Black Shoe Diaries

Al Golden Not Interested In Syracuse. Let's Overanalyze It.

2008-12-04T18:21:33Z

Al Golden will attack the MAC for at least one more year.

Just when it seemed the successor stories had disappeared, there were some interesting developments in the Coach Swap '08. The first rumor that got our heads turned was an unconfirmed report that Tom Bradley may or may not be interested in the Syracuse job.

The validity is questionable, no doubt, but the thought is interesting. If Bradley, one of the best D coordinators in the country who now has the added experience of working almost an entire season as de facto sideline head coach, is all of the sudden looking around after 25 years at the bit...well, that's something to take note of, even if it is just a rumor.

Then today, while stressing over the ever shrinking list of Greg Robinson replacements, TNIAAM finds another name to cross off:

Al Golden? Not interested. (Let that simmer for a minute..the head coach of Temple football feels as though he's better off there than coaching Syracuse.)

While at first it looks like a knock on the state of Syracuse football, maybe there is more to it.

The quote that was linked:

"Syracuse asked for permission to speak with Coach Golden, and it was granted," said Temple Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw. "However, Coach Golden has indicated that he is not interested in pursuing the position."

Moving from Temple to Syracuse is an upgrade in every sense of the word. No offense to our Temple friends, but a BCS school with history, playing in a conference with no ten foot giants to overcome, is a better gig than coaching the MAC, even if you are on the rise. I mean, get better than Cincinnati and you are going to the Orange Bowl. He could even maintain most of his recruiting ties and knows he has the ability to turn around a struggling program.

So the only explanation, for me anyway, is that he is waiting for a better gig. The thing is, though, coaches running middle of the pack MAC teams don't get a lot of offers.

He's waiting out the Penn State job. I really think it's that simple. I'm not suggesting he is a lock for Next Head Coach At Penn State, but you don't turn down a job like Syracuse, where each passing day makes it look like an easier and easier land, unless you are confident that PSU will at least give you a fair shot.

He is a qualified guy, of course, with Penn State ties both personally and in his staff. We probably aren't doing this song and dance for at least another year, maybe two or three, but the setup continues to get more interesting.

Penn State Upends Georgia Tech in ACC-Big Ten Challenge

2008-12-04T14:36:31Z

Final - 12.3.2008	1	2	Total
Penn St. Nittany Lions	44	41	85
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	39	44	83

Complete Coverage >

For the second year in a row Penn State held up their end of the bargain and defeated their ACC opponent in the annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge. And for the 52nd year in a row or however long they've been playing this thing the rest of the Big Ten got bitch slapped. It's just like bowl season only indoors.

But it wasn't easy for the Nittany Lions. Georgia Tech's big men gave them more than they could handle and then some. Gani Lawal did whatever he wanted to do inside scoring 34 points on 15-of-20 shooting. Most of his points came on easy dunks and layups after casually tossing Andrew Jones aside or just leaving him standing flatfooted after spinning around him.

To compound the problems with the interior defense, Penn State couldn't buy a free throw down the stretch hitting just two of their final seven attempts in the final minutes. Even David Jackson, our most reliable free throw shooter, clanked the front end of a one-and-one twice. A seven point lead with just over a minute to go was erased to a two point lead with Jamelle Cornley on the line and five seconds to go in the game. If he would have made those shots, or even just one of them, Penn State could have sealed the win. But he missed both allowing Georgia Tech a desperation shot to win the game. In a way it may have been a blessing that he missed the second one. Tech had used all of their timeouts and had to collect the long rebound before driving the court to take the shot. Had Cornley made the shot they would have had a chance at a long inbound pass, so that was good.

But with so many obstacles to overcome, Penn State pulled out the win with their fantastic guard play. Battle started slow but rallied late scoring 12 of his 18 points in the second half. In the first half he was active in dishing out assists to his open teammates. But the real star of the night was Stanley Pringle scoring 22 points to go with his three rebounds and four steals. Danny Morrissey also made a major contribution off the bench. He sparked a second half run with two three point shots and finished with 13 points in the game.

This was a great win for Ed DeChellis and Penn State. A 3-1 road trip was exactly what this team needed to boost their confidence. To go into a hostile environment in the ACC and pull out a gritty win proves we can play with anyone even when part of our game is off.

Next up we play Temple back at the Jordan Center on Saturday (6 PM on the Big Ten Network). The rest of the non-conference schedule looks pretty easy barring any Stoney Brook embarassments. So Penn State needs to focus all their energy on this game as it could have huge RPI implications down the road.

Game Day Open Thread - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

2008-12-03T21:00:07Z


Penn State Nittany Lions (6-1)		Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (4-0)

Huge game for Ed DeChellis and Penn State tonight. A win over an ACC team would raise some eyebrows when the selection committee sits down at the end of the season. If we lose this game we'll head back to the Jordan Center disappointed with a 2-2 road trip. You can watch the game at 7:30 on ESPN2. Team stats after the jump.

Penn State Nittany Lions

FG 3PT FT Rebounds Misc

G M M A Pct M A Pct M A Pct Off Def Tot Ast TO Stl Blk PF PPG

Talor Battle 7 35.7 6.0 11.7 51.2 3.1 6.6 47.8 4.3 5.7 75.0 0.7 5.3 6.0 5.3 1.4 1.7 0.1 1.7 19.4

Jamelle Cornley 7 32.3 5.9 11.9 49.4 0.1 0.6 25.0 3.1 5.6 56.4 1.9 5.4 7.3 2.0 1.9 0.0 0.3 1.7 15.0

Stanley Pringle 7 30.7 5.6 10.4 53.4 2.6 5.0 51.4 1.1 1.4 80.0 1.0 2.3 3.3 3.6 1.4 1.3 0.0 1.9 14.9

David Jackson 7 27.7 3.0 5.7 52.5 0.3 1.1 25.0 2.6 3.0 85.7 1.6 2.9 4.4 1.4 1.9 0.6 0.3 3.3 8.9

Danny Morrissey 7 19.9 1.9 4.9 38.2 1.7 4.3 40.0 0.3 0.4 66.7 0.4 1.4 1.9 2.4 1.3 0.4 0.0 1.9 5.7

Andrew Jones III 7 20.3 1.7 3.1 54.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.4 2.7 52.6 1.4 3.6 5.0 0.3 1.3 0.7 0.3 2.1 4.9

Jeff Brooks 6 14.7 1.5 3.8 39.1 0.3 0.5 66.7 0.5 1.2 42.9 1.8 2.3 4.2 1.2 1.3 0.3 0.2 2.0 3.8

