FOOTBALL: August 2006

Big things expected from linebacker Connor a year after Paterno's wrath

You're a Wizard Posluszny

Posluszny carries 'Linebacker U' flag - Pittsburghlive.com

Check out Poz' "nickname".

Champions of '86 recall difficulty - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Champions of '86 recall difficulty - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Matt Kizner. Matt Kizner; he was so cute - bad quarterback, but so cute.

Football: Akron's 3-5-3 alignment has Lions' offense on alert

PostGazette.com - Football: Akron's 3-5-3 alignment has Lions' offense on alert

JoePa to kick off milestone 41st season - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Penn State Football: Starting linemen ready for 4-3 defense, but the backups are young

SI.com - 2006 NCAA Football Preview - Big Ten Preview

SI.com - 2006 NCAA Football Preview - Big Ten Preview

They list PSU at #3 in the B10 - with 2 conference losses -

Not complaining - just happy to see that someone thinks we'll win a game this year.

SI.com - Photo Gallery - Big 10's Top 10 Players

SI.com - Photo Gallery - Big 10's Top 10 Players

who's number 1? Who's Number 1?!?! Mr. Posluszny, that's who. Levi is number 6.

not too shabby.

With game week looming, Paterno curious how team will perservere

Centre Daily Times - With game week looming, Paterno curious how team will perservere

Jay so needs to wear a v-neck/open collar shirt.

Quarterbacks in dogfight for No. 2 role behind Morelli

Centre Daily TimesQuarterbacks in dogfight for No. 2 role behind Morelli

The Suheys are legendary in State College (not just Penn State) - everyone knows the name, and everyone has a "Suhey story" - I don't, really - other than seeing Matt Suhey cry after the loss to Bama in the 78 Sugar Bowl cemented my adoration for college football.

My mom taught Paul Suhey (Kevin's dad) at church school. My cousin gave Matt Suhey detention when he was in high school (great story). And so on...

Cianciolo (Paul) has actually seen game time and gone up against the PSU #1 defense - I know nothing/very little about Clark.

Back up quarterbacks are almost always a controversy at PSU - this is so not new.

PSU center's wait may be over - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The Watch Lists are Coming...

GoPSUsports.com - 2005 Butkus Award Winner Posluszny & Connor Among Candidates for '06 Top Linebacker Honor

ESPN.com - NCF/PREVIEW06 - Maisel: Nittany Lions count of Brown delivering

ESPN.com - Maisel: Nittany Lions count of Brown delivering

Lions' primary concern is secondary - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Lions' primary concern is secondary - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

nervous

Penn State concludes final two-a-day - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Quiet Hunt leads Penn State backfield - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Quiet Hunt leads Penn State backfield - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

With the rest of the running backs nursing injuries - here's to Tony staying heathy!

Notebook: JoePa not interested in more 3-4 - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Nittany Radio

Press Release - 9: "AIG Nittany Lion Hotline Has 2006-07 Debut on Thursday"

Paterno - post practice comments

GoPSUsports.com

Centre Daily Times | 08/21/2006 | Former Nittany Lions try for Steelers roster

Lions welcome return of defensive lineman - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

QB Morelli now in the hot seat at Penn State - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Quiet production from PSU's Hunt - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Receiver could gain more ink - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Penn State All-Access To Provide Live Coverage of Football & Basketball Broadcasts and News Conferences

GoPSUsports.com

Penn State Football: Talented WRs give Lions' offense teeth

Penn State Football: Posluszny is the main man, but Lee is also a big-time talent

postgazette.com: Posluszny is the main man, but Lee is also a big-time talent

Penn State Football Notebook: Bradley might try WVU's defense

Postgazette.com - Penn State Football Notebook: Bradley might try WVU's defense

Well, Texas' offense worked for us last year - maybe the mountaineer defense isn't such a bad idea - but, then again, it wasn't the wvu defense that was impressive last january - we'll see.

1986 team reunion at akron game

GoPSUsports.com - Nittany Lions' 1986 National Championship Team To Be Recognized at Akron Game; '66 Team Reunion Set for YSU

The 1986 team is probably one of my clearest Penn State memories - I loved those guys - 30 team members will be there - I wonder if Duffy will?

Okay, in this photo

he looks a little like the "missing Savage brother"

PSU's fleet of wide outs

What on earth are Deon and Terrell talking about? DW looks very serious and Jordan looks confused.

Photo from ESPN.go.com

ESPN.com -Maisel: 20 reasons college football beats the NFL

ESPN.com - NCF/PREVIEW06 - Maisel: 20 reasons college football beats the NFL

2006 NCAA Football - Preseason Poll

SI.com - 2006 NCAA Football Preview

SI ranks PSU at #19 - it's been a very long while since we've been ranked in the top 20 in a preseason poll - it's nice, if not a little unnerving. We have to play 3 teams "ranked" above us by October 14th (teams 1 and 2 by Sept 23rd). Iowa is strangely missing from this list - odd because some pundits see them running the table.

