Tag: Joe Paterno (Page 4 of 4)

      Penn State vs. Texas Tech

      November 2, 2008 /

      If Alabama, Penn State and Texas Tech win out, we’ll be hearing plenty of arguments over who should be facing Alabama in the National Championship game. Call it this year’s BCS mess.

      In today’s BCS standings, Texas Tech has jumped Penn State to take the #2 spot, mostly due to better computer rankings even though Penn State is #2 in the polls. That’s not too surprising given Texas Tech’s win over Texas, tough that’s little consolation to Penn State fans.

      It’s hard to have much sympathy for Penn State, however, given their embarrassing non-conference schedule – Coastal Carolina, Oregon State, Syracuse and Temple. Would it kill Joe Paterno to schedule some national powers?

      But, Texas Tech’s non-conference schedule is even worse – Eastern Washington, Nevada, SMU and Massachusetts. Pathetic. Of course, Texas Tech is playing in the Big-12, which has some very good teams this year, even if the entire conference seems to have forgotten how to play defense. In the end, playing in this conference will save Texas Tech.

      Or will it? They still have to face #9 Oklahoma State and #6 Oklahoma on the schedule, not to mention the Big-12 championship game. If they win out, they deserve to play for the BCS championship. It will be a tough road.

      Which brings us back to Penn State. If Joe Paterno and an undefeated Nittany Lions team get left out of the title game, it might be enough of an outrage to finally force a playoff format.

      College Football

      Is Penn State a true national title contender?

      October 4, 2008 /

      Penn State-PurdueComing into the 2008 College Football Season, the Penn State Nittany Lions weren’t considered a national championship contender. They weren’t even considered a legitimate contender in the Big Ten, with many ranking them behind Ohio State, Wisconsin and even Illinois in the conference.

      But PSU remains undefeated on the season after beating Purdue 20-6 on Saturday and even though they’re still flying under the national championship radar, teams better start taking notice. Not only do the Lions have one of the best offenses in the nation (they were averaging close to 50 points a game coming into this weekend), but they also flashed a little defense in their victory over the Boilermakers.

      Penn State doesn’t have a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback like Oklahoma, Missouri or Texas – three teams currently ranked ahead of them in the polls – but so far Daryll Clark has proven that he’s an excellent fit for Joe Paterno’s new spread offense. And while he doesn’t have unworldly size and athleticism like fellow Big Ten back Chris “Beanie” Wells of Ohio State, RB Evan Royster is a workhorse that can grind out tough yards like he did Saturday against Purdue when he rushed for 141 yards and a 7.8 YPC average.

      It was interesting to see PSU win like it did against the Boilermakers because it was unlike any of its previous victories this season. They didn’t light up the scoreboard or win with flash; they just kept moving the ball methodically on offense, didn’t turn the ball over and played solid defense. They proved today that they could win without relying on the big play, which should only serve them going forward.

      The next three weeks will prove whether or not Penn State is a true contender or not. They’re at Wisconsin, home against Michigan and then travel to Columbus to take on OSU through the rest of October. That’s a daunting three-week task.

      College Football

      Couch Potato Alert: 9/26

      September 26, 2008 /

      Alabama vs. Georgia
      This game has actually exceeded all pre-season expectations, since the matchup now pits two top-10 teams against each other. Nick Saban is leading his Crimson Tide into Athens for a program temperature check. How much have they improved will be determined “between the hedges” against the undefeated Bulldogs on Saturday night. Coverage begins at 7:45PM EST on ESPN. Click here for the official Alabama-Georgia smack thread.

      Illinois vs. Penn State
      Both schools will open conference play on Saturday evening at Beaver Stadium. The key matchup pits swift-footed Fighting Illini quarterback Juice Williams against the #1 defense in the Big Ten. After throwing for over 400 yards against Missouri in the season opener, Williams has since struggled with his passing efficiency and will go against a defense that has only allowed two passing touchdowns on the season. Joe Paterno is trying to avenge a tough loss last year in Champagne. Regional coverage begins at 8 PM EST on ABC.

      Major League Baseball
      How exciting will baseball be this weekend? Well, considering five teams (Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Milwaukee Brewers) are competing for three playoff spots, the excitement level is pretty high. The weather could be the biggest opponent for the teams on the East Coast, as the forecast calls for 80-90 percent chance of rain throughout the weekend. It’s difficult to imagine the amount of chaos several rainouts will bring to the end of the season. But there’s a good possibility that one, two, or three teams will have to play a 163rd or makeup game to break a tie on Monday or Tuesday. Check your local listing on ESPN, Fox Sports, and TBS on game coverage this weekend.

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, College Football, Couch Potato Alert, General Sports, MLB, Television

      Is Joe Paterno losing control of his program?

      July 30, 2008 /

      ESPN recently paid a visit to the Penn State campus for a taping of “Outside The Lines” and what the network found was rather staggering. The self-proclaimed “World Wide Leader in Sports” might expose head coach Joe Paterno for losing grip of his football program.

      The numbers were damning but no more so than the responses from coach Joe Paterno.
      The show found that since 2002, 46 Penn State players have been charged with 163 criminal complaints. Forty-five of those complaints resulted in guilty pleas or convictions. Of the 46 players charged, 27 pleaded guilty or were convicted.

      More recently, to show the problem is getting worse, 17 players were charged in 2007 with 72 crimes. Nine charges resulted in guilty pleas. The numbers screamed about a lack of control by the coaching staff and a lack of discipline by the players.

      To those who have followed Paterno closely in recent years, his response also was expected.

      “I think you’ve done an awful lot of probing which bothers me that you might be on a witch hunt,” he said.

      The article points out that even though he says he still is “hands on” with his program, Paterno has often admitted that he now works mostly from home. The article goes on to list specific examples of how Paterno might be completely out of touch with this generation.

      But even so, JoePa has done more good than bad for college football, including demanding above-average scholastic achievements from his student-athletes, as well as donating his time and money to help fund a library at PSU. Still, a report like this is eye-popping to say the least.

      College Football, General Sports

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