Cammeron Woodyard 6 10.5 1.2 2.2 53.8 1.0 1.8 54.5 0.3 0.3 100.0 0.3 1.2 1.5 0.3 0.5 0.2 0.0 0.5 3.7

Chris Babb 6 6.7 0.2 1.3 12.5 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.5 1.0 50.0 0.2 0.7 0.8 0.3 0.7 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.8

Steve Kirkpatrick 4 3.5 0.2 2.0 12.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.5 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.5

Will Leiner 4 4.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.0 0.8 0.0

Adam Highberger 4 3.2 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.0

7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.3 1.3 3.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

		FG	3PT	FT	Rebounds	Misc
Talor Battle	7	35.7	6.0	11.7	51.2	3.1	6.6	47.8	4.3	5.7	75.0	0.7	5.3	6.0	5.3	1.4	1.7	0.1	1.7	19.4
Jamelle Cornley	7	32.3	5.9	11.9	49.4	0.1	0.6	25.0	3.1	5.6	56.4	1.9	5.4	7.3	2.0	1.9	0.0	0.3	1.7	15.0
Stanley Pringle	7	30.7	5.6	10.4	53.4	2.6	5.0	51.4	1.1	1.4	80.0	1.0	2.3	3.3	3.6	1.4	1.3	0.0	1.9	14.9
David Jackson	7	27.7	3.0	5.7	52.5	0.3	1.1	25.0	2.6	3.0	85.7	1.6	2.9	4.4	1.4	1.9	0.6	0.3	3.3	8.9
Danny Morrissey	7	19.9	1.9	4.9	38.2	1.7	4.3	40.0	0.3	0.4	66.7	0.4	1.4	1.9	2.4	1.3	0.4	0.0	1.9	5.7
Andrew Jones III	7	20.3	1.7	3.1	54.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.4	2.7	52.6	1.4	3.6	5.0	0.3	1.3	0.7	0.3	2.1	4.9
Jeff Brooks	6	14.7	1.5	3.8	39.1	0.3	0.5	66.7	0.5	1.2	42.9	1.8	2.3	4.2	1.2	1.3	0.3	0.2	2.0	3.8
Cammeron Woodyard	6	10.5	1.2	2.2	53.8	1.0	1.8	54.5	0.3	0.3	100.0	0.3	1.2	1.5	0.3	0.5	0.2	0.0	0.5	3.7
Chris Babb	6	6.7	0.2	1.3	12.5	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.5	1.0	50.0	0.2	0.7	0.8	0.3	0.7	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.8
Steve Kirkpatrick	4	3.5	0.2	2.0	12.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.5	0.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.5
Will Leiner	4	4.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.0	0.8	0.0
Adam Highberger	4	3.2	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0
	7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.3	1.3	3.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Gani Lawal	4	32.2	7.8	12.8	60.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.8	8.8	42.9	3.5	8.0	11.5	0.5	1.0	1.8	1.2	1.8	19.3
Alade Aminu	4	27.5	6.5	10.5	61.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	2.2	88.9	3.0	5.0	8.0	0.0	2.0	0.8	0.5	3.5	15.0
Zach Peacock	4	25.8	4.8	9.2	51.4	0.8	1.0	75.0	1.8	3.0	58.3	1.2	2.8	4.0	1.0	2.5	1.0	0.8	2.5	12.0
Iman Shumpert	4	31.0	3.5	8.5	41.2	0.8	2.8	27.3	3.2	5.2	61.9	0.2	4.8	5.0	4.5	3.5	2.5	0.2	2.5	11.0
Maurice Miller	3	31.0	2.7	9.7	27.6	0.0	4.3	0.0	4.0	7.7	52.2	0.3	3.3	3.7	6.7	3.3	3.3	0.3	1.7	9.3
Lance Storrs	4	24.8	2.2	5.0	45.0	1.2	2.5	50.0	1.5	2.5	60.0	0.8	2.2	3.0	1.8	1.8	1.5	0.0	2.2	7.3
Brad Sheehan	4	15.2	2.2	4.8	47.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.2	1.2	100.0	0.8	1.5	2.2	0.0	0.5	0.2	0.5	0.5	5.8
Gary Cage	2	9.5	0.5	0.5	100.0	0.5	0.5	100.0	1.0	1.5	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.5	0.5	0.5	0.0	0.0	2.5
Nick Foreman	4	10.8	0.2	1.5	16.7	0.2	0.5	50.0	0.8	1.0	75.0	0.8	0.8	1.5	0.5	0.2	0.5	0.0	1.8	1.5
Bassirou Dieng	2	11.5	0.5	0.5	100.0	0.5	0.5	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.5	2.5	0.0	0.5	0.0	1.0	3.0	1.5
Derek Craig	3	5.3	0.7	1.3	50.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	0.3	1.0	0.3	0.0	0.3	1.3
Ty Anderson	2	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0
Sam Shew	2	1.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.8	1.5	3.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Georgia Tech Schedule

Basketball Schedule

Next 5 Games

Penn St.	Wed 12/03	7:30 PM EST
Vanderbilt	Sat 12/06	2:00 PM EST
Ill.-Chicago	Sun 12/14	2:00 PM EST
Georgia St.	Wed 12/17	7:30 PM EST
@ Pepperdine	Sat 12/20	5:00 PM EST

Last 5 Games

Jacksonville	Fri 11/28	W 79 - 76
Ark.-Pine Bluff	Tue 11/25	W 74 - 47
@ Mercer	Sat 11/22	W 82 - 76
Winston-Salem	Fri 11/14	W 92 - 47

The Penn State Icers: Doing What They Do Since 1971

2008-12-03T15:00:07Z

This is your introduction, become familiar with the material because we aren't going to waste any more time with background knowledge.

Let's get you caught up. The Penn State Icers are the premiere club non-scholarship team at the university (there are others). They play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). The ACHA is considered the top club level in the nation and runs as a non-scholarship, self funded league.

This is not your roommate's club non-scholarship team. Instead of showing up a couple times a week for a lazy scrimmage, players are recruited and held to fully coached, fully mandatory practices. Don't believe me? From NHL.com:

"Club is a four-letter word in our vocabulary," says Al Murdoch, the long-time coach at Iowa State University, a top program in the ACHA.

[...]

Those with an understanding of the U.S. college hockey scene consider the top ACHA clubs -- those playing at the Division I level -- to be the equal of NCAA Division III schools.

Penn State was a charter member of the league and is consistently one of the elite teams. They won the inaugural championship in 1991-92 and have played in the championship game 13 times, winning six. This includes an eight year stretch that came to an end last season; Penn State won four titles in a row from 2000 through 2003 and then finished runner-up from 2004 through 2007.

