I pity them if they have.

But I also think we have to be better in the RED ZONE, both offensively and defensively, if we want to have much of a chance in this game. The offense has been improving as the season wears on, but our defense is still ranked 116th out of 120 teams in the nation, allowing opponents to score 92% of the time when they reach the red zone.

Offensively, the Buckeyes are almost as bad as we are--in fact, we have an edge in total offense, but O$U has an edge in scoring offense.

Rushing defense is equal, with PSU having an edge in pass, pass efficiency, scoring and total defense.

I look for this to be a low scoring game with the team that makes the fewest mistakes prevailing. Of course, that's almost as obvious as saying the team that scores the most points will win the game. But I don't think either of these teams is going to light up the scoreboard much. Last weeks gameplan still had Paterno's fingerprints on it, except for maybe the pass back to McGloin. It will be interesting to see what Bradley comes up with this week, and whether we take any chances on the road--which we normally wouldn't do under Paterno.

I am also concerned about our kicking game, and this game may be decided by a field goal or two. Last week's was. And we came up short, er, wide right.

The Bucks are favored by a touchdown as of this writing.

Here is the season summary for the Bucknuts:

W Akron 42-0 (Akron is 1-9)
W Toledo 27-22
L @ Miami (FL) 6-24
W Colorado 37-17 (Colorado is 2-9)
L Michigan State 7-10
L @ Nebraska 27-34
W Illinois 17-7
W Wisconsin 33-29
W Indiana 34-20
L @Purdue 26-23 OT

In my preseason assessment, I ranked this game as the 4th toughest behind Bama, Wisconsin, and Nebraska. A loss does not eliminate us from Big Ten contention, but it would be nice to get some positive momentum before heading to Madison for the final game.

Here was my preseason summary and prediction:

Now it may seem that I am counting the Bucks out this year. Au contraire. (That's French for not so fast.) I don't think we will win any game from this point on in the countdown. But of the remaining games, we might have a chance at this one if the wheels come off in Columbus. And I wouldn't be surprised if they do.

Will the team rally around Fickell and use this adversity to become better? They might. Or the distractions and changes might disrupt the Big Ten juggernaut and throw it out of its groove.

Prediction: I don't think we will win this game, as of typing this in August. If Penn State shows me something on the field, and Ohio State struggles with new coach/quarterback, then I might reconsider. I just hope that win or lose, we play a competitive game, and don't throw the game away with an overly conservative game plan on the road that plays right into their strength. Both wins over the Buckeyes came when we played conservative and they made the mistakes (the Troy Smith fumble in 2005 and the Pryor fumble in 2008.) Both were relatively low scoring, conservative games. Maybe that's the way to go, but if we get behind, I hope we try to make something happen instead of falling apart.

Well, at 6-4, O$U has struggled this season. Of course, my Magic Eight Ball didn't tell me about the distractions that Penn State would face at this point. I mean seriously, the odds of Paterno being fired before the end of the season had to be like infinity to 1. WHO could have seen that coming?

Anyway, I think there is not enough at stake for us on the field, there are too many distractions, and with a reorganized coaching staff held together with band aids and duct tape, I don't think we can overcome the cheaters in Columbus. I'd sacrifice a small animal, though, to win this game. And the next one. Two animals. Small ones. Vermin that no one likes anyway. Maybe a mouse. Or a gopher. I'd even kill a wolverine for a couple of wins. Just two more.

Can we do it????

Nostradamus said there'd be days like these

2011-11-15T10:35:00.002-05:00

Those of you readers who are familiar with my work know that I usually try to find the humor in life around us. Sometimes that is hard to do, such as after Penn State loses a football game. Sometimes, it is impossible--humor after what may or may not have transpired at Penn State is impossible if not inappropriate.

Saturday Night Live tried.

And Bill Bettwy by cartoon in the Altoona Mirror.

As for me, I'm not going to touch the subject. Oops! Did I just say touched? My bad.

But I did find something interesting.

Did you know that Nostradamus (the 16th century seer and not the founder of Notre Damus) wrote about PATERNO in one of his quatrains??? Most historians think he was referring to a city in Italy called Paterno. I wonder if maybe he wasn't predicting what happened at Penn State!

Here are the quatrains from Crystalinks:

80

The blood of innocents, widow and virgin,

so many evils committed by means of the Great Red One,

holy images placed over burning candles,

terrified by fear, none will be seen to move.

81

The new empire in desolation

will be changed from the Northern Pole.

From Sicily will come such trouble that

it will bother the enterprise tributary to Philip.

82

Thin tall and dry, playing the good valet

in the end will have nothing but his dismissal;

sharp poison and letters in his collar,

he will be seized escaping into danger.

83

The largest sail set out of the port of Zara,

near Byzantium will carry out its enterprise.

Loss of enemy and friend will not be,

a third will turn on both with great pillage and capture.

84

Paterno will hear the cry from Sicily,

all the preparations in the Gulf of Trieste;

it will be heard as far as Sicily

flee oh, flee, so many sails, the dreaded pestilence !

Do you not have goosebumps???

The blood of innocents and so many evils committed by means of the Great Red One? Are people not saying that McQueary ("big red") is morally responsible for allowing this to perpetuate?

Burning candles--does that not refer to the vigil at Penn State?

And while Paterno's "empire" is not new, it would be to someone in the 16th century. And that empire is certainly in desolation now.

Tributary to Philip? Okay this is a bit of a stretch here. There's Phil, the most famous groundhog in PA, but I doubt that has anything to do with this. There's Phil Grosz, of Blue White Illustrated. Maybe fans will stop paying for his magazine, advertising on his site or paying the "tribute" to get premium information on his paid site. Works for me. Isn't this getting eerie? And Erie is a city in Pennsylvania!

The good valet--is that not Spanier???

George Paterno wrote a book about Joe, The Coach From Byzantium!

A third will turn on both . . . is that Curley and Schultz--and Paterno or McQueary is the third? Or is there more to come?

And is it mere coincidence that PATERNO is mentioned in quatrain 84. I think not! Paterno is 84 years old!

Jay Paterno

2011-11-13T18:58:00.001-05:00

I'll be the first to admit that I've been hard on Jay paterno over the years, re his playcalling, coaching results on the field and qualifications for his current position. But man, this whole situation just goes so far beyond football. I can't imagine having my father go through something like this at age 75, let alone 84.

Penn State #21

2011-11-13T18:49:00.000-05:00

From ESPN:

Three undefeated teams remain: LSU, Oklahoma State and Houston.

Only one team has not won a game this season: Florida Atlantic.

Three teams have only one win: Indiana, New Mexico and Akron.

No Mo-Joe

2011-11-13T12:39:00.002-05:00

Nebraska and Penn State played a football game yesterday. The Huskers prevailed 17-14. But the hearts and the minds of the fans and players were probably not on the game so much. It was a well-played exciting game, but the atmosphere and sportsmanship couldn't overcome the "elephant in the stadium."

There was something else there. And there was something that was missing.

The tragedy that has brought the football program to it's knees--in humility and prayer--was talked about in tailgates and among friends. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone thinks they are right. But all those differences were put aside as the two teams joined in prayer before the game at midfield.

It was refreshing to see a spectacle like that in an age where opposing teams are more likely to plant their flag on their opponents logo or stomp on a Terrible Towel.

As many put it, it was the start of a long slow healing process.

No matter how exciting the game was or what the outcome, though, it could not overcome the grievous pain felt for the victims. It will be a long time--perhaps never--before that elephant in the stadium is gone. Maybe it should never leave, as a painful reminder of the evil that lurks in the hearts of some men (and women!)

But the game could also not overcome the loss that fans felt as one person was absent. To be honest, that man's physical absence on the sideline has been present most of this year, and several times in past years. This was not the first time Tom Bradley was in charge. But it was the first time he was officially in charge--and ONLY in charge.

His interim debut was not rewarded with a victory. The players could not walk the winning game ball to the house on McKee Street. The hole left was most palpable as his son broke down, missing his father.

I don't think it matters whether Tom Bradley wins or loses. I strongly suspect this is the last season for all these coaches on this sideline. My sense from the Board of Trustees is that they will clean house at the end of the season. Sometimes, when you operate to remove a tumor, you have to remove some good tissue with the bad, just to make sure you get all of it.

It is not clear how the Board plans to go from here. The best case scenario would be to hire a new athletic director and allow that person, in conjunction with Rodney Erickson, to conduct a national search.

But already, there are rumors of Trustees reaching out to other coaches (Garban calling Virginia coach London for instance) and this kind of approach will not end well. The Board is not made up of people who are uniquely qualified to pick a football coach. Having individual Board members making calls is not an effective way to produce a candidate. The Board needs to put qualified people in place who will then continue working with the next coaching regime, rather than pushing personal agendas along haphazardly. I would rather start next season with Tom Bradley still at the helm, than rush through a selection process to just to have the job done but not done properly.

But I digress.

I felt the men on this team played their hearts out on Saturday. Readers who are familiar with me will know that I do not take losses well. This loss may just be the best loss I have ever seen.

Under extraordinarily difficult circumstances, this team faced down a top 20 opponent who was favored to win before they even stepped onto the field and went toe to toe with them until the last seconds faded away into a beautiful autumn afternoon in Happy Valley. In addition to all the emotions swirling in the stadium like the wind, for some this was their last game in Beaver Stadium as seniors. Their coach was gone with little time to prepare for that sudden change. I am so proud of these men for rising above all that, even if they came up short on the scoreboard. They did not come up short in the eyes of the world or in the hearts of true Penn Staters.

Falling down by 17 points, this team fought back and fought back hard. They scored 14 points in the final quarter and a half and came up a field goal short of tying Nebraska in the final minute.

If you want some football analysis, here it is: the missed field goal in the first half might have been the key to this game. It totally deflated the team after that, and obviously the margin of losing was 3. Those points were critical. The fumble by McGloin led to another score and was arguably the play of the second half. (His reception on the trick play was a close second!) But I firmly believe the unsung heroes of Nebraska's victory were its special teams. Their punt unit downed 5 of 8 punts inside our 20. In case you are wondering, we punted 7 times and downed no punts inside the Husker's 20.

In a game where the two teams were almost evenly matched in turnovers, passing, rushing and time of possession, it was special teams that carried the day. They kicked the field goal. We missed. They controlled field position--we did not.

And like that one presence that was missing--physically but not spiritually--that one man who could not finish his career . . . it just wasn't meant to be.

