"Cat Fight" 33 - 7 and Bulter Shines!

The Lions prevail over the Wildcats of Northwestern 33-7 . . . Deon Bulter sets a single game receiving record . . . overtaking O.J. McDuffie's.

Offense sputtered a bit in the first half. Our "D" looked awesome.

The Gophers next week . . .

The Coach

With only a few turns of his stomach, the entire college football world got a taste of the mystery bug that's been making the Penn State football program queasy for the better part of the last decade ? the fact that nobody knows what the future holds for Joe Paterno.

In the second quarter of Saturday's contest with Ohio State, Paterno was escorted into the bowels of Ohio Stadium, giving a national television audience plenty of butterflies about his well-being when he didn't come back out. With each passing moment ? five, 10, 15 minutes ? curiosity turned into utter concern as one of the game's icons was absent from a Penn State sideline he's known for 41 historic years.

How long will Joe Paterno remain at Penn State? Who knows? (Caroline Kester / Associated Press)

And somewhere, sandwiched between all the hubbub, was the obvious question that nobody really wanted to ask: Could this be the way it ends for one of college football's most legendary coaches?

Unless there's a fountain of youth flowing under his modest, ranch home on the north side of Penn State's campus, the 79-year-old won't have the option of coaching forever. You'd have to believe that despite his unconditional love for the game, even Joe Paterno knows that. But then again, it doesn't seem like it's anything he's losing sleep over.

Arguably the most powerful man in all of Pennsylvania, Paterno has offered no hints as to when he'll end his run as Penn State's head coach, leaving many fans uneasy in the process. Boil it down, and you'd have a better chance of seeing sunlight on a blustery winter day in State College than ever predicting if and when JoePa will call it quits.

In reality, it seems Paterno's only retirement plans include ... well, not retiring. And it's this uncertainty that has led to divisive grumbles within the Penn State community.

Some diehards would be content if Paterno lived out his remaining years on the field and used clairvoyant tactics to guide the program from the eventual afterlife ... that is, if modern science is capable. After all, the man has been the lifeblood of Penn State for as far back as most of us can remember. To them, a Paterno-less team is like a Margaritaville without a Jimmy Buffett swagger. More to the point, and aside from the overwhelming numbers he's compiled as a head coach, these fans are also quick to point out Paterno's countless other contributions to the university, such as the millions he's given toward new buildings, the integrity he's bestowed upon his student-athletes and his immeasurable role in transforming State College into an unlikely metropolis nestled in central Pennsylvania.

It's a compelling case. But there are two sides to every argument.

On the flip side, there are plenty of critics who find Paterno's aging tenure more and more difficult to digest with each passing game, fearing it may never actually end. They argue that for as peachy as Paterno's been for the Nittany Lions, the game has long since passed him by, even as he fell just short of perfection last season. They insist he's being stubborn and impeding the program by refusing to turn the reins over to a deserving assistant like defensive coordinator Tom Bradley. Most notably, they contend that the program needs the rejuvenating effects that a new coach could provide, not a famous figurehead who preserves the team's nostalgia.
Likewise, their points have some merit, too.

See, it's not that cut and dry, is it? On one hand you've got the driving force behind Penn State's ascension as a football powerhouse and academic leader, and a man who's more than earned the right to leave whenever he wants. On the other, you've got a relic from yesteryear whose gameplans are dated, whose program has noticeably regressed in recent years, and whose storied tradition means less to today's recruits than ever before.

Understand the dilemma?

And the most unsettling part about this whole debate is not that one argument is stronger than the other. Actually, it's because both sides are absolutely correct. It's because when passion is involved, there's never a truly "right" answer to begin with.

Regardless, there wasn't a fan in America who didn't breathe a sigh of relief as Paterno re-emerged from the tunnel and walked gingerly back to his post. Turns out it wasn't the serious medical ailment that everyone feared. Nope. Instead, the culprit was a lingering "G.I. issue" that forced a few trips to the "little boy's room," according to Paterno. Go ahead and chuckle, Paterno did. At the very least, we know he's an honest guy.

