Penn State Wrestling: Complete Domination
Just two weeks ago Penn State looked completely lost giving a less then stellar effort against Illinois and Ohio State. Well I'm not sure what happened, I'm guessing Cael's unhappy comments after those meets carried over to the wrestling, but this weekend Penn State looked like an entirely different team.
Granted this was Northwestern and Michigan who I wouldn't even classify as good teams let alone elite teams, but this weekend Penn State went out to crush their opponents instead of merely just winning. It has been a long time since I've seen that out of Penn State and it was a welcome sight.
With just two dual meets left before the post season it seems Penn State might be hitting their stride at exactly the right time. There are still a few guys on the team who continue to struggle. It's gotten to the point now where you can basically just write them off because barring a miracle, they'll both be two and done at the Big Ten tournament.
Friday, Penn State powered by a tech fall, forfeit and three pins beat Northwestern 37-10.
Sunday, Penn State had two pins enroute to a 29-10 beat down of Michigan.
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Penn State 2011 Recruiting - Quarterbacks
The other day we looked at how many scholarships Penn State should have to give in their next recruiting class. With 12 known scholarship players graduating after the 2010 season, I gave a preliminary estimate around 16-18 scholarships. This is a number that will likely fluctuate as time goes on and players leave the program prematurely for whatever reason. But we'll use it as our starting point in evaluating the needs of the team. Today we will start with the quarterbacks. Let's look at the projected 2010 scholarship quarterback roster. I differentiate between redshirt and true freshmen because I think there is a significant difference there. But I will not differentiate which sophomores, juniors, and seniors had a redshirt year. After a year or two in the program I don't think the difference is that significant.
|
Seniors |
Juniors |
Sophomores |
Redshirt Freshmen |
True |
| Brett Brackett | Kevin Newsome | Paul Jones | ||
| Matt McGloin | Robert Bolden |
Now some of you may be saying to yourself, "Brett Brackett quarterback wha?" Calm down, Casual Penn State Fan. Brackett is going to get a look at quarterback this spring. He played quarterback in high school and actually started his Penn State career at quarterback, so it's not exactly new territory for him. Personally, I think it's a good move. He probably won't compete for playing time, but he can be a great asset is summer drills and on the practice field to provide leadership and help the inexperienced guys learn the playbook and tricks of the trade.
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Recruiting Report: Part One - Mike Hull, Paul Jones, Silas Redd
Previous Editions
Recruiting Report: The Introduction
Welcome to Part One of the Recruiting Report. We'll be doing this review chronologically, starting at the beginning, WAY back in November of 2008. By this time last year, we already had two highly sought after recruits, spoiling us for the four month lull between Jones and Redd. However, the entire class has turned out phenomenal, so sit back, relax, and get to know your 2010 Penn State freshmen.
NOTE: completely absent from this Part One analysis is a certain wide receiver from Maryland. That is not an oversight.
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Super Bowl XLIV OPEN THREAD
This is the first time in nearly 20 years that a Penn State player will be absent from the active roster of either Super Bowl team. However, all is not lost, as Jim Caldwell, the Colts Head Coach, was an assistant under JoePa from 1986-1992. Kevin is currently working on a Jim Caldwell story, so stay tuned. Isaac Smolko is on the Colts practice squad, and Ray Rychleski, the Colts special teams coordinator, was a GA with Penn State in 1991. That is enough for me to root for the Colts. That and the the fact that Peyton Manning will kill a snitch.
As of 4 pm, the line was Colts -4.5 and the O/U set at 57. Check an interesting list of prop bets here (my favorite is the O/U on number of Pete Townshend "windmill" moves at halftime).
Other things to watch for: amount of coverage devoted to Kim Kardashian, Archie Manning, and Hurricane Katrina; ESPN stories about Tim Tebow during/after the game; admitting to yourself that you like the heartwarming Budweiser Clydesdale commercial more than whatever funny commercial turns out to be the best; and phrase Jim Nantz uses at the end of the game to describe the moment ("A win for the ages!" or "One for the books!").
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Buzzer Beaten
It's hard to question guts after this one.
When the time came, down nine points at times in the second half of Penn State's 66-64 loss to Minnesota at the Bryce Jordan Center Saturday, Penn State's players made plays. Tim Frazier tied the ball up for, and Penn State got the ball on the alternate possesion with about 20 seconds left in regulation. On the ensuing play Jeff Brooks saved a turnover, and found Talor Battle for the tying basketball with about 10 seconds left.
Penn State made, tough, gutty plays down the stretch...but Minnesota made one more.
The Gophers' Lawerence Westbrook nailed a buzzer beating field goal, sending Penn State to it's 11th consecutive Big Ten loss, and worst conference start ever.
But this loss wasn't a result of lack of talent, nor was it the result of lack of heart. It was the result of the other team making a play. Tip your cap to Minnesota, and move on. The Nittany Lions now have a week to prepare for Michigan State, and in case you've forgotten, Penn State beat Sparty and Co. last year on Super Bowl Sunday after having a week to prepare...
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Guess it was just a matter of time before Penn State lost on a fadeaway buzzer-beater from 19 feet. What's left at this point?
(Reference here, in case you missed it.)
2 days ago
Run Up The Score
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Snow-Penn Thread: PSU vs. Minnesota, 2 p.m., BTN
"Suicide Is Painless" will forever be our anthem, but let's provide some video from State College last night.
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