Nittany Lines

LIONS ARE STILL IN MIX FOR BCS AT-LARGE BERTH

2009-11-16T18:34:00.000-05:00

The Nittany Lions dropped their two biggest games of the season to Iowa and Ohio State, were outscored 30-0 combined in the second half, and both came at Beaver Stadium. But heading into the final weekend of the regular season, Penn State (9-2) has miraculously worked its way back into the mix for an at-large berth to a BCS bowl game.

Despite struggling early on Saturday against last place Indiana (before prevailing 31-20), the Lions leapfrogged five teams in the latest BCS standings and are now 14th. Ironically, all at-large candidates must be 14th or higher when the final BCS rankings are released Dec. 6 to be considered.

Penn State obviously has to beat Michigan State on Saturday – no sure thing, but the visiting Lions are a three-point favorite – in order to remain in contention. If that happens, however, they are not assured of anything. Conventional wisdom is that a Jan. 1st invite to the non-BCS Capital One Bowl in Orlando would be the worst-case scenario.

A whole lot of things will undoubtedly happen between now and Dec. 6, but we do know that Ohio State will represent the Big Ten at the Rose Bowl. If the conference gets a second BCS representative, it will probably be either PSU or Iowa (also 9-2).

The Hawkeyes are currently 13th in the BCS rankings, but that doesn’t mean that they would automatically get the nod over PSU should they win out. Even though Iowa won the head-to-head meeting, bowl officials care much more about how many potential fans will make the trip, and Penn State travels as well as anybody in the country. And the Lions have a draw that nobody else has: Joe Paterno, who has more wins that any major college football head coach.

But it isn’t that simple. The loser of the Florida (No. 1)-Alabama (No. 2) tilt in the SEC Championship Game will get one at-large spot. If both TCU (No. 4) and Boise State (No. 6) can stay undefeated, they will probably each get one.

That would leave just one available at-large berth, and there are other No. 2 teams from major conferences still in the running for consideration, including the loser of the Cincinnati (No. 5)-Pittsburgh (No. 9) clash in the Big East; and Oklahoma State (No. 12). And there is always a possibility that somebody currently ranked below the Lions could overtake them in the coming weeks. -- NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

PUNT RETURN WOES COST NITTANY LIONS AGAIN

2009-11-09T18:51:00.000-05:00

The three major areas of concern heading into Penn State’s 2009 season – a rebuilt offensive line, revamped secondary and heavy graduation losses at wideout – all played a factor in the Nittany Lions’ 24-7 dud versus Ohio State last weekend.

But the biggest factor in the loss that knocked PSU out of the Rose Bowl hunt – special teams – wasn’t something that was even on the radar last summer. And, ironically, Penn State’s punt team was actually thought of as a strength, with returning punter, Jeremy Boone, who had all-conference ability.

Out of 120 football programs in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the Lions rank near the bottom in net punting and defending returns. A blocked punt against Iowa was returned for a touchdown, providing the winning points in the Hawkeyes’ 21-10 triumph at Beaver Stadium. There was also another blocked punt at Michigan. And then a week prior to the OSU showdown, Penn State special teams were penalized twice for not having 11 players on the field against Northwestern.

The situation got even worse on Nov. 7, when the Buckeyes’ Ray Small broke loose for punt returns of 45 and 41 yards, setting up two of Ohio State’s three TDs.

“You knew this was going to be a field position game,” said OSU head coach Jim Tressel. “No one was going to drive up and down the field – it just wasn’t going to happen.”

But the punting woes gave the Buckeyes a short field, and they capitalized. Boone punted 10 times in the game, and seven were returned for 130 yards. Ohio State punted eight times, and just one was returned for zero yards (and was actually muffed but recovered by Graham Zug). That was a 130-0 edge, which is a lot in a battle between two solid defenses.

“Whoever wins the field position battle usually has the upper hand,” said safety Drew Asterino. “And we just couldn’t get control of that.”

During the post-game press conference, head coach Joe Paterno was asked if he needed to take a look at the way his program is doing things with the special teams. It was a thinly veiled question about the way Paterno chooses to set up his coaching staff.

Of the nine current full-time assistants on his staff, the special teams duties are split up five ways, with defensive line coach, Larry Johnson, handling the punt coverage team.

“We’ve done it this way before,” Paterno said. “I don’t know. We’ll obviously take a look at it. But I don’t know whether it’s a matter of changing things, maybe with personnel.”

But what if the problem isn’t with the personnel? – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

INEPT OFFICIATING BENEFITS CHARMED IOWA ONCE AGAIN

2009-11-02T18:18:00.001-05:00

Another Saturday of college football, another miraculous late game comeback by an Iowa team aided, once again, by a few second half calls that somehow always seem to go the Hawkeyes way.

Granted, Iowa showed great resiliency in its 42-24 comeback against Indiana. But would they have even had a chance if not for another group of inept officials who took 14 Hoosier points off the scoreboard on obvious TD catches?

The worst – which was on-par with a few horrible calls a week earlier at Michigan State – was the diving reception by IU’s Terrance Turner. It was actually called correct on the field (I know, they must have gotten lucky) and then, amazingly, overturned by the replay official, who watched it numerous times, in slow motion, and wronged a right. What is it about “indisputable video evidence” that these guys just can’t seem to grasp?

It means that the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes are still in the Big Ten driver’s seat at 5-0 (9-0 overall). The winner of Saturday’s Penn State-Ohio State clash will stay close on Iowa’s heels at 5-1. But even if the No. 11 Nittany Lions (4-1, 8-1) win out, they probably won’t be able to overtake the Hawks because the 21-10 setback to Iowa on Sept. 26 in Happy Valley would break any potential tie.

