I don't know how, but I completely missed this last year:
It seems to be a smattering of Snowball fights, indecent exposure, and Football Player Body slams!
I might just be late to the party...whatever...enjoy!
GO STATE!
Showing posts with label 2007. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2007. Show all posts
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Agony or Ecstasy?
The Alamo bowl is less than two weeks away. The coaching carousel is in full blast in the Big Ten/Big East regions of the country which leaves me wondering: Should PSU fans be happy about the state of the program and where it is headed?
Clearly, there is no set answer to this question as it has been up on message boards and is frequent blog fodder (even for this particle article!), and leaves us only to chase opinions. What is more clear than the turbid crystal ball into which i'm currently gazing is that this season can be interpreted in more than one way. Obviously, PSU's 8-4 season was a disappointment to us all. I was really hoping that PSU could go 11-1 or 10-2 but the meltdown at Michigan, Illinois, and Michigan State exposed Penn State as a non-elite but competitive football team. However, was this a good season of excellent coaching which salvaged a potentially disastrous season (think 5-7) filled with fights, allegations, charges, and indictments? Or, was this an indication that Joe has lost control of the program, can't coach anymore, blah, blah, blah?
This was a good coaching job which helped a troubled team reach a bowl game. The Apartment Fight happened back in April which means that the team has been dragging around this albatross for 8 months. The team was cleaning the stadium after games (that won't wear on you 6 weeks into the season without a bye week?). Austin Scott was charged with a sexual assault and dismissed from the team. How many programs recover so easily from the dismissal of their #1 RB to start the season? Kinlaw did a wonderful job filling in and Royster looks like he could be the next great back at PSU, provided he stays healthy. Then there was the Hub Fight which has lead to yet more charges. Nobody sees how all of this can be a distraction to the program? A distraction to the team?
People who disagree with this assessment will simply point to the same incidents mentioned above and say: "Look. Joe has clearly lost control! We were poised to contend for a National Title and then went nowhere!" Certainly, these facts could be construed that way. However, this isn't a continuing pattern at PSU instead it is merely a single season of off-field incidents. If this sort of garbage is still going on this spring and into the fall then I'll join in the chorus of people saying that a change is needed. But for now, Joe has done a great job dealing with tons of off the field problems and got the team to a bowl game.
What gives myself (and i'm sure any other Penn State fan) a more queasy feelings is the question of where the program is headed. Rodriguez has gone to Michigan, he was certainly named as a possible Paterno replacement. Because of that vacancy the rumor is that WVU is talking to Bradley! Bradley's departure would also eliminate the most viable in-house replacement for Paterno. Leaving a lot of other coaches who don't really fit the criteria PSU should be looking for: relatively young, fired up, not Jay Paterno, ready to lead PSU to glory! Which would leave who, Schiano? Sounds good but is he as set on PSU as everyone speculates? The future is certainly murky and a cause for concern. But lets face it, Joe will continue to coach until he dies on the field at age 179. So take heart!
GO STATE! BEAT THE AGGIES!
Clearly, there is no set answer to this question as it has been up on message boards and is frequent blog fodder (even for this particle article!), and leaves us only to chase opinions. What is more clear than the turbid crystal ball into which i'm currently gazing is that this season can be interpreted in more than one way. Obviously, PSU's 8-4 season was a disappointment to us all. I was really hoping that PSU could go 11-1 or 10-2 but the meltdown at Michigan, Illinois, and Michigan State exposed Penn State as a non-elite but competitive football team. However, was this a good season of excellent coaching which salvaged a potentially disastrous season (think 5-7) filled with fights, allegations, charges, and indictments? Or, was this an indication that Joe has lost control of the program, can't coach anymore, blah, blah, blah?
This was a good coaching job which helped a troubled team reach a bowl game. The Apartment Fight happened back in April which means that the team has been dragging around this albatross for 8 months. The team was cleaning the stadium after games (that won't wear on you 6 weeks into the season without a bye week?). Austin Scott was charged with a sexual assault and dismissed from the team. How many programs recover so easily from the dismissal of their #1 RB to start the season? Kinlaw did a wonderful job filling in and Royster looks like he could be the next great back at PSU, provided he stays healthy. Then there was the Hub Fight which has lead to yet more charges. Nobody sees how all of this can be a distraction to the program? A distraction to the team?