The league has become very competitive and Penn State has developed natural rivals. Ohio University has probably become the most fierce; the Bobcats have won four titles since 1992 and played Penn State in the championship back to back years (2002-03 and 2003-04). Illinois has also been consistently competitive.

Penn State often sells out the Greenberg Penn State Ice Pavilion, a short walk to the eastern part of campus and just a stone's throw from where this happened (this also). Games are typically played in sets of two, the opener Friday night and the closer Saturday afternoon.

What you've missed so far. The team is currently ranked third nationally behind Illinois and Lindenwood.

Series record ("win" designates a 2-0 weekend, "split" 1-1, "loss" 0-2):

Team	H/A	Result
Delaware	A	Win
Navy	H	Win
Ohio	H	Split
Drexel	H/A	Split
Navy	A	Win
Rhode Island	A	Split

The team has played four single games, going 3-1 including a 10-3 win over Pitt. The Pitt Panthers, it was embarrassing. For Pitt I mean.

Up Next. Home game, Friday, 9pm. Penn State has another home/away match-up with in-state West Chester. The Rams are 10-5 and currently sit in the eight spot in the rankings. Penn State needs to overcome their recent loss to #11 Rhode Island if they want to maintain their three ranking. Taylor Cera, who started the season as a first line forward before being injured, is back at "100 percent" after missing the RI series.

...

Optional readings:
-Hockey Valley (Official Site)
-ACHA Rankings
-Icers Boosters

Nitt Picks is Stirring the Drink

2008-12-02T22:24:43Z

Cuz I know you guys love these, more perspective on the USC-PSU Rose Bowl matchup from the west coast.

The Rose Bowl is bittersweet for USC.

Had Oregon State beaten Oregon, USC could have faced an opponent from the Big XII or SEC in the Sugar Bowl or Fiesta Bowl.

“I would like to play somewhere different, but if the Rose Bowl is what it is, then the Rose Bowl is what it is,” defensive end Kyle Moore said.

USC’s roster is littered with seniors set to make their fourth-consecutive Rose Bowl appearance with a victory against UCLA on Saturday. It would set up the Trojans’ third consecutive meeting with the Big Ten — Penn State has already clinched its spot.

After losing to Texas in the 2006 Rose Bowl, also the BCS title game, USC has won handily the past two seasons against Michigan and Illinois.

“Of course we want to go somewhere else and play other people. It’s whatever now,” senior defensive end Fili Moala said. “I definitely would like to play someone they think we can’t beat.

“I think if people take a good look at our team they’ll notice we’re one of the two best teams in the nation. I don’t think anyone can touch us.”

They just feel like they don't have much to play for anymore.

When you consider USC coach Pete Carroll proclaimed this his best defense and the Pac-10 Conference is worse than ever during his tenure, one would think the Trojans should be playing for the national championship.
But the Trojans instead face struggling UCLA with only the Rose Bowl at stake. That is the prevailing view anyway, except for Carroll.

Only the Rose Bowl, eh? Well I guess they like their chances.

USC, though, looks to be the clear favorite. Playing in their fourth consecutive Rose Bowl, the Trojans have disposed of two straight Big Ten opponents-Michigan in 2007, Illinois in 2008.
Now, Penn State coach Joe Paterno gets his shot. In a matchup of two top-10 squads, the difference could well be the USC defense and the ability of both Carroll and Paterno to adjust.

If that's the case, one has to like the Trojans' chances at taking a third straight Rose Bowl win and landing in the top four national rankings for the seventh straight season.

I don't understand. If the game comes down to adjustments it favors USC? How so? You think Joe Paterno won 380-some games by throwing rock every time?

Is USC actually considering throwing the UCLA game just to get a matchup against a Big XII team?

The ironic part is that whoever winds up as the Big 12's third-place team -- Texas, Texas Tech or Oklahoma* -- will probably provide a better game than Penn State. By beating the Bruins, the Trojans actually condemn themselves to a lesser bowl opponent.
Nice work, football gods.

Yes, because it would be so much more fair on the part of the football Gods if Penn State had to play Oregon State, a team they already defeated 45-14 earlier this year, instead of creating a matchup between two top 10 teams steeped in rich tradition in the greatest post season stage of them all. That would suck. And of course, if the Big XII gets two teams into the BCS, that means USC would face the Big XII's fourth place team, and not the third place team. That would probably be Oklahoma State. So if you think it looks better to lose to UCLA just so you can play Oklahoma State, go ahead and knock yourself out.

If this kind of stuff angers you to read, good. Get used to it. There is going to be a steady diet of it over the next month, and BSD intends to see to it that you read every word of it.

On Letting The Big Ten Season Stay Up Past Its Bed Time

2008-12-02T17:32:05Z

What follows is definitely not sanctioned by above labeled authority.

I have a theory I'm not really sure I believe in but made sense to me one Saturday afternoon while talking over the pre-Penn State games with a friend. The theory? That Big Ten teams are built a bit differently than those in other conferences is order to survive in the unpleasant conditions of the late season. Now, for the first half of the schedule Big Ten weather isn't much different than the rest of the country, but what happens when your high flying Texas Techish attack is playing in 25 degree, 30 mph winds? I'm not suggesting that the Big Ten is "slow" or "old" or any of the other crap that comes with that line of conference blather, but it is almost a certainty that, playing in the midwest, you will face a situation where talent advantages are marginalized by mother nature at least once during the season and the winning team will be the one with the bruteness and balance that always seems to prevail on the muddy, wet, cold, windy gridiron. The chances of the Big Ten's leader stumbling to an inferior team in these conditions is higher than it would be in, say, southern California.

Sure, upsets are usually a good time, but an increase in bad weather games is only going to increase their occurrence, thus lowering the conference's chance of sending a team MNC'in. Remember just one loss puts you behind half a dozen other teams that are closer to the front of the line; the negative effects are only multiplied if you lose later in the season (when the bad weather hits).

That being said, I don't really have any data to back this up. Without looking up weather logs and charting teams with more pass heavy attacks... well it's a tall task and not really worth trying to prove anyway.

To get back on track here: I do think that pushing games further and further back into the winter, playing games during December*, is kind of asking for it.

Yes, it's better to be visible, idol teams dropping in the polls for no reason at all is a real thing, but I'm not sure all of our problems are fixed by simply pushing games further back into the year. The problems are just different. While the more popular teams in the league will draw fine in the cold, I don't know how easy it's going to be to get fans in Chicago to attend an already ill-watched Northwestern team. Same goes for Minnesota's new outdoor stadium.

Now cut out the ones in this picture that aren't sticking around for the worst Chicago has to offer.

