PSU at Northwestern set for Primetime

This is not shocking, but Penn State will not kickoff a game in primetime under the Beaver Stadium lights in 2011. The Nittany Lions will, however, do just that in Evanston against Northwestern:

The Nittany Lions and Wildcats will meet on Oct. 22 in Evanston, with kick set for 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT at Ryan Field. It will be the first prime time match-up between Penn State and Northwestern.

The contest is the Nittany Lions' first announced kick time for the upcoming season. Penn State will be playing at least one regular season night game for the 12th consecutive season.

This isn't to say there won't be games played at night in Beaver Stadium. It's just that none of them will specifically kickoff after dinner time.

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Pat Fitzgerald Signs Lengthy Contract Extension, Effectively Dashing Any Hopes of Joining PSU Staff

Next at Penn State,
or Northwestern's long term plan?

Yesterday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Pat Fitzgerald, head coach of the Northwestern football team, was set to sign a brand new extension "in excess of seven years." Today, more details are emerging, but it appears that Northwestern is doing all they can to keep their man locked up for as long as they can. And for good reason - there is no shortage of teams out there that would love to have the 36-year old coach running their staff, one central PA school in particular.

At the outset, let me be the first to admit to being squarely on Team Fitzgerald for the future of Penn State coaching. Four months ago, I wrote an article for SBN Pittsburgh outlining the potential successors for Joe Paterno. Some will say that this issue is a "dead issue" (possibly a poor choice of words given the age of Paterno), but I think it's imperative that fans, administration, and other coaches keep an eye to the future. Paterno can't coach forever, and when his contract expires after this season, the odds are that he'll hang up his laces; then again, we've heard that story before, so who really knows what Joe will do? Regardless, it would be silly to think that the university, the athletic department, or even fans aren't thinking about the post-Joe era, even while the current-Joe era is still ongoing.

Damn, It Feels Good To Be Ed DeChellis.

So, I felt way too lazy to do any sort of serious recap on PSU's routine beating of Northwestern last night.  In my defense, it's hard to motivate oneself to write such a recap when the overall story is exactly the same as it was 48 hours ago: The Fighting DeChellises are still in the same precarious bubble situation (presuming they're even on the bubble, to begin with) in which they likely need to win their remaining two regular season games against juggernaut Ohio State and a tough road trip at freefalling Minnesota in order to avoid having to make a statement in the Big Ten Tournament, and Ed DeChellis is still a gangsta in the eyes of Bill Carmody. This, despite the fact that every other Big Ten coach has unmasked Ed as the white boy poser who comically wears FUBU and tries to speak ebonics. Better recognize, Kitties...

Talor Battle Reaches Historic 2,000, PSU Rolls Wildcats

Talor Battle (photo: PennLive.com)

Talor Battle made history being the second Penn State player to reach 2,000 points. Besides Battles landmark, the first half was some of the best defense Penn State has played all season. In the last 10 minutes of the first half, Northwestern only scored 2 points. Penn State's offense scored an average 26 points, but that was enough for an 11 point lead over the weak Wildcats.

The Lions went off in the 2nd half scoring 41 points, which equaled the Northwestern's total for the game. Penn State was too much for Northwestern. Battle led the squad with 19 points and was followed by Brooks, Frazier, and Jackson breaking double digits. Combine one of PSU's best scoring games with Northwestern having one of their worst games shooting (34%/ only 9% beyond the arc), this must win was an easy win for the Nittany Lions.

With still the looks of the mediocracy in the Big Ten this year, Penn State does have a chance to make some noise. Illinois, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Michigan all have 6 wins in the Big Ten with Penn State. One more win over Northwestern and a few upsets could give Battle and the Lions a decent seed for the Big Ten Tournament. If Penn State can get a decent seed, avoid the Buckeyes and the other big boys, maybe a run in the tournament will help PSU's resume.

Penn State plays Minnesota at home this Thursday. Another win in front of the home crowd could be just what this team needs to heat up for a final run this season.

