phillypressbox

Posts Tagged ‘Penn State Football’

, ,

Philly Pressbox Trivia – PENN STATE FOOTBALL

In Penn State Football, Trivia on May 29, 2013 at 6:46 am

Philly Pressbox Logo

I am one of three brothers that lettered at Penn State. My brother became more famous than I did but I was the only one that made 1st Team All American. Can you name me?

 

Philly Pressbox would like to thank our trivia sponsor, shop.com/the furmans. Please help us support them back by clicking on the following link, www.shop.com/thefurmans and gain access to nearly 3000 stores for all of your on line shopping, comparison pricing and cash back on your purchases. Signing up is free with no obligation to buy. Type in nearly anything in the search bar and you’ll likely find it there.

, ,

Philly Pressbox Trivia – PENN STATE FOOTBALL

In Penn State Football, Trivia on May 22, 2013 at 6:53 am

Philly Pressbox Logo

I rank #3 on the All Time Tackles list but I did it in only 3 years, #1 and #2 did it in 4 years. I hold the PSU record for tackles in a season and solo tackles in a season. I also had 24 tackles in a game and 23 in another. I went on to play 9 seasons in the NFL. By the way, I’m a New Jersey native. Who am I?

 

 
 

Philly Pressbox would like to thank our trivia sponsor, shop.com/the furmans. Please help us support them back by clicking on the following link, www.shop.com/thefurmans and gain access to nearly 3000 stores for all of your on line shopping, comparison pricing and cash back on your purchases. Signing up is free with no obligation to buy. Type in nearly anything in the search bar and you’ll likely find it there.

, ,

Philly Pressbox Trivia – PENN STATE FOOTBALL

In Penn State Football, Trivia on May 15, 2013 at 6:38 am

Philly Pressbox LogoThis running back is ranked #9 on the All-Time PSU rushing list but is the all time leader with an amazing 7.2 yards per carry for his career. He also scored 38 TD’s while rushing for 2,829 yards. Who is he???

Philly Pressbox would like to thank our trivia sponsor, shop.com/the furmans. Please help us support them back by clicking on the following link, www.shop.com/thefurmans and gain access to nearly 3000 stores for all of your on line shopping, comparison pricing and cash back on your purchases. Signing up is free with no obligation to buy. Type in nearly anything in the search bar and you’ll likely find it there.

, , , , , ,

“View from the Philly Pressbox” – Virginia 17 – Penn State 16

In College Football, Penn State Football on September 10, 2012 at 9:45 pm

It would be easy to say that this loss can be blamed directly on the NCAA for allowing All Big 10 kicker Anthony Fera to walk away from the Penn State program and immediately become a Texas Longhorn, leaving new head coach Bill O’Brien and the Nittany Lions with an inexperienced kicker, on the road for the first time, and in a tight game when they visited the Virginia Cavaliers in Charlottesville on Saturday. The truth of the matter is that kicker Sam Ficken should’ve never been in a 1 point ball game.

Penn State clearly outplayed Virginia for the entire ball game and deserved to win that game. It would’ve helped if  Ficken would have made a few of the 4 field goals he missed and didn’t have an extra point blocked, but again, it shouldn’t have come down to field goals. Here are a few facts buried in the game:

  • ·        Penn State forced 4 Virginia turnovers, giving the offense the ball at the 17, 17, 19 and 29 yard line but gained a total of 6 offensive yards after those turnovers and scored only a field goal.
  • ·        Penn State was 1 for 5 in the red zone.
  • ·        Penn State had only 2 defensive three-and-outs all afternoon.
  • ·        Virginia’s final drive was 12 plays, 86 yards and took 6:36.
  • ·        The Cavs had only 295 yards total offense for the game.
  • ·        Virginia was 9-15 on 3rd down conversions and 3 for 3 on the game winning drive.
  • ·        Penn State held Virginia to 32 yards rushing on 25 carries and 2 rushing 1st downs.
  • ·        Penn State averaged only 2.9 yards per carry on 42 carries.
  • ·        Allen Robinson had 10 catches for 89 yards and a TD.
  • ·        Penn State led 7-3 at halftime but lost the game in the 2nd half for the second straight week.
  • ·        Virginia had 10 penalties for 70 yards, PSU 3 for 24.
  • ·        Penn State ran 85 offensive plays to Virginia’s 61.
  • ·        Penn State had the ball for 20:03 seconds of the 1st half to Virginia’s 9:57.
  • ·        Virginia had the ball for 18:16 seconds of the 2nd half to Penn State’s 11:44.