I'm still interested to see how the Big Ten's scheduling decision, which pushes the last week of league games past Thanksgiving next year, will affect things. It's already a done deal, for better or worse, even with Ohio State and Michigan opposing it (the fact that the change was done in spite of this is, in all seriousness, stunning to me).

Lloyd Carr suggested, when this thing was still up for discussion, that Delaney loby the NCAA to allow the Big Ten to start a week early instead. While this is clearly an attempt at protecting the season ending game with Ohio State from becoming an annual Ice Bowl, I prefer that idea as well. The offseason is too long anyway. On the other hand, one might conclude that it's all an effort to replace the Land Grant Trophy with its much more awesome bearded version (for warmth, of course), in which case, I'm all of the sudden fine with it.

Because public polls always lead to a situation where everyone wins, let's hear what you think in the poll below.

*Note that this isn't actually possible right now. The new rule allows games to be played the first weekend after Thanksgiving but not any later. I looked up (yes, I actually looked this up) and it turns out Thanksgiving will never be any later then it was this year, meaning Big Ten football in December is allowed only via mediocre bowl games.

Poll

Are you okay with Penn State eventually moving home games into the last part of November?

Penn State Basketball Update

2008-12-02T13:00:06Z

When we last left our heroes they were about to begin a four game road stretch that was going to go a long way toward determining how successful their season would be. We're three games through that stretch, and so far the results are mixed.

The Nittany Lions started off well with an 85-73 win over Penn at the Palestra. They dominated the first half doubling up the Quakers 49-24 by the intermission. But they coasted in the second half and allowed Penn to cut the lead to ten, but they held on thanks to some solid free throw shooting to get the win. Talor Battle and Stanley Pringle were sensational scoring 24 and 25 points respectively. Cornley chipped in 16 points to go with his 9 rebounds.

Penn State stayed in Philly to take on Rhode Island as part of the Philly Hoop Group Classic. After trailing for most of the game, Penn State rallied and had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but Pringle's three point attempt was off the mark and the Nittany Lions suffered their first loss of the season. For the first time this season our guards were outplayed. Jimmy Baron scored 20 points and gave Battle fits on defense all night. Battle finished with 15 points on 4-of-16 shooting.

So Penn State was forced to settle for the consolation game against Towson on Saturday. It was a dangerous game for State. They could have come out hung over and tired from the night before and played down to the level of their inferior opponent. But instead they came out firing on all cylinders and responded with a resounding 78-54 victory. Battle nearly scored a triple-double with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists.

What we've learned so far...

Talor Battle is a star and easily the best kept secret in the conference. If he played in the Big East or the Big XII everyone would be talking about him being a future lottery pick. When he and Stanley Pringle are on we can play with anyone in the country.
We are not very deep. Ed is playing just six or seven guys for most of the game. Battle in particular is playing a ton of minutes. If Woodyard and Babb can't get up to speed and allow him to rest for a few minutes here and there I'm afraid we're going to wear down late in the season.
This team has learned how to win away from the Jordan Center. Does everyone remember the big fat egg we layed in the Old Spice Classic last year? Though it would have been nice to beat Rhode Island and get a shot at Villanova, they responded well following the loss and played solid basketball against Towson. Last year they would have never got their mojo back until they went back home.
Somebody has to step up and help Cornley in the paint. Jones took a big step toward that with eight points and 13 rebounds against Towson.

Next up the Nittany Lions travel to Georgia Tech on Wednesday (7:30 PM) to compete in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on ESPN2. Then they return home on Saturday for a huge game against Temple. That game will be televised on the Big Ten Network at 6 PM. We'll have your open threads here.

At this point, I should apologize to those e-mailers from Penn State, who were outraged when I...

2008-12-01T22:48:59Z

At this point, I should apologize to those e-mailers from Penn State, who were outraged when I included the Nittany Lions in a list of slow teams from the Midwest.

I was wrong. They're not really from the Midwest.

Oh snap, Plaschke!

This is shaping up to be the best on-paper matchup other than the yet to be determined MNC game. Two teams that play great defense and score points. A coach in the middle of one of the best runs ever and a coach at the end of the best career ever. You would think that, instead of writing stories that sound just like the thousands that have been written since the now two year old OSU-Florida game, journalists would jump at the chance to put out new material. But keep blaming the death of newspapers on the internet.

Week Whatever Blogpoll Ballot

2008-12-01T13:00:08Z

Here is my ballot for this week.

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Alabama	--
2	Oklahoma	1
3	Texas	1
4	Florida	--
5	Penn State	--
6	Southern Cal	1
7	Texas Tech	1
8	Utah	--
9	Boise State	--
10	Ohio State	1
11	Ball State	4
12	TCU	4
13	Cincinnati	4
14	Michigan State	4
15	Oregon	5
16	Boston College	5
17	Georgia Tech	5
18	Oklahoma State	8
19	Pittsburgh	4
20	Brigham Young	1
21	Georgia	8
22	Oregon State	8
23	Northwestern	1
24	Missouri	12
25	Iowa	1

Dropped Out: Florida State (#25).

Ok, so Brian asked us to pay close attention to the Texas/Oklahoma controversy this week and describe our reasoning. So I gave it a lot of thought and I'll try to explain my reasoning for flip-flopping the two teams this week. I put together a list of pros and cons for each team. This is what I came up with.

Texas
Pros	Cons
Won the head-to-head with Oklahoma	Had advantage of playing Oklahoma on a neutral field
Nice win over Missouri	Missouri isn't as great as originially thought
	Lost to Texas Tech
	Beat OSU by 4 at home
	Weak out of conference schedule

Oklahoma
Pros	Cons
Beat Texas Tech soundly	Lost head-to-head with Texas
Beat OSU by 20 on the road
Beat Big East Champ Cincinnati by 26 points
Beat TCU by 25 points

As you can see, the pros pretty heavily outweigh the cons for Oklahoma in my book. I know Texas won the head to head matchup, but I watched quite a bit of that game and I can hardly say Texas established themselves as the better team. Both teams were trading scores and the lead all day long. It's a classic example of where the last team to hold the ball wins. If they had added an extra five minutes to the clock, Oklahoma probably would have scored and won.

So based on the overall resume, I have to go with Oklahoma here. They beat all the teams Texas beat more convincingly than the Longhorns did. They beat Texas Tech, who beat Texas, and they have the Cincinnati and TCU scalps on their belt.

Bring On The Trojans

2008-11-30T22:27:06Z

Ok Penn State fans. You got your wish. Oregon beat Oregon State in the Civil War, and we have likely avoided a dreaded rematch with the Beavers. But be careful what you wish for.