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Lady Lions rebound nicely at Northwestern, 80-68

Maggie Lucas ripped off 20 points,
hitting 5 of 6 three-pointers.
(Photo: Tom Ruane/Collegian)

Penn State is looking more and more like a real contender to make noise in the Big Ten women's basketball race this season. Sitting now at 13-4(2-1 Big Ten), the Lady Lions are now a half-game out of first place behind Michigan State (14-1, 2-0 Big Ten), a team that Penn State will only face once this season, Feb. 10 in the Bryce Jordan Center.

But before we get ahead of ourselves looking towards a huge one-game playoff for a high seed in the Big Ten tournament (oh, wouldn't that be sweet!), let's recap last night's game, an 80-63 win at Northwestern (12-4, 1-2 Big Ten).

Nittany Digs: Crackin' Nuts & Sweepin' Up

Seniors Blair Brown
and Fatima Balza
(Photo: GoPSUsports.com)

It was quite the week for Penn State women's volleyball. The Nittany Lions not only grabbed sole possession of first place in the Big Ten, but did it in their typically convincing fashion. To top off the week's work, three Nittany Lions took home conference honors.

Here's the lowdown on last week's action.

Sweepin' Up

Penn State earned a full sweep of the Big Ten weekly honors for volleyball this week, garnering offensive, defensive, and freshman of the week awards.

Review: Penn State 35, Northwestern 21

The highlights, and lowlights, from Penn State's 35-21 over Northwestern.

Evan Royster rumbled for 134 yards
against the Wildcats. (Photo: Mike/LBU)

My sincere apologies for not posting this sooner. I had a run-in with some of Pennsylvania's bountiful wildlife on the way up for the game. So my entire Monday was shot dealing with insurance and the collision shop. Everything is fine, so I'm happy. But posting things like this so late bugs the hell out of me.

It was one of the more memorable games I've witnessed in person. From the lowest point in the first half, to the wild second half, there was no shortage of excitement for both sides. So, what was there to like, or dislike, about the game? This...

LBU Staff Reactions: Penn State 35, Northwestern 21

Not everything from Saturday's game was positive. But mostly, it was a night to remember in Beaver Stadium. Our thoughts...

Matt McGloin had another terrific day,
but how much of it was due to a fantastic ground game? (Photo: Mike/LBU) 

Galen

First off, congratulations to Joe Paterno for accomplishing a feat that will never be duplicated. The game was a tale of two halves specifically for the defense. The defense gave up 3 scores early on then shut Northwestern out in the second half. The coaches need to write down the halftime speech because it did the job. Then there’s the Bolden/McGloin issue. They gave Bolden two drives and he had success on both of them with the exception of the fumble which effectively ended his day. I don’t have the stats to back this up but it seems to me that when McGloin enters the game the play calling opens up. Now this week that might have been a product of the score but it just seems like McGloin gets to throw more while they hold Bolden back. Now that may just be my imagination but there is one thing for sure; we have a full-blown quarterback controversy on our hands.

Looking ahead,

Photo Gallery: Penn State 35, Northwestern 21

Derek Moye hauls in the go-ahead touchdown.
(Photo: Mike/LBU)

It was one of the sweetest ways to win Joe Paterno's 400th career victory. From the stress of Dan Persa owning the Penn State defense for a 21-0 Wildcat lead, to the Nittany Lions offense erupting for 35 unanswered points, to the defense coming up with one of the most impressive in-game turnarounds we've seen in a long, long time.

Since we can still savor the moment before focusing on Ohio State, here is the first round of photos from the game. It was incredible to see it in person. Too bad Penn State fans couldn't even fill the stadium to capacity. It was embarrassing, but we'll touch on that later. For now, enjoy...



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Gameday HQ: Northwestern at Penn State 2010

Here's a pregame rundown of everything you need to know for today's game.

11th Hour Depth Charting: Northwestern at Penn State

There actually isn't much change this week, which could be a good thing for a team that could use a little stability. The latest depth chart (from what we can tell) for this week's game, with some complementary notes...