It’s difficult, however, to imagine any scenario in which PSU wouldn’t get an at-large bid to a BCS bowl game if they finish the regular season 11-1. And it is possible -- if the Lions stub their toe once more -- they could still slip in to the BCS mix at 10-2, although that wouldn’t be advisable.

But this much is certain: Unless Iowa losses at Ohio State (very possible) and then also drops one of its two remaining home games against either Northwestern or Minnesota (doubtful, especially with the Hawkeyes monopoly on favorable treatment from the refs), there is nothing Penn State can do the rest of the way to earn another trip to the Rose Bowl. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

PSU ROBBED IN MICHIGAN AGAIN, BUT PROBABLY NOT THE WAY YOU THINK

2009-10-26T20:12:00.000-04:00

Penn State got robbed again last weekend in Michigan … by some highly questionable officiating. Sound familiar? But it’s probably not what you think.

The Nittany Lions blasted the Wolverines 35-10 on Saturday for its first win at Michigan Stadium since 1996. And at one point in the first half, there was yet another time clock incident (prompting PSU play-by-play man, Steve Jones, to scream: “Why is the clock stopped?” over and over and over). But that wasn’t the miscarriage of justice.

It happened 90 miles away in East Lansing, where a series of controversial fourth quarter calls all went Iowa’s way, contributing to the Hawkeye’s final-play 15-13 victory over Michigan State. Even though the Lions were not on the field, it was ultra important to Penn State because it may wind up preventing the Lions from earning a share of the Big Ten crown and/or another spot in the Rose Bowl.

Due to a 21-10 setback to Iowa in September, PSU (3-1, 7-1 overall) is a full game behind the Hawkeyes (4-0, 8-0) and needs some outside help to catch up. The Spartans were primed to provide that help, but then the refs intervened. The worst was a personal foul call on a hit that happens dozens of times in just about every college game and is rarely, if ever, penalized. Plus, the call came embarrassingly late, keeping a drive alive that led to a field goal, and a 6-6 tie.

“If you are calling that, there needs to be consistency,” complained Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio. “This is a tough game. It’s a violent game. We don’t want to hurt people, but it’s hard to tell a defensive player to stand there and let the offensive player run you over.”

The next controversial call was a clear fumble by the Hawkeyes that was never officially reviewed and resulted in another kick that made it 9-6. And the third was a holding call on a defensive back, who was engaged with an Iowa wideout (within five yards of the line of scrimmage). The call could have gone either way, but ended up wiping out a Michigan State interception, and a few plays later Iowa scored the game-winner as time expired.

If any one of those three calls goes the other way, the Hawkeyes almost certainly do not win the game, and Penn State is now tied for first place.

Instead, Iowa is now in total command. It’s only difficult remaining game is at Ohio State. And even if the Buckeyes win that one – and PSU takes care of business and wins out -- the Hawkeyes would hold the tiebreaker due to its head-to-head victory at Beaver Stadium.

Afterwards, even Iowa coach Kirk Ferenz said his team was “fortunate to win.” – NEIL GEOGHEGAN

SWEET REVENGE FOR PSU’S BELEAGUERED SECONDARY

2009-10-19T17:27:00.001-04:00

The Penn State defense limited visiting Minnesota to its lowest output of total offense of the 2009 season during last weekend’s 20-0 shutout. But it’s doubtful anybody took more self satisfaction out of the contest, and the outcome, than the Nittany Lions’ revamped secondary.

With four new starters, the unit endured a lot of preseason questioning and doubts, but came through impressively against the Golden Gophers and superstar wideout Eric Decker. It was 20-0 and clearly mop-up time when Decker finally hauled in his only pass reception of the day early in the fourth quarter.

“We kept getting attacked all the time because nobody really knew about us,” said sophomore safety Drew Asterino. “We had never really played, so instead of just saying, ‘we haven’t seen them play,’ we kept hearing, ‘(the secondary) is the worst part of the defense.’

“That stuff fuels us.”

Playing with a chip on its collective shoulder, the secondary was rock solid against Minnesota – particularly senior cornerback A.J. Wallace, who shadowed Decker all over the field and came up huge in his first start of the season.

“It was great to see,” said PSU’s Jared Odrick. “As a defensive lineman, you really don’t notice those type of things until the end of the game. (After the game) you realize (Decker) was really taken out of the game.”

Despite going against Decker and strong-armed quarterback Adam Weber, the Lions secondary helped limit the Gophers to just 101 passing yards and another 37 on the ground. Afterwards, head coach Joe Paterno acknowledged that the coaching staff had challenged Wallace in his head-to-head matchup with Decker.

“I take great pride in being challenged,” Wallace said. “I had some big stuff on my plate and I was ready to eat.”

When asked if getting a shutout, and shutting down Decker, was extra satisfying, Asterino said: “A win is satisfying, and all of the other stuff is a plus.”
-- NEIL GEOGHEGAN

MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS FOR PENN STATE AT HALFWAY POINT

2009-10-12T18:36:00.000-04:00

Is it possible that exactly half way through the 2009 season, we still don’t really have an accurate grasp of just what kind of a football team Penn State has?

Nittany Lions head coach Joe Paterno, and his son Jay, the PSU quarterbacks coach, seem to think so.

“I wish I could (assess where we are),” JoePa said after steamrolling Illinois State 52-3 on Saturday. “I don’t know. I think we’ve got to play a couple tough games coming up. Minnesota’s a good football team. We’ll have to see where we are when we play them.