BY THE NUMBERS:

From the GoPSUsports site:

Team Totals	NEB	PSU
FIRST DOWNS	21	21
Rushing	10	10
Passing	10	9
Penalty	1	2
NET YARDS RUSHING	188	166
Rushing Attempts	48	43
Average Per Rush	3.9	3.9
Rushing Touchdowns	2	2
Yards Gained Rushing	200	174
Yards Lost Rushing	12	8
NET YARDS PASSING	143	209
Completions-Attempts-Int	13-27-0	17-35-0
Average Per Attempt	5.3	6
Average Per Completion	11	12.3
Passing Touchdowns	0	0
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS	331	375
Total offense plays	75	78
Average Gain Per Play	4.4	4.8
Fumbles: Number-Lost	1-1	1-1
Penalties: Number-Yards	6-45	3-32
PUNTS-YARDS	8-360	7-296
Average Yards Per Punt	45	42.3
Net Yards Per Punt	40.4	36.6
Inside 20	5	0
50+ Yards	2	3
Touchbacks	0	2
Fair catch	1	4
KICKOFFS-YARDS	4-276	3-193
Average Yards Per Kickoff	69	64.3
Net Yards Per Kickoff	48.8	44
Touchbacks	1	0
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD	0-0-0	3-37-0
Average Per Return	0	12.3
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD	3-61-0	3-61-0
Average Per Return	20.3	20.3
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD	0-0-0	0-0-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD	0-0-0	0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards	0	0
Possession Time	29:03	30:57
1st Quarter	5:09	9:51
2nd Quarter	9:07	5:53
3rd Quarter	8:28	6:32
4th Quarter	6:19	8:41
Third-Down Conversions	6 of 16	5 of 16
Fourth-Down Conversions	0 of 1	1 of 3
Red-Zone Scores-Chances	2-2	2-2
Touchdowns	2-2	2-2
Field goals	0-2	0-2
Sacks By: Number-Yards	1-7	1-3
PAT Kicks	2-2	2-2
Field Goals	1-1	0-1

I won't dwell on these as they were discussed above.

INTANGIBLES:

The Drum Major stuck the flip.

The crowd of 107,903 was fantastic and the largest crowd of the season.

Nebraska won the toss and deferred.

To whoever was responsible for the airplane flying around the stadium with its disparaging message: you should be ashamed of yourselves. You are entitled to your opinion, but that was not the venue or manner to express it.

Of course, I also question the decision to play "Lay your hands on me" during the senior video montage. Kind of questionable if you ask me.

Nebraska evened the all-time series at 7-up.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

Penn State is still leading the LEADERS division, but must win both of it's remaining games to make it to the conference championship. Actually, with the Buckeye loss, I think PSU would still go to Indy with a win over the Badgers, but I'm too lazy to look up the tie breakers. But the opposite is simple: win both and PSU is in.

The Buckeyes lost in OT 26-23 to Purdue.
THEM beat Illinois 31-14.
Wisconsin crushed Minnesota 42-13.
Northwestern fried Rice 28-6.
Michigan State defeated Iowa 37-21.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1. For the victims of sexual abuse. These are real.
2. Boise State--lost to TCU 36-35. TCU scored a two-point conversion and Boise missed a 39 yard field goal.
3. Stanford lost to Oregon 53-30.
4. Texas Tech was demonized by Okie State 66-6.
5. Speaking of Texas, the Longhorns lost to Missouri 17-5.

LOOKING AHEAD:

Penn State head to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes next week. PSU could still lose this game if they beat Wisconsin, assuming Whisky wins out as well.

I'll preview this game later. I don't feel up to it at the moment.

A New Beginning

2011-11-11T23:28:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow will be the dawning of a new era in Penn State football, although like Ben Franklin, many are wondering if the sun is rising or setting.

The players will be the same.

But it won't be the same. It will never be the same.

Tomorrow, Tom Bradley will begin his audition. He has three very difficult games to coach, and must do so in less than ideal circumstances. I do not think the BOT has any intention of keeping any coaches after this season, but who knows at this point. They are just a bunch of whacky, crazy guys.

But Tom has the opportunity to show that he can be a head coach, if not here then elsewhere. There isn't much time. The competition is unfairly tough. The distractions make his task monumental.

Will Tom Bradley lead this team to victory?

Will the players arise to the occasion?

I'm sure the fans will support this team either way.

But if Bradley manages the trifecta of beating Nebraska, Ohio State and Wisconsin, it will be very difficult not to give him due consideration as the next head coach.

The first test is tomorrow. Can he get past Bo?

Thank You Veterans!

2011-11-11T09:25:00.000-05:00

May we all find time amid this scandal to remember those who made our liberty and freedom possible, some paying with their very lives.

Thanks and prayers to all our veterans!

Weekly Game Guide

2011-11-10T22:47:00.000-05:00

Virginia Tech, favored by one over Georgia Tech, is currently leading eight. GO JACKETS!

In the Big Ten:

The Huskers are favored by 3 over Penn State. GO STATE! SHUCK HUSKERS!

The Cheateyes are favored by 7.5 over Purdue. GO BOILERS!

Illinois versus THEM is a pick. How great would it be for Illinois to win? I'd sacrifice a small animal for that! (Hey, it worked last week!) GO ILLINI!

Northwestern is favored by 16 over Rice. GO WILDCATS!

The Spartans are favored by 2.5 over Iowa. GO HAWKS!

Wisconsin is favored by 27 over the Gophers. How great would it be for Minnesota to win? I'd sacrifice a Klondike Bar that! GO GO GOPHERS!

Indiana has a bye week.

In games of past opponents:

Temple beat Miami (OH) 24-21 last night.

Alabama is a 17.5 point favorite over Mississippi State. ROLL TIDE ROLL!

Eastern Michigan is favored by 3.5 over Buffalo. GO EMU!

Indiana State is at Missouri State. GO TREES!

Who (or What) Will Be Next?

2011-11-10T22:27:00.002-05:00

Lester Munson of ESPN feels that the Lynch Mob in Old Main has more work to do.

But who's left? Mike McQueary? (He's actually not going to be at the game because of death threats.) But a good point, but he's thinking bigger.

Tom Bradley? Not big enough. Think BIGGER.

With Spanier and Paterno gone, who is left that is bigger?

The Board of Trustees? Good idea--GREAT IDEA--but think BIGGER!

Mr. Munson, bless his little heart, thinks that Penn State should stop playing football for a couple of years.

That's right. Let's just kill the football program, which coincidentally will kill the ENTIRE sports program at PSU since football pays ALL the bills.

As the trustees attempt to reset the priorities of the university and its football program, here are some things they must do:

Consider the cancellation of the football program for a period of at least two years. It might not be possible to establish a new culture without the total elimination of the old one. A two-year hiatus might be the only way to eliminate a systemic problem. How important is football to an institution of higher learning that serves 95,000 students and is supposed to be dedicated to the pursuit of excellence? When Tulane University was caught in a basketball point-shaving scandal in the mid-1980s, the university leadership eliminated the sport for several years to allow a complete renewal of values. When the U.S. Congress discovered a series of abuses in 2008 in its page program, which was designed to offer opportunities to young people, the members of Congress agreed to eliminate it altogether.

I already "suggested" that we should just close down the whole University, so I've got dibs on that one Lester.

But then, Lester praised the Board of Trustees for their exemplary action of canning the 84-year old Paterno. Not everyone sees this action as exemplary.

To wit, we have Dan Vecellio writing on The Huffington Post about why the media has missed the mark:

Quick. Don't think. Who is prime suspect number one in the scandal involving Penn State right now? If you were to read 95% of the stories put out by the national media since Sunday or gone on Twitter or (from stories I've heard) spoken with any of the national talking heads trudging through State College right now, they would tell you that the villain in this horrible, horrible incident is Joe Paterno.

Tell me, when was the last time you heard Jerry Sandusky's name? When was the last time you heard about the charges brought against athletic director Tim Curley and former VP of Business and Finance Gary Schultz? I'm fairly certain that these three men have been the ones charged with crimes in this on-going investigation.

1. "JOE PATERNO NEVER FOLLOWED UP ON THESE CHARGES" or "JOE PATERNO SENT THIS UP THE CHAIN OF COMMAND AND WASHED HIS HANDS OF THE SITUATION.
This was the first of many "facts" that was made up by the national media. If you've read the Grand Jury testimony, I commend you. Now go read it again. Pick out the part where it says Joe never went back to Tim Curley or Gary Schultz to see what was happening in the process. It never says he did, but it sure as hell doesn't say he didn't either.

2. "JOE PATERNO KNEW ABOUT (OR HAD TO HAVE KNOWN ABOUT) THE '98 ALLEGATIONS AND STILL LET A CHILD RAPIST AROUND HIS TEAM"

Once again, go back to the testimony. Nowhere does it say that Joe knew about any allegations before 2002. In fact, one person I know sat in a class on Tuesday and listened to Patriot-News reporter Sara Garim, who has been the point person for all of the investigative stories dealing with this case, say that Joe testified he did not know about the 1998 allegations, going as far to say: "I think it's fair to say, as far as you could possibly say, that Joe Paterno didn't know about [the 1998 investigation]." If some real investigating had been done by the national media, they'd probably know that too.
3. "JOE PATERNO ENABLED A CHILD RAPIST"

Use your words better. I understand your need for emphasis to sell, but using the word enable makes it seem like Joe hand-picked the boys for Sandusky.

4. "JOE PATERNO IS TIM CURLEY'S/GRAHAM SPANIER'S BOSS" or "JOE PATERNO RUNS PENN STATE UNIVERSITY"

Many columnists have brought this point up in regards to Joe pushing Mike McQueary's information up the chain of command. Since Joe runs everything there, he is to blame. He is the head honcho. Find other columns these men and women have written. Look at their Twitter feeds over the past year. Look at them from the past week! They'll tell you that he doesn't even run his own football team anymore and hasn't for 15 years. For an 84-year old man to not be able to look over 85 players and a coaching staff, but yet control 44,000 students on the University Park campus, plus the administrators, plus the faculty, plus the staff and handle day-to-day operations of a university seems unimaginable to me. But you know, whatever argument works at the time, guys.

When Joe Paterno released his retirement statement Wednesday morning, he said that he would finish out the year coaching. A large majority of the people I follow on Twitter and TV commentators said it wasn't enough and were adamant about it. He needed to resign now or be fired by the Board of Trustees. A huge, HUGE backlash for a man who just wants to coach four or five more football games. Later on in the afternoon, Ben Jones of Black Shoes Diaries and StateCollege.com tweeted that he was told Jerry Sandusky was spotted working out in a gym with his wife this morning. The reaction? "Wow." "Geez." "Welp."

This story has become so twisted that negative emotion about a man coaching a football game exceeds that of an accused chlid molester walking the streets of the town where he committed his crimes by what it seems to be millions of percent. By focusing on the tear-down of the most notable figure involved in the case, people have become numb to the man who did the most damage and those who have been accused to covering up that damage.

Sensationalizing a story led to Joe Paterno being the first man to lose his job in this fiasco. And while I have no qualms about saying Joe had to step down after this mess blew up, when looking back at the facts, is he really the first man who should have gotten the axe?

Now, since the media has completed Objective One: Bring Down JoePa, I hope they do what I always believed journalists did: find the facts, dig through the sources and tell the people the real stories happening in State College.

AMEN! My God! Someone IN THE MEDIA with a freaking clue!

And then there is TOM IN PAINE who posts about the railroading of Joe Paterno:

That is exactly what is going on now with the phony moralistic and imbecilic calls by factually challenged sportswriters and other journalists, not exactly known for their ability to think in the first place, for Joe Paterno the coach of Penn State football, to resign or be fired over a child abuse scandal involving a former defensive coach at Penn State.

The fact that, based on all the facts presently known, Paterno did nothing wrong, not in any imaginable way, doesn't stop the sanctimonious, self-righteous pseudo-moralistic members of the press from piling on over an issue for which they feel safe in piling on.