People who disagree with this assessment will simply point to the same incidents mentioned above and say: "Look. Joe has clearly lost control! We were poised to contend for a National Title and then went nowhere!" Certainly, these facts could be construed that way. However, this isn't a continuing pattern at PSU instead it is merely a single season of off-field incidents. If this sort of garbage is still going on this spring and into the fall then I'll join in the chorus of people saying that a change is needed. But for now, Joe has done a great job dealing with tons of off the field problems and got the team to a bowl game.
What gives myself (and i'm sure any other Penn State fan) a more queasy feelings is the question of where the program is headed. Rodriguez has gone to Michigan, he was certainly named as a possible Paterno replacement. Because of that vacancy the rumor is that WVU is talking to Bradley! Bradley's departure would also eliminate the most viable in-house replacement for Paterno. Leaving a lot of other coaches who don't really fit the criteria PSU should be looking for: relatively young, fired up, not Jay Paterno, ready to lead PSU to glory! Which would leave who, Schiano? Sounds good but is he as set on PSU as everyone speculates? The future is certainly murky and a cause for concern. But lets face it, Joe will continue to coach until he dies on the field at age 179. So take heart!
GO STATE! BEAT THE AGGIES!
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Austin Scott UPDATE
The Collegian has snippets of the court paperwork which lays out what this case will consist of.
GO STATE! BEAT WISCONSIN!
If true this smacks of a desperation one would not expect to see in the starting running back at a big time football school.According to court documents, the victim said to Scott on the walk to campus, "just so you know, I'm not going to have sex with you."
"Do you want me to call you a taxi now?" Scott said, according to court documents. The victim replied that she just wanted him to respect her wishes.
"If I can't have sex with you, can I at least cop a feel?" he asked, the criminal complaint reads. The victim declined.
The two entered Scott's apartment and proceeded to watch television from his bed. The victim reported she fell asleep fully clothed and on top of the bed comforter, but soon awoke to find her jeans removed and Scott attempting to have sex with her.
She tried to sit up, but felt a punch in her right kidney, according to court documents. The victim told police she "went along with it because she was afraid [Scott] was going to hurt her."
Throughout the intercourse, the victim said she told Scott multiple times he was hurting her, according to court documents.
That is just peculiar. Ooh she's asleep, now is my chance!
In fairness, Scott's side of the story is that the encounter was completely consensual and actually ended quite well.
When she left Scott's apartment, they "embraced and kissed goodbye," he said in the press release.So that is what we're going to be hearing about for the next 6-12 months. Great.
GO STATE! BEAT WISCONSIN!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Austin Scott Charged With Rape
WJACTV, and ESPN are both reporting that Austin Scott has been officially charged with rape. A Preliminary Hearing is set for Wednesday. (a preliminary hearing is where a judge determines whether or not there is probable cause supporting the charges which have been filed)
Scott is claiming it was consensual.
On the field Impact
The other shoe has dropped. However, Royster and Kinlaw have proven themselves as being more than capable so the on-field-impact should be minimal. However, the distractions won't be leaving any time soon.
Here we go.
Scott is claiming it was consensual.
On the field Impact
The other shoe has dropped. However, Royster and Kinlaw have proven themselves as being more than capable so the on-field-impact should be minimal. However, the distractions won't be leaving any time soon.
Here we go.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Players Involed in HUB Brawl
Ok, this is kind of complicated and I'll try to go through it as best I can.
The CDT is reporting on a fight in the Hetzel Union Building (HUB) which started at around 1.48 Am and involved as many as 10 people.
In yet another CDT report Paterno had this to say about the image of PSU football:
Joe, there isn't a problem with the image of PSU football but if all of these reports are even partially true there is an ACTUAL problem with PSU football. These ridiculous antics need to stop!
Further in Joes presser Jeff Rice (a blogger for the CDT) is reporting that Joe then broke this news for us:
Not good. Not good at all.
GO STATE! BEAT WISCONSIN!
The CDT is reporting on a fight in the Hetzel Union Building (HUB) which started at around 1.48 Am and involved as many as 10 people.
In yet another CDT report Paterno had this to say about the image of PSU football:
"I don't think there's anything wrong with the image of the program."
Joe, there isn't a problem with the image of PSU football but if all of these reports are even partially true there is an ACTUAL problem with PSU football. These ridiculous antics need to stop!
Further in Joes presser Jeff Rice (a blogger for the CDT) is reporting that Joe then broke this news for us:
"I've been alerted there might have been a couple football players involved in a fight, to what extent, to what degree, I'm not sure yet."As for the fallout of this, Laschout.com is reporting that we should be expecting Indefinite suspensions.