It's funny how perceptions change. On Friday, everyone dreaded a rematch between the Beavers and the Nittany Lions. They feared that Oregon State would be grossly overmatched just like they were the first time the two teams met in Happy Valley where Penn State spanked them 45-14. But today it's a different story. Today, after the events in Corvalis, Penn State is now the team that is perceived to be grossly overmatched against USC. We have gone from being the heavy favorite to the undeserving underdog over night.

So prepare yourselves, Nittany Lion fans. I'm telling you this now. Nobody is going to give us a chance in the Rose Bowl against the mighty Trojans. Already people are saying USC deserves better than a consolation prize. Even the USC players aren't giving us any respect.

"If it's not in the national championship game, yeah, it's a disappointment," Maiava said. "But this is what we do. We win the Pac-10 and then own the Rose Bowl. That's our thing around here."

So just prepare yourselves now. Don't flood the USC message boards and blogs, because they don't care about you. You're just another moron Big Ten fan who thinks their team is going to beat them just like Iowa fans in 2002, Michigan fans in 2006, Illinois fans in 2007, and Ohio State fans in 2008. They are just as excited to play Penn State as we were to play Oregon State again. You're not going to change that.

So my advice is don't let it piss you off. Just soak it in. Let the media tell us we don't belong in the BCS. Let them tell us we don't deserve a game against an opponent as fine as USC. Let them tell us the Big Ten is slow and behind the times. Just let them say whatever they want to say, because it puts us exactly where we want to be.

Underestimated.

Saturday Open Thread

2008-11-29T12:00:07Z

Any correlation between this image and Penn State's hopes
for a certain college football game this afternoon are purely coincidental.

Here's a thread to discuss the games. Enjoy.

On This Day In Penn State History

2008-11-28T20:47:43Z

November 27, 1919

(Yeah, ok so I'm a day late. Even BSD takes Thanksgiving off.)

The traditional Thanksgiving Day game between Pitt and Penn State was considered a tossup for the first time in years. Pitt was enjoying a six game winning streak over State and had not lost a home game in five years. But Penn State was riding a four game winning streak over some impressive names like Lehigh, Penn, and Cornell. (Trust me. Back then this was the modern day equivalent of beating Ohio State, Florida, and Texas in successive weeks.)

While scouting for the game, PSU team captain Bob Higgins noticed the Pitt players liked to rush nine or ten players on punts deep inside of enemy territory. So he devised a play to counter this and worked on it with the Penn State punter, Harold Hess. But due to his rocky relationship with head coach Hugo Bezdek, Higgins and Hess practiced the play on their own. One day during practice leading up to the game Bezdek noticed Higgins and Hess practicing the play and questioned them on what they were doing. Higgins explained the play to Bezdek who responded, "It sounds okay, but next time let me know what's going on around here."

Early in the game Pitt was driving for a score, but Penn State stuffed a fourth down rushing attempt at the six yard line and took over on downs. Higgins decided this was a perfect opportunity for "the play." It was common strategy back then to immediately punt out of poor field position without even attempting to achieve a first down. So Pitt had no suspicions of what was about to happen.

Penn State lined up in punt formation and Pitt moved in for a block attempt. The center snapped the ball, and Pitt rushed ten players leaving only one player back to receive the punt. Hess caught the snap in his endzone and drifted to his right. Then he lobbed a perfect pass to a wide open Higgins who had pretended to whiff on his block and released down field. He caught the ball at the ten yard line, and with end George Brown out in front to block, Higgins ran 92 yards for the touchdown. The Penn State fans in attendance went delirious.

Penn State grabbed the early momentum and went on to win the game 20-0. The play "took the heart out of Pitt, who appeared helpless from that stage on," wrote the Public Ledger, "There have been few games in the last quarter century where the Blue and Gold was beaten in the first two minutes of play."

Penn State finished the season 7-1 and many writers called them the champions of the east over Syracuse, Colgate, and Harvard. Higgins would go on to be named Penn State's first two-time Walter Camp All-American. The 92 yard reception is still the longest pass play in Penn State history.

(HT to the always amazing Penn State Encyclopedia by Lou Prato.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T12:34:40Z

Thanks to all of you for making this season even more memorable. Here's to a great day -- may your turkey be delicious and your football compelling.

Let's just call this an open thread for Turkey Day football and horror stories from the kitchen.

Nitt Picks Is Saying 'Yeah!'

2008-11-26T17:00:08Z

Sometimes in life it's better to let other people do the talking. You are a homer anyway, and so quoting someone else will probably make whatever is said more credible.

Penn State > USC? Yeah! The most disappointing thing about the post-Iowa polls (other than them showing Penn State with a loss, of course) was the fact that so many pollsters found it a forgone conclusion that USC was a more worthy one loss team than the Nittany Lions. My spitting into the rain seemed futile, but the MSM just might catch on after all.

If Oregon State beats Oregon, then could you put USC in the national title game over Penn State? How? Penn State blew out Oregon State and beat Ohio State in Columbus. USC lost to Oregon State and beat Ohio State at home. Besides, USC, in this scenario, doesn't even earn the top spot in the Pac 10, even if it does win a share of the Pac 10 title.

Ok, so that's just one writer who probably doesn't even vote. But the point is not that everyone needs convinced, just that they need to justify it either way.

Computer polls going all "I, Robot"? Yeah! I used to support the fact that the computers are included in the BCS; they seem to apply objective criteria to everyone equally and, therefore, help guard against any sweeping bias. My high regard for the digital changed this season. Dr. Saturday explains it's not the computers' fault.

This is the kind of absurdity that results when you withhold information: If the computers were allowed to take into account margin of victory instead of treating every win as exactly the same, those algorithms would make infinitely more sense (the poll Sagarin would submit if he could has Oklahoma No. 2 and Tech fourth).

Including margin of victory is a double edge sword and, to be honest, those running the BCS are totally justified in excluding it from the formula. It allows the computers to come up with much more logical results, but the problem of excluding them is replaced with the problem of understanding them. Coaches feel the need to take unnecessary end zone shots after the opponent has already put in the second string defense, all to make the victory a +28 instead of +21. When voters see these things they often are able to put them in context, but a computer will not.

Dr. Saturday expands later:

[Computers are] forced to throw out margin of victory by BCS rules, eliminating the difference the humans see in winning 65-21 and winning, say, 3-2. When there are so few games to compare, no win is really just a win, period, but them's the rules.

That's right, of course, but it's not the golden ticket. In my example above, if the team that wins by 28 with a late TD against non-starters better than the team that, up 35, is scored on a la last Saturday's late Michigan State drive against third team players? That two point conversion at the end would make a computer think so. It allows too much manipulation and, besides, doesn't take into account things like weather and officiating.

