Blue-White Roundtable Is Finishing Strong

The last regular season edition of the B&W Roundtable is upon us and for the 50th time this season, Zombie Nation is providing the questions. ZN deserves nothing but the utmost of “thanks” for picking up the slack that the rest of our lazy asses didn’t bother doing this year.

And, as always, here are the rest of the potential respondents:

Black Shoe Diaries
The Nittany Line
Tangled Up In White and Blue

There is No Name On My Jersey
We Want the Lion
William F. Yurasko

1. So, are you freaking out this week? Did you honestly think Penn State would be in this position, going into the last week of the season? How about Michigan State?

I was rather nervous going into this week, but the more I thought about how much we have to play for and all the other intangibles favoring us, I’m more confident we’ll pull out the “W” this weekend.

Honestly, I expected us to be about 8-3 at this point having lost road games at Wisconsin, Ohio State, plus another team that we normally would beat if we were “playing to win.”  Unfortunately, the latter still held true but handing Wisconsin their worst home loss since the Pre-Barry Alvarez era and ending a 30-year curse at Ohio Stadium are still mighty impressive feats beyond anything I could have ever imagined.

I also anticipated revenge against MSU this year, and I’m still sticking with that notion despite our recent struggles.  I’d still be very happy with a Big Ten championship-clinching win and subsequent Rose Bowl bid with a potential shot at USC.

2. What would you like to see more of/less of this week?

I’d like to see more running the damn ball with Evan Royster.  Daryll Clark should also get several chances to call his own number.  I swear, if I see us coming out throwing on the first play of the game, blood will shoot out my nose.

I’d also like to see less hesitancy out of Clark when it comes to deciding whether to stay in the pocket and find an open receiver or just roll out.

3. What are your feelings towards Derrick Williams’ career as a Nittany Lion? Has he lived up to the hype? How? If not, who’s to blame?

Honestly, the kid had way too much hype for ANYBODY to live up to.  With that being said, he’s easily one of the best speedsters we’ve ever had here at PSU and was part of the nucleus of the youth invasion of 2005 that helped bring a program in despair back to its winning ways.  Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably one of those douchebags who finds the tiniest things to complain about on the scout.com boards.

4. The national media is back-pedaling on their summertime pro-SEC propaganda, now saying that conference in overrated. What gives? Haven’t we (basically, everyone outside the SEC) been saying that the whole time? How would Penn State stack up against the top few SEC teams, like Alabama, Florida and Georgia, on a neutral field?

Seriously?  I had no idea the media was backtracking.  It’s about time they saw the light on how overrated the SEC is.

Outside of Florida (who I can definitely say looks like a team possessed and would likely destroy us), I say “bring ’em on!”  Georgia I never felt was a #1 team, and it showed when they got rattled by Bama and Florida.  Bama’s offense has been pedestrian-looking at times and more credit should go to their amazing defense led by man-child Terrence Cody than their offense.

Bonus/Lightening/Whatever you want to call it, Round…

-Daryll Clark throws a pick?

I’m gonna say “no” but he will probably fumble the ball once.

-Royster scores? How many times?

Yes, I foresee 2 TD’s for the Rolls Royster.

-Did you go to any games this year? How many?

I’ve been to all the home games this year except for Indiana (for obvious reasons).

BTB Pick ‘Em/Blue White Roundtable Extravaganza

Time for an HHV first: Combining my picks for the Big Ten games (which thus far, are looking “meh”) with some quick answers for the Blue-White Roundtable.

First, let’s get the picks out of the way…

Ohio State vs Northwestern – OSU has had two weeks to prepare and Northwestern is now down to its 3rd string tailback.  Bad news for the Wild Kitties.

Wisconsin v. Indiana – If the Badgers want to have any hope whatsoever of going bowling this year, they’d better take care of business at Indiana.

Purdue vs. Michigan State – With a bye week looming before a showdown with PSU on Nov. 22, look for Sparty to take care of business with the Boilers.

Michigan vs. Minnesota – Both teams are coming off devastating last-second losses.  Minnesota simply has more to play for though than a Michigan squad that is only playing for pride at this point.