So, in the meantime, Happy Valley, use your Pepto-Bismol while watching your team's remaining games and not while worrying over your coach's future. Because, let's face it, that's one stomach ache that isn't going away anytime soon.

Ty Hildenbrandt was the winner of the first Next Great Sportswriter competition on FOXSports.com.

For all but the last 5 minutes . . .

We Lion faithful saw a classic "keep it close enough to win at the end" game yesterday . . . driving late in the 4th quarter, within a touch and a 2 point conversion to get a tie . . . frustrating the number 1 team in the nation, leading them at half time, only to see the dream shattered by an interception run back for points . . . not once, but twice . . . arrgh!!!

No excuses, our Lions left points on the field early, failed to convert on some key drives, and stuck with consevative play calling too long . . . but . . . it wasn't over until Morelli threw his first interception of the 4th quarter. I liked the way PSU held in there the first 3 quarters and I think most of Penn State's detractors will admit the Lions are a much better team than credited. You gotta believe that most Buckeye players, coaches, and fans has some real serious doubts about the outcome of the game going into the 4th quarter . . . relish the victory while you can . . . wounded Lions are no treat at home the following year!

Tony Hunt looked awesome!

PSU's defense looked great . . . take away the improvised TD pass play in the 3rd quarter and you have a near-perfect PSU defensive performance.

Special teams and place kicking have some work to do.

As I said in an earlier post, Joe and Galon had some surprizes for OSU . . . smash mouth, up the gut running was the most obvious. I honestly thought the Lions could play hard enough to beat OSU . . . and for 3 quarters they did just that . . . I'm really glad it didn't come down to officiating or missing a 2 point conversion play. The Michigan game will be interesting.

Good newspaper article . . .

COLUMBUS, Ohio - In hold 'em poker, often you're dealt a hand that looks like a winner. But after the flop, you find your hand still could rake in the chips, but the outlook may be a little different than before.

After Saturday's 28-6 loss against top-ranked Ohio State, Penn State coach Joe Paterno may be holding that kind of hand.

What were question marks entering this season for his Nittany Lions are proving to be strong cards, while some of the good cards have become question marks.

Let's review.

At the beginning of the season, we all marveled at the talented corps of wide receivers and the accurate, rifle-armed quarterback that was going to step in and get them the ball. It's a wonder the president wasn't concerned by the number of weapons that Penn State had in its arsenal.
Yet, what have those weapons translated to in Penn State's two big games, against then No. 4 Notre Dame and the Buckeyes? They haven't put the ball in the end zone with the game on line.
The Nittany Lions offense, though hampered by conservative play-calling for three quarters on Saturday, netted just two field goals against the Buckeyes. Against Notre Dame, two scores in mop-up time didn't alter the fact that Penn State trailed 41-3 early in the fourth quarter.

What's worse is that in those two big games, the opposing defense has scored three touchdowns thanks to Nittany Lion turnovers.

Entering the season, the big question mark on offense was the offensive line and the running game. After a poor performance against Akron, the question was still there.

Against the Buckeyes, the running game was the only way Penn State moved the ball, especially late. Tony Hunt rambled for 82 of his game-high 135 yards in the final quarter. "I fell like we did a good job moving the ball, especially later on today," said Hunt after his second consecutive game topping the 100-yard mark. We just made some mental mistakes. I think we wore them down and started beating them physically."

Defensively, the question mark was a line with three new starters and an entirely new secondary. That inexperience showed at Notre Dame, but wasn't evident two weeks later against a better team.

Just like it did with veterans on the field last season, the Penn State defense frustrated quarterback Troy Smith (12-of-22 for a season-low 115 yards and two interceptions) and wide receiver Ted Ginn, Jr. (two catches for 15 yards). The Nittany Lions certainly didn't help the Buckeyes' most dangerous threats in their hopes of winning the Heisman Trophy.

Special teams, which figured to be a strength this season, have suffered, especially in big games. When the Nittany Lions are actually able to get a snap down (they've botched several), kicker Kevin Kelly has missed 4-of-12, a couple in momentum-changing positions. The return game hasn't yielded a big gainer in either of the two games against ranked opponents.