Based on all the facts at the grand jury's disposal Paterno did nothing wrong. And the Pennsylvania State Attorney General said as much as well.
But if you want to pretend youre a moral hero, if you are self-serving and sanctimonious and looking to beat your chest about something, that isnt good enough. That also wont sell newspapers, get TV ratings, or get website hits the way going after a figure like Joe Paterno would. And the justification by these factually challenged journalists who are trying to do something journalists have proved they are incapable of doing in the first place -- think -- is that while Paterno did nothing criminally wrong he was morally wrong in not reporting what he heard to the police.

The incident in question was witnessed by an assistant coach who actually saw the abuse take place. This coach - an eyewitness -- did NOT go to the police with what he saw but the press is giving him a pass anyway. Why? Because he is not a big fish. Because he is not going to embellish anyone's reputation. Because pointing the finger at him is not going allow sanctimonious journalists to stick out their chests the way the morally sanctimonious always do.

The mother of the boy who was sexually abused by Sandusky issued a public statement yesterday. In it she said that Sandusky in 1998 "admitted to my face - he admitted it", that he had sexually abused her son. She said in the same statement that Sandusky admitted the abuse to her again in 2002. What did the mother do? Nothing. Did she go to the police with this specific admission? No. But Paterno was supposed to with none of the facts the mother had.
So we have an assistant coach who actually witnessed the incident but didn't report it to the police and the mother of the victim who was told twice over a 4 year span by the abuser himself that he had abused her son and neither went to the police. But Paterno, who didn't have a fraction of the information those two had, and didnt have a fraction of the moral responsibility of the boy's own mother,was supposed to do more than the boy's own mother did. And should be fired for not doing so.

I still can't believe they fired Paterno. My wife went to bed early last night so I had to tell her about it the following morning, like she couldn't read it on the front page of the paper. I pulled a Matt Millen and ended up crying and leaving the room to compose myself.

I hope that justice will find its way to each and every member of the Board of Trustees.

A Letter From Penn State

2011-11-10T21:51:00.000-05:00

I received the following email from Penn State today:

A message from Rodney Erickson

This is one of the saddest weeks in the history of Penn State. It has been difficult to comprehend the horrific nature of the allegations that were revealed in the Attorney General's presentment last week. As a member of the Penn State community for 34 years, as a parent, and as a grandfather, I find the charges as they have been described to be devastating, and my heart goes out to those who have been victimized and their families. This is a terrible tragedy for everyone involved, and it will take some time to bring a measure of understanding and resolution to the community.

In addition to the legal process under way, Penn State's Board of Trustees has authorized a full investigation "...to determine what failures occurred, who is responsible, and what measures are necessary to insure that this never happens at our University again and that those responsible are held fully accountable." As those involved pursue their cases, I also urge you, as Penn Staters, to be patient, to avoid speculation, and to refrain from passing judgment until the facts are known.

As you are now aware, the Board of Trustees has asked me to serve as the interim president of Penn State effective immediately. I undertake these duties with a firm sense of resolve, and I ask for your support as we move forward. And move forward, we must and we will.
Penn State has a long and storied tradition that has endured for more than 150 years. Our roots are deep, our constitution is resilient, and the importance of our work is as vital today as it was last week - perhaps even more so in the face of such adversity. We are 96,000 students, 46,000 employees, and more than a half a million alumni. We are 24 campuses across the Commonwealth and a World Campus. We are a university that is committed to its core values of honesty, integrity, and community. We are a university that will rebuild the trust and confidence that so many people have had in us for so many years.

Through your conduct every day, you can play a role in restoring the integrity, honor, and pride that have always characterized Penn State. I share your anger and sadness in this time, but always remember that your actions reflect on the entire Penn State community. Please set an example that will make us all proud. Moving forward is the only responsible course to take in the coming months. I ask for the full support of our faculty, students, staff, and alumni, and in return I will do my best to lead this institution through the challenges ahead.

So let me get this straight. You want US "to be patient, to avoid speculation, and to refrain from passing judgment until the facts are known," yet YOU act rashly to dismiss an 84 year old man whom the Grand Jury did NOT indict because you are concerned about the IMAGE of this University?

YOU haven't even completed YOUR investigation yet.

Some things never change. You'll want my money but you don't want my two cents.

Joe Paterno Fired!

2011-11-09T22:26:00.000-05:00

The ~~Lynch Mob~~ BOT has met.

Tom Bradley will act as interim coach.

I'm past disgusted now.

Paterno Announces Retirement

2011-11-09T16:49:00.003-05:00

I truly never thought I would type that title. I figured he would die--possibly on the sideline--before he would ever retire.

To wit, Paterno gave this statement:

“I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief.

I have come to work every day for the last 61 years with one clear goal in mind: To serve the best interests of this university and the young men who have been entrusted to my care. I have the same goal today.

That’s why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can.

This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.

My goals now are to keep my commitments to my players and staff and finish the season with dignity and determination. And then I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this University.”

I never thought I would see this day. But times have changed. Due process no longer is a right of our citizens. The media can now dictate who is innocent and who is guilty before the courts can. People must be held accountable for their allegations without actually being proven guilty.

I have gone from saddened to disgusted.

I have second guessed Paterno several times in his career--not just his decision to punt on fourth and short, but things like Rashard Casey, for example--and time after time, Paterno always proved me wrong. Maybe not on the punts, but he has won 409 games. He always did the right thing. Did he this time? Well only God in Heaven knows that because there isn't one person on this planet who knows how the legal proceedings will go from here.

But I came across this interesting read regarding the legal and moral implications of Paterno's actions:

A Strong Defense of Joe Paterno: Why Paterno Was Morally & Ethically Right Not To Go Further in The Sandusky Sex Abuse Case

In the comments section of an article in an SI online blog post by Joe Posnanski, Columbia Univ. Adjunct Professor Scott Semer assails Joe Paterno for not taking greater actions in the Jerry Sandusky case (Link is to the actual Grand Jury Report. It is not for the squeamish.)

Semer rests his opinions as a lawyer and an Adjunct Professor of Transactional Law at Columbia Univ. in NYC. He takes what I believe is the majority opinion as to Coach Paterno's decisions which is that he did the least he could do to cover himself but owed a moral duty to do more.

I too am an attorney, a criminal defense lawyer, a former special prosecutor, and an adjunct professor of Trial Advocacy, and as to his judgment of Paterno I completely disagree with Professor Semer. I think Paterno did what was both morally and legally correct.

After contacting his chain of command superiors, he let them do their jobs. He knew there was a campus police force that investigates ( and prosecutes ) crimes on campus. He took whatever information he had to the head of his department. He took it to the person who is, for all intents and purposes, the police commissioner of a 256 person police force which according to the Campus website says: "(The University Police are) governed by a state statute that gives our officers the same authority as municipal police officers."

Paterno didn't just give his information to a superior, he turned it over to the highest ranking official in that police department. That man, PSU's VP of Business called in the ACTUAL WITNESS and spoke to him. In other words Paterno could see an investigation.

Suggesting Paterno should have then done more is both ridiculous and dangerous. Paterno should not have approached Sandusky,for fear he tip him off to the investigation; he should not have called University police after nothing happened because

1. A police department has a right to set its policing priorities. The Courts have consistently held that: it is a "fundamental principle of American law that a government and its agents are under no general duty to provide public services, such as police protection, to any individual citizen." Warren v. District of Columbia, 444 A.2d 1 (D.C. Ct. of Ap., 1981).

2. Once he reported the incident (and not having any information as to the progress of any investigation or the results thereof) Paterno had no other action he could reasonably take. If he pressed further or went public he risked opening himself and the University up to a law suit from Sandusky for libel , and that is assuming Paterno thought the grad assistant was both reliable and accurate. By that person's own admission he was distraught. He would be accused of trying to eliminate a potential competitor for his job. He would also call into question the safety of the campus and without any proof of his own on the allegations of another. Pattern is not a witness and arguably isn't even an "outcry witness." ( an outcry witness is one who verifies that another witness was so distraught that what they are saying must be true. To be an outcry witness the original witness must make his statement to you first and within a few minutes top hours after witnessing the incident. More than a couple of hours usually spoils the outcry's reliability. It gives the maker too much time to make up the testimony)

3. Assuming Paterno did go to the Chief of Police for the Penn State police department, the person under Gary Schultz, would that not be an act of insubordination? What if he were wrong? He would lose a long time friend and PSU family member. He would hurt alums, recruits and his teams. His fellow coaches could not trust him, all of this without being an actual witness to anything. Taking one man's word against anothers.
No one wants to see kids hurt, and I believe Coach Paterno heads that list. People suggesting he needed to do more either don't understand the law of criminal investigation, or have a different ax to grind ( like the head of the PA State Police who is grand standing in saying people have a greater responsibility than to report crime to the local Authority. He would be the first guy to defend a civil rights suit against his agency, (brought by a crime victim claiming that the failure to arrest caused her injuries) by invoking the Warren case.)

Paterno handled this exactly as he should have and to suggest otherwise is to use 20/20 hindsight to judge what was a fluid real time situation. I guess the path is always clear for the Monday Morning Quarterback.

I will miss you, Joe, even though your conservative play calls have frustrated the hell out of me for decades. If you were expected to retire for not recruiting, or for not winning games--I could understand. But to feel compelled to retire because you TRIED to do the right thing, but perhaps fell short of a multitude of people who would have OBVIOUSLY done the "right thing" . . . . just sad. And in the end, I won't be surprised if you were right after all. Too bad the vocal crowd with fewer morals than you have in your pinkie finger have won the day. College football without you will never be the same.

But if you have the time, why not go out with a Big Ten Championship!

Statistically Speaking: Corn Pone Edition

2011-11-08T12:00:00.007-05:00

From the NCAA site, here are the stats for PSU versus Nebraska:

NCAA Stats Comparison

Category:	Penn St.	Nebraska	Delta

Rushing	55	13	-42
Passing Offense	88	101	13
Total Offense	88	53	-35
Scoring Offense	100	27	-73
Rushing Defense	24	64	40
Turnovers Gained	12	73	61
Passes Had Intercepted	43	43	0
Pass Defense	7	20	13
Net Punting	97	34	-63
Punt Returns	82	46	-36
Kickoff Returns	20	4	-16
Turnover Margin	23	53	30
Fumbles Recovered	36	73	37
Passes Intercepted	7	56	49
Fumbles Lost	82	36	-46
Turnovers Lost	63	33	-30
Passing Efficiency	106	65	-41
Pass Efficiency Defense	3	33	30
Total Defense	8	41	33
Scoring Defense	3	40	37
Fewest Penalties Per Game	26	59	33
Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game	28	57	29
Punt Return Yardage Defense	67	114	47
Kickoff Return Yardage Defense	65	99	34
Offense Third-down Efficiency	87	37	-50
Offense Fourth-down Efficiency	6	22	16
Defense Third-down Efficiency	31	93	62
Defense Fourth-down Efficiency	78	78	0
Tackles for Loss	12	114	102
Offense Tackles for Loss	11	36	25
Pass Sacks	28	81	53
Pass Sacks Allowed	24	24	0
Time of Possession	43	103	60
First Downs	78	49	-29
First Downs Allowed	11	34	23
Red Zone Efficiency	79	15	-64
Red Zone Efficiency - Defense	112	37	-75

Average NCAA Rank:	46.84	52.97	6.14
Weighted Avg. Rank:	50.17	45.33	-4.83

Nebraska has a worse pass offense than PSU, if you can believe that is possible. While there is a perception that Nebraska has a tough defense, the numbers do not truly bear that out. They're not bad--don't get me wrong--but we have faced statistically tougher defenses against Bama, Illinois and probably Temple even.

