Linkbacker U. Wonders What The Weather Was Like In State College Last Weekend

LOLPITT

Pardon my absence for the past 10 days or so, but I recently got home from a seven day Caribbean cruise aboard the awesome Carnival Dream (seriously recommend). As I landed back in Pittsburgh, the Blue-White game was just kicking off, so by the time I got home, I had missed the event. Since then, I've tried to get recapped on the day that was, but all I could find were articles covering one of two topics (and in almost all cases, both topics) - the quarterback battle and the weather. Both are understandable topics to cover, even if the game itself did less than nothing to settle the first topic. But I defy you to find me an article that covers neither of those two topics. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Can't do it? Me neither. So, instead of reading another article containing phrases like "water logged" or "dark and dreary" or "Matt McGloin should start" here are some articles that should be read by any college football junkie this week. Jay Paterno and Galen Hall, pay very, VERY close attention to the first.

In Could It Really Be That Easy News. I just recently started reading Chris Brown of SmartFootball, but sweet mercy am I hooked. Especially after a recent article outlined how easy it should be to get speedy guys the football in space. The article made me simultaneously upset that Penn State struggles to get guys like Devon Smith, Shawney Kersey, and others the ball effectively, but also gave me a football-boner to think of what guys like Alex Kenney or Bill Belton could do on a shallow cross route.

In It's Getting Too Easy To Make Fun Of The SEC News. Yea, they've won the past 23 national championships. That's great. But they do it while recruiting guys like this. You mean to tell me those iPods aren't free for visiting recruits? No one told me.

In Death To The BCS News. On my aforementioned trip, I finally got around to reading Dan Wetzel, et al.'s phenomenal read "Death to the BCS" which outlines the atrocities and all-around money-hemorrhaging that goes along with BCS bowls. Similarly, this Stanford Daily article outlines many of the similar ideas. And this paragraph, similar to many in Wetzel's book, boils my blood to no end.

Among [the BCS participants that were public schools and thus required to disclose financial records], only two—Ohio State and Wisconsin—made a significant profit, with the Buckeyes earning $288,876 on their trip to the Sugar Bowl and the Badgers receiving $79,168 from the Rose Bowl. Two other teams, Oklahoma and Arkansas, were close to break-even—the Sooners earned $9,350 from the Fiesta Bowl, and the Razorbacks received $5,525 from the Sugar Bowl.

In Fenceline Shooting News. The City of Pittsburgh lays almost exactly equidistant between State College and Columbus, so keeping tabs on my team and the enemy is a tenuous art. That's why when TatGate initially broke, Penn Staters in the 'burgh knew to tread carefully, which ended up being a good strategy since SanduskyGate broke soon thereafter. But seeing as how Sandusky has not, as of yet, even been charged with anything, I don't mind reading articles like these and smiling a little. On the inside.

In I Know I'm Supposed To Hate Him News. I married a Michigan alum. Sue me (seriously, try it...I'M A MAN, I'M A LAWYER). So I try to keep up on the Wolverines as much as I can so that when I accompany my wife back to Detroit, I can spend as much time as possible making fun of her team in front of her friends ("CAN'T PUNCH ME, I'M WITH HER!"). But dadgummit if I don't want to just take Brady Hoke and give him a big effing bear hug. Restoring tradition to Michigan is the best thing this guy could have done, though, given his predecessor, it's also the easiest.

In Related Sleeping With The Enemy News. A guest post at mGoblog does a pretty nice job of outlining new Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison's defensive technique/philosophy. Don't let the first name fool you; this will not be a GERG defense. Mattison spent the past three years on the Baltimore Ravens defensive staff and was left with semi-competent players.

In Related Sleeping With The Enemy News, Part Two. Before I met my wife, I had relations with a woman from Columbus, Ohio. She graduated from Penn State, but this was the best I could do to tie in the title of this news segment. 11W has your "Five Challenges for the Defense" post. (Ed.: To the best of my knowledge, I have not had relations with a student or graduate from any of the other Big Ten schools, so I will be forced to come up with even more tenuous "Sleeping With The Enemy" segments in the future)

In Clever Penn State Giving News. As I mentioned on the Twitters, EDSBS held a charity drive recently, taking donations to help Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta. While Penn State fans only donated once, it was the amount of the donation that is especially telling. #lolpitt

In Of Course They Are To Blame News. The findings out of Notre Dame this week reveal what everyone knew moments after the tragic, eventually fatal fall of Declan Sullivan from a scissor lift last October - Notre Dame was to blame. Interesting to note, though, that the report blames Notre Dame, but does not place the blame on any one person, including but not limited to Brian Kelly, who has final say on all practice related issues.

In It's About Time The Internet Got Awesomer News. The internet, and specifically Twitter, just got much, much better.

In Lateral Move news. UMass makes a lateral move.

(TFJs - DocSat, 11W, EDSBS, Chris "Mainstream Media" Grovich)

Penn State Player Quote of the Week: "I feel good at the Sam position, I've been studying a lot of film, so I'm real comfortable there right now...Fritz, they don’t like a lot of contact, and I like coming up and hitting the fullback and guard, make them feel my presence.” - Khairi Fortt (via L247)


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