Penn State vs. Iowa – Iowa’s susceptible secondary and tendency to shoot themselves in the foot at critical moments in games will doom them once again.

Illinois vs. Western Michigan (1 point) – I don’t care how good Western Michigan might be, they’re a MAC team and Illinois is a Big Ten team and Big Ten teams aren’t supposed to lose to MAC teams.

There, now that’s out of the way, it’s time to quickly answer some Blue-White Roundtable questions which for the 20th week in a row is being put together by Zombie Nation

1. Do you agree with Joe Paterno, that teams shouldn’t have toartificially inflate scores just to please the voters? We all know it’s just how college football works, but how comfortable are you with that?

I agree with JoePa on this one. The idea that you have to not only win but win big turns college football into a fucking beauty pageant and is one of the reasons why I’m a big fan of a 4 or 8-team playoff system.

With that being said though, given the current climate in college football today, I’m hoping to heck that I’m wrong about the Iowa game being close and that we blow them out by 30.

Of course, in the end, it is on the other team to stop you.

2. Iowa has been a very up-and-down team this season, and it’s defense can actually play. What are some of the unit-to-unit match ups you’re looking forward to seeing this week? Which team will win your chosen battle and why?

Excluding the obvious matchup (Shonn Greene v. PSU’s defense) I’m curious to see Ricky Stanzi versus the Penn State defense.  I feel that our D-line will be able to get enough pressure on Stanzi to have him running for his life several times and could help force a costly mistake out of him.  In my opinion, that will be the key to escaping Iowa City with a “W.”
3. Backtrack a week. There were riots downtown following the Ohio State win. The State College Borough Council had plenty of discussion about “why” it happened, and what could be done to “prevent it” in the future. Of course, they got nowhere. Are wild, dangerous events like this just a part of life at a big-time football school? Or should (or, can) something be done about it?

Look, anytime there’s a major victory like this, people are going to amass in the streets and chant and cheer and curse and whatnot.  It’s a part of being a big-time football school and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.  The only reason this incident even gets labeled as a “riot” is because a few street lamps got torn down, some cars were shaken, and a bunch of people got pepper-sprayed.  Having grown up in Happy Valley though, I can assure you that this was the tamest “riot” we’ve had since the apocalyptic 1998 Arts Fest riots.

Lightening Round

– Royster has a big game (100+ yds)?

Yes…But most of it won’t come until the second half.

– Devlin sees decent playing time?

Doubtful.  Only if Clark suffers another concussion or is extremely ineffective.

-Chances (%) PSU holds Iowa below 10 pts?

20&%.  Shonn Greene will rumble for at least one TD and I feel Iowa will move the ball consistently enough to rack up a field goal or two.

Don’t forget the other “Despondent Respondents” below…
Black Shoe Diaries
The Nittany Line
There is No Name on My Jersey
Tangled Up in White and Blue
White and Blue
William Yurakso
We Want the Lion

Blue-White Roundtable Is Ready To Bust a Nut

Well, my laziness got the best of me yesterday as I didn’t get around to writing down answers to this week’s Blue-White Roundtable, brought to you by We Want the Lion.  Thus, I’m going to do it right now, with College Gameday blaring in the background.

As always, the supporting cast is listed below: 
Black Shoe Diaries
The Nittany Line
Tangled Up In Blue And White
There is No Name On My Jersey
We Want the Lion
Zombie Nation
William F. Yurasko

Was Ohio State’s blowout of Michigan State last weekend an anomaly or are the Buckeyes “back”?

A lot of credit goes to the Buckeye defense for picking up 5 turnovers and giving themselves plenty of short-field situations from which to get easy scores.  However, look at the discrepancy in plays called: 52 runs to 11 passes. We’ll find out whether the Buckeyes are truly back tonight when they will be forced to have more balance in their playcalling in order to win.

What can Penn State do to avoid a slow start in this game?

Hang onto the damn ball!  I’ve lost count of how many straight games we’ve played now where Daryll Clark fumbles the football at least once in the first quarter.  If Clark keeps it up, OSU will probably take advantage of it by picking up critical points off turnovers.

Why is Ohio State ranked ahead of Penn State in the computer rankings? And why is every media member and his brother picking Ohio State this week?