As we discussed last week in the “View from the Philly Pressbox “ – Ohio 24 – Penn State 14, link is attached,  https://phillypressbox.wordpress.com/2012/09/06/view-from-the-philly-pressbox-ohio-24-penn-state-14/, the only statistic that matters are the numbers on the scoreboard. Penn State outplayed and outworked Virginia and should’ve won the game. Matt McGloin played well, passing 19-35 – 197 yards and 2 touchdowns. McGloin battled through an elbow injury and showed solid leadership. The defensive front 7 that was pushed around last week by Ohio was rock solid until the last drive of the game. Michael Mauti led the way with 9 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Gerald Hodges followed with 8 tackles and a fumble recovery.

At the end of the day the ball game fell on Fickens’ shoulders and he didn’t deliver this time. However, as stated a lot of things happened on both sides of the ball that should’ve taken this game away from Fickens and been an easy Penn State victory. Unfortunately that’s not where Penn State football is today.

Next up, the Midshipmen of Navy come to Beaver Stadium for a 3:30 kickoff. This will be the first time Penn State has played Navy since 1974. The Middies opened their season in Dublin Ireland, taking a 50-10 whipping from Notre Dame. They had last week off to lick their wounds and will be looking to get on the winning track. For Penn State this is a “must” game if they’re going to salvage this season.  We look for them to be fired up and ready to play well against Navy and get their first win.

Feel free to click the COMMENT/RESPONSE button below and leave your thoughts as well as click the FOLLOW button on the bottom right of this page, input your email address, and receive your Philly Pressbox posts directly in your email.

We would like to thank our sponsor for their support. Click the following link to check out the latest 2012 Penn State football items.  http://www.shop.com/trends/ul-71235-WE+ARE-+ONE+TEAM

 Lastly, click on the business card below to see all of their items.

 

, , , , , , , ,

“View from the Philly Pressbox” Ohio 24 – Penn State 14

In College Football, Penn State Football on September 6, 2012 at 9:40 pm

After watching the season opener of the “new era” of Penn State football one couldn’t think that they saw much good on the field for the Nittany Lions. Ohio University came to Beaver Stadium with a good ball club that was expected to put up a good fight, but this was Ohio University of the MAC Conference not Ohio State University of the Big 10!!

Early in the game it appeared that Matt McGloin may have improved under the coaching of Bill O’Brien as he ran a fairly efficient offense and took PSU to the locker room with a 14-3 halftime lead. As the 2nd half started it was very evident that the losses of Silas Redd and Justin Brown were significant. When starting tailback Bill Benton went down with an ankle injury there no weapons left on the offensive side of the ball. As a result the Penn State offense was limited to 115 yards in the 2nd half. The limited talent on this team was shown early when O’Brien made the decision to use 6-foot-2, 237-pound linebacker Gerald Hodges returning kickoffs and punts. Hodges is an outstanding athlete but has no business returning kicks at Penn State. As a result, he returned one kickoff to the 12 yard line and fumbled a fair catch that led to an Ohio field goal. This is a clear indication of limited talent.  