“We’ve got six tough games now. We’ll take them one at a time and see where we are. We’re not anywhere near as good as we will have to be, but we are getting better. I think we are better football team today than we were three or four weeks ago.”

It’s mid-October. How can the jury still be out on the Lions? Well, the lineup of non-conference patsies revealed next to nothing, and five of the six games have taken place in the friendly confines of Beaver Stadium.

Penn State outscored Akron, Syracuse, Temple and Illinois State by a combined 142-23, and downed an Illinois squad that has been one of the nation’s biggest disappointments. But in the season’s only contest against a quality opponent, the Nittany Lions blew an early 10-point lead and fell to Iowa, 21-10. And even though the Hawkeyes are now ranked 11th, they were unranked when they beat PSU.

“We’ve still got to get in a tough fourth quarter game and win,” said Jay Paterno. “We haven’t done that yet. Part of it is because five of them we’ve been in control of the game. And the sixth game we didn’t win, we just did not compete in the fourth quarter like we should have.

“Right now, we have to get in a dog fight and come out and win it. And I think we will -- that’s coming.”

It opportunity will likely be on Saturday, when the Golden Gophers (4-2) provide the Homecoming opposition. Minnesota is a half-game ahead of Penn State in the Big Ten standings at 2-1, with wins over Northwestern and Purdue, and also has non-conference victories against Air Force and Syracuse. The Gophers are 2-0 in road games this season. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

NO WIN SITUATION FOR PSU THIS SATURDAY

2009-10-08T14:05:00.000-04:00

Joe Paterno won’t come right out and say that Saturday’s non-league game against FCS (Div. I-AA) Eastern Illinois isn’t coming at a very good time for his program, but it really is. Following a momentum-building 35-17 win at Illinois, the No. 14 Nittany Lions really would have benefited from getting right back into the heart of the Big Ten race while it is seemingly on a roll. A bye week right now wouldn’t hurt either because PSU is kind of battered.

Taking on an underdog from a lower division is just about the least advantageous scenario you can think of. Let’s be honest: this game has absolutely no up-side for Penn State. An easy win is expected. A loss would be a complete disaster. A closer than expected win will only hurt PSU’s reputation.

And it’s pretty obvious reading between the lines to see where Paterno weights in on the issue. He was unusually testy and sensitive when questioned on Tuesday about why his team is playing this opponent.

“We had an open date,” he said, voice rising. “We had a chance to play 12 games. All right? Which means money so we can support the other 28 sports on this campus. All right?”

So this is purely about money?

Paterno then went through a lengthy list of other major programs to play Div. I-AA opponents this season. But what he didn’t address is that Penn State’s non-conference slate has already been so ridiculously non-competitive this year, it has already had an adverse effect. There is strong argument to be made that one of the reasons the Lions failed so spectacularly in the last three quarters against Iowa because they just weren’t prepared for the heightened level of play. While PSU was beating up on Akron, Syracuse and Temple, the Hawkeyes blasted Iowa State of the Big 12, on the road, and then topped Arizona of the Pac-10.

It was also telling that Paterno stated openly that a bye week right about now would be preferable.

“I would obviously prefer an open date if we can have one,” he said. “I think after you've gone as far as we've gone (pre-season and five games) and you're banged up -- and we're banged up -- you would like to have an open date.”

For the next two seasons, Penn State has a home-and-home non-conference set with Alabama, which will certainly get the Lions ready for the rigors of conference competition. But Eastern Illinois – played in the middle of the conference schedule – isn’t going to help at all, except for one thing: another big payday because 100,000-plus will show up no matter who is the opponent. -- NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

ALL IS NOT LOST; LIONS STILL HAVE A WORTHY GOAL TO REACH

2009-10-01T17:43:00.001-04:00

It’s pretty common these days for the media and the fans of college football to make some snap decisions about a lot of teams based on a few early season performances. That sure seems to be happening right now with Penn State.

Obviously, the Nittany Lions’ conference opening setback to Iowa at Beaver Stadium was disappointing. But it hardly means that PSU’s season is doomed to failure.

The Lions have an ugly blemish on their record, but it’s just one. And there are eight more Saturday’s left in the regular season. Things can turn around awfully quick.

“You learn from your mistakes and listen to your coaches,” said linebacker Navorro Bowman. “Those guys know what they are doing. As a team need to … trust our strategies. We need to focus on the little things that made us lose. It was a tough loss but I’m sure we will bounce back from it.”

Penn State is favored by a touchdown at Illinois on Saturday, and will likely be favored in the next five outings. If PSU is 8-1 heading into the Ohio State showdown on Nov. 7, who’s to say the Lions have no chance against the visiting Buckeyes? It has the look of a toss-up right now.

Let’s face it: nobody in the Big Ten is without glaring flaws. Iowa may be the flavor of the week right now, but they have a brutal schedule ahead, including road trips to Madison, Columbus and East Lansing. Michigan’s defense is surrendering an average of 386 yards per game so far against lackluster opponents like Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Indiana. And the only other teams without a conference defeat are Minnesota and Wisconsin, and they play each other this weekend.

The point is that Penn State is OK right now. It may not be able to recover enough for a berth in the BCS Championship Game, but they are still a major player in the Big Ten race. Even if the offense continues to struggle, the Lions will win a lot of games due to their stout defense.

And winning the conference crown should be PSU’s prime goal anyway. Keep in mind that in 16 seasons since joining the Big Ten, Penn State has won just three league titles, so it certainly isn’t beneath the program to aim for a goal that is a bit more realistic. How many times have the Lions played in the BCS title game anyway?