To answer the computer rankings question: OSU’s schedule strength has just been better thus far.  It’s hard to complain about getting screwed by computers when you have Temple, Coastal Carolina, and Syracuse on your non-conference slate.  Not to mention the fact PSU aside from Illinois, has beaten the bottom-feeders of the Big Ten (Michigan, Wisconsin, Purdue) whereas OSU has played more Big Ten teams that will finish near the top (Michigan State and Minnesota).

As for Part 2 of this question:  If you didn’t follow PSU or the Big Ten so closely and you saw a statistic that mentioned PSU not only has failed to win in Columbus since joining the Big Ten but has failed to score even 10 points in all of those outings, who would you pick?  Exactly, my thoughts.  That’s why it’s hard for me to blame most people for being skeptical about PSU’s 2.5-point favoritism from Vegas.

Lightning Round

Who gets more TDs on the ground, Clark or Pryor?

Pryor.  He simply runs the ball more times than Clark does.

If the winner of this game wins out, will they get a shot in the BCS title game?

Penn State will have the better shot at the BCS title game if they win tonight, all they will need is for either Texas or Alabama to slip up.  Such a scenario is highly probable as I don’t see both teams making it through the rest of their seasons unscathed; particularly an Alabama squad that starts games white-hot but finishes ice-cold.  That surely has to bite the Tide in the ass at some point.

Should the Buckeyes (currently 9th in the BCS standings) win however, they’re still going to need a boatload of help from up above…I’m talking of course, about Texas and Bama BOTH losing followed by all but one of the teams between 4-8 in the BCS losing: Oklahoma, USC, Oklahoma State, Georgia, and Texas Tech.

Does dotting the “I” even compare to our drum major doing flips?

I’ll let the photographic evidence do the talking…

Nope.

(picture taken from Georgia Sports Blog)

Blue-White Roundtable Says “Enough”

William F. Yurasko is our Verbal Kint for the week.

And playing the roles of Keaton, McManus, Hockney, Fenster, Kobayashi, and Redfoot:
Black Shoe Diaries
The Nittany Line
Tangled Up In Blue And White
There is No Name On My Jersey
We Want the Lion
Zombie Nation

Penn State is undefeated and ranked #3 in both major polls. Have they been tested yet?

Okay, who allowed Mark May to write the questions to this roundtable?  No, we still haven’t been tested..All we’ve done thus far is shut down a couple quality offenses in Oregon State and Illinois, shut down a vaunted passing attack at Purdue, and traveled into one of the most raucous environments in college football at Wisconsin and handed the home team its worst defeat in 19 years.  Oh, and did I mention that our offense is ranked 9th in the country?  I’m still gonna have to see a little more out of this PSU team before I can be sold on them…

What unit or player is most responsible for the Nittany Lions success this season?

The lines: Offensive and Defensive.  Offensively, Evan Royster and Stephfon Green have been given holes wider than Ann Arbor’s snatch to run through while Darryl Clark usually has had more than enough time to find an open receiver.  Defensively, the line has been so good that we can afford to simply rush our 4 linemen and get to the QB with relative consistency, allowing the linebackers to stay back in coverage or help with run support.

I would also add though that having Clark at QB has indeed made a world of a difference.  It’s nice to have a QB that doesn’t constantly force passes into double and triple coverage or make idiotic decisions when it comes to scrambling or throwing the ball away.  Sure, we haven’t trailed yet in the fourth quarter this year (and god forbid, this weekend marks the first time) but I already have a lot more faith in Clark leading a come-from-behind drive with the game on the line than I ever did in a certain other QB…

How can Michigan beat Penn State on Saturday?

Nothing short of 5-6 Turnovers by PSU and Sam McGuffie successfully landing about 10 hurdles.

*LIGHTNING ROUND*

Going up for Homecoming?

Already here…NEXT.

What do you think is going through Maurice Evans head these days?

Whether State College will ever open up a White Castle.

Where were you the last time Penn State beat Michigan?

I was 12 years old, in the 7th grade.  Hard to believe I’ve gone through puberty and all the other crazy shit that happens in betweent ages 12 to 24 without ever seeing another win against Michigan.

