BSD Mailbag 8.22.14

What are the chances that our uniforms undergo drastic changes? otholion
The further we get from the Paterno era, the more likely we see changes to all of the Penn State traditions we became accustomed to during the past several decades. While I expect to at least see Penn State eventually wear some type of alternate uniforms on occasion, I think we're still at least a few years away. James Franklin and Sandy Barbour are smart enough not to rock the boat during their first year in State College. While uniform changes are relatively minor, it would cause a major stir for Penn State fans. Maybe once they can deliver a championship or two they'll have the social capital to make some changes, even if it's just for a game or two each season.

What are the top 5 Penn State games someone should watch if they had never seen a Penn State game before 2005? ktolikestea
I'll stick with games that occurred in my lifetime, which happens to coincide with Penn State's first official national championship.

1987 Fiesta Bowl
Penn State- 14
Miami (Fla.)- 10
Easily one of the greatest college football games of all-time. Penn State shocks the world with a defensive masterpiece, forcing 5 interceptions from the Heisman Trophy winner.

2001
Penn State-29
Ohio State- 27
JoePa finally bags The Bear. This game featured a wild comeback against an overmatched rival that was clinched in the final minutes with a blocked field goal. And the next time you have the urge to badmouth Zac Mills, go back and watch this game. I have no trouble saying he would have been a Heisman contender if it wasn't for the shoulder injuries.

1983 Sugar Bowl
Penn State-27
Georgia- 23
Penn State does the impossible by shutting down Herschel Walker on the way to its first national championship.

1997
Penn State- 31
Ohio State- 27
I'm biased because this was my first game in Beaver Stadium, but it was an incredible game regardless. Curtis Enis and Aaron Harris ran wild while the secondary figured out how to stop Joe Germaine just in time. The Nittany Lions were number two at the time of the game, and moved up to number one the next morning following a Florida defeat at the hands of LSU.

1994
Penn State- 31
Michigan- 24
The most exciting game from the best Penn State team of the last 20 years. Penn State's starters didn't see the second half much in 1994, but everyone was holding their breath until the final gun of this game.

2002
Penn State-40
Nebraska-7
I know you asked for five, but I just couldn't leave this off the list. Penn State went in as a heavy underdog and just rolled the most dominant team of that era. If I could go back and attend any Penn State game that I missed, this would be the one.

If you could have a do-over on B1G Offensive player of the year, Who would it be? Ti_Gr5_6Al-4V
Melvin Gordon. He gained about 8 yards per carry in 2013, and should be even better this fall. The thing I really like about Gordon is that he wasn't that highly touted and found himself buried on the depth chart. But he worked his way into a starting position and became one of the best running backs in the nation. Players like that can make gigantic leaps during an offseason, so it will be interesting to see how much he can improve in 2014. I'm just happy Penn State won't have to worry about stopping him this year.

In honor of Don Pardo, if you could have one announcer narrate your day, who would you choose? dbridi
Without a doubt, Keith Jackson. It will never get better than watching a Big Ten game out in the elements with Jackson calling the action. I'm pretty certain the exact moment I became more of a college fan than NFL was when Eric McCoo ripped off a long run while Jackson simply shouted "Mmmm....McCoooooooooooooo."

How do you feel about "running up the score? TheTeamFromPennsylvania
Call me old fashioned, but I usually prefer to see the younger guys gain some valuable gain experience while killing the clock and getting everyone home injury-free. However, I wouldn't mind at all seeing Franklin put his foot on the gas and pile it on, say, Illinois or Ohio State should they get the chance.

Where do you stand on using Franklin's resume to predict his future success? A large contingent of folks act as if Penn State is JF’s debut as a head coach. I see (and hear) comments like: "If he can coach like he can recruit, he’ll be successful" Or "All Franklin does is run his mouth, we will see when the season starts…" 877Townie
Franklin gets an A+ from me so far, but I definitely won't have a really solid opinion until we get to see what he can do with his own players on a team not hindered by sanctions. The biggest criticism seems to be that he didn't win many big games at Vanderbilt, but I don't put much stock into that. He did things no one else was able to do in the history of the program, and without being able to access the type of recruits he's acquired so far at Penn State. It's early, but I'm very optimistic considering what he was able to do at Vandy and the team he has started to build at Penn State thus far.

Who do you think is the shadiest coach in College Football? I think Brian Kelly takes it in a landslide. IronCityLion
It's Brian Kelly, and it's not even close. He's done at least two things while at Notre Dame that should have put him behind bars. If that wasn't enough, he downplays his actions by making tasteless jokes about the deaths of two college students. Football aside, he's an awful human being.

FMK: Brian Hoyer, Johnny Football, Rex Grossman? WBF
Here we go again. Why do I even respond??
F- Grossman. He didn't get the nickname "Sexy Rexy" for no reason.
M- Hoyer. Not as exciting as the others, but his abilities as a "game-manager" would come in handy over the long haul.
K- Manziel. No explanation necessary.

As a Penn State fan who only follows football what other PSU sport would you be an ardent fan of if you had the time and lived in State College and thus could see it in person? Cari
Hockey. I don't count myself as a hockey fan, but I'm sure that would change if I had the opportunity to attend games on a regular basis. It just seems like one of those things that is so much better live than on TV. Plus, it would be much easier to feed off the enthusiasm for the sport in an area where hockey is so popular. I love 2 hours from Columbus and just found out they had an NHL team within the past year. There's just no hockey culture in Ohio, unless you live in the northwest corner of the state near Michigan.

I had planned on making a nice Irish breakfast featuring pork jowl bacon (smoked pork jowls, and don't let anyone tell you that the jowls are not the absolutely best part of the pig), peppered smoked salmon, potato pancakes, eggs whatever way someone wants them, fried mushrooms and onions (for on eggs) and Irish soda bread. But now a bar in York may open for the game, one of the one’s we regularly go to when we visit my sister-in-law. Should I hit the bar if it opens or opt for my own breakfast? BMAN13
I beg of you, please, please make your breakfast. Then tweet me some photos so I can live vicariously.

What's the proper level of excitement for a new Aphex Twin album? ckmneon
Go crazy, just don't drive off a bridge or punch a stranger in the face.

Does the Mothership require you to give front-page space to lame SBNation articles? Smee
They go ahead and place articles there, and then we have the freedom to remove them from the front page if we wish. Sometimes it's an interesting perspective that adds value to the site. Sometimes they come down very quickly...