LBU Staff Predictions: Northwestern at Penn State (updated)

Will Joe get No. 400? We tell you RIGHT [WHOOSH] NOW [GONG!]...

It's go time...

Galen

Preview: Northwestern at Penn State

So what's this I hear about Joe Paterno? Oh, he can get his 400th win this weekend at home against Northwestern? Huh. Hadn't noticed.

399 and counting...

Northwestern may be catching Penn State at the exact right moment to pull an upset in Happy Valley. But it's not anywhere near certain that will happen. It's also unclear whether Penn State will be able to avoid the traditional "trap" or "letdown" game this week. Why both? Well, Penn State is coming off a very emotional night game win over Michigan. There's your letdown. Then, next week Penn State faces a big game at Ohio State. There's your looking-ahead trap game for this week hosting Northwestern.

Penn State can't afford to think for one second that this game isn't every bit as important (maybe more now than it was before the Michigan win) as last week, or next week, or all four weeks left in the season.

Let's get to it...

Blue & White Roundtable: The Purple Drank edition

Northwestern's sippin' on some sizzurp

After a solid win against Michigan, Penn State takes on a spunky Northwestern team sitting at a respectable 6-2, although their biggest win came against Indiana. Penn State should win this game but Northwestern has a solid chance and they always beat someone when you least expect it *cough-Iowa-cough*. This week's questions are brought to you by the fine fellas over at JoePa's Doghouse and they actually made me think this week, which means I actually had to work at these. Bad dogs!!

10 Minutes or Less: 2005 Penn State at Northwestern

[UPDATE: We've got the annotations you've sorely been missing -- Tim]

No long intro for this week's video.

Derrick Williams says "Hello" to college football.
(Photo: Not sure.)

Penn State had been mired in four losing seasons in the last five, but coming into 2005 there was a sense of renewal and hope for the program. Northwestern was dangerous as always, particularly with four-year starter Brett Basanez leading a potent offense. For Penn State, it was Michael Robinson, the fifth-year senior who had done it all for the Nittany Lions while waiting for his turn to lead the offense.

I was rather pissed off this week that ESPN Classic aired the re-run of this game. But I guess this version is even better, because most of you out there don't have two whole hours to sit down and watch ESPN's near-full version of the game. So take that!

Fourth and 15. "The catch." Twenty-two tackles. Six turnovers. 907 yards of offense. Enjoy...



Update: Here's that extended intro I didn't want to write before...

Northwestern has always been a weird opponent for Penn State. The Wildcats' win over Penn State in 1995 was viewed as the final stamp on their magical run to the Rose Bowl. In 2001, with an 0-4 Penn State team limping into Evanston to face the No. 22 Wildcats, freshman quarterback Zack Mills led the Lions to a late scoring drive and the first win of the season. Northwestern would sprial to a 4-7 finish.

Two years later, with Penn State walloing in the worst two-season stretch in its history, Northwestern put together its first winning streak against the Nittany Lions. At Evanston in 2003, a 7-0 fourth quarter lead for Penn State evaporated as the Cats ran off 17 unanswered points. The following season in Beaver Stadium, Brett Basanez picked apart the Penn State back seven with crossing patters, while Noah Herron rumbled for 175 yards in the 14-7 win.

Penn State would get its redemption the next season in one of the most critical wins in program history...

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Northwestern, Ohio State kickoffs set for 3:30

With win No. 400 a distinct possibility for JoePa this weekend,
ESPN picked up the Nittany Lions' next two games.
(Photo: Mike/LBU)

We kind of figured they would be on ESPN. They are. The Nov. 6 game with Northwestern will kickoff at 3:30 on ESPN (ABC mirror), while the Nov. 13 game at Ohio State will also kick at 3:30 on ESPN (ABC mirror).

While you're here...