Can't wait until the 2nd. Don't look past Akron - Joe says they have a heck of a running back and a great quarterback. We gotta play them first and get the job done; one game at a time.

Talented sophomores aim to keep Penn State in spotlight

Talented sophomores aim to keep Penn State in spotlight - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports

Larry Johnson, Sr - ace recruiter

Assistant reluctantly steps out of shadows - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Former Nittany Lion Football All-American Pete Harris Dies

GoPSUsports.com

Younger brother of Franco, who had a standout year in his position as Safety in 1978, on the team that would take the Lions to the Sugar Bowl to play for the National Championship.

These two quotes are why

I respect Coach Paterno.

The quotes are from Joe's preseason press conference. He cares about the game and he cares about the kids. This is not professional football and anyone or any scheme that is focused more on money than on student athletes should be removed from the game.

Can you talk about the rule changes this year and your thoughts on them?

I don’t like the rule changes, but you have to live with them. Obviously, it is a challenge to the coaches. We have already talked a great deal about it and we have to set up practices so that we put ourselves in different situations that will be affected by the rule changes. They are doing it because of television and that doesn’t light me up. I think that we (should) cut out a couple of commercials and never mind cutting out the way the game is played. It is going to have an awful lot of bearing on the end of the game and wondering if you are going to kick off whether you are going to take a safety or those kinds of things. I think we have to think that through and put ourselves in those kinds of situations as to what we are going to do. I was on a rules committee for a long time and, unfortunately, there are not enough people who are coaching on those committees. If you look at the rules committees, see how many Division I football coaches there are…maybe one or two and they are the ones that make the rule changes. I am not happy, but if that is the way it is, that is the way we will play with it.

With the 12-game schedule and not having a bye week, how does that affect the pace of practices and what are your feelings not having a bye week?

As I tried to get across to the people at the Big Ten meetings back in May, we have gone from playing an 11-game schedule with one week off to playing a 12-game schedule with no weeks. I think it is going to make it difficult. You are going to have to watch to see how much they have to do and tie it in with what is going on in the classroom, final exams and mid-term exams. I really take exception to what the NCAA Commissioner said, Myles Brand, “No difference a week off than a week when there is school.” He doesn’t know what he is talking about. When we had a week off, you could always kind of gear in some things and make sure your kids got a little rest and take a couple of days off so they can get caught up with term papers and do different things. We don’t have that now. If you go 12 games for 12 weeks in a row, that is not going to be easy. I would prefer, obviously, that we had an open date. I would prefer we play in 10 games as long as you get this BCS and everything going on. I think 12 games is tough, tough, tough for kids, but it is (about) money.

For full transcript goto GoPSUsports.com.

Penn State Football: QB Morelli out to disprove knocks against his intelligence

Postgazette.com: QB Morelli out to disprove knocks against his intelligence

Oh, there's a nasty joke in there somewhere.

Paterno lets competitions run course - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Paterno looks for players with 'moxie' - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

PSU defense sticks with 4-3, for now - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

No end in sight at PSU, but who's next after Paterno? - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

PSU's Rubin injures shoulder - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

PSU's Rubin injures shoulder - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

What the? Mark Rubin is either the most unlucky guy or the most fragile. Amazing, another pre-season injury - this one, however, does not appear to be a season ender.

Penn State brushes off early acclaim - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Success rests on new line and QB for PSU offense - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

After injury, Posluszny eager to start hitting again - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Big Ten coaches adjusting to NCAA rule changes - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Just goes to prove

That I'm never happy. When sports writers say nice things about PSU (particularly in the preseason) I get agitated about the jinx factor.

But when they see flaws and don't predict perfection, I get indignant as well...

SI.com - 2006 NCAA Football Preview - Penn State

But, the reality is, I'd rather them down play PSU's chances than build them - Hopefully our "big" opponents will be looking past their PSU match ups.

It won't be very long before we know - PSU's biggest games are in the beginning of the season (or at least "on paper biggest").

Let's go State!

News from Big Ten Media Day

ESPN.com - NCF - Another decade for JoePa?

More Preseason Press

Posluszny Selected Big Ten Pre-season Defensive Player of the Year - GoPSUsports.com

When asked for comment (in my imaginary press conference), Mr. Posluszny remarked "while it is a great honor to be recognized, it's the play on the field that really matters. But yeah, Troy Smith is offensive."

FOOTBALL

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Big things expected from linebacker Connor a year after Paterno's wrath

You're a Wizard Posluszny

Champions of '86 recall difficulty - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Football: Akron's 3-5-3 alignment has Lions' offense on alert

JoePa to kick off milestone 41st season - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Pre-Akron Press Conference

Centre Daily Times | 5 Nittany Lions who could make a difference

Centre Daily Times - PSU museum exhibit honors '86 team

Penn State Football: No surprises on PSU's depth chart

Have the PSU Program delivered to your door

Akron Game Notes

Monday, August 28, 2006