Will Joe Paterno be on the sidelines for any of the game?

If PSU finally smartens up and realizes that JoePa can make history one last time by becoming the first head coach to lead his team out onto the field via segway, then the answer is a resounding YES.

Blue White-Roundtable is Ready to “Boiler Up”

So, for the tenth week in a row: Zombie Nation has put together the roundtable questions.  I think it’s only right that we recognize the man’s dedication and sacrifice towards making sure we have something new to bullshit about each week, so here’s to a Real American Hero…

Zombie Nation: Where no roundtable is left behind.

As always, here’s the rest of the free-loading respondents:

Black Shoe Diaries
The Nittany Line
Tangled Up In Blue And White

There is No Name On My Jersey
We Want the Lion
William F. Yurasko

Name one unit-to-unit match up Penn State must win Saturday. How does PSU win that battle?

The defensive line/linebackers vs. Purdue’s backfield of Kory Sheets and Kory Sheets.  Look, Matt Painter will get his lion’s share of passing yards against us and probably a TD or two to go with it, but it won’t be enough for the upset unless the Boilermakers can establish a solid running game with Sheets…and also pray to Sarah Palin that PSU shoots itself in the foot with 10 turnovers.

This trip to Purdue is setting up to be a classic trap game. Do you agree? Why or why not?

I don’t think PSU will get caught looking ahead to Wisconsin next week, being that this Saturday’s game will be their first true road game (Syracuse and it’s “I don’t give a shit” fan base and empty, hollow, dome doesn’t count).

My greater concern is simply the fact that we’re notorious for getting off to slow starts in 12 PM road contests.  It wouldn’t surprise me if Purdue were to draw first blood and make it a game for a half before PSU finally wakes up and puts them away.

Purdue will be doing a “Black Out” this week. Putting aside that it’s going to raise money for charity (each shirt sold sends money to United Way), what are your feelings on other schools organizing “[insert color here] Outs?”

Let’s put it this way:  PSU is the Cadbury Bunny of “(Insert Color Here) Outs.”

Don’t know what I’m talking about?  Here’s a visualization for you:

*Lightning Round*
-Royster over 100 yards?

Better question would be: Royster over 200 yards? It’ll be damn close…

-Curtis Painter throws first TD ever vs. PSU?

How Painter failed to throw for a TD pass against our shitty secondary last season still baffles my mind…I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt though and say that he throws not one but TWO TD passes this weekend.

-Pat Devlin gets meaningful playing time?

Highly unlikely, especially after seeing Darryl Clark come back in the middle of the game-clinching drive against Illinois last weekend when he supposedly fucked up his knee made of steel.  People like to talk about how tough MSU’s Javon Ringer is with his 100+ carries per game but I’d rank Clark’s toughness right up there: The kid will do absolutely ANYTHING for the team so long as it doesn’t involve standing on the sidelines.

Blue-White Roundtable is Procrastinating Heavily

Initially, I was going to take a week off from the Blue-White Roundtable but ultimately caved in.  Thanks to Galen at The Nittany Line for this week’s questions.

And as always, the Rat Pack of PSU Bloggers have their take on things:
Black Shoe Diaries
Tangled Up In Blue And White
There is No Name On My Jersey
We Want the Lion
William F. Yurasko
Zombie Nation

*warning – painfully obvious question alert* Penn State gets its first ‘real’ test this weekend facing a ranked opponent when the Fighting [None-Offensive-Mascot]s come to town. Gaze into your crystal ball and give us a short description on how Saturday night’s events will unfold. Or if you’re lazy just fire up NCAA 2009 and tell us what the Xbox thinks.

I think PSU draws first blood with a touchdown on its opening drive, if Illinois gets the ball first, I think our defense forces a three-and-out to start the game off on the right foot.  However, the Illini will settle and make adjustments and make sure that the defecit doesn’t get too far out of hand.  In the end though, I just see too much Evan Royster/Stephfon Green/Daryll Clark/The receiving corps/O-line for Illinois’ defense to handle and their own potent offensive attack won’t quite be enough to keep pace with us.