Our regularly scheduled programming is on track for today and tomorrow. The game review will be posted either tonight or in the morning. Creepin' the Big Ten should be up in the next 24-36 hours. Our BlogPoll ballot will post today. And Nittany Digs (volleyball) is in the works right now. So stay tuned!

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Nittany Digs: 'Deja'-Vu All Over Again

Teams just aren't losing. This leaves Penn State women's volleyball anchored firmly at No. 9 in the polls the last few weeks, even though the wins have picked up. The Nittany Lions are now 17-4, coming off sweeps of both Ohio State, and 22nd-ranked Northwestern in Evanston.

Deja McClendon
(Photo: GoPSUsports.com)

Penn State is undefeated in Rec Hall again this season. But with home games against Northwestern and Illinois looming large in the coming weeks, maintaining Penn State's 84-game home win streak is not guaranteed.

With that, here's the wrap up from this past week.

Frosh of the Week, again...

Deja McClendon just can't stop, grabbing this week's Big Ten Freshman of the Week award, her third this season.

Looking at Penn State's final six games

Can Penn State return Beaver Stadium to its place among
the toughest places for visitors to win a football game?

The 2010 season hasn't turned out (so far) quite how any of us had hoped, but the schedule has been set up quite nicely with a bye week coming right in the middle.

With all the injuries and personnel shuffling, it's really a great time for the team to get a week "off."

Today we'll go through Penn State's final six (hopefully with a 7th tacked on soon...) games, all Big Ten conference matchups, and gauge how things look at this point going forward.

Creepin' The Big Ten: Week 1

Kudos to Galen for the name behind this new segment. As you all know, there’s more to college football than what’s happening with Penn State. Hence, we feel it’s our duty here at LBU to give you a recap of how our fellow Big Ten brethren fared in the past weekend:

Indiana 51, Towson 17 – Yes, it was Towson, but IU’s offense was as good as advertised. Ben Chappell tossed a pair of TD’s to go with his 182 yards passing while Darius Willis tacked on 102 yards and two rushing TD’s himself. IU coach Bill Lynch also tossed his gum and yelled at a ref for no apparent reason.

Ohio State 45, Marshall 7 – Marshall got plenty of TP for their bungholes* in OSU’s Thursday Night debut. Terrelle Pryor picked apart the Thundering Herd’s secondary with 247 yards passing and three TD’s, one to eighth-year senior Dane Sanzenbacher and two more to DeVier Posey. Brian Rolle also added a pick-six along with Brandon Saine running for 103 yards and a pair of TD’s. Freshman Jamaal Berry had a solid debut as well, running for 80 yards on seven carries.

Inside The Bloggers Unwashed, Unshaven, Studio: Northwestern Edition

ITBUUS rambles on this week with Northwestern blogger Lake The Posts. In this edition, find out just what prompts somebody to choose a historical laughing stock of a football program as one to embrace, whether the basketball team will ever reach the Big Dance, and which current Saturday Night Live cast member got to see the Purple in Pasadena while in school...

LBU: Formalities first: What prompted you to start blogging about Northwestern? Also, for the majority of the folks reading this who probably have no clue what the inspiration for your blog's name is, explain to them the meaning behind "Lake The Posts."

LTP: A couple of things: On the fan front, I was sick and tired of the lack of respect, and despite three Big Ten titles since 1995, STILL getting hammered by the hangover effect of the pre-1995 "Dark Ages". I was also pissed off at the horrific attendance at Ryan Field and felt I could lend a voice and create a community of folks who cared about NU's football image. On the selfish front,my day job is running amedia company and I knew I needed to learn about what we then called"new media" and NU football was the only topic I felt confident enoughabout that I could write something every day and be somewhat of an expert on the subject matter.

As for the name Lake The Posts: It is a tribute to the pre-1995 era Wildcats who were so bad that every win resulted in the student section ripping down the field goal posts, and in some instances marching them to Lake Michigan (a mile east of the stadium) and tossing them in the water. "Laking" is a verb at NU and refers to anything thrown in Lake Michigan. Fraternity pledges will remind you of this tradition.