More importantly was not having Tom Bradley calling the defense in the 2nd half. I’ve seen a few times over the years where the defense was beaten up by better teams, but it wasn’t often. Ted Roof’s defense had no answers for the Ohio offense that rolled up 301 yards in the 2nd half alone, converted 11of 12, 3rd   down conversions, gave up drives of 82, 70, 50 and 93 yards and turned a 14-3 lead in to a 24-14 loss. The front 7 of the Nittany Lions are considered the strength of the team. This group was pushed all over the field in the 2nd half. There are two ways to look at this, either the players were outmatched or the coaches didn’t put them in a position to be successful. Either way, the result was ugly!!

At the end of the day, this coaching staff got severely outcoached by Frank Solich and his Ohio staff. Solich has been around the block and is a quality football coach that’s done a nice job at Ohio. As for Penn State, the importance of having a staff that had been together for so long may have been taken for granted. Very rarely was a Penn State team ever outcoached. It was even more unusual for them to not make the proper adjustments at halftime.

Our analysis of games at the Philly Pressbox is not usually based on stats. Stats can be misleading and often are. After all, the only numbers that matter are the ones on the scoreboard. However, there are always several stats that tell the story of the ball game. Obviously, one is turnovers. Ohio created 3 turnovers, 2 fumbles and 1 interception, and PSU none. Time of Possession is important because it allows teams to wear the opponent down and unless you’re playing against a quick striking high powered offense, if one team has significant time of possession over the other they usually win. Ohio led in time of possession 33:10 to 25:05. This also resulted in Ohio running 88 plays from scrimmage while PSU ran 70. Last is 3rd (and 4th) down efficiency. If the defense can’t get off the field because they can’t stop the opponent in 3rd and 4th down situations they usually lose. Ohio converted 14 of 22 while PSU converted 10 of 19.

As a Penn State supporter this was a very sad day. I was very proud of the fans for their support and for the players for their dedication to the cause. However, as I watched the replay on TV and heard the comments from the ESPN broadcast team that as they worked in State College during the week they found very little indication or recognition of Joe Paterno saddens me to know end.

As far as Penn State football, the feeling here is that this is only the beginning of a slide that will be very difficult to stop. This weeks game at Virginia was going to be difficult with a fully stocked lineup. The players can say that they will be better and that what happened against Ohio won’t happen again but the real question is this; do they have the talent on the field to keep it from happening again?

Feel free to click the COMMENT/RESPONSE button below and leave your thoughts as well as click the FOLLOW button on the bottom right of this page, input your email address, and receive your Philly Pressbox posts directly in your email.

We would like to thank our sponsor for their support. Click the following link to check out the latest 2012 Penn State football items.  http://www.shop.com/trends/ul-71235-WE+ARE-+ONE+TEAM

 Lastly, click on the business card below to see all of their items.

, , , ,

2012 Penn State Season Preview

In College Football, Penn State Football on August 30, 2012 at 8:26 pm

With the college football season upon us we asked our friends at College Football Coverage to provide Philly Pressbox with an update preview of the upcoming 2012 season. As usual, they have provided in-depth position player analysis and game by game win-loss predictions. With all of the turmoil of the last year, a new coaching staff and the loss of several key players it looks like rough times ahead for Nittany Lions in 2012.

Feel free to leave your comments below. Also, you can follow all of college football, including weekly breakdowns of the top five games of the week, as well as order a nice college football preview at www.collegefootballcoverage.com. The website is free and the preview is available for only $2.99. The preview doesn’t cost much but it’s full of great information for the college football fan.