“Big Ten titles are pretty hard to come by,” said safety Drew Asterino. “We still have to work for that and there is still a long season ahead.”
-- NEIL GEOGHEGAN

PSU'S OFFENSIVE LINE IN DISARRAY

2009-09-26T23:55:00.003-04:00

Penn State's 21-10 collapse in the Big Ten Conference opener against Iowa was disappointing on a variety of levels. But the situation along the offensive line has to be up near the top of the lengthy list of concerns. If anything, the Lions' status up front is now in more disarray than it was prior to the season opener.

PSU ran for a lackluster 109 yards on 33 carries on Saturday evening, which is a mediocre 3.3 yards per attempt. Tailback Evan Royster failed to top the 70-yard plateau for the third time in four contests this season. And for the first time, he did not score a touchdown, but did contribute two turnovers down the stretch (a tipped pass that was intercepted and a fumble).

Starting right tackle, DeOn'tae Powell was so ineffective in the first half that he was benched in favor of senior Nerraw McCormack, who is a junior college transfer. Powell is the second starter so far along the line to lose his spot this season: guard Matt Stankiewitch was the other, replaced by Johnnie Troutman for in game three.

Granted, Penn State's ground game struggles came against an excellent Iowa defense. But the Hawkeyes managed to roll up 163 yards on 37 runs against Penn State's rock-solid defense, which averages out to 4.4 yards per attempt. And keep in mind that Royster was the top returning running back in the Big Ten, while Iowa's top performer is redshirt freshman Adam Robinson, who gained 88 rushing yards and a TD at Beaver Stadium.

And here is a sobering thought: since joining the Big Ten in 1993, PSU has never been able to make a run at a conference crown when it has had similar question marks along the offensive line. -- NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

CLARK MUST MOVE ON FROM THE DISAPPOINTMENT OF FIRST LOSS

2008-11-12T14:10:00.001-05:00

By all accounts, Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark has reacted positively to every challenge he’s faced since arriving in State College in 2005. He came to PSU as an academic non-qualifier but he got his grades in order, became eligible, waited his turn for two seasons and then earned the starting spot late last summer following a highly competitive battle with Pat Devlin.

But Clark is now facing a new hurdle. The Nittany Lions suffered a heartbreaking 24-23 setback at Iowa and it was Clark’s first loss as the starter. The Youngstown, Ohio native struggled at Kinnick Stadium, which included an interception in the fourth quarter that the Hawkeyes turned into the game-winning field goal. And Clark took it very, very hard.

“This tested my will,” Clark said on Tuesday. “I did some soul searching on Sunday. The past couple games I really didn’t come to the party. We have two games left. What am I going to do to help this team? Am I going to step it up or just going to be mediocre, like I’ve been?

“It would be unacceptable for it to continue.”

Even though he admitted that there were countless mistakes committed by the Lions as a team, Clark shouldered most of the blame for what happened.

“I went through my little episode, where I was really hurt.” he said. “I talked to my dad. He let me know that everything is going to be all right.

“He doesn’t just sugarcoat it just because I’m his son. He said there were some mistakes, some bad throws made, but at the same time there were mistakes all over the place, so you can’t put everything on your shoulders the way I did.

“Naturally, as the quarterback and the way the game ended, you take it out on yourself. That is when he stepped in and consoled me.”

Clark needs to move past this, the first real adversity he’s faced as a key member of the team. He will have plenty opportunities to play his way out of this funk against a porous Indiana defense on Saturday. A win there and another the following week against Michigan State will give Clark the distinction of being just the third quarterback to guide Penn State to a Big Ten championship.

“We are prepared for every single game,” said Clark. “It’s just a matter of getting this damn thing done, pardon my language.”

He is clearly frustrated. But the sooner Clark is able to come to terms with what happened in Iowa, the sooner he’ll be able to focus on finishing out the season with a title and a berth in the Rose Bowl. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

ENSUING RIOT PUTS DAMPER ON BIG WIN AT OHIO STADIUM

2008-10-30T15:14:00.000-04:00

The only disappointment associated with Penn State’s 13-6 road victory at Ohio State last Saturday was the reaction back in State College.

A rowdy crowd estimated at 1,500 gathered in the downtown area to celebrate PSU’s first triumph at Ohio Stadium in 30 years. And to nobody’s surprise, things quickly got out of hand. Fires were set, street signs were damaged, cars vandalized and storefront windows were smashed in the ensuing two and half hours.

“I don’t really (want to) call it a riot, but that’s what it turned into,” said Lydell Sargeant, PSU’s senior cornerback.

“We have the best fans in the country. It started out as a celebration, but a couple bad things happened and it turned into more. The majority of the fans who were out there didn’t do anything wrong. Just a couple rotten eggs in the bunch turned it sour.”

By the time the crowd finally dispersed at about 4 p.m. Sunday morning, 20 people had been arrested, 14 police officers were injured and the damage was estimated at $50,000.

“To destroy property and that kind of stuff is really not something that ought to be identified with a celebration,” said Penn State head coach Joe Paterno. “I was young once and probably did something stupid once in a while but you just hate to see them do that kind of thing.”

The unbeaten, third-ranked Nittany Lions need just three more wins to secure sole possession of the program’s second Big Ten Conference championship and a possible berth in the BCS National Championship Game. The next potential trouble date is Nov. 22, when PSU closes out the regular season against Michigan State, which is currently in second place, a full-game behind the Lions. And Paterno is already thinking about trying to head off a repeat of what happened last weekend.