Not good. Not good at all.
GO STATE! BEAT WISCONSIN!
Friday, August 24, 2007
Breaking Down: The Temple Owls
We are getting towards the end of our breakdown of PSU's 2007 campaign. We stagger into week eleven to break down Temple. Well, i guess one can't break Temple down more than they already are. There is only really one question about Temple's team; how terrible will they be? The answer, of course, is quite terrible. If you want to check out a Temple blog, which is actually quite good, go to Temple Football Forever.
The Owls' Passing Attack:
Temple only threw for 1944 yards in 2006 with frosh QB Adam Dimichele under center. That is
only 162 yds/game. On the bright side, Dimichele will return to start and did throw an accurate ball as he completed over 61% of his passes. Dimichele has also lost two of his four favorite targets due to graduation but does return Francis and Shelton who combined for 828 yds receiving and 7 TDs. Essentially, these two players accounted for 43% of the Temple passing attack. The Owls are ironically pitiful through the air. Even Northwestern passed for more yards and TDs than the lowly Owls. However, if a young but large o-line (4 starters are 30+ Lbs) can keep Dimichele's uniform clean they should have a chance to improve in 2007.
The Owls' Rushing Attack:
Gone is Tim Brown who, for all intents and purposes, was the Owl's offense in 2006. Brown rushed for 731 yds averaging 4 yds/carry in 2006 and he caught 33 passes for 218 yards. The man accounted for over 1/3 of every yard Temple gained in 2006. Marcellous Grigsby, a red-shirt Junior) replaces the talented Mr. Brown in the backfield. Grigsby must be doing something right as he beat-out Jason Harper who backed up Brown last fall. As Grigsby goes so will the Owls' 2007 campaign.
Via the Philly Inquirer
The Owls' Defense:
The Owls gave up 41 pts/game in 2006. In the MAC. That is not good, in fact, it is terrible. The Owls have to get that number down into the 20s before they can be taken seriously.
Predictions:
The Owls went 1-11 in 2006 but they return an incredible number of young players with experience after getting through a trying season. This years Temple team will undoubtedly be better than last years but a few key losses could retard any progression the Owls seem poised to make. I think Temple will get 2 wins this season.
PSU: 55
Owls: 0
GO STATE! ONLY 8 DAYS LEFT!
The Owls' Passing Attack:
Temple only threw for 1944 yards in 2006 with frosh QB Adam Dimichele under center. That is
only 162 yds/game. On the bright side, Dimichele will return to start and did throw an accurate ball as he completed over 61% of his passes. Dimichele has also lost two of his four favorite targets due to graduation but does return Francis and Shelton who combined for 828 yds receiving and 7 TDs. Essentially, these two players accounted for 43% of the Temple passing attack. The Owls are ironically pitiful through the air. Even Northwestern passed for more yards and TDs than the lowly Owls. However, if a young but large o-line (4 starters are 30+ Lbs) can keep Dimichele's uniform clean they should have a chance to improve in 2007.The Owls' Rushing Attack:
Gone is Tim Brown who, for all intents and purposes, was the Owl's offense in 2006. Brown rushed for 731 yds averaging 4 yds/carry in 2006 and he caught 33 passes for 218 yards. The man accounted for over 1/3 of every yard Temple gained in 2006. Marcellous Grigsby, a red-shirt Junior) replaces the talented Mr. Brown in the backfield. Grigsby must be doing something right as he beat-out Jason Harper who backed up Brown last fall. As Grigsby goes so will the Owls' 2007 campaign.Via the Philly Inquirer
The Owls' Defense:
The Owls gave up 41 pts/game in 2006. In the MAC. That is not good, in fact, it is terrible. The Owls have to get that number down into the 20s before they can be taken seriously.
Predictions:
The Owls went 1-11 in 2006 but they return an incredible number of young players with experience after getting through a trying season. This years Temple team will undoubtedly be better than last years but a few key losses could retard any progression the Owls seem poised to make. I think Temple will get 2 wins this season.
PSU: 55
Owls: 0
GO STATE! ONLY 8 DAYS LEFT!
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Penn State 2007 Schedule
Some announcements have been made about the impending 2007 season. Penn State will be playing nationally televised games against Tosu, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin! Hooray for national exposure for the Blue & White. The Notre Dame and Ohio State games will be in prime time and under the bright lights of Beaver Stadium, which is excellent. The only thing better than beating all these jerks is beating them in front of the entire nation!