CollegeFootballCoverage.com

2012 Preview

Penn State Nittany Lions

 2011 Review

 Last season was a very disappointing year for the wonderful fan base, alumni and of course the storied football program of Penn State. Joe Paterno, the legendary coach of 61 years, was caught up in a very difficult situation that eventually led to his dismissal. With everything going on around the program, the team rallied and fought hard, but it was still another subpar season on the football field for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State finished the season at 9-4 and lost 3 of the last 4 games including a blowout loss to Houston in their bowl game. The offense really struggled in 2011 ranking near the bottom of the FBS in total offense averaging 342 yards per game. They also had a hard time scoring points averaging below 20 point per game. In fact, they were ranked 110 in scoring offense. The running game was really mediocre as well ranking 46th in the FBS with only 165 yards a game. Silas Redd is a very good player, but teams really stacked the box with the inability of the QB’s to distribute the football effectively. The passing offense ranked near the bottom at 96th in the FBS and only generated 177 yards a game. It was a very tough year across the board for the offense and the only positive was the offensive line which only allowed 1 sack a game and ranked 18th nationally in this category.

The defense was very strong in 2011, really driving the Nittany Lions to their 9-4 season. They ranked 5th in scoring defense at just over 16 points a game and 20th in total defense in the FBS. The rush defense wasn’t great ranking 42nd and giving up 165 yards a game, but the pass defense was strong ranking in the top 20 at number 17. They were also able to get pressure on the opposing QB’s ranking 26th in sacks for the season with over 2 sacks a game. The defense was the glue that held things together in this very difficult and tumultuous season for PSU.

Longtime assistant coach Tom Bradley filled in admirably when Paterno was let go, and he provided a glimpse into the kind of head coach he could be, but the Nittany Lions were just not talented enough to overcome their deficiencies on the offensive side of the ball.

 2012 Preview

  Penn State is looking for a fresh start as they embark on the first season without Joe Paterno on the sidelines. There were some people out there, including alumni, that didn’t particularly like the direction that the school went when they hired an outsider with no Penn State ties. Bill O’Brien, a first time head coach, and former offensive coordinator under Bill Belichick in New England, was hired to replace the long time legend in Happy Valley. We at CFC actually feel this was a great move by the school and not just a stopgap to something else in the future. This hire has the potential to be a monumental move and one that could save the program and actually propel it into the new age of college football. It will be tough with the hand that they were dealt by the NCAA, but he has handled himself very well and done a great job holding things together. O’Brien will implement more pro-style elements to the offense, he will develop the QB’s and the smartest thing he did upon being hired, was keep assistant coaches Larry Johnson, one of the best recruiters in the country and LB’s coach Ron Vanderlinden.

Before the sanctions came down, things looked positive for this new staff. They were recruiting well, there was a new buzz around the program and there was true optimism about what the future could hold.

Then came the very unique and uncharacteristic ruling by the NCAA, after the Freeh report was released, hitting the university with major sanctions including a 4 year bowl ban and the loss of scholarships over the next 4 years. This matter has been discussed and covered in this very forum, so we won’t get into the particulars of the validity of the report or the sanctions, but the NCAA was very heavy handed with the sanctions and it changed the entire dynamic for the 2012 season.

With ten players transferring including some of the very best on the roster in Silas Redd, Justin Brown and Khairi Fortt, this left PSU with a huge void in terms of depth and the offense will simply not be very dynamic with loss of such playmakers.

Penn State will now return two starters from last year’s offense that really struggled to be consistent. McGloin will be the starting QB and look for him to play better under the tutelage of O’Brien, but he has a very limited skill set.

The running game will look different with Redd at USC, and look for Bill Belton, Derek Day and freshman Akeel Lynch to get the bulk of the carries. This could be a serviceable group for PSU and Lynch is exciting, and could be the future at the position for the Nittany Lions.

The wide receivers will need to step up with the loss of Smith and Brown in the off season. Players like Shawney Kersey, Alex Kenney and Allen Robinson will have to produce. This is an inexperienced group, but they do have some talent.

The offensive line was pretty good last season, but they only return one starter from that group. Now, they do have some players coming back that have played before, so there is some experience. They will need to be the foundation for the Nittany Lions in 2012, and they have recruited well in this area, so we don’t expect a huge drop-off. This could actually be the best position group for PSU in 2012.