I suspect Iowa is comparable in the Big Ten to what we will face on Saturday. From the Big Ten site, Iowa is ranked 7th and UNL 8th in scoring defense in the league. Nebraska is 7th and Iowa 8th in total defense.

Nebraska is poor in terms of time of possession. If we can get our running game going with Redd et al, we could conceivably control this game ala vintage Paterno. Another ugly win, but a win nonetheless.

The intangibles, though, favor Nebraska. Coming off an upset, they are going to be out to prove something. This is a kind of must-win game for them to stay in the hunt for their division title. They are already one loss down to the Spartans who have Iowa, Indiana and Northwestern left on their schedule. They can't afford to be two games behind.

And then there is the Jerry Sandusky crap that could be a distraction. Ya think!? With the storm clouds over State College, we can only hope this team circles the wagons, shuts out the cruel world around them, and focuses on playing football, at least for three to four hours on Saturday.

I hate noon starts. Especially big games like these.

Here is how the Huskers' season has played out so far:

W Chattanooga 40-7
W Fresno State 42-29
W Washington 51-38
W @Wyoming 38-14
L @Wisconsin 48-17
W Ohio State 34-27
W @Minnesota 41-14
W Michigan State 24-3
L Northwestern 28-25 (only common opponent so far and we beat the Wildcats 34-24.)

In my pre-season countdown, I had the Cornhuskers pegged as the third most difficult game behind Bama and Wisconsin, and one spot ahead of the Cheateyes.

My final analysis:

Prediction: If Nebraska is as good as the experts claim them to be, then I don't think PSU can win this game. But I do think it is winnable. I'm not sold on QB Martinez, and he had an ankle injury last season which may play a factor in his play this year. I think Nebraska is going to find play in the Big Ten to be a little different than the high scoring shoot 'em up Big XII conference, where the only Big D they have heard of is Dallas. Officially, I call this a loss. Off the record, I think we can win this game.

I still think we can win this game. The Husker D is not as good as people thought they would be, and they have been inconsistent offensively. Our defense is playing better than some people expected, and our offense has been improving--slowly but surely. I think our defense plays lights out on senior day and our offense manages not to make a fatal mistake. I look for a close win in the Iowa game range, maybe 16-13.

Time to Pop Some Corn

2011-11-07T19:16:00.007-05:00

Lost amid this media circus is the fact that Penn State has a football game this Saturday against the University of Nebraska. The Huskers are favored by 2.

Step back from the ledge . . .

I apologize, but this is a football blog.

I think we all need to take a deep breath and step back from the situation for a moment.

It is a tragedy.

It is natural to feel horrified. Sickened. Betrayed. Disillusioned. Mad. Confused.

Innocent children have been potentially--I'll even go so far as to say likely--preyed upon and scarred forever. Those who we believe to be men of integrity appear to have dropped the ball in protecting these victims; perhaps even enabling this monster should he be found guilty of these crimes.

But I think people are over-reacting. Let's look at some comments from BWI:

KnoxNittany2.0 writes: After reading the GJ report last night I burned my Penn State flag. I didn't burn my diploma, as I received a great education there. However, the flag flying on my house, the house where my children live.....I just couldn't see flying that any more. . . I will still root for this current team, which got dealt one hell of hand these last three games to deal with....but a major phase of my Penn State fandom has died and it will take quite awhile to get it back.

Did you burn your United States flag when Nixon resigned? When Clinton didn't understand the meaning of sexual relations? I'm glad you didn't burn your diploma because seriously, what does Sandusky's conduct have to do with the work you performed in class, the dedication of your professors, or any of your college experience for that matter? Current professors should not be ashamed to work at Penn State--it is still a fine institution of learning. Students should not be ashamed to go there. I don't condemn the Heisman people and boycott their annual award because they gave it to someone like OJ Simpson. They have no control over how winners conduct themselves later in life.

INtheValley08 asks: Think my [autographed] ball has depreciated in value some?

I don't know . . . how's it hanging? Did Pete Rose's memorabilia drop in value? OJ Simpson's? As PennStateClips pointed out, it might actually INCREASE in value. Where do people come up with questions like this?

One person said they called and cancelled their season tickets, but I can't find that thread at the moment. Ok--found it on another board. And that will help these kids . . . how???

grinagrin asks: Does anyone else think that they should shut down the rest of the season...until things get more solved and more questions are answered? Football and the B1G title should be the last thing on anyone's mind right now. I know that as a diehard, I could care less about the game this Saturday. How can I watch and see Big Red's mug regularly throughout the game and not help but think that this coward kept things quiet for 9 years...I'll be so disgusted.

Seriously? Why don't we just close the University. Send all the students home or transfer their credits to other institutions that have perfect people who never make mistakes. We can sell off Beaver Stadium and all the University property to offset taxpayer losses and reimburse the injured for their suffering.

Again, I repeat, THIS IS A TRAGEDY. But guess what folks, this shit happens all the time. While you're sitting here reading this, kids (and wives and men) are being abused--physically, emotionally and sexually--all over this world. Maybe in the house next door. Are you doing anything about that??? People are dying of hunger. Are you heading over to make a hefty donation to the World Hunger Fund? Where is your righteous indignation???? Should we be demanding resignations from University presidents--prime ministers and world leaders--because they are not doing enough to fight World Hunger? PEOPLE ARE DYING! How about slavery? Civil War in Africa. Drug Lords killing innocent bystanders/tourists in Columbia or Mexico. Poverty. I could go on and on.

Aren't we all guilty of looking the other way or pretending that there isn't evil in this world because it doesn't directly affect us?

The LAW is going to deal with Jerry Sandusky, and hopefully anyone who played a role in allowing this to happen/continue. Hopefully the victims will eventually receive compensation for their suffering, for therapy and for medical care. But no one has even been convicted of anything yet. That is the way it works in this country.

None of the players on this team have anything to do with this whole tragedy. They have worked their butts off in practice and in the classroom--some have been aspiring to this since they played PeeWee football--and they deserve our support. I am proud of this team and I am proud of this University. I am not proud of Jerry Sandusky if the accusations lead to a conviction. I'm not proud of the way the University handled things, but it appears things were handled properly up to the level of the AD and he now has to explain himself in court.

Could more have been done? Probably. Should more have been done? Probably. But it is too easy for us to be critical because WE WEREN'T THERE. None of us will know what kind of shock the GA had when he discovered this situation. Had he stepped into that shower to stop what was going on, Sandusky could have accused him and it would have been his word against the other. How many times have you heard about people being mugged in broad view in New York and no one stopping to help? Until you are actually in that situation, can you really demand a certain behavior from others? The GA did what he was supposed to do.

I feel sickened at the thought of the alleged victims in all this. But me not going to the game or singing the Alma Mater, or taking down my flag, or not wearing my Penn State clothing, or cancelling my tickets or withholding my NLC contribution won't change what has happened. Doing these things does not condone what has happened. Another thing lost in all this is ALL THE GOOD that The Second Mile accomplished for hundreds/thousands of kids. That doesn't make what happened to these victims right or any less sickening, but I have seen people saying they will never donate to the organization again. You are hurting other kids by doing this!

We can only pray that the victims will be okay and that JUSTICE will be done.

In the meantime, we have a game this Saturday. Our team needs us. And I think, despite this situation, we beat some Husker butt!

LET'S POP SOME NEBRASKA CORN!

The First Two Fall

2011-11-07T09:10:00.000-05:00

After the Board of Trustees met last night, Curley has requested administrative leave and Schultz has retired.

From The Altoona Mirror front page:

Two top Penn State officials charged with covering up allegations of an explosive child-sex abuse scandal related to a former defensive coordinator stepped down late Sunday after an emergency meeting of the university's Board of Trustees.
Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley requested to be placed on administrative leave so he could devote the time needed to defend himself against perjury and other charges, university President Graham Spanier said. Gary Schultz, vice president for finance and business, will step down and go back into retirement, Spanier said. He declined to comment to reporters after the meeting.

Resignations of famed football coach Joe Paterno and Spanier weren't discussed at the meeting, which was arranged Sunday and lasted two hours, university spokesman Bill Mahon said.

This snowball is just starting to roll . . .

Bye Week Blues

2011-11-06T13:25:00.006-05:00

Silly me . . . I was sure Penn State couldn't lose this past weekend. Boy was I wrong. There's a really good read on the subject at The Nittany Turkey.

Amid all the accusations and speculations, I have seen some scenarios where Curley and possibly Spanier may lose their jobs, depending on how this plays out. Most of what I've read have painted Paterno in a good light, at least legally, if not morally.

So one has to wonder . . . will Joe become acting and/or permanent AD? And as such, would he then determine how long he will coach (as if he isn't already) and who his successor will be????

And we didn't fare much better on the football field either, as Nebraska managed to screw up against Northwestern. So instead of a 3:30 game next Saturday for Senior Day, the game will be played in the insignificant noon slot. If we sleepwalk through another first quarter, and play prevent offense with Bolden in the second, this could be an ugly game against a Nebraska team that is now in a must-win mode to stay alive in their division.

Well, at least we should move up in the polls.

Tada!

Penn State is 12th in the BCS. And also the highest ranked Big Ten team. Imagine that!

LSU Kicks Bama out of National Championship Game

2011-11-05T23:48:00.001-04:00

With a field goal kick in OT, LSU edged past Alabama 9-6. Alabama missed three field goals in the game, including a 53-yarder in the OT, and had another one blocked. And while Alabama could still sneak into the BCS Championship, it is very unlikely. LSU controls their own destiny.

Now, why is it when LSU and Alabama play a 9-6 game with nothing but field goals, it's a good old fashioned slug fest, but when Penn State and Ohio State play the same type of game it is boring?

And in other news, Eastern Michigan lost too, so there goes our strength of schedule.

Nebraska was upset at home by Northwestern 28-25.

As I predicted, Bielema took his frustrations out on the first team he could, pummelling Purdue 62-17.

Upsets in the Top 25 include West Virginia falling to Louisville 38-35 and Arizona State losing to UCLA 29-28.

As of this time, my other favorite team, Boise State, is on upset alert, tied 14-14 with UNLV at the half.

Pitt lost 26-23 to Cincinnati. Teehee.

HAWKS WIN!

2011-11-05T15:43:00.000-04:00

No Nuts were injured in the playing of today's game

The Mighty Denard Robinson's come up short in Iowa City, losing 24-16. And I didn't even have to sacrifice any small animals. The only animal injured in the making of this contest was a wolverine.

Unfortunately, the Hoosiers came up short against the Cheateyes, losing 34-20, but they were tied going into the fourth quarter at 20. So close, yet so far away.

Michigan State survives a gopher scare, preserving a 31-24 win with an INT on Minnesota's final drive.

Sandusky/Curley Indicted

2011-11-05T12:10:00.000-04:00

I don't even know how to respond to this.