Saturday’s game is on the big stage at 8:00 with most of the football world watching. It’s a white out and Penn State is favored by two scores (as of Monday). Is this a lose-lose situation (the only way they could look good is by winning big) for Penn State or golden opportunity to show the world what the Spread HD is all about?

I see it as an opportunity to show off the Spread HD to a national viewing audience in primetime and to pull out a victory over a Top 25 team and shut up the dissenters who claim that PSU hasn’t “played anybody.”  Which leads me to this momentary digression:  Congrats Oregon State on helping out our strength of schedule and putting an end to ESPN’s USC lovefest in the month of September.

Now that all the fluff questions are out of the way do Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma get significant playing time?

I don’t see Evans and Koroma starting, but you’re kidding yourself if you don’t think they’re not going to see some significant and important game action.  We were desperate for depth on the D-line during their suspensions and we sure as hell aren’t going to deliberately play shorthanded in such an important contest.

*Lightning Round*

Back in 2007, Illinois Basketball fans made my skull crack open in rage slightly angered me when they befouled the statue of Joe Paterno. Do you hate the Illini like me or not so much?

I unfortunately, happened to attend that game.  It seemed the moment I turned away from talking to my friend and focused my attention on the court, I suddenly saw a sea of orange behind one of the baskets.

While it was embarassing beyond epic proprotions (this game was being televised on ESPN, mind you), I have to give props to Illini fans for fooling the retards in the athletic department into thinking they were a group of branch campus kids who avidly followed PSU basketball (as if those types of people exist in such large numbers).

It’s a night game please quantify the amount of alcohol you will consume before gametime (if you don’t drink please quantify the amount of fatty foods you will eat).

Depends, I already know of one tailgate that’s starting at 9 AM and going ’til the evening so I’ll be stopping by there at some point.  I’m sure more tailgating plans will pop up within the next 12 hours or so.

I’m gonna play it safe and say 6-7 brewskies…
Put it on the line – final score:

Penn State 34 – Illinois 24.  I think 15 points is being way too kind to us, but I still think we win by more than a touchdown.

Blue and White Roundtable Is Gonna Sing A Song For You…

And Zombie Nation’s gonna show you a thing or two…Along with the other fine PSU Bloggers of course:

There is No Name on My Jersey
Tangled Up in White and Blue
YF Yurasko
Black Shoe Diaries
The Nittany Line
We Want the Lion
Zombie Nation
Nittany Whiteout

For those of you who drew a blank as to why I’m referencing Fat Albert: It’s because I’m paying homage to Temple’s most famous alum, Bill Cosby.  BSD paid a nice tribute to the man and his alma mater earlier this week, in a preview that would’ve trumped any “Better Know An Opponent” segment I would’ve come up with.

But anyway, I know why you’re really reading this post so let’s get to the questions, shall we?

1. Penn State has the best scoring offense (55.3 ppg) in the Big Ten, and top-five nationally. Of course, this has been against two bad teams and a mediocre Oregon State squad. This week’s Temple game should be another 40-plus game for the PSU offense. That being said, do you think this has been a fluke so far? Or is the Spread HD for real?

Well, for starters: There’s nothing “flukey” about putting up the types of offensive stats mentioned above, I don’t give a damn how piss-poor the teams are.  However, it’s still premature to say the Spread HD is “for real.”  I want to see how it holds up against Big Ten opponents, particularly in road games against ranked opponents.

My biggest concern with Spread HD is whether we unleash it to its fullest in the road games at Wisconsin and Ohio State.  JoePa has been notrious in the past for getting way too conservative with the play-calling in such contests and it’s cost him dearly.

2. If Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma are convicted, what are the chances Joe Paterno will play either by the Illinois game? What message does it send to the team, and the nation, if both players are given light punishments? Conversely, what if the punishments are seemingly too severe, like dismissal?

I’m still sticking to my guns:  Evans and Koroma WILL suit up for Illinois and they WILL play but only in limited action.  ESPN and the rest of the liberal media can blow me…We’re talking about two kids who’ve been charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana and are first-time offenders.

3. Leadership has been a huge part of this year’s team’s ability to move past distractions. Who has to really step up this week and keep this team focused? How does the coaching staff figure into this, or should they just let the players handle it by themselves?