“I think one of these days I’ve got to do something and talk to the kids and say: ‘Hey, look, it’s a big game,” Paterno said. “‘If we win it, everybody have a lot of fun, but don’t go downtown.’” – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

CLARK STILL SORE ABOUT PRYOR’S COMMENT ABOUT STATE COLLEGE

2008-10-24T14:52:00.003-04:00

bbIt’s not like Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark needs any extra motivation to beat Ohio State on Saturday. It’s the biggest game of his career, it will almost certainly determine the Big Ten champion and a loss would knock the unbeaten, third-ranked Nittany Lions out of the national championship picture. In addition, Clark hails from Youngstown, Ohio and was not recruited very hard by the Buckeyes.

But Clark did give a brief glimpse into his feelings about PSU’s unsuccessful recruitment last spring of a certain big-time quarterback prospect out of Western Pennsylvania. Terrelle Pryor ended up signing with Ohio State and will be Clark’s counterpart on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

When Pryor picker OSU over Penn State (and Michigan), he said that State college was too rural for his tastes. He also mentioned that the lack of a succession plan for 81-year-old head coach Joe Paterno was an issue.

“I don't like that place,” he said of Happy Valley last March. “It's the country.”

On Wednesday, Clark certainly didn’t sound all that disappointed that Pryor spurned the Lions and ended up in Columbus.

“I resented (the comment about State College) being country and whatnot,” Clark said. “But that’s his though of this place. He decided to go to another school and it’s working out for him.

“I don’t have any bad blood. I went to one of (Pryor's) basketball games and talked to him after the game to try to get him to come here. He had other plans. You can only tell him what you want to tell him and the rest is up to him. He made his decision, and I can’t say it’s a bad one. He’s playing right now as a true freshman and doing well.”

It also worked out pretty well for PSU with Clark at the helm and Pat Devlin as a solid back-up. And Paterno is always talking up No. 3 Paul Cianciolo. Who knows what would have happened if Pryor had been added to an already crowded situation? – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

MORE ARROGANCE COMING OUT OF ANN ARBOR?

2008-10-14T19:39:00.000-04:00

Michigan football has a long standing and well earned reputation for arrogance. And it’s not just within the fan base but with the program itself.

That’s why it came as a surprise to absolutely no one when a Michigan player guaranteed a victory over No. 3 Penn State this Saturday in Happy Valley. It doesn’t matter that the 2-4 Wolverines lost to Toledo last weekend, that the unbeaten Nittany Lions are a whopping 24-point favorite or that the overconfident player is a wideout on a unit that ranks 109th in the nation in total offense. Arrogance is arrogance.

The player in question is freshman Daryll Stonum, who made the silly guarantee on his Facebook page this week. Stonum is a backup, and through six games he has a grand total of five receptions for 48 yards and zero touchdowns.

When asked about it, PSU’s senior wideout Derrick Williams offered a rather politically correct response, but it is one that Stonum could have used before posting his innermost thoughts on the world-wide web.

“If (Stonum) was on my team and he had that kind of confidence, I would want him to say it, but not publicly,” Williams said. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

GAINES IS UNSUNG HERO OF PSU DEFENSE

2008-10-08T11:27:00.001-04:00

He is a tri-captain and team leader, he leads all Penn State defensive linemen in solo tackles, he ranks among the top six in the Big Ten in sacks and he is probably the most versatile performer on a unit that is ranked eighth in the country in total defense.

So why isn’t more recognition and publicity coming Josh Gaines’ way?

“I’ve increased my play a lot since last year,” said Gaines, a fifth year senior from Fort Wayne, Ind. “I feel like I’m an all-around better player.”

The statistics back him up. But the 6-foot-1, 275-pound Gaines is playing under the radar and in the shadow of speedy ends Aaron Maybin and Maurice Evans.

“I do think he is (underappreciated),” agreed Nittany Lions’ head coach Joe Paterno.

“He does a good job. He’s a quiet, sure, very confident kid who rubs off in the rest of the football team. He rarely makes a mistake.”

When told about Paterno’s comments, Gaines said: “I haven’t heard or seen much recognition but coming from coach, that means a lot.”

Maybin leads the conference in sacks and is second nationally with seven. Evans was a pre-season All American and then garnered a lot of attention when he was suspended for three games – along with defensive tackle Abe Koroma – after police seized a small amount of marijuana from their apartment.

“I think (Gaines) is probably not gotten the kind of credit the other kids get because they are free-lancing most of the time on the outside,” Paterno explained.

Gaines is also an end, but his game just isn’t flashy. Plus, he’s played plenty of snaps at tackle, especially while Koroma was sidelined.

On Saturday at Purdue, Gaines made the 26th start of his career. So far this season, he is eighth on the team with 20 tackles, but 16 have been solo stops. And he’s added 3.5 sacks, three pass breakups and one quarterback hurry.

And then there are the intangibles you simply can’t measure.

“Half the people around here don’t even know who Gaines is,” Paterno said. “But he’s probably one of the stronger leaders on the team.” – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

BEWARE OF OVERESTIMATING PSU’S WIN OVER OREGON STATE

2008-09-26T10:49:00.001-04:00

After Oregon State stunned the top-ranked Southern Cal, 27-21, on Thursday evening, Nittany Nation is even more confident on the eve of the Big Ten opener against Illinois. That’s because Penn State smacked those same Beavers just three weeks ago, 45-14, and because USC blasted Big Ten frontrunner Ohio State earlier this month.

But beware.

Comparing results from week to week is a futile endeavor. Just because team A beats B, and B tops C, it doesn’t necessarily mean that A is better than C. It just doesn’t work that way, and it would be counterproductive for anybody in Happy Valley to start thinking that PSU is somehow, all of the sudden, a better team than they were on Wednesday. If the players are thinking that, their title hopes could go up in flames on Saturday.