So what do I think after seeing Penn State two spots lower in the BCS than their consensus human poll average? Seeing them ranked behind Ohio State in Billingsley's poll? Trailing Georgia and Oklahoma State in other formulas?

Just get rid of them. They are imperfect machines that aren't being allowed to use all the data available and don't seem to be adding any value. If you want a broader base for the BCS average, there are other ways of achieving this.

A rivalry is born? Umm...Yeah! No. Adam Rittenberg at ESPN wonders if the fake rivalry didn't "get legs" this weekend.

Dantonio said later that his two timeouts were not a reply to Devlin's touchdown pass.

"There's no motivation there. I think the problem was earlier in the game. I was just trying to give our guys a rest."

Hmm, not so sure I buy that.

One of the things I love about Dantonio is that he doesn't downplay games or certain opponents. He certainly doesn't minimize the Michigan rivalry, and he might have just injected some flavor to a previously bland rivalry with Penn State.

The back-to-back timeouts at the end of the last weeks game made me realize something, but it wasn't that Michigan State is now a rival. It's that MSU might have just done the impossible: replace John L. Smith with someone just as ridiculous and pathetic. Michigan State fans: if you want to lose the "little brother" tag, stop defending a coach that acts like a whinny brat.

The letters come with the bus? Yeah! The first blue bus has been sold, winning bid?

The "ultimate tailgating vehicle" was recently auctioned off on eBay -- a bus Penn State used to transport its football players to Beaver Stadium for home games from 1980 to 2007, the first of several to put up for sale. The winning bid for the first bus on the block: $4,050.

And who says the marketing people at PSU don't know what they are doing? In a line right out of The Price Is Right:

"Entertain friends in style at next season’s tailgates with a vehicle steeped in Penn State football history," read the promotional copy.

I Am So Smart! S-M-R-T!

2008-11-26T16:24:10Z

Congratulations, nerds!

Having seen a school record 10 Nittany Lions earn first team All-Big Ten honors on Monday, Penn State has landed a program record five players on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team, with four earning first team honors.

Senior tackle Gerald Cadogan (Portsmouth, Ohio), junior linebacker Josh Hull (Millheim), junior kick snapper Andrew Pitz (Bettendorf, Iowa) and senior safety Mark Rubin (Amherst, N.Y.) earned first team accolades. Sophomore guard Stefen Wisniewski (Bridgeville) was a second team choice. Cadogan is a two-time first team honoree.

Penn State's four first team selections and five overall selections led the nation. Brigham Young, Dayton and North Dakota State were the only other schools with more than two honorees. Penn State is the first school to have five Academic All-America football players since Nebraska in 1997.

The Nittany Lions were the only Big Ten Conference team with more than one Academic All-American. The five Academic All-America selections give Penn State 43 all-time, with 41 under Coach Joe Paterno. Twenty-seven Nittany Lions have earned first team Academic All-America honors a total of 31 times under Paterno. The Nittany Lions' total of 43 Academic All-America football players ranks third among all Division I-A institutions.

Recruiting Update - Coming Down the Home Stretch

2008-11-25T22:00:06Z

The regular season is over. With many high schools also wrapping up their seasons you can expect the recruiting news to start heating up again. So I figured this would be a good time to update all of you on Penn State's recruiting situation as we round the fourth turn and head down the home stretch toward signing day.

Back in the spring I looked at each position and tried to project how I saw the scholarships being allocated. This was the result of that endeavor.

**Projected 2009 Scholarship Allocation**
Position	Projected Scholarships
Quarterbacks	2
Running Backs	2
Wide Receivers	3
Guards/Centers	2
Offensive Tackles	3
Tight Ends	1
Defensive Tackles	2
Defensive Ends	2
Linebackers	2
Cornerbacks	3
Safeties	3
Total	25

(Note: The links in the table will take you to each breakdown. Keep in mind these were written back in the spring before Chris Bell, Phil Taylor, Willie Harriott, and Chris Baker were all kicked off the team.)

To date, Penn State has 20 verbal commitments from kids to fill these 25 spots. Let's take a look at what we have to date.

TE - Gary Gilliam		WR - Brandon Felder
K - Anthony Fera		CB - Stephon Morris
WR - Devon Smith		OT - Eric Shrive
LB - Glenn Carson		OG - Frank Figueroa
OT - Nate Cadogan		CB - Derrick Thomas
WR - Christian Kuntz		CB - Darrell Givens
RB - Curtis Dukes		S - Stephen Obeng-Agyapong
OT - Adam Gress		OT - Mark Arcidiacono
WR - Curtis Drake		S - Malcolm Willis
DT - Sean Stanley		C - Ty Howle

So when you stack these up against the my scholarship projections this is what you come away with.

Position	Projected Scholarships	Verbals	Deficient
Quarterbacks	2	0	-2
Running Backs	2	1	-1
Wide Receivers	3	4	+1
Tight Ends	1	1	0
Guards/Centers	2	2	0
Offensive Tackles	3	4	+1
Defensive Tackles	2	1	-1
Defensive Ends	2	0	-2
Linebackers	2	1	-1
Cornerbacks	3	3	0
Safeties	3	2	-1
Kickers	0	1	+1
Totals	25	20	-5

Let's go through each position quickly and I'll update you on where I think we are.

Quarterbacks

After not taking a quarterback in the past two years it appeared we were in pretty dire straights to get one this year. Truthfully, we still are. Last year we put all of our eggs in the Terrelle Pryor basket and came home empty. We kind of did the same thing with Tate Forcier and lost him to Michigan. It looked like things were going to be really bad, but then hope was renewed when Kevin Newsome decommitted from Michigan and started giving Penn State a look. So now it looks like we have all of our eggs in that basket. Newsome is planning on taking an official visit to Penn State in December. He plans to announce his choice at the Army All-American game and then he will enroll at the school of his choice for the spring semester. Signs are good for Penn State at this point with Virginia Tech a close second and Ohio State and Boston College tied for a distant third. We're also still holding out a slim hope for Antone Exum, who is also down to PSU and Virginia Tech, but I'm not optimistic there.

If we strike out it's bad, but not a complete disaster. I'm sure we have a few kids in the wings to fall back on like maybe Myles Gibbon. Curtis Drake is an athletic quarterback with potential that could fit into the Spread HD scheme, but I think they would rather use him at wide receiver if at all possible. We also heard Joe praising walk-on freshman Matt McGloin in the preseason, so if we take just one guy I tihnk we'll be ok.

Running Backs

At this time last year we all thought our running back situation was terrible. We hadn't taken one in a few years and the depth chart was getting thin. But we're all pleased with Evan Royster who has another two years of eligibility left. And Stephfon Green has played extremely well as a redshirt freshman and should provide ample depth in the coming years. Add in Brent Carter and Brandon Beachum and we're in pretty good shape for a few years.