Although some might consider Saturday's game - which was 14-6 with Penn State driving with less than three minutes remaining - a flop, Paterno's not ready to fold his hand.

"We were very competitive until at the end when we made some mistakes," he said. "We still have got to learn to make some plays." Certainly, he has some reasons to believe the cards will improve as the season continues.

Paterno believes quarterback Anthony Morelli, who has struggled in his last three starts, will get better. Morelli was 16-for-25 for 106 yards and three interceptions against the Buckeyes, a team that also frustrated then No. 2 Texas in a 24-7 win two weeks ago.

"He just hasn't played a lot of football," Paterno said of Morelli. "You've got to be fair to the kid. He only played 30-some plays a year ago. He's been in two tough football games. ... He'll be alright."

Penn State leaves September behind with a 2-2 record. Given the quality of competition and facing tough crowds, the record is pretty realistic for a young team.
The thing that frustrates both coach and players is the way this team has had a penchant for ruining a good hand.

Leading 3-0 and after getting an interception to start the second half, Penn State gained just one yard and Kelly missed a 42-yard field goal. Trailing 14-3 and with fourth-and-goal from inside the 1-yard-line midway through the final quarter, the Nittany Lions got a false start penalty and had to kick a field goal.

"We just made a few bonehead plays," Hunt said of the team's offensive struggles. "I'm more concerned with that. We can't have plays like jumping offsides at the half-yard line. That's the difference between winning and losing the game."

Paterno, who has cleaned up a few of those errors over the years, believes his cards will be winners more often than not.

"I told them after the game, 'Just keep your heads up and still work and we'll still be a pretty good football team before it's all over,'" Paterno said.

Deal them up.

Amazing . . . they (Dems) stepped up!

CHARLES RANGEL: AN ATTACK ON BUSH IS AN ATTACK ON ALL AMERICANS... 'You do not come into my country, my congressional district, and you do not condemn my president. If there is any criticism of President Bush, it should be restricted to Americans, whether they voted for him or not. I just want to make it abundantly clear to Hugo Chavez or any other president, do not come to the United States and think because we have problems with our president that any foreigner can come to our country and not think that Americans do not feel offended when you offend our Chief of State'...

And, Nancy Pelosi calls Chavez "a thug" . . .

I'm impressed! Never let it be said that I don't give credit when and where it's due!

Saturday's Best Game

I'm no fan of Corso and Company . . . but these guys originate their shows live from the "best game" in the Nation to which they have broadcast rights . . . you can see the helmets folks . . . USPN/ABC . . . 3:30 p.m.

16 Point Underdogs . . .

The opening line on the PSU versus #1 Ohio State game put the Lions as 16 point underdogs. Ykes!

IMHO, the Lions are gonna win a few games they're not picked to win this year, and this may very well be one of them! I think Galen and Joe have a few surprizes in store for the Buckeyes. The Lions have plenty of talented players and the ability to score - quickly. If their "D" can slow down the Buckeyes, look for the Lion offense to put on a show nobody really expects. I seldom go out on the limb as make this type of prediction but I'm thinking the Lions in a low scoring upset of #1 ranked OSU.

37 - 3 and off to a 2 - 1 season

The Lion Sleeps Tonight . . . remember that song? This team still seems prone to sluggish starts even against lesser opponents . . . that can hurt if the trend continues. Once awake however . . . they are a "quick scoring" bunch and exciting to watch. Believe it or not, the quick scoring attribute could hurt us too . . . we need sustained drives, length of the field drives, and improved 3rd down conversion stats if the season is to improve.

Allegedly, this game was televised (ESPNU). My full bore Comcast Digital feed doesn't program ESPNU which sucked . . . but, it was fun to listen to the Lion's radio broadcast, something I hadn't done in years.

Lots of talent on this squad . . . let's hope they gel soon!

200 Bucks and several weeks later . . .

Computers are a love - hate thing with me! I've had my fair share of hardware problems over the years, spam attacks, and a virus or worm issues every now and then. I just purchased a new Dell desktop set up about 4 months ago . . . to replace a Dell laptop that literally went up in smoke as a result of a cooling fan failure. . . and, for a few months, things seemed good in my world.