We have known--for what--several years that a Grand Jury was investigating former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. As time went by, I assumed they didn't have enough evidence, and hence the delay in bringing actual charges.

But there is no longer any delay.

And the mess may be greater than we feared.

According to this AP news release by Mark Scolforo:

Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and another school administrator were charged Saturday with perjury and failure to report in an investigation into allegations that former football defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky sexually abused eight young men, state prosecutors said.
The attorney general's office said Sandusky, 67, of State College, was arrested Saturday. Curley, 57, and Penn State vice president for finance and business Gary Schultz, 62, both of Boalsburg, were expected to turn themselves in Monday in Harrisburg, according to the attorney general's office. Schultz's position includes oversight of the university's police department.

Sandusky, who worked with at-risk children through his Second Mile organization, was charged with seven counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse; eight counts of corruption of minors, eight counts of endangering the welfare of a child, seven counts of indecent assault and other offenses.

Attorney General Linda Kelly called Sandusky "a sexual predator who used his position within the university and community to repeatedly prey on young boys."

"It is also a case about high-ranking university officials who allegedly failed to report the sexual assault of a young boy after the information was brought to their attention, and later made false statements to a grand jury," Kelly said.

The grand jury identified eight young men who were targets of sexual advances or assaults by Sandusky from 1994 to 2009, prosecutors said.

Wow. Seriously. I am stunned beyond words.

I have always had the utmost admiration for Jerry Sandusky. I always thought he would have made a great head coach (I have not gotten that same vibe from Tom Bradley.) I have heard him talk several times about his involvement in The Second Mile. I knew his sister or sister-in-law (I can't remember which) and loved her stories about Jerry at Penn State--things that were talked about around the Thanksgiving table that you didn't hear about in public. THIS--was never one of those subjects.

Innocent until proven guilty, but the overwhelming, reeking, smoke from this whole thing leads me to believe that something must be going on. And that something is not good.

I had always hoped this is how I would remember Jerry:

Weekly Game Guide

2011-11-03T17:29:00.000-04:00

For Whom Do We Root?

Penn State and Illinois are idle this weekend.

In the Big Ten:

Ohio State is favored by 27.5 over the Hoosiers. An upset win by the Hoosiers here would be simply HUGE. Is it going to happen. Sadly, I'm afraid not. But we're going to root for the Hoosiers anyway. GO INDIANA!

Nebraska is favored by 17.5 over the Wildcats. Both teams are in the Legends Division, so the outcome doesn't affect Penn State much. Although I like to see Northwestern upset teams not called Penn State, I actually think it is better for Penn State for the Huskers to win. We don't want to face them in a must win mode. A defeat could make them vulnerable to further let down, but I wouldn't count on that. Let's root for the Huskers in a close, physical game that wears them out a bit. OT would be nice. Is that likely to happen? See O$U above. But anyway, GO HUSKERS!

Purdue is a heavy underdog (26 points) to Wisconsin. The Badgers have lost two in a row and have tumbled from the top 10. They are looking for somone to bitchslap. Sorry Purdue. But . . . this is another game where an emotional letdown and Purdue playing over their heads could create an upset that can only help PSU in the divisional standings. GO BOILERS!

MSU is a 28 point favorite over Minnesota. Who cares? Pick your favorite color in this one. Maroon or Green?

How wonderful would it be for Iowa, coming off a one point loss to the Gophers, to upset THEM in Iowa City? I would sacrifice a small animal to make that happen. I would sacrifice a large animal to make that happen. Of course, I'd do that for a Klondike Bar too. The wolverines are favored by 4 on the road. GO HAWKEYES!

In games of past opponents:

Temple lost to Ohio last night 35-31. Bad Owls. Bad. Bad. Bad.

Alabama is favored by 4.5 over LSU. I don't think the game will live up to the hype, but then that's what SEC football is all about. Having lost to Bama, I feel obligated to root for them. And it improves our strength of schedule. ROLL TIDE, ROLL!

Eastern Michigan is favored over Ball State by 2.5. GO EMU!

Indiana State (5-3) hosts undefeated North Dakota State (motto: "We beat Minnesota--again!"). GO TREES!

Tuesday Todds and Ends

2011-11-01T06:00:00.002-04:00

The team may have a bye week, but a blogger never takes a break.

Let's start off with William C. Rhoden in The New York Times, writing about the milestone that Paterno will probably not eclipse--that of John Gagliardi.

With a 47-14 victory over Carleton College on Saturday, Gagliardi has won 482 games in a head-coaching career that covers more than six decades.

While Paterno has been awarded two mythical national championships, Gagliardi has won four titles in tournament-style competition: N.A.I.A. championships in 1963 and 1965 and N.C.A.A. Division III championships in 1976 and 2003.
Critics may dismiss Gagliardi’s record as a product of inferior competition, but competition is relative. Gagliardi argues, as Eddie Robinson argued, that he played who was in front of him.
“Everybody’s going to push their own agenda,” Gagliardi said. “Heavyweight boxers feel that they’re a lot tougher, and I’m sure it probably is, but those guys fighting welterweight, that isn’t easy either. It’s all relative.”

Those who place greater weight on Paterno’s achievement do so because, in their estimation, he has had to perform on a much higher wire. But pressure is relative and losses hurt the same.
What unites Paterno and Gagliardi is not the wins, but those losses.

During a recent news conference, Paterno said the only time he felt like walking away was after a loss to Alabama in the 1979 Sugar Bowl when he felt his decision-making cost his team the game and — in that case — the national title.

Gagliardi was never driven to resign by a loss, but he said that while the 482 victories brought accolades, the 133 losses left scars. “The thrill of victory doesn’t counter the agony of defeat,” he said. “The defeats stay longer.”

I'm not going to debate the issue, but 482 wins over teams like Carleton College doesn't impress me as much as what Paterno achieved. In the end, you are comparing apples to oranges. Paterno is king of the apples; Gagliardi is king of the oranges.

Next up, Chris Spielman reveals some scouting on Nebraska, per Phil Mushnik.

Chris Spielman, ex-star linebacker, said he had detected a “tip,” one worth keeping an eye on:

Rodriguez lined up about two feet short of the line of scrimmage, and actually farther back than the left tackle. This, suggested Spielman, “tells me he’s pulling,” and that when he does, the play would go in his direction.

ESPN lost sight of Spielman’s tout after that, but at least one viewer didn’t. For the rest of the game, when Nebraska had the ball, I kept an eye on No. 63, Rodriguez, and darn, the other times he lined up slightly removed from the line of scrimmage, he pulled left or right -- and the play followed him.

Are you reading this Tom???? Of course, so is Nebraska, or so we must assume. I wonder if we'll see it this weekend? Get your DVRs ready guys.

Matthew Boyle gives three reasons why PSU will make it to Indy.

1: Paterno’s newfound commitment to McGloin
I’m still not sure if this will hold up, but as far as I can see McGloin has now taken hold of the offense and should remain the starter for the rest of the season. McGloin brings a sense of consistency in the offense. Think of his talent as you wish, but taking all (or at least the vast majority) of the offensive snaps every week can only help him gather a rhythm.

2: Silas Redd
Enough can’t be said for Silas Redd’s impact on the team and its success. Redd is only the tenth individual player in Nittany Lions history to rush for over 1,000 yards. He’s averaging over five yards per carry and has seven touchdowns on the year. Since Big Ten play has started Redd has really turned it on, Silas Redd led all FBS players with 703 rushing yards in October.

3: 2.5
2.5 is Penn State’s current lead in the Leaders division race over Wisconsin, Ohio State and Purdue. Yes, the schedule Penn State owns over the next three weeks is a rough road, but that could help the Nittany Lions temper their game against top competition. Wisconsin still has Minnesota and Illinois left to play and Ohio State has Purdue and Michigan on the schedule. Penn State has the toughest route to Indy from here, but 2.5 games means Penn State is in the driver’s seat. They could easily win only one of their last three and still come out on top in the Leaders division.

And how many reasons are there why PSU won't be going to Indy??? (Hint: there's at least three--Wisconsin, O$U and Nebraska.) I like his optimism, though. The reasoning is valid, but I'm not sure about McGloin. I thought the Bolden Experiment had already been shelved before the Illinois game. Can we really assume Paterno won't play Bolden in two weeks. Or God forbid, in OHIO? Their defense will score on his mistakes for sure. (They may score a McPick Six as well!) But from what I've seen in 9 games so far, McGloin gives this team the best chance to find a way to win.

And here's another look at the PI on Moye. Hmmmmmmm. Still can't tell for sure. But the referee was right there.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2011-10-31T09:49:00.001-04:00

The Travel Channel had a show on last night--the 13 Scariest Places in America. But The Capitol in Washington D.C. wasn't on the list!

Of course, neither was Beaver Stadium. And I'm here to tell you there were 65,000 people scared on Saturday night (and hundreds of thousands more watching at home) until that kick boinked off the right upright! How scary can you get????

Where There's a WILLinois, There's a Way

2011-10-30T17:57:00.003-04:00

It was a cold and snowy day. Wet. Raw. There was a chillinois in the air. My feet were numb. The rest of me was in disbelief as the Fighting Illini lined up to kick a field goal that would send the game into overtime. Did I mention it was cold? We burned a timeout to ice the kicker. Psychologically of course, because there was no need for any other ice. It would be like telling a snowman to freeze.

But then a funny thing happened in those closing seconds that was perhaps more surreal and visceral than it was physical. The stadium was loud--yes, but the sudden stream of students toward the south goal was one of those unrehearsed, spontaneous demonstrations that hallmarks this greatest student section in all of college sports. Guido can only dream of things like that. It was beautiful. Fantastic. Impromptu. Wonderful.

Whether or not it had anything to do with the outcome, we will never know.

Quinn Barham said this when asked about it post-game:

Q: Did you see the student section on that field goal? Do you think it affected the kick?

A: We saw that they were moving over. We got so hyped on the sideline. It was a great feeling. I think it did affect the kick. When they came over together like that, I was thinking what is going on? They were all coming together and I thought they were leaving. But then they came together and started going crazy and I thought, `wow this is Penn State.' I really thank the fans for that.

Derek Dimke, who had not missed a field goal all season (he never got a chance to kick the first try earlier in the game) dinked one off the right upright. Penn State won 10-7. Joe Paterno passed Eddie Robinson like a ship in the night. On this night, the iceberg missed and the Titanic sailed on.

And for those of us sitting on the cold icy deck of this ship, charting its course through this season, we were all deliriously happy to see that kick denied.

It is almost fitting that Joe Paterno win this way. This is Joe Paterno's way. Play it close to the vest. Win with defense and special teams. It's so maddeningly boring and excruciatingly painful to watch, and yet the result looks the same on paper as if we had won by 20.

But had we won by twenty, would it have been as sweet? Would we have seen the student section spontaneously coming together as one body, united behind this team and screaming their lungs out for the kicker to M-I-S-S-I-T, miss it just for me?

In a way, this game was simply a reflection of this entire season. One ugly yet somehow beautiful win. One 8-1 record that is at the same time as impressive as it is unimpressive.

Even as I type this a day later, and in much warmer conditions, I teeter on the verge of indignant vehemence versus unadulterated adulation. I am so happy that this team is 8-1. I love these players and their sheer will and determination to win.