We have a verbal commitment from Curtis Dukes who has had an excellent senior year. All of our other targets are off the board, so at this point I think that is all we're going to take. So that -1 in the deficiency column is probably going to stay that way.

Wide Recievers

This was a major position of need this year after missing on targets like Vidal Hazleton and Deon Walker in recent years. The loss of Chris Bell made things even worse. But the coaches have done well in bringing in Felder, Kuntz, Drake and Smith. But like I said, Drake may end up being needed at quarterback. Also, Felder and Kuntz tore their ACL's this fall which may be why we're still talking to Bryce McNeal and Justin Brown as added insurance. And there is a good chance that Je'Ron Stokes may come back on the market with the changes going on in Tennessee. So we're not done here and it's conceivable we may end up with six wide recievers when we're said and done.

Offensive Line

We've met and exceeded my projected quota for offensive linemen. So at this point I think we're done in this area.

Defensive Line

I'm kind of shocked we haven't seen more action on the defensive line, but kind of not too. I really just based those projections on the fact we had so many scholarships to give out that it would make sense to take a few. But truthfully the depth chart doesn't look bad, and that's an area we've always recruited well in the past. Larry Johnson has shown no fear in plugging true freshmen into the rotation. We've got plenty of bodies for next year, so maybe they're going to take a year off and focus on other areas of need like defensive backs and wide receivers. We're still talking to Will Hill, Raynard Randolph, and Jason Ankrah. I don't get a good vibe from Hill and Raynard, and the on-again-off-again relationship with Ankrah seems to be off again. Next year our depth chart will look a lot more attractive to those five star studs.

Linebackers

We really don't need any linebackers this year. The depth chart is overloaded for the next several years. But Glenn Carson is a good get, and we're in pretty good shape with Jelani Jenkins who will probably announce his decision at the Army AA game. Plus we already have a commitment for 2010 from Mike Hull. I have no concerns in this area whether we get Jenkins or not.

Cornerbacks

Penn State desperately needed to bring in at least three cornerbacks in this class after taking only one defensive back last year. And they hit a home run with Morris, Thomas, and Givens. And if things get crowded with all the recievers we're bringing in, we can try moving some of those guys over to defense for added depth.

Safeties

This is another area of need but I'm afraid the coaches are a year late in getting to the party. At this point we really need someone that can step in and play right away in 2009. Obeng-Agyapong and Willis will get a chance to compete for a starting role almost immediately. We're also still in the running for four-star safety Gerald Hodges who is said to be 50/50 between Penn State and Rutgers at this point. Besides Newsome I consider Hodges the biggest must-get still on the board.

Status Report

We're pulling in a nice little class this year. We've addressed the major needs in the secondary, the offensive line, and at wide receiver. We've also addressed minor needs at running back and kicker. But we're still desperately in need of a quarterback, and right now Newsome is probably our only option. Fail to get him and we're most likely looking at starting a freshman or a walk-on in 2011. (Hello? Michigan 2008 anyone?)

I'm also a little bothered by how we blew off the defensive line this year. With so many scholarships to give out I figured we would have pulled in three or four kids. Since the amazing 2006 class that featured Maybin, Odrick, and Evans we've taken a lot of project kids that weren't highly regarded. Now we're probably looking at taking just Sean Stanley who is admittedly very good, but you need four defensive linemen in our 4-3 defense. We're putting a lot of pressure on ourselves to get a good class next year. Otherwise, unless guys like James Terry, Brandon Ware, Chima Okoli, Pete Massaro, and Kevion Latham turn out to be diamonds in the rough we may be looking around in 2012 wondering what happened to all the talent we used to take for granted on the front line.

Grading The Defense: College Avenue Freezeout

2008-11-25T14:37:20Z

Another great performance from the Nittany Lion defense. For its deficiencies, it must be said that this unit has not only overachieved this season, but dominated. Looking only at Big Ten games, Penn State was in the top two in the following categories: scoring defense, pass defense, turnover margin, rushing defense, total defense, pass efficiency defense, and first downs allowed.

(And a fun thing I just noticed? Your Big Ten leader in assisted tackles is James Laurinaitis. Seriously.)

She received four Buckeye stickers and one tackle for loss.

And while we're on the subject, let's bring in ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg:

James Laurinaitis is a future College Football Hall of Famer and a sure-fire first-round NFL draft pick. He's an excellent football player. He should not have been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. That award should have gone to Penn State defensive end Aaron Maybin. No one else is really in the discussion. Maybin was flat-out dominant this season. I don't care if he's just a sophomore. Base the award on merit, not on reputation or name recognition or having a nice back story.

Not sure Maybin is the best player on PSU's defense this year -- that honor goes to Jared Odrick, in my opinion -- but it's nice to see Laurinaitis knocked down a peg or two in a widely-viewed forum. He's a good player. He is not that good. Anyone who watches an Ohio State game with a semi-critical eye knows this. There's been a lot of argument between Ohio State and Penn State fans over who has produced the better linebackers over the past few years, and there's really no losing side. A.J. Hawk was simply awesome. Same with Paul Posluszny and Dan Connor. James Laurinaitis isn't remotely close to any of them.

In the spirit of being Fair And Balanced, Rittenberg also says that Joe Paterno should not have been Big Ten Coach of the Year, which I happen to agree with.

If there was an award to give an entire coaching staff, than Penn State's staff should get it. But it's a single award, and one that should have gone to Michigan State's Mark Dantonio or Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald. You can't tell me Paterno had as much influence in shaping his team as Dantonio or Fitzgerald. This vote was based on sentimentality, not by looking at what each man actually accomplished.

Given that Dantonio has officially cemented his status as The Jolly Green Douchebag, my vote would be for Fitzgerald. And while the college football world will continue to pay tribute to Paterno over the next few weeks, nobody can legitimately argue that working from home and silently sitting in the press box qualifies as coaching, not when other guys are busting their asses every day and trying to win nine games at freakin' Northwestern. They had one hiccup against Indiana, otherwise they'd be a 10-2 team and this vote wouldn't be remotely close.

Anyway, the game.

DEFENSIVE LINE: A+

Tremendous all day long. They were able to generate a pass rush with four players, something that the scheme depends upon for success. When it works, it's usually a long day for the opposing offense. They also received a little help from Sparty. Down 14-0 halfway through the second quarter, Michigan State was moving the ball on the ground and reached the PSU 45 yard line. They tried to get cute with a playaction pass, and Maurice Evans blew by the tackle and fullback for a sack of Brian Hoyer. With 21 yards to go for a first down, they went with another useless playaction pass -- nobody in the stadium believed it for a second -- and a screen pass which even I called in Section NC ten seconds before the snap.