GO STATE! CIRCLE THESE GAMES IN RED!
GO STATE! CIRCLE THESE GAMES IN RED!
Monday, April 23, 2007
2007 Blue & White Game
The 2007 Penn State Blue White game got underway beneath blue skies and in warm weather in Happy Valley on Saturday. A record 71,000 fans showed up to break their PSU fast and binge at the smörgåsbord of spring football which is the Blue-White game. I, however, was one of the unlucky schmoes who sat at home watching the game on the internet. The best part of watching the game online was being able to listen to Joepa's commentary on the game.
There were many areas which Penn State needed to address and after Saturday's game there are areas of both strength and weakness for the '07 squad. The biggest strength of Penn State is, of course, it's class:
The Students show their support for the Hokies
Receiving:
The receiving corps is the crown jewel of the team and could be the best in the Big Ten this fall. From Williams to Butler and Golden and with young stars Chris Bell, Quarless, and many others this group will be tough to match up against. Chris Bell was the BMOC due to his stellar performance on Saturday. He showed flashes of the big-play ability that made him such a sought-after recruit. He hauled in 4 passes for 116 yds and two TDs! If we could get that kind of effort every week PSU will have a deadly passing game.
Linebackers:
The Linebackers will be fine, anchored by Dan Connor and Sean Lee PSU may have the best linebackers in the country...again.
Offensive line:
The offensive line looked good at times (when the first team was in) and at other times looked absolutely terrible (when anyone other than the first team were in). The offensive line will be the biggest question mark for the lions going into the spring. Especially, because a modern team has to be able to rotate lineman in and out to keep them fresh.
Running Backs:
Austin Scott and Rodney Kinlaw both looked very good. Scott still needs more patience to allow his blocks to develop but he did manage to rack up 53 yds on 13 carries. However, the biggest development, for me anyway, was the emergence of Evan Royster (#22). Joe commented on how he was a "tough kid" and had good leg strength. Royster showed the rare combination of power and speed and could be the future of the Penn State backfield. Royster ran for 45 yds on 9 carries (the best average of any of the backs!).
In short, we got a brief glimpse of what the Lions will look like in the fall. Nobody got hurt (most important of all), and WE GOT TO SEE PSU PLAY AGAIN!
Peep all the stats for yourself here.
GO STATE! GET READY FOR THE FALL!
There were many areas which Penn State needed to address and after Saturday's game there are areas of both strength and weakness for the '07 squad. The biggest strength of Penn State is, of course, it's class:
The Students show their support for the HokiesReceiving:
The receiving corps is the crown jewel of the team and could be the best in the Big Ten this fall. From Williams to Butler and Golden and with young stars Chris Bell, Quarless, and many others this group will be tough to match up against. Chris Bell was the BMOC due to his stellar performance on Saturday. He showed flashes of the big-play ability that made him such a sought-after recruit. He hauled in 4 passes for 116 yds and two TDs! If we could get that kind of effort every week PSU will have a deadly passing game.
Linebackers:
The Linebackers will be fine, anchored by Dan Connor and Sean Lee PSU may have the best linebackers in the country...again.
Offensive line:
The offensive line looked good at times (when the first team was in) and at other times looked absolutely terrible (when anyone other than the first team were in). The offensive line will be the biggest question mark for the lions going into the spring. Especially, because a modern team has to be able to rotate lineman in and out to keep them fresh.
Running Backs:
Austin Scott and Rodney Kinlaw both looked very good. Scott still needs more patience to allow his blocks to develop but he did manage to rack up 53 yds on 13 carries. However, the biggest development, for me anyway, was the emergence of Evan Royster (#22). Joe commented on how he was a "tough kid" and had good leg strength. Royster showed the rare combination of power and speed and could be the future of the Penn State backfield. Royster ran for 45 yds on 9 carries (the best average of any of the backs!).
In short, we got a brief glimpse of what the Lions will look like in the fall. Nobody got hurt (most important of all), and WE GOT TO SEE PSU PLAY AGAIN!
Peep all the stats for yourself here.
GO STATE! GET READY FOR THE FALL!
Monday, April 16, 2007
2007 Hype
This is the first, of what will probably be many, excellent hype videos for Penn State's 2007 season. With all of the potential controversy swirling around it is good to remember PSU's limitless potential for 2007.
GO STATE! GET HYPED!
GO STATE! GET HYPED!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