Yet, at the same, I hate the fact that we can't play one decent game without making mistakes. SIX fumbles. Granted, it was cold and wet. Did I mention that?

I hate that Illinois is going to point their fingers at that pass interference call with righteous indignation and cry foul. And do they have a case? Well, your honor, it was technically pass interference. It's not always called, but it's not like some teams haven't won national championships after a PI call gives them a second chance. And in terms of justice, if the PI hadn't occurred, the ball probably would have been caught. I really hate those penalties when you could be pretty sure that the receiver wouldn't have come up with the ball anyway, but it wasn't so obvious as to be deemed uncatchable.

If I were an Illini fan, I would be mad as hell. That call cost them the game--no doubt.

But it is a call that is made from time to time, and has been said to me before by other folks, that's the breaks. Good teams overcome the calls. Illinois almost overcame the call, but came up a few inches wide. I really believe that Illinois would have won had the game gone to over time. I really love this team of ours, but I don't have any faith in our coaching staff to operate an overtime offense.

Which brings me to my final rant--and isn't it sad that you have to rant after a victory? WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR OFFENSIVE COACHING STAFF????

I thought the Bolden experiment had been put away. Back on the shelf where no one will get hurt, except maybe for Bolden. But this is a team sport.

Yet, with the game tied at zero, and relatively poor field position, number 1 comes trotting into the game for no apparent reason whatsoever. McGloin did not have an injury. He didn't commit any heinous act of fumbling, throwing interceptions or spitting on the coaching staff.

And then, it happened again. And again. And again. Four possessions and basically the whole second quarter were squandered FOR NO APPARENT REASON. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I believe Joe kept sending the kid back in just because the crowd was booing him. The image of a stubborn old man who can't take criticism entered my mind numerous times in that quarter.

But let's get one thing perfectly straight here. The crowd was not booing Bolden. The crowd was booing the decision to put the kid into the game under these circumstances. I am not criticizing Bolden here in this blog. I am criticizing the decision to even put him in the game when McGloin was healthy and there was no obvious advantage to him being there. It's not Bolden's fault. But we fans all knew he is like a deer in the headlights with no pocket presence, and we were a bad snap away from being 3 points down thanks to that fact.

In FOUR possessions, he fumbled twice, losing it once. He did not complete a pass. The team had THREE first downs in the second quarter, and all were on Silas Redd runs of 11, 13 and 14 yards. At least the hand offs were clean!

AND WHO IS TO BLAME FOR THE TIMEOUT CALL WITH 1:11 TO GO IN THE GAME???? Sorry to scream at you, but that almost cost us the game. If we needed the timeout to get a play in, at least run some time off the clock.

And for Illinois, I was impressed with their defense. They were statistically comparable to Penn State prior to this game, and they did not disappoint. And but for a pass interference, they would have won the game for their team.

But how many teams yearn for that one play?

Are we any more frustrated than Clemson fans? Kansas State fans? Virginia Tech beat Duke by a mere 4 points. (OK, we'd probably beat Duke by two and have to block a field goal, but you see where I am going with this.) How would you like to be a Badger this morning? Or a Spartan? How about Iowa--they lost to Minnesota! We might have lost a chance at a MNC due to a PI in Iowa in 2008. How many one plays and extra seconds cost us an undefeated season in 2005? Amazing how one play can make such a difference.

Each week, half the teams that play lose. Some by more than one play.

We're 8-1 and playing vintage Penn State football.

And I'm happy with that as long as this team keeps fighting with the same will and determination to succeed.

BY THE NUMBERS:

From GoPSUsports:

Team Totals	ILL	PSU
FIRST DOWNS	16	14
Rushing	6	7
Passing	9	6
Penalty	1	1
NET YARDS RUSHING	192	111
Rushing Attempts	50	41
Average Per Rush	3.8	2.7
Rushing Touchdowns	0	1
Yards Gained Rushing	226	144
Yards Lost Rushing	34	33
NET YARDS PASSING	94	98
Completions-Attempts-Int	13-24-2	9-28-1
Average Per Attempt	3.9	3.5
Average Per Completion	7.2	10.9
Passing Touchdowns	1	0
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS	286	209
Total offense plays	74	69
Average Gain Per Play	3.9	3
Fumbles: Number-Lost	2-2	6-2
Penalties: Number-Yards	6-50	4-30
PUNTS-YARDS	9-342	8-287
Average Yards Per Punt	38	35.9
Net Yards Per Punt	32.2	35.9
Inside 20	3	2
50+ Yards	0	0
Touchbacks	1	0
Fair catch	3	3
KICKOFFS-YARDS	2-127	3-197
Average Yards Per Kickoff	63.5	65.7
Net Yards Per Kickoff	38	49.3
Touchbacks	0	1
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD	1-0-0	6-32-0
Average Per Return	0	5.3
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD	2-29-0	2-51-0
Average Per Return	14.5	25.5
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD	1-0-0	2-8-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD	0-0-0	0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards	0	0
Possession Time	32:51	27:09
1st Quarter	7:07	7:53
2nd Quarter	8:32	6:28
3rd Quarter	10:30	4:30
4th Quarter	6:42	8:18
Third-Down Conversions	7 of 18	3 of 15
Fourth-Down Conversions	0 of 1	0 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances	1-2	2-2
Touchdowns	1-2	1-2
Field goals	0-2	1-2
Sacks By: Number-Yards	4-25	2-17
PAT Kicks	1-1	1-1
Field Goals	0-1	1-2

The key stat is the 0-2 on field goals by the Illini. Illinois won time of possession and total yards, but lost the turn-over battle and failed to convert field goals.

What can't be seen in these stats is the performance of our defense on first down. Illinois had 30 first down plays in the game. On those plays, they made 72 yards for 2.4 yards per first down play. But four of those first down plays went for 14, 18, 15 and 16 yards. If you take those out of the equation, that leaves 9 yards among 26 first down plays in the game. That's a third of a yard on most first down plays!

INTANGIBLES:

The Blue Band did not march.

Penn State won the toss and elected to receive. Not sure about that call.

Attendance was an anemic 97,828--but there were not that many people in the stands.

Win #409 puts Joe in first place among all Division I coaches. Gagliardi of St. Johns is Division III.

Penn State leads the Illini 15-4 all-time.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

Penn State leads the conference after this 10-7 win over Illinois.
The Cheateyes beat the Badgers in a wild late game, 33-29.
THEM beat Purdue 36-14.
Iowa lost to the Gophers 22-21. Wow. Just. Wow.
Nebraska dominated Michigan State 24-3.
Northwestern crushed Indiana 59-38.

Penn State is ranked 15th in the USA Today Poll.

Here are the standings for your enjoyment from the Big Ten site:

SHEDDING TEARS:

1. Clemson--Tigers lost to Georgia Tech. Thanks for playing. We have some nice parting gifts for you.
2. K-State--Oklahoma hands them their first loss. A huge, lopsided 58-17 loss.
3. Iowa--lost by a point to Minnesota. Wow again.
4. Texas Tech--swept up by the cyclones. No Rank for you!
5. Florida--lost to Georgia. First 4 loss series since the eighties.
6. Texas Aggies--finally knocked out of the rankings with third loss

LOOKING AHEAD:

Penn State has a bye week before hosting the Cornhuskers on November 12. Time to be announced. I'll post a preview next week. The Huskers play at Northwestern this week.

409

2011-10-29T21:30:00.000-04:00

It was absolutely awesome from the north end zone to watch the students swarming across to get behind the goalposts for the final kick.

Are you ready for some snow . . . ball?

2011-10-29T11:12:00.000-04:00

Weekly Game Guide

2011-10-28T10:44:00.002-04:00

For whom do we root?

In the Big Ten:

Penn State is favored by 5 over the Illini. GO STATE! BEAT ILLINI! (That was easy!)

THEM is favored over the Boilermakers. GO PURDUE! (That was easy!)

Iowa is favored over Minnesota by 15. GO HAWKS! (That was easy!)

Northwestern is favored over the Hoosiers by 9.5. Hmmm. I feel bad for the Hoosiers, but I think Northwestern wins. We've played and beaten both. The Hoosiers are in our division. GO WILDCATS!

Wisconsin is a 7.5 favorite over the Cheateyes. Both are in our division and we play both on the road. The Buckeyes have two losses and Wisconsin has one in conference. Can I bring myself to root for the cheaters? Well, I won't shed a tear if the cheaters lose, but for the good of old state, I have to root against Wisconsin. Man, this is just like voting in an election--I'm not picking who I want to win as much as I'm picking against who I don't want to see in office! Picking my noes, so to speak. GO CHEATERS!

And the Huskers are favored by 4.5 over the Spartans in Lincoln. Both are in the other division, but we play Nebraska and not MSU. It looks better for us to beat a better Nebraska team, but a loss by MSU might set Nebraska up for the Title game, and IF--and it's a big IF--we get there, I don't want to have to replay the corn boys. This is sooooo complicated. Sorry Sparty . . . . GO HUSKERS!

In games of past opponents:

The Crimson Tide is off as well as LSU, before their SEC tilt next week.

EMU (5-3) is off this week as well.

Temple plays next Wednesday at ~~Pitt~~ Ohio. GO OWLS!

Indiana State (5-3) is off as well.

Wow! Four non-conference opponents and NONE of them are playing this weekend!

Friday Football Funny

2011-10-28T10:25:00.000-04:00

From Fank & Ernest:

Statistically Speaking: Illinois Edition

2011-10-27T19:22:00.001-04:00

Here are the stats from the NCAA website for PSU and Illinois coming into this weekend:

NCAA Stats Comparison

Category:	Penn St.	Illinois	Delta

Rushing	50	23	-27
Passing Offense	84	72	-12
Total Offense	76	45	-31
Scoring Offense	89	64	-25
Rushing Defense	19	19	0
Turnovers Gained	13	42	29
Passes Had Intercepted	48	48	0
Pass Defense	14	21	7
Net Punting	95	102	7
Punt Returns	79	116	37
Kickoff Returns	20	118	98
Turnover Margin	27	74	47
Fumbles Recovered	46	46	0
Passes Intercepted	6	44	38
Fumbles Lost	74	102	28
Turnovers Lost	66	90	24
Passing Efficiency	98	31	-67
Pass Efficiency Defense	5	42	37
Total Defense	8	10	2
Scoring Defense	5	15	10
Fewest Penalties Per Game	27	17	-10
Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game	31	15	-16
Punt Return Yardage Defense	71	53	-18
Kickoff Return Yardage Defense	73	100	27
Offense Third-down Efficiency	73	13	-60
Offense Fourth-down Efficiency	4	118	114
Defense Third-down Efficiency	35	18	-17
Defense Fourth-down Efficiency	82	82	0
Tackles for Loss	25	6	-19
Offense Tackles for Loss	5	70	65
Pass Sacks	23	8	-15
Pass Sacks Allowed	14	106	92
Time of Possession	33	20	-13
First Downs	73	45	-28
First Downs Allowed	13	14	1
Red Zone Efficiency	87	34	-53
Red Zone Efficiency - Defense	117	44	-73

Average NCAA Rank:	46.16	51.00	4.84
Weighted Avg. Rank:	47.50	43.17	-4.33

The disparity between the straight up stats and the "weighted" stats, where key categories such as total offense or defense are given more weight than categories like fewest penalties per game, is again apparent this week.