It’s all up the players to keep the team focused.  The coaches can yell ’til they’re blue in the face but it won’t mean a damn thing unless the team captains invoke some leadership on and off the field.  So far, we’ve seen a dramatic improvement in such leadership, despite the adversity we’ve faced off the field and Anthony Scriotto only helped by ripping into his teammates last week.

Rest assured, there will be no repeat of the leadership-less 2007 season.  Not by a longshot…

Lightning Round

Penn State throws its first interception this week? Only if Al Golden ran the “Rocky steps” enough times this week to bring his team some luck.

Evan Royster’s YPC vs. Temple? Eleventy-Billion.  I know, it’s not an actual number..yet.

Coke or Pepsi? I don’t know, but feel free to put on the “lawyer pants” and walk down that path if you don’t mind brain hemmorages.

Blue-White Roundtable Is a Not-So-Eager Beaver

Unfortunately, I got bogged down in schoolwork and other responsibilities more than I imagined.  As a result, there will be no Better Know An Opponent segment this week and I’m just now getting my roundtable answers up.  My Big Ten Pick ‘Em should be up later today as well.

Anyway, let’s dip into this week’s questions which are brought to you by the one and only Zombie Nation

Also, don’t forget about the “Usual Suspects.”

There is No Name on My Jersey
Tangled Up in White and Blue
Black Shoe Diaries
The Nittany Line
We Want the Lion

William Yurasko

1. Oregon State finished with 404 passing yards last week. Does that worry you at all, considering PSU gave up some quality passing yardage to CCU?

Yes, it does:  Particularly if Oregon State is trying to rally from behind late in the game.  I’ve seen too many instances in the past where our defense gets too relaxed and starts playing a Charmin-soft zone coverage that gets repeatedly torched by opposing QBs and WRs, resulting in a quick TD drive for the bad guys that changes the course of the game for the worse.

2. If there’s one unit in particular that has to play well this week, which one is it? Which unit could disappoint?

The defensive line needs to step up like the Mighty Ducks did when Adam Banks was knocked out halfway through the pee-wee hockey championship game by one of his former Hawks teammates (per instructions of his deadbeat, win-at-all-costs coach).  It’s a shame we don’t play Syracuse this week because I am scared to death now that our depleted defensive line will be forced to play tired and may have even more trouble getting to the QB and/or stopping the run.

As for the second part to this question: It wouldn’t surprise me to see the secondary continue to suck this week and I’m pretty confident the offense will still put up a lot of yardage and points, so I’m going to say that the D-line will disappoint the most.

3. OK, elephant in the room. How big will the “5204” story get? If two of the players originally suspected of being there (*cough–thanks Collegian–cough-cough) weren’t actually there at the time, how much of this has already been blown out of proportion? Does this effect Saturday’s game?

It sounds like it’s going to die down quickly enough.  There were rumors running rampant yesterday on PSU’s scout.com board that Evans, Koroma, and Quarless all took a drug test and passed.  If we give the benefit of the doubt to these rumors, then it appears JoePa’s suspension is sending out a message to these kids that merely being in the same room where somebody else is doing “shady activity” will not be tolerated.

As stated before, this will have a ginormous effect on Saturday’s game in the sense that our D-line is severely depleted.  At this point, I’m pinning my hopes on our offense simply outscoring Oregon State in what will likely resemble a typical Pac-10 conference game.

*Lightning Round*

How many passes will Pat Devlin attempt?

8

How many times will Daryll Clark run the ball?

7

What will this week’s Game Day Pins say? You know, the ones Citizens Bank gives out.

Today’s Dining Commons Special: Creamed Beaver. *snicker*

BONUS QUESTION (Courtesy of Yours Truly): Give us a score prediction for Saturday’s game.

Penn State 38- Oregon State 31.

The game will resemble something straight out of John Elway’s Quarterback, the classic Arcade/Nintendo game in which defense was practically impossible to play because it was way too easy for wideouts to get behind the defense and pick up easy TDs.  If you committed just one turnover on offense, you were pretty much screwed because getting an interception in this game took a decent amount of luck.