Looking too far ahead is very dangerous. Just ask Southern Cal, who seemed to sleepwalk through Thursday’s first half, fell into a 21-0 hole and never recovered.

What happened on Thursday doesn’t make Ohio State any easier to beat on the road Oct. 25. The Lions have yet to beat the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium since joining the Big Ten 15 years ago.

And that carries a heck of a lot more weight than anything that happened in Corvallis, Ore., on Thursday. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

WHY ALL THE HATE FOR THE BIG TEN?

2008-09-15T16:13:00.002-04:00

A lot of America absolutely loves bashing of the Big Ten Conference.

That is the only conclusion I can come to after listening to the never ending chorus of complaints about the league’s football teams. Yes, Ohio State got roughed up by USC last Saturday. Yes, the Buckeye’s deserved to drop out of the top-10. But the way so many people gleefully attack OSU’s program – and the Big 10 as a whole – has gotten way over the top.

First off, the Buckeyes were playing a road game, against the No. 1 team in the country and without its best player. And they were a double-digit underdog to begin with. The outcome was what just about everybody expected, so why all of the post-game darts and arrows?

In case you missed it, about 90 minutes after USC’s win, Wisconsin finished off a top-20 opponent, Fresno State, in one of the most impressive road wins of the young season. And earlier in the day, Penn State completely dismantled Syracuse by 42 points. But we don’t hear the same type of rhetoric about how bad the WAC or the Big East is.

Why is that? Is it jealousy? Nobody draws more fans year after year than the Big Ten. Nobody puts more financial support behind their programs. And nobody else has its own television network.

The Big Ten went 7-4 last weekend, including another head-to-head wins against the Big 12 (Iowa over Iowa State). Sure, there were disappointments, like Michigan’s big loss at Notre Dame, and Purdue’s overtime loss to Oregon. But the week before, the Big Ten went 11-0. And for the season, the Big Ten is 25-6 – that’s a .806 winning percentage.

I am not saying that the Big Ten is the nation’s best conference. Nobody is saying that. But can we get a little perspective here? Just because Ohio State lost a big game in September doesn’t mean they stink. Did USC stink when it lost at home to woeful Stanford in November?

And it certainly doesn’t mean that the Big Ten stinks either. In another Big Ten-Pac-10 clash a week earlier, the Nittany Lions pummeled Oregon State. Did anybody extrapolate that out to mean that the Pac 10 is terrible?

The Big Ten is always going to be one of the nation’s best football conferences – it’s a fact and it is not going to change. Right now, I’d say it is behind the SEC, the Big 12 and maybe the Pac 10, but nobody else.

Being third or fourth out of 11 is not exactly a disgrace. -- NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

RUBIN AND PSU WRs HAVE COME A LONG WAY

2008-09-11T15:56:00.000-04:00

It’s hard to believe just how depleted Penn State was at the wide receiver position just four years ago. Especially with the senior trio of Derrick Williams, Deon Butler and Jordan Norwood giving the Nittany Lions, perhaps, the finest group of wideouts in the nation for 2008.

But all you have to do is examine the lengthy career of fifth-year senior Mark Rubin to bring back the gruesome memories. The Amherst, N.Y., native is currently PSU’s starting safety, and is about to make his eighth straight start on Saturday at Syracuse. But in 2004, Rubin was a true freshman – and by the end of the season, he was the Lions’ most productive wideout.

Rubin didn’t even play in the first three games in ’04. But when Zack Mills and Michael Robinson went down in the Big Ten opener at Wisconsin, Rubin made his playing debut. A week later at Minnesota, he made his first start. And by the end of the season, he saw action in 407 snaps and nabbed 18 receptions for 187 yards.

But in 2005, Rubin suffered a dislocated ankle before the opener and missed the entire season. By the time he returned, Penn State was loaded at wideout, so the 6-foot-3, 216-pounder moved over to the defense. Midway through the 2007 campaign, he moved into the starting unit when Tony Davis went down with appendicitis, and finished with 32 tackles.

“The total experience has made me stronger,” Rubin explained. “Playing on offense early in my career taught me tons of important lessons. I am actually thankful for the path I was able to take.

“I would have preferred not to get injured my sophomore year and have to redshirt, but that allowed me to stand on the sidelines and watch the game from a different perspective.”

This season, Rubin has seven tackles and picked off the first interception of his career against Oregon State. His days as a wideout may seem like ancient history. Either that or Penn State fans have simply repressed those memories. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

MORE OFF-THE-FIELD DISTRACTIONS FOR NITTANY LIONS

2008-09-03T10:47:00.004-04:00

The last thing the Penn State football program needs less than a week into the 2008 season is yet another off-the-field distraction. But that is, apparently, the case after an incident which took place Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning.

A story in Wednesday’s edition of the Daily Collegian reported that marijuana was seized from a State College apartment that is -- according to Penn State’s online directory – the residence of four prominent PSU players: Maurice Evans, Abe Koroma, Andrew Quarless and A.J. Wallace.

According to the Penn State University Police Department’s daily activity report for Sept. 2 – obtained by the Daily Local News -- officers were dispatched to the Nittany Apartments complex at 10:19 p.m. on Tuesday to investigate a report of loud music. The odor of burning marijuana was detected coming from inside apartment No. 5204.

After the residents of the apartment declined a consent search, a search warrant was applied for and executed. The subsequent search by police yielded a small amount of marijuana. The report indicates that charges will be filed.

The Collegian reported that police spent at least two hours investigating the incident. At about 11:45 p.m., an unidentified woman taped a piece of notebook paper over the number on the door of the apartment and that the curtains were drawn. At about 1:30 a.m., four police officers left the apartment, one carrying two paper bags and another carrying a cardboard box.