Purdue was better in weighted stats than actual straight stats. Northwestern was worse. Illinois is again better when the stats are weighted. Does that mean anything?

Well, the Illini lost to Purdue, whom we beat, and neither Northwestern or Purdue could win the most points on the scoreboard stat.

But neither of those teams was as close in the defensive categories to Penn State as Illinois is. Pass efficiency defense is the only major defensive category that Illinois is not within 10 rank points or less of matching PSU. Illionois leads PSU in all major offensive categories by at least 12 rank points.

We are very poor on third down efficiency on offense; Illinois is considerably better.

Overall, weighted or not, the two teams are closely matched on paper.

Penn State is favored by 5 in what appears to be a defensive clash. And the weather appears to be cold and wet . . .

Okay, ~~campers~~ tailgaters, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there ~~today~~ Saturday.

PrimeTime Wednesday

2011-10-26T20:00:00.000-04:00

Do you know where your panther is?

It's Wednesday night. And that means Big Least football. Or Clarion versus Edinboro if you get ROOT.

Is it any wonder teams are leaving the conference like rats abandoning a sinking ship?

"I" Trouble?

2011-10-25T20:30:00.000-04:00

Illinois is coming off consecutive losses, 17-7 to Ohio State and 21-14 to Purdue. This after a 6-0 start and top 20 ranking. The Illini have dropped from the rankings since.

How are the players handling this?

According to John Supinie, of The State Journal-Register, the bandwagon has gotten easier to pull.

Life hasn’t changed much for sophomore quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase despite two straight Illinois losses that have initiated concerns from outside the locker room about the potential for a five-game losing streak
“My teachers were still nice to me,” Scheelhaase said Monday after practice on the Memorial Stadium turf. “I still had a seat in class. People were sitting around me and talking to me. I didn’t feel any differently. In my mind, everyone knows we can bounce back. If they don’t, then they’ll see.”

The catcalls began on Zook’s way to the locker room, and the bandwagon emptied in a hurry.

“It was new to have people on the bandwagon,” Scheelhaase said. “It was cool. It was nice. Maybe it was too nice. You never know.

“We’re not too worried about what other people are saying. We’re used to having kind of an empty bandwagon. It’s a little lighter to pull. It’s not that bad.”

I guess that's one way to look at things. Find the silver lining. You still have a chair in class--you don't have to stand in the corner. It's easier to pull an empty bandwagon. Whatever works for you.

Identifying Illini Fans

2011-10-25T20:05:00.000-04:00

The Wreck of the Pat Fitzgerald

2011-10-23T14:57:00.007-04:00

No one had Northwestern penciled in for Big Ten Champion. No one was talking about them as a dark horse to win the conference. Lindy's preseason magazine picked them 5th in the Legends Division, ahead of Minnesota but behind everyone else. After seven games, guess what? Lindy's was wrong. They are behind Minnesota who only has 3 conference losses. They are tied with Indiana.

Yet, the talking heads insisted on putting Penn State on upset alert. It seemed as if everyone they interviewed or asked was picking Northwestern. If given the chance, even Clucko the Chicken would have picked Northwestern. Richard Nixon, if he were still alive, would have picked Northwestern.

Why? Were the Wildcats suddenly going to find a defense? Was this a case of mass dyslexia, and everyone thought they were really 4-2 instead of 2-4?

Granted, Penn State has been anything but consistent this year, but SERIOUSLY??!! SERIOUSLY!!

Is this how far this program has fallen that a game against a team like Northwestern, who won't even sniff a top 25 ranking and will now not likely even sniff a bowl game, is the media favorite to beat a Penn State team that, despite all it's warts, is putting on its best face in this BCS beauty pageant with a 6-1, now a 7-1, showing?

Where was the karma? Penn State beat Northwestern for Joe's 323rd win to tie Bear Bryant. PSU came from behind last year to beat the Wildcats for Joe's 400th win. Is it not fitting that the Lions should beat Northwestern for Joe's next milestone, win #408 that ties Eddie Robinson???

And with only a four point spread, against a team with one of the worst defenses in the conference, this was a game that screamed break-out for Penn State, not TRAP.

And while the final score, 34-24, does not scream break out either, consider this: Penn State was able to put 34 points on the board and not many of the so-called experts would have predicted that. Even while Penn State was matching NU point for point in the first half, the dimwits on TV were talking about how Penn State could not win a shoot-out against the Wildcats. What? Huh? Was that pre-recorded and they weren't even watching what was going on down on the field?

Silas Redd amassed 164 yards on 18 carries. Penn State turned the ball over just once, on the opening kick-off, and Matt McGloin was not interecepted. Holy McWow Batman!

Unfortunately, for Penn State, this really was just Northwestern. The experts had it all wrong. This wasn't an upset waiting to happen--that happened in East Lansing. (Michigan State beat the badgers last season, like they couldn't see this one coming! They were too busy alerting the nation that Penn State might lose.) We'll gloat about that below. In the end, the Wildcats are a pedestrian team that will be fortunate not to end up at the bottom of the Big Ten. Thankfully, they will play both Indiana and Minnesota, so they probably will win a couple of conference games.

But I have come to the acceptance that this Penn State team is just a scrappy, reckless group of underachievers who just don't know how good they could be. The play calling I thought was better this week, except for the ill-timed call on third and short when we decide to pass and McGloin gets sacked for about half the field behind the line of scrimmage. Come on! We were running the ball down their throats. Clucko could have made a better play call on that one! It was reminiscent of the almost-comeback in East Lansing where we ran the ball down the field, only to inexplicably throw four incomplete passes to lose the game. You're not trying to score in this situation. Run the damned ball.

We play pretty much to the level of our competition, Alabama notwithstanding. Have you seen what Alabama is doing to opponents? That loss is no shame. I just wish we had gotten the right call on that fake field goal. Might not have changed the outcome, but it certainly would have made things interesting.

And we are not the only team with problems, as evidenced by Northwestern's insistence to run a two quarterback system. At least in their system, each QB brings a different style to the game, but the changing of quarterbacks seems so random. Fitzgerald changed QB's more than Kristina Helfer changed partners. And I don't think Pat had as much fun doing it!

All the talk about Penn State losing riled up Silas Redd:

Redd had tweeted earlier in the day that he was motivated by everyone on ESPN's "College GameDay" picking Northwestern to win the game.

"It hurt because we're ranked and we beat Northwestern the past four years," Redd said. "We wanted to shut those guys up, and we did that today."

Maybe we should get him riled up more often!

Earlier this week, Arizona dismantled UCLA. One poster quipped that we could drop Neuheisal off the list of Paterno replacments. Can we now cross off Pat Fitzgerald? It's curious that a former QB, albeit from a different era of football, has built his coaching career on defense, while a former linebacker can't field a team with a good defense. Northwestern is one defense away from being scary good.

BY THE NUMBERS:

From the GoPSUsports site:

Team Totals	PSU	NU
FIRST DOWNS	20	23
Rushing	12	8
Passing	8	14
Penalty	0	1
NET YARDS RUSHING	189	94
Rushing Attempts	38	37
Average Per Rush	5	2.5
Rushing Touchdowns	2	2
Yards Gained Rushing	225	161
Yards Lost Rushing	36	67
NET YARDS PASSING	192	312
Completions-Attempts-Int	17-27-0	28-39-1
Average Per Attempt	7.1	8
Average Per Completion	11.3	11.1
Passing Touchdowns	2	1
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS	381	406
Total offense plays	65	76
Average Gain Per Play	5.9	5.3
Fumbles: Number-Lost	3-1	0-0
Penalties: Number-Yards	4-38	3-20
PUNTS-YARDS	4-158	5-188
Average Yards Per Punt	39.5	37.6
Net Yards Per Punt	34.5	29.6
Inside 20	1	1
50+ Yards	1	0
Touchbacks	1	2
Fair catch	2	2
KICKOFFS-YARDS	7-470	5-322
Average Yards Per Kickoff	67.1	64.4
Net Yards Per Kickoff	48.4	36.4
Touchbacks	3	0
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD	1-0-0	0-0-0
Average Per Return	0	0
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD	5-140-0	4-71-0
Average Per Return	28	17.8
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD	1-63-0	0-0-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD	0-0-0	0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards	0	0
Possession Time	27:36	32:24
1st Quarter	5:42	9:18
2nd Quarter	7:56	7:04
3rd Quarter	5:33	9:27
4th Quarter	8:25	6:35
Third-Down Conversions	5 of 13	7 of 15
Fourth-Down Conversions	1 of 1	1 of 2
Red-Zone Scores-Chances	5-6	4-5
Touchdowns	3-6	3-5
Field goals	2-6	1-5
Sacks By: Number-Yards	7-64	1-20
PAT Kicks	4-4	3-3
Field Goals	2-2	1-1

Time of possession is skewed this week, since two of Penn State's "drives" lasted six seconds (one pass McGloin to Devon Smith) and five seconds (one play run by Redd after the INT return by Hodges.) Also, given that Northwestern is a dink and dunk ball control type of team, I think Penn State held their own in this category all things considered.

A more telling statistic is the ZERO points allowed by the defense in the second half.

Maybe I'm drinking way too much Kool Aid, and maybe I'm putting way too much faith back in the coaching staff, but I really get the sense that things are starting to come together. The offensive line is doing it's job. The running game is looking good, albeit against questionable defenses. The kicking game is solid--we couldn't say that after the first few games. And our future opponents are all looking mortal instead of invincible.

Gotta love the seven sacks. Twice in the game, the defense rose up with back-to-back sacks to end Northwestern drives.

INTANGIBLES:

Northwestern won the toss and deferred. They still got the opening possession after the fumble by Powell. Still didn't help them win, though.

JoePa sits at 408 wins, with a good chance to move past Eddie Robinson next week.

Northwestern passes Bowling Green on the list of JoePa milestones. BG was the victim for wins 200 and 300, while Northwestern has now been part of win #323, win #400 and win #408.

The all-time series favors Penn State 12-3.

Attendance at the game was listed at 40,004.

THE BIG (TEN) PICTURE:

Well, well, well. What a difference a week makes. Penn State now stands alone in the LEADERS division. The Spartans are king of the LEGENDS.

Sparty beat the Badgers on the final play of the game. MSU had a 14 point lead in the fourth, that the Badgers were able to overcome for a tie. With 51 seconds left, Sparty took over but came up short of field goal range with 4 ticks left on the clock. Cousins threw a Hail Mary pass that was batted around and then caught by a MSU receiver at the goal line. The call on the field was no TD--time for OT. But on further review, the ruling was overturned as the ball had broken the plane. TD MSU. Good bye Badgers. Final Score: 37-31.

Purdue upset Illinois 21-14. The Illini offense is struggling. I don't see that changing next week.

Nebraska mirrored Minnesota 41-14.

Iowa took care of business against the Hoosiers, 45-24.