The McAfee security software on my new Dell expired after 90 days . . . time to renew . . . so I did . . . only problem is . . . McAfee changed their security software bundle and the new package wouldn't work ($40 bucks).

So . . . I went on line seeking McAfee tech support . . . they email me a DOS based "cleaner" program to run . . . then suggested I try to reinstall the renewed subscription. Geez . . . so easy . . . to wipe out registry keys, DLLs, and who knows what else the cleaner destroyed!

So . . . I'm left with no security software running, the system restore program is knocked out along with the internet explorer and several other key programs . . .

So . . . it's under warranty . . . call Dell . . .

For $96 @ year . . . you get 24/7 tech support . . . hey, why not?

Till you find out that the technicians don't speaka-da-good-English-too-good! Like you can understnad maybe every fourth word . . . but, hey . . . I'm a good soldier . . . I can get through this challenge too!!!

After a week of tech support, the system is finally restored . . . and behold . . . my old friend the original McAfee security center is back again too! Lovely! Now . . . for $60 you can buy a bundle that will work with the old program . . . amazing . . . this business partnership between Dell and McAfee . . . well designed . . . wondering how many other poor souls have experienced the same thing?

The Good and the Bad . . . article from Centre Times

For those who want to put Penn State's 41-17 loss to Notre Dame behind you and focus on the rest of the season, you might not want to read any further. Penn State-Youngstown State kicks at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Beaver Stadium.

For those of you who are gluttons for punishment, here's a rundown of what went right and what went all too often wrong for the Nittany Lions in their first visit to South Bend in 14 years.

The Good

Anthony Morelli. A couple of poor decisions aside, Penn State's junior quarterback was mostly accurate (21-of-33) and once again showed his big-league arm is Penn State's best offensive weapon. He could have used some help from his receivers and his coaches.

The little guys. State College product Jordan Norwood (5-foot-10, 168 pounds) and Altoona product Brendan Peretta (5-7, 180) were the Nittany Lions' leading receivers, combining for 10 catches for 137 yards. The other Lions managed just 88 yards on 14 catches and made several key drops.

The offensive line. Penn State's running game did a 180 from the week before, producing 158 yards and 4.8 per pop against a seasoned Notre Dame defensive line. The pass protection was solid as well; Morelli was sacked just twice in 33 attempts.

The Bad

The playcalling. Michael Robinson mastered the option. It will not work with Morelli, and the sooner Penn State admits this, the better. Inserting Derrick Williams at quarterback is a gimmick at best; he's better suited running routes for Morelli. The new wrinkles only succeeded in slowing the offense down.

The pass rush. The Nittany Lions could not get to Brady Quinn without blitzing (and not always then), leaving their overmatched defensive backs out to dry. The linebackers, who were pressed into coverage duty, also suffered. The 3-4 was once again tough against the run but hurt the Lions against Quinn and the pass.

Special teams. An unusually bad day for defensive tackle/long snapper Jay Alford included another bad snap that likely cost Penn State three crucial points. Penn State was flat-footed on the Irish's successful fake punt. The return game was lethargic, and even punter Jeremy Kapinos (35 yards per kick) wasn't his usual self.

Care of football. It's hard to beat a team that doesn't turn the ball over at home. It's harder still when you commit three turnovers of your own, as the Nittany Lions did. Penn State didn't struggle to move the ball but turnovers and penalties made most of its yards wasted effort.

The Rest

The Nittany Lions fell six spots to No. 25 in the Associated Press poll. ... Linebacker Paul Posluszny's 12 tackles moved him past Brandon Short, John Skorupan and Shane Conlan to fourth place on Penn State's all-time tackles list with 275. ... Tailback Tony Hunt rushed for 74 yards against the Irish and moved into 14th place on Penn State's all-time list with 2,044 career yards. ... Sophomore wide receiver Deon Butler has 11 touchdown receptions in 14 career games and is already tied for sixth on Penn State's career list. ... Penn State was shut out in a half for the first time since the Michigan game last October.

Morelli looked sharp 34 -16

Sweet . . . let the season begin!