Jared Odrick was great again, and was in Brian Hoyer's face when he threw an interception to Anthony Scirrotto before halftime. As Todd Blackledge noticed, Josh Hull also provided great coverage on that play.

Also, if you spotted #71 on the field during MSU's final offensive efforts, your eyes weren't deceiving you. That was Devon Still.

LINEBACKERS: A-

As you might expect from the previous paragraphs, their jobs were made exceptionally easy by the defensive line. Hull was surprisingly good in pass coverage, not only on the play mentioned above, but he also tipped a pass that led to Anthony Scirrotto dusting a guy across the middle in the first quarter. Tyrell Sales had a great tackle for loss against Ringer in the first half. Special mention for Navarro Bowman absolutely sawing Brian Hoyer in half on Sparty's third quarter trick play.

Personally, I ragged on this group throughout the year, although I don't think it was unwarranted. When they were bad, they were really awful. When they were good, the defense was just killing dudes out there. Still, they generally played well in the biggest games (at Ohio State, especially), and there's plenty to be said for that.

(Oh, and we get Sean Lee back next year.)

SECONDARY: A-

Held Hoyer to five yards per attempt, and never really allowed him to settle in. Now, go back a few months ago and imagine me writing this: I have no idea how we're going to replace Mark Rubin next year. Scary, but true -- he's gone from utter liability to one of the most dependable players on the Penn State defense. Nice to see Anthony Scirrotto have some great plays in his final Beaver Stadium game, and let's show some appreciation for Tony Davis' effort this season. How many times did you hear his name throughout the year? Good sign for a cornerback. Also, Lydell Sargeant vastly improved this season. After a while, people just stopped asking, "Why isn't A.J. Wallace in the game?"

And poor D'Anton Lynn thought he had his very first interception on the last play of the game, but the pass was ruled incomplete.

COACHING: A

Was there a more entertaining sight than Sean Lee trying to get Tom Bradley to accept the rose during Sparty's last drive? Give all of the defensive coaches a ton of credit for Penn State's dominant defense. They were thin along the defensive line after the knuckleheads were sent packing before the season. The secondary that I personally thought would be a disaster held up pretty well.

Your Sparty drives:

That's one meaningful drive while the game was actually in question. Excellent work, all around.

Oregon State In The BCS: A Lot Of Different Parties Involved, Man

2008-11-25T14:30:06Z

Now that Paterno's BCS fate has been jinx-proofed via a Big Ten Championship, it's time to take a look at what others have to do with Penn State's eventual situation.

So what are we to do, as Penn State fans, about this unexpected third party interest? The Civil War is set for Saturday (7:00 pm EST on everyone's favorite second rate sports network: Versus). So after I take down my fifth plate of Thanksgiving leftovers, these are the things that will be running through my head before the game.

A shot at USC would be fun. Yes, playing USC in LA has it's downside. They are essentially at home. They are incredibly comfortable playing there (they've been to the game four times in the last five years, plus the "road games" they play in the Rose Bowl against UCLA). They almost always perform up to their talent level in big games and, as you might have heard, they are incredibly talented.

Still, there is definitely something to gain. Where Ohio State failed miserably, Penn State can succeed. They can make people question the structure of the Big Ten and further drive home the differences between the Big Ten Champion and their co-champion impostor.

Rematches are less fun. Especially when the team you root for completely dominated the first version of the series.

From a public perception standpoint, Penn State has absolutely nothing to gain here. From a fan's standpoint, this takes away significantly from the thought of winning the Rose Bowl...if we win. If not, or even if it ends as a close victory for Penn State, it will be completely unsatisfying for all of the obvious reasons. Losing to a very talented team isn't a shameful experience...it comes with the territory. Losing to a team you beat just months prior is sour.

Rooting for the less-often-successful is more fun. Let's be honest: everyone is tired of USC. They have been the undisputed (as in best record plus winning all the head-to-head "tie-breakers") champion of the Pacific-10 conference for five straight years now and it would be nice to see someone break that streak. I like the under dog story and even more so when it includes a team that isn't usually in the mix.

Plus, who can forget this?

The Big Ten could use a good bowl record. Count me in as one of the people who completely underestimated the power of group think. I gave the voters a lot more credit than they deserved: I assumed they would not buy in so completely to the Big Ten hate and actually evaluate the teams at the top on their individual merit. This did not happen. One loss teams were getting first place votes over an undefeated Penn State and there was increased momentum to actually jump them over a potential 12-0 Paterno team on a consolidated basis.

Oregon State in the Rose Bowl means USC as an at-large. They would be getting the last spot available, leaving two loss, second place Ohio State "screwed" and facing an SEC school in the Capital One Bowl. This also bumps everyone else down, turning a lot of match-ups in which the Big Ten team would be dogs into matchups where the teams are closer to equals. The Big Ten already has what is probably the toughest (although best paying) tie-ins of any conference. On top of that, the Big Ten has sent more teams to the BCS over the past five years than any other conference. This has negative effects on the conference's recent bowl record. As much as I even hate the conference discussion, it was actually affecting the voting in unprecedented ways and needs to be curbed. Winning bowl games would be a good way of achieving this.

I haven't given up my hope for the improbable. I think "not quite impossible" is probably a better description, but regardless: USC failing to win the Pac-10 could potentially increase the chances of Penn State climbing back into the MNC game. It would take a long string of football related events plus some interesting public perception swings, but the list of Things That Need To Happen includes a scenario in which Penn State can get in front of USC. A loss for the Trojans seems highly unlikely; Notre Dame is dead in the water and UCLA, at 4-6, is probably a similar underdog.

The most likely method to madness: Florida would have to lose to FSU and then somehow beat Alabama in the SEC Championship Game; Oklahoma State would have to knock off Oklahoma, putting Texas Tech in the CCG; Missouri would probably then need to beat the Red Raiders. That still leaves Texas and USC ranked ahead of Penn State, but the fact that Penn State actually can call themselves a conference champion, while the other two cannot, might help make them one of the two teams left in the mix. Or it might not, but I'm sayin' there's a chance.

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So what does it all mean? Well, to be straight with you, I still haven't made up my mind. Oregon State is a good story and I would like to see them earn a spot in the Rose Bowl. I'm tired of USC, but it would make the actual game a lot more fun and has tremendous up-side, something a rematch lacks. But would the chance of a possible rematch deter me from giving up MCN hope? Well even if USC did "lose" there is no telling what kind of mood the voters would be in anyway; probably one we would perceive as bad.

This is a very complicated case...a lotta ins, a lotta outs, a lotta what-have-yous.