As for how any of this shit relates to the upcoming game: I simply see the Beavers making just a couple more mistakes than we do, which will make all the difference this Saturday.

An 8-bit preview of a potential highlight from Oregon State.

Blue-White Roundtable: Season Kickoff Edition

The long, less-agonizing-than-usual wait is over (thank you, Olympics!):  College football has arrived!  This also signals the return of weekly roundtables; most notably the Blue-White Roundtable.  William Yurasko has stepped up to the plate to provide this week’s questions, which were also answered by the following folks:

There Is No Name On My Jersey
Tangled Up In White and Blue
The Nittany Notebook
Nittany Whiteout
Black Shoe Diaries

What are you optimistic about this season (Anthony Morelli running out of eligibility does not count)?

The offensive line:  They will open up goatse-sized holes, allowing Evan Royster and Stephfon Green to rack up yards like playing against the computer on the “Junior Varsity” setting in NCAA 09.  Furthermore, they will give ample time for Daryll Clark/Pat Devlin to find an open receiver (or in Clark’s case say “screw this” and take off running).

On a side note: I’m a little saddened that we no longer can use the term Rodan Kinster to describe our backfield.  Therefore, I’m taking the charge this year in naming our new backfield monster.

I present to you:  Stepfhvan Roygreen! We even managed to snag an unauthorized video of this monster in action for your viewing pleasure…

Resistance is futile.

What are you pessimistic about this season?

The secondary – They completely shit the bed towards the latter half of the 2007 season.  I lost track how many times opposing receivers were open by at least 5-10 yards, most notably in the Ohio State and Michigan State games.  Mark Rubin was an absolute liability at safety and Justin King proved to be vastly overrated in coverage and in tackling last year, allegedly due to ‘shoulder problems.’

Hopefully, the cornerbacking will be improved with A.J. Wallace starting and Tony Davis going back to his original position.  Anthony Scriotto I feel will return to his 2006 form now that Apartment-Gate is dead and buried.  Until the secondary puts up a quality performance though against a decent opponent, they will continue to scare the crap out of me.

Who is the most important player on either side of the ball?

Maurice Evans – With Sean Lee out, the pressure has increased on him to carry the load with regards to the pass rush.  He’ll either need to help blow up plays before they occur, or demand enough respect that he’s double-teamed, which leaves somebody else free to wreak havoc in the opposing backfield.  So long as he stays healthy, my money is on him delivering the goods.

*Lightning Round*

How many games are you going to this season?

Every home game – I’m back in State College for the time being and have been fortunate enough to have a dad who’s held season tickets since 1994…Ohh, is that jealousy I sense in you?  Yesss, drown me in the sweet water of your envy!

Do you have the Big Ten Network?

Yessir.  It’s about effin’ time as well.

Where is Coastal Carolina located?

Already answered this one

What record will Penn State have on January 9?

10-3.  I’ve pretty much marked down Wisconsin and Ohio State as losses, and we always seem to slip up on the road at least once against an opponent we should beat in Big Ten play.

Yes, I am going out on a limb and saying we completely hold serve at Beaver Stadium this year which means getting revenge on the Fighting Zookers in primetime and beating Michigan for the first time since this year’s incoming freshmen were busy eating paste in Kindergarten.

Blue-White Roundtable: Now In “Spring Game” Flavor

Well, it’s been a while since I mooched off these questions.  The Usual Suspects who put together these things (BSD, RUTS, WFY, TINNOMJ, TNN, TNL) had a few segments during February and March, when the only things on my mind are the swishing of nets, shot clock buzzers, sneaker screeches, and Dennis Hopper telling me to “run the picket fence” at the opponent but  “don’t get caught watching the paint dry.”

On another interesting note that sticks out like a sore thumb:  It seems the Usual Suspects, after practically swearing they had way too many people in their “inner circle” have added a couple more members since I last answered one of these Q&A’s.

Tangled Up In White And Blue

The Big Eleventh

I see how it is fellas, I know when I’m not wanted…But anywho, let’s get to the questiones:

The announcement Wednesday is that contract talks are on hold until the conclusion of this season, and that Joe might not even need a contract to coach, how do you see this saga ending? Is this the final year for Joe Paterno?