Anyways, when we were up on teams, the student section would point to the FG posts and yell "Lake...lake...lake." It's a not so subtle reminder for all of us to enjoy the rebirth of NU football over the past 15 years and never forget the pain and agony we endured.

Today's Northwestern students view the "Lake The Posts" era as ancient history

LBU: You've obviously been a Northwestern football fan since the days when they were a Big Ten punchline, how did you come to embrace them in the first place? What was the drug of choice?

LTP: Simple - I went to school there. Despite what most will tell you, percentage-wise the number of people passionate about athletics is similar to other Big Ten schools. OK, perhaps a tad less. The larger issue is the fact that when 50% of students attend (which is close to what it is), that's about 4,000 fans. There are other schools that with a similar percentage could pack half our stadium. See you guys. I embraced athletics b/c that's one of the reasons I went to NU over a liberal arts small east coast school - the Big Ten experience. I thought it was the perfect balance of academics and big time athletics and I thought we'd turn the corner in hoops and saw no reason we couldn't be Duke.

I fell in love with CFB in part because who doesn't love an underdog? We had that experience every single week against "name" teams. I couldn't believe Northwestern hosted the likes of Ohio State and Michigan (I was in school when Penn State joined). Growing up in Rhode Island, I hadn't even heard of NU until my junior year of HS. I saw all the ingredients for something special. It came the year after I graduated.

LBU: Time to play "What If." What If...[Northwestern's QB] Mike Kafka plays the entire game against PSU last year?

LTP: We don't play that game in Evanston. That's for Iowa fans who have mastered that game against the 'Cats (see NU over Iowa 2009 and 2008). Injuries are part of the game. Yes, we were up 10-3 in the second quarter when he went down, but Dan Persa didn't deliver and our "D"got shredded for 31 points. You beat us - No, you pounded us. Fair and square.

Obviously, Bethlehem (Liberty) PA native Dan Persa saw significant minutes as Kafka's replacement last year. I know he was pretty devastated by his performance and one can only imagine a Pennslyania HS Player of the Year, spurned by Penn State, wanting to put up a show against his childhood team. I think Persa's trip to Happy Valley with a want to erase that memory will be one of the most interesting game storylines this year for NU. I recently read Persa is the only player in PA HS history to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in a single season. Personally for Persa, there is no bigger game on the schedule than NU's trip to Penn State.

Ah yes, those pesky Penn State hoopsters.

LBU: Kevin Coble's decision to graduate early and forego his final year on the basketball team is undoubtedly a stomach-punch to a fan base hoping to see their team finally reach the promised land. Do you see the program losing its NCAA Tournament virginity anytime in the near future?

LTP: This was THE year until that. I've been shocked by the somewhat "eh?" response. I usually have a good handle on the fan reaction but I may have whiffed. I think the loss of Coble is HUGE. Many are citing his poor defensive stats and the fact we were THIS close last year without him. Rumors persist about chemistry issues about Kevin coming back and all agree there is much more to the story than was reported. We do still have a lot of optimism for this year being THE year with the most highly touted recruit (Jershonn Cobb) I can remember adding to a team that returns just about everything except for defensive stalwart Jeremy Nash.

Hopefully, we'll finally figure out how to beat Penn State when we're favored to do so. It seems like you beat us every year in your place. Overall, the excitement for the combination for both football and hoops at the same time is the highest its been in the 20 years I've followed both teams.

LBU: If the 2010 Northwestern football team were a Saturday Night Live cast, which season would it resemble?

LTP: Wow. Tough one. I'm not an SNL expert by any means but we're partial to cast member Seth Meyers who is a Northwestern alum and was fortunate enough to have his senior year coincide with the Rose Bowl. I'm probably more partial to cast members than "seasons" and could go with Tina Fey. Smart, work hard, good sense of humor and from a looks standpoint maybe not a knockout (OK, definitely not a knockout) but you learn to see her as very attractive the more you watch.

Northwestern as Tina Fey: Touche on that analogy, LTP.

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