SHEDDING TEARS:

1. Wisconsin--bet Bret Bielema wishes he had some of those points from the games he ran the score up.
2. Notre Lame -- do they have enough losses to be eliminated from a BCS Bowl yet?
3. West by God Virginia-- lost to Syracuse 49-23. Will there be any Big Least teams ranked this week?
4. Washington--crushed 65-21 by Stanford
5. Georgia Tech--humbled by Miami (FL) 24-7
6. Boise State--may lose style points after 33-26 win over Air Force
7. Oklahoma--TECH that! Lost to Texas Tech 41-38 in a lightning delayed game. Don't you mess with Mother Nature!

LOOKING AHEAD:

The Illini come to Beaver Stadium next week.

Illinois season to date looks like this:

W Arknasas State 33-15
W South Dakota State 56-3
W Arizona State 17-14
W Western Michigan 23-20
W Northwestern 38-35
W Indiana 41-20
L Ohio State 7-17
L Purdue 14-21

The only "quality win" is a 3 point victory over 5-2 Arizona State who was taken to OT by Missouri and was taken behind the woodshed by Oregon.

Illinois was the 7th most difficult game on our schedule on my pre-season countdown.

Basically, I don't see Illinois being a more formidable foe than Iowa, Alabama, Ohio State, Nebraska, or Wisconsin. The only other team to be ranked yet is Northwestern, and quite frankly, that game is on the road and I fear Pat Fitzgerald more than Ron Zook. And perhaps that, in the end, is the reason that Northwestern went higher in the draft than Illinois.

Prediction: I may be drinking the Kool Aid here, but I do think we will be improved from last season. I am not as optimistic for Illinois as their fans may be. I call this a close win by Penn State, maybe one of those where we kick a field goal late in the game and hope that Illinois doesn't pull a 1999 Minnesota or a 2005 THEM miracle out in the end.

I haven't posted a final season prediction, but I'm leaning towards 8-4. I could be talked into 10-2. Either way, I think Penn State needs to win this game to achieve that level of success.

I think it will be a close game, but Penn State wins with defense at home.

408 . . . FEELS GREAT!

2011-10-22T22:41:00.000-04:00

Penn State defeats Northwestern 34-24 to give Joe Paterno win #408, now in a tie with Eddie Robinson on the all-time list.

Gerald Hodges had a monster of a game.

Silas Redd ran amok.

Full recap to follow later!

Fake Referine Precipitates Brawl

2011-10-21T09:18:00.000-04:00

Let's talk football, huddles and handoffs

2011-10-20T22:32:00.000-04:00

By now — my twelfth year of blogging — I have seen and been involved in some unusual football and even email circumstances.

Though I am only 39----ish, I feel like I am finally beginning to figure out sports psychology… and maybe even relationships. You could say I’ve been around the blog a few times, but I’m still experiencing new things every day, especially in Happy Valley, on the weekends.

I love football.

I love talking about it, I love watching it, and I’m sure I’m not the only one, male or female, who feels the same way.

Someday, all of us will be watching football — unless you’re still living in your mom’s basement — and it won’t be a big deal.

Maybe you’re watching football right now, while you’re reading this column (lucky you), maybe you did it last night, or maybe you’ve never watched it at all, but football is all around us.

We’re at the point in our lives when we are coming into our footballuality.

We’re learning the football game.

Who knows, between hook and laterals and the need to choke a “Big Ten official,” we might even be the generation that completely kills referees.

Have you had dirty thoughts about that cute tight end/cheerleader at your football game? Have you wondered what your partner would say if you wanted to play football on the 50-yard-line?

Well, I have, too.

Often, football is taboo. We can’t discuss what goes on behind the closed doors of the locker room, or in my case, under a crabapple tree once.

If you’ve ever watched MTV’s Cribs, you know the first thing anyone says when they enter their stadium is, “This is where the Greatest Show happens.”

Do they really need to say that? Are they sure they’re good enough to really call it The Greatest Show?

At Penn State, it’s more than in the stadium — it’s luxury boxes, Paternoville or the Nittany Lion Shrine.

For some, it’s a moment of true intimacy, for others it’s just another good night.

Football is the most universal thing in the entire world. Almost every species — except for round ball ones— has football in one form or another.

We were given these footballs for a reason, so why not take advantage of them?

The thrill of watching football is like nothing else. It’s exciting, and everyone’s talking about it.

College is the time when those whispers become a reality, when people take others’ Bud Light and roommates are football-iled.

And it’s about time we start talking about it.

I’m not going to tell you to change your beliefs and go crazy, but it’s time to start being open.

It’s time to break society’s first down chains (or not), and look at football from a different perspective.

Losing control draws me toward all of this.

I am not a thrill seeker, per se. I hate heights; I will never sit in the upper deck. I don’t ski or mountain bike or do any sort of extreme sports that give you the “rush” people describe, so I have football.

Don’t think for a minute that football is a less dangerous version of an extreme sport.

And frankly, I don’t think any extreme sport could give you the feeling that a white-knuckle, toe-curling Penn State offense does.

The pleasure runs up and down your entire body, and just for a moment — or if you’re lucky, quite a few moments — you disconnect from the stressful world.

There is no better time to have a little fun and explore than in college.

We have few responsibilities, and there will never be as many willing people around to experience the same things with.

It’s also the time when were most unsure about how to go about football.

I doubt any of us can call ourselves football aficionados, so let’s dive into a sea of huddling, Paterno and hiking, and figure it out.

Let’s get our minds — and hopefully pelvises — moving, and really delve into what’s important.

Everyone has that crazy story or awkward encounter with a partner that is worthy of being told, and I can relate, so let’s talk about football, huddles and hand offs.

You may have thought you could drain away all of your weekend shenanigans, just like that beer bong at last weekend’s football tailgate, but I am here to bring them back to the surface.

We are Nittany Lions.

And we’re beating everyone. Except Alabama.

EDITORS NOTE: If you currently have that WTF look on your face, I must point out that this is a parody of an article which originally appeared in The Daily Collegian by Kristina Helfer. You can also read about it at Penn State Clips.

Weekly Game Guide

2011-10-20T21:45:00.001-04:00

It's Thursday night.

UCLA v Arizona.

Another Rick Neuheisal sighting.

Watch the game or blog? Watch the game or blog? Game? Blog?

So here I am blogging.

(The game is still on, I'm just not paying that much attention.)

For whom do we root?

Tonight? Let's go with Arizona who just fired their head coach in mid-season. Yeah, it's either that or a coin toss. Ok, how about this? I'm a Penguins fan and I don't like the Boston Bruins. By the substitutive property of sports, I don't like the UCLA Bruins. GO ARIZONA!

IN THE BIG TEN:

Penn State is a 4 point favorite over the non-Arizona but more Northwesterly Wildcats and the line has been stable all week. Bad NW defense gives our offense a chance to put things together. LET'S GO STATE!

Nebraska is a 25 point fave over the Goophers. Neither one is in our division, but we do play the Huskers and it would be better for our strength of schedule if they win. That was way too much analysis for a game that the gophers have close to zero chance of winning. GO HUSKERS!

Iowa hosts Indiana and is favored by 23.5. GO HAWKS! ( I feel bad for the Hoosiers, and maybe I should throw them a bone. But they have as much chance of winning this game as the Goophers have of upsetting Nebraska.)

Wisconsin is favored by 8 as they travel to Spartan stadium. Only MSU beat the badgers in the Big Ten last year. Interesting. Just as we play the Cheateyes at home twice in a row, the badgers must travel to East Lansing again. Will history repeat itself. Sorry, Sparty, but this is not the same Wisconsin team that jumped around and sang the beer barrel polka last year. This team is going to teach you a lesson. ON WISCONSIN! (And, it helps our strenmgth of schedule :) )

Purdue is a 4 point home dog to the Illini, coming off a heart breaking loss to the resurgent Cheateyes. I'd like to see Purdue give them a good game. Wear them down a little. But I think "our win" (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) over the Illini will look better if they win this game. GO ILLINOIS!

The little two in the Big conference--THEM and the Columbus Cheateyes--are idle this week. Let's see what the survey says . . . . Yep! No one cares!

IN GAMES OF PAST OPPONENTS:

Alabama is a 29 point favorite over Tennessee. They'll pop Rocky Top, but can they outdo LSU? ROLL TIDE ROLL!

Temple is favored by 13 over Bowling Green. GO OWLS!

Indiana State is 5-2 with losses to Northern Iowa and Penn State. They face Illinois State. GO TREES!

Eastern Michigan (4-3) is a 12 point underdog to Western Michigan. GO EMU!

Statistically Speaking: Wildcat Edition

2011-10-19T18:52:00.000-04:00

Here are the stats for Penn State and Northwestern from the NCAA site:

NCAA Stats Comparison

Category:	Penn St.	Northwestern	Delta

Rushing	52	40	-12
Passing Offense	81	68	-13
Total Offense	78	52	-26
Scoring Offense	96	62	-34
Rushing Defense	22	76	54
Turnovers Gained	10	50	40
Passes Had Intercepted	64	8	-56
Pass Defense	7	99	92
Net Punting	95	94	-1
Punt Returns	75	13	-62
Kickoff Returns	32	68	36
Turnover Margin	20	17	-3
Fumbles Recovered	33	67	34
Passes Intercepted	7	37	30
Fumbles Lost	70	14	-56
Turnovers Lost	70	6	-64
Passing Efficiency	102	36	-66
Pass Efficiency Defense	3	108	105
Total Defense	6	101	95
Scoring Defense	6	88	82
Fewest Penalties Per Game	33	28	-5
Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game	37	28	-9
Punt Return Yardage Defense	65	6	-59
Kickoff Return Yardage Defense	85	12	-73
Offense Third-down Efficiency	73	20	-53
Offense Fourth-down Efficiency	5	102	97
Defense Third-down Efficiency	32	114	82
Defense Fourth-down Efficiency	87	97	10
Tackles for Loss	32	96	64
Offense Tackles for Loss	6	94	88
Pass Sacks	48	77	29
Pass Sacks Allowed	18	102	84
Time of Possession	27	73	46
First Downs	74	29	-45
First Downs Allowed	7	61	54
Red Zone Efficiency	91	91	0
Red Zone Efficiency - Defense	119	60	-59

Average NCAA Rank:	47.78	59.3	11.52
Weighted Avg. Rank:	47.33	70.08	22.75

Unlike Purdue last week, whose weighted stats were considerably better than the straight up average, Northwestern is actually worse when key stats are weighted.

In the offensive categories, NW is ranked on average 21.25 spots better than PSU.

In the defensive categories of rushing, pass, pass efficiency, scoring and total defense, Penn State is ranked on average 85.6 spots BETTER than the Wildcats.

Neither team performs well in the red zone. If it weren't so sad I'd be laughing. And as good as our defense is, our red zone defense is tied for last in the country. It's like the goal line is some weird electromagnetic force that creates havoc whenever our players get near it, whether they are on offense or defense. It's creepy really.

But on the bright side, they can't get any worse and there's only one way to go from here.

My preseason countdown had this game ranked as our 6th most difficult game. Illinois was #7 and Iowa was #5. Here was my prediction:

I think Penn State will be 6-1 going into this game and building momentum. I look for a shaky start, a solid third quarter and pulling away with a win by at least 10 points. Don't ask me why. It's just a feeling I have. It might be gas.

I may be a fool, but I'm standing by that prediction, even though the line has us favored by 4. The best thing for a struggling offense is to face a struggling defense.