I think it all depends on how we do this year. Another disappointing 4+ loss or worse season and Spanier may have a little more leeway in forcing Joe into retirement but if by some stroke of Lady Luck we have a performance similar to 2005, then I think the situation evolves into that down at Florida State where JoePa will likely get one year contracts until he decides he’s had enough.

I used to think that this year would likely be the end for sure of the Paterno era, but now I’m holding back on those thoughts. Get back to me on this come Thanksgiving…

Joe will clearly not been on the sidelines in 10 years time. Whether he is awarded another extension or is forced out against his will, a new face will inevitably be on the sidelines for the Lions in the years to come. Which candidates would top the list when it comes to a coaching search? Should it be an in-house hire or should we start off with a blank slate?

The only in-house hire I’d be okay with is Tom Bradley and that’s provided that Bradley is allowed to shake up the coaching staff however he deems fit (bye, bye, JayPa!). However, since I don’t see Bradley being given that much leeway, I would like to see somebody from the outside brought in and start with a blank slate, this program it seems just needs a fresh start, a good ol’ flushing out.

I’m keeping a close eye on Greg Schiano and Al Golden, as they’re both likely near the top of the list amongst outside candidates: Schiano needs to avoid losing momentum from Rutgers’ 11-win season a couple years ago and Golden needs to continue to build upon the momentum he’s created at Temple and make them bowl eligible within the next couple years.

It almost seems as if we find another athlete in trouble with the law each morning when we read the newspaper. What has gone wrong with the once pristine image of the Penn State program?

It seems some people are taking the Joe Lieberman approach of blaming the media (i.e. word of these incidents first pop up on internet message boards that thousands of people read whereas in the past, they would not have spread like wildfire).

I also think part of the problem is the coaching staff, starting from JoePa on down.  Remember a year ago, fresh off Apartment-gate, when JoePa announced that his players would be cleaning Beaver Stadium after every home game that fall?  It was such an effective disciplinary strategy that it led to the most number of off the field screw-ups since the “dark years.”  The continual misbehavior from the players shows that aside from the fact they clearly lack judgment, they also don’t have much respect for the current staff and feel that they can get away with practically anything short of pulling a knife on a teammate.

After 14 years in the Big Ten, Penn State has not dominated the conference in football as most presumed when we joined winning only 2 Big Ten titles in that span. In 1994, Joe Paterno’s undefeated Nittany Lions were also backstabbed by its Big Ten brethren when most conference members voted for Nebraska instead of Penn State. Is the Big Ten the right home for Penn State? Or would Joe Paterno’s dream of an all-eastern conference be a much more ideal conference for the Nittany Lions?

An all-Eastern sports conference would have made far more sense considering PSU’s geographical location to the Big East schools.  Unfortunately, schools like Pitt, who ironically enough now bitch about not having a regular series with us any longer, told us they weren’t interested in being in a conference with us and thus, JoePa’s plan never came into fruition.

As it stands now, from a monetary and academic standpoint we are best off sticking around in the Big Ten…Even if our football team has struggled to live up to expectations and the men’s basketball team has struggled to finish in the middle of the pack.

With the lack of our traditional rivals in the Big Ten conference, and our unwillingness to reschedule any of them in any consistent manner, which teams are emerging as Penn State’s chief rivals in the Big Ten? (USC-Notre Dame proves that rivalries aren’t all about geographic significance.)

I forget which blogger wrote it, but I’d agree with him on Wisconsin.  Ever since this series first started back in 1995 when the Badgers upset PSU at Beaver Stadium and put an end to what was then the nation’s longest winning streak, the games have been competitive for the most part.  Plus, the series is currently 6-5 in favor of Wisconsin so it’s been a fairly even series thus far.

Bonus Question from WFY: Are you going to the Blue-White Game?

Sadly, the answer is “No.” My first final is in T-10 days and considering the fact I need to make a significant leap in performance from last semester in order to avoid getting the boot, I’m not exactly losing sleep over my decision. It does suck though that for the second straight year, we’re going to have non-rainy weather and I won’t be there.