The search warrant listed Wallace, Quarless and a third PSU student who is not a member of the football squad as being present in the apartment on Tuesday evening. Evans and Koroma were apparently not present.

Evans is a junior defensive end from Brooklyn, a first team All Big Ten selection last season and a preseason All-American for 2008. Koroma, a sophomore from Hershey, is a starting left defensive tackle for the Lions. Wallace was involved in an intense preseason battle with teammate Lydell Sargeant for the starting right cornerback position. Sargeant won the spot but Wallace, a junior from Waldorf, Md., saw plenty of action last Saturday in the opener against Coastal Carolina.

Quarless is a junior tight end who started seven games last season but was suspended for two games after being charged with underage drinking last fall. He was listed as the No. 3 tight end in the most recent depth chart.

“I don't even know what happened,” quarterback Daryll Clark said during a teleconference on Wednesday. “All I know is that the police were out at someone’s apartment. I really don't know why.”

Head coach Joe Paterno has yet to comment on the situation. PSU Sports Information Director, Jeff Nelson, says that the football program is aware of what happened and is investigating. -- NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

LINEBACKER TROUBLE AT ‘LINEBACKER U?’

2008-08-29T10:16:00.000-04:00

‘Linebacker U’ has a problem at the linebacker position in 2008. That, essentially, is what Penn State’s Joe Paterno admitted earlier this week, and he is correct. For the first time in a very long time, the Nittany Lions do not have a big-time, playmaker at the spot and that will almost certainly undermine any plans of contending for the Big Ten Conference title this fall.

“If I had to put a ‘one, two, three’ on my question marks (coming into the season), the first one on the defense would be linebackers,” Paterno said.

It’s nothing personal against the three projected starters, but who is really getting excited with the prospect of fielding players like Josh Hull, Tyrell Sales and Bani Gbadyu -- especially after the position has been recently anchored by three of the greatest linebackers in PSU’s storied history?

“There was a time when we lined up (Paul) Posluszny, (Dan) Connor and (Sean) Lee,” Paterno said. “We've got a bunch of kids that are really going to be good, but there are a lot of things they're going to have to adjust to.”

In other words, there is no Connors or Lees in the mix right now. Connor and Posluszny are in the NFL and Lee is sidelined for the season while recovering from a knee injury. A fifth-year senior, Sales is the lone returning starter, but he’s had a largely unimpressive college career. Hull has made great strides and is a tough, determined player, but he is, after all, a former walk on. Gbadyu showed flashes of promise as a freshman last season, but he will be making his first college start in Saturday’s opener.

The young backups, like Chris Colasanti, Navorro Bowman and Michael Mauti are very promising prospects, but are probably a year away from making an impact. That’s when Lee is expected to return fir his senior season.

As you can see, the future looks pretty bright. The present, however, is a major concern. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

NO NEWS ON DEVLIN-CLARK BATTLE AT QB

2008-08-25T17:58:00.000-04:00

Penn State released its latest depth chart on Aug. 25 and there was absolutely no insight into who will be the starting quarterback for Saturday’s opener. Senior Darryl Clark and sophomore Pat Devlin are both listed on the top line.

Head coach Joe Paterno may be waiting until his first teleconference on Aug. 26th to announce a decision, but that’s doubtful. The guess here is that he will take the suspense into the game in order to get an edge on Coastal Carolina … as absurd as that sounds. This is almost a certainty: both will play in the season’s first outing.

All of the other starting positions have apparently been settled, except at right cornerback, where Lydell Sargeant and A.J. Wallace are listed as even. There are no surprises in the other starting spots. The only noteworthy starters include Josh Hull at inside linebacker and Mickey Shuler at tight end (the talented but troubled Andrew Quarless is listed as the third stringer). – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

PSU’S NON-CONFERENCE SLATE IS A JOKE

2008-08-21T11:30:00.001-04:00

A quick glance at the Big Ten’s non-conference football schedule indicates that Penn State will likely be the least prepared squad of all the league’s upper echelon teams when it heads into conference play on Sept. 27.

That’s because the Nittany Lions have, once again, an almost embarrassingly weak pre-conference slate that is, clearly, inferior as compared to the other Big Ten programs that have legitimate bowl aspirations and beyond. The only others with a similarly unimpressive string of tune-up games are Indiana, Minnesota and Northwestern, the three teams that are expected to finish in the basement of the 2008 standings.

Penn State’s non-conference schedule would be a complete joke if it wasn’t for a Week Two clash with Oregon State. But don’t give Penn State too much credit for playing this game. The Beavers (9-4 in ’07) are only coming to Happy Valley because they did not require the Lions to make a return trip to Corvallis. app

The remaining non-league games are against Coastal Carolina, Syracuse and Temple, who were a combined 11-24 a year ago. Like Youngstown State in 2006, Coastal Carolina is a Div. I-AA program, and like Florida International last fall, its program is in its infancy (established in 2003). Temple is improving under head coach Al Golden but the Owls have just eight wins in the last five seasons.

And the lone road trip is to Syracuse, which was 2-10 in 2007. And with only seven victories since 2005, it is a program in the midst of the worst stretch in history.

All of the other upper-tier Big Ten programs will play at least one challenging road game:
-- Conference favorite, Ohio State, has a Sept. 13 showdown at Southern Cal.
-- Michigan travels to South Bend to take on Notre Dame.
-- Michigan State opens the season at California.
-- Wisconsin plays at Fresno State.
-- Iowa visits Pittsburgh.
-- Illinois tackles Missouri in St. Louis.
-- And even Purdue has a more adventurous slate, playing at Notre Dame and hosting Oregon. And unlike PSU, the Boilermakers will be making a return trip to Oregon in 2009.

This fall, the Lions face a brutal mid-season stretch that includes four Big Ten road games out of five, including games at Purdue, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Iowa. Will they be prepared to play a quality team in a hostile environment? -- NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

THE BIG TBN NETWORK IS FINALLY HERE … MAYBE

2008-08-15T11:30:00.000-04:00

It took more than a year for it to happen, but Comcast subscribers within the Big Ten Conference’s eight-state footprint can finally catch a glimpse of the Big Ten Network in their homes starting on Aug. 15.

But in the Philadelphia area only, there is a caveat: you have to be shelling out extra cash each month for Comcast’s premium digital package in order to get BTN. If you are unsure about your current cable viewing status, turn to channel 257. If all you see is static, you are out of luck. But don’t forget, if you simply lived in any other part of Pennsylvania, or in seven other states in the Midwest, you would not be watching a test pattern right now. That’s because those areas get BTN as part of their standard cable package.

If you have helped to make Verizon FiOS one of the nation’s top-10 video distributors just three years since its debut, you are in luck. The Big Ten Network will be made available to you in both standard and high definition very soon.

What does it all mean for Penn State fans? If you get BTN, you won’t be forced to go to a sports bar or else miss three regular season football games this fall like you did a year ago while the network and cable operators squabbled. The Nittany Lions’ season opener on Aug. 30 against Coastal Carolina is the first of at least three PSU games that will be televised by BTN in 2008. The others: a Sept. 20 clash with Temple and at least one conference clash.

At 9 p.m. on Aug. 21, BTN will offer a rare look inside a Penn State football practice during a 90-minute Big Ten Tonight: Penn State Football Practice report. During its inaugural year, the network also provided coverage of 22 other Nittany Lion programs, including 19 men’s basketball games, a dozen women’s basketball games and six matches of the 2007 NCAA Champion women’s volleyball team. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.

INTEREST IN NITTANY LIONS CONTINUES TO GROW

2008-08-10T12:27:00.001-04:00

Very few, if any, preseason prognosticators believe that anybody other than Ohio State is going to win the Big Ten football crown this fall. The Buckeyes were supposed to be in a rebuilding mode in 2007 but went on to win the conference title for the second straight year and made an appearance in the national championship game.

On paper, Ohio State should be even better this fall. But that certainly hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm at Penn State for the upcoming season. On Aug. 1, PSU announced that due to unprecedented demand for tickets, the 22nd ranked Nittany Lions will playing before sellout crowds in all seven home games this season.

For the second consecutive year, more than 93,500 season tickets have been purchased. More than 15,000 student season tickets for freshmen, sophomores and juniors sold out in approximately three minutes after going on sale in June. According to Bud Meredith, Director of Ticket Operations, 99 percent of current season ticket holders renewed their seats for the 2008 season.

It all means that the Lions will almost certainly lead the nation in home attendance this fall because Beaver Stadium is, temporarily, the nation’s largest facility with a capacity of 107,282. The perennial No. 1 – Michigan Stadium – will lose about 1,500 seats and will hold just 106,201 this season due to a renovation project, but will eventually gain an additional 5,000 by the time it is finished by 2010.

Don’t look for Penn State to heavily publicize its brief stay atop the attendance race. Beaver Stadium could fall to No. 3 in the next few years as Tennessee is also planning to increase capacity of Neyland Stadium. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN

JOEPA SAYS SON ISN’T THE RIGHT FIT AS HIS REPLACEMENT

2008-01-02T15:18:00.000-05:00

For all those fans who theorize that there is no succession plan in place when Joe Paterno (finally) steps aside because the Hall of Fame head coach wants his son, Jay, to take over, but that is not going to fly with the Penn State administration , you may want to re-think the theory.

The day following the Nittany Lions’ 24-17 win over Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl, Paterno said very clearly that even though he believes that Jay Paterno will be a good college head coach somewhere, he did not think it would be in Happy Valley as his replacement. Jay is currently the quarterbacks coach on his father’s staff.

“To be honest, he's got the ability to be a head coach, but I don't think Penn State is the right fit for him right now,” JoePa said.

“I don't talk to him much about it. It's up to Jay (what he wants to do). I try to be a father off the field and on the field try to treat him like any other assistant.”

-- NEIL GEOGHEGAN

LOSING BAKER, BOWMAN (AGAIN) CAN’T HELP PSU’S CHANCES

2007-12-27T18:14:00.000-05:00

When felony assault charges stemming from an on-campus fight on Oct. 7 were refiled earlier this month against PSU’s Chris Baker and Navorro Bowman, it assured that the two key defensive players would not be playing for the Nittany Lions for the second straight game. Three others – Knowledge Timmons, Tom McEowen and Willie Harriott -- also did not make the trip to Texas.

No matter how you spin it, this is not good news for Penn State at the Alamo Bowl. Without Baker, a starting tackle, and Bowman, a reserve linebacker, the Lions did not fare well in the regular season finale at Michigan State. The lack of depth up-front was apparent as the Spartans overcame a 17-point second half deficit and prevailed 35-31, and rolled up 288 of their 425 yards of offense in the second half.

Massive MSU tailback Jehuu Caulcrick ran for 99 yards and scored the game-winning TD. That doesn’t bode well for the Alamo Bowl because Texas A&M’s Jorvorskie Lane is also a tailback and he is probably bigger than the 255-pound Caulcrick.

“(Lane) weighs from 265 to 310 pounds depending on what day of the week it is,” said Aggies’ quarterback Stephen McGee. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.