The defense will need to replace four of the front seven and two of the back four, but they have been able to recruit very well on this side of the ball, so we don’t expect a major drop-off in terms of production. A lot of the players that will fill-in next season have played for the Nittany Lions in the past. Players like LB’s Mike Hull and Glenn Carson.

Look for DE Deon Barnes and DE Sean Stanley to have a big years and DE Pete Massaro is back from an injury and he will provide depth. At defensive tackle PSU is pretty healthy with the likes of DaQuan Jones and Jordan Hill playing at the Nose and 3-Technique.

The second level will be solid with the above mentioned Carson stepping in. LB Michael Mauti is back and his leadership will be needed and of course the Nittany Lions return a tremendous player in Gerald Hodges at OLB.

If there is one area of concern for Penn State on defense though, it has to be the secondary, as they don’t have much depth. They will have two new starters pairing up with Stephen Morris and Malcolm Willis, who are back in 2012 for PSU. Corner Back Adrian Amos and Safety Stephen Obeng-Agyapong will have to step up and fill the void of the departing seniors from last season. Unlike up front on the defensive line, they just don’t have the bodies to feel comfortable if any injuries occur.

Overall we expect the defense to still be very good and they will likely keep PSU in a lot of the games in 2012.

 Prediction Time:

 The schedule will be tough on Penn State in 2012, even with 7 home games. There will be some highs and lows, but with us projecting inconsistent QB play again, the Nittany Lions will once again struggle in some of the bigger games. We expect the offense to really struggle with big plays in the pass game and the run game will be more serviceable than explosive. The defense will keep the Nittany Lions in some ball games, but it won’t be enough.

We believe that the Nittany Lions will play inspired ball early in the season, but once the schedule starts to get difficult, the season will turn for the worse and we expect to see a very tough run through late September all the way through the end of the season. Below is our forecast for the season with game predictions.

  Schedule and Prediction for 2012 Season

 CFC predicts that Penn State will go 4-8 in 2012

 9/1 OHIO AT PEN STATE –- WIN

9/8 PENN STATE AT VIRGINIA – LOSS

9/15 NAVY AT PENN STATE — WIN

9/22 TEMPLE AT PENN STATE — WIN

9/29 PENN STATE AT ILLINOIS – Loss

10/6 NORTHWESTERN AT PENN STATE – Loss

10/13 OPEN DATE

10/20 PENN STATE AT IOWA – Loss

10/27 OHIO STATE AT PENN STATE – LOSS

11/3 PENN STATE AT PURDUE– Loss

11/10 PENN STATE AT NEBRASKA — LOSS

11/17 INDIANA AT PENN STATE – WIN

11/24 WISCONSIN AT PENN STATE — LOSS

Feel free to click the COMMENT/RESPONSE button below and leave your thoughts as well as click the FOLLOW button on the bottom right of this page, input your email address, and receive your Philly Pressbox posts directly in your email.

We would like to thank our sponsor for their support. Click the following link to check out the latest 2012 Penn State football items.  http://www.shop.com/trends/ul-71235-WE+ARE-+ONE+TEAM

 Lastly, click on the business card below to see all of their items.

 

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“View from the Philly Pressbox” – Penn State Blue-White 2012

In Penn State Football on April 22, 2012 at 10:21 pm

I have to say watching the 2012 Penn State football Blue-White game without Joe Paterno, Tom Bradley, Jay Paterno, Bill Kenney, Dick Anderson, and Galen Hall on the sidelines, or in the pressbox, was a very unusual site.

The Bill O’Brien era is under way. The crowd of 60,000 had a beautiful, sun drenched, day for football in Happy Valley.

Obviously, O’Brien and his staff have a great deal of work ahead of them. They’re installing new systems on both sides of the ball, as well is in the strength program. They need to learn the returning player’s strengths, weaknesses and personalities. All the while, O’Brien, in his first head coaching position, must learn all of the responsibilities of a head coach, off the field as well as on the field, while getting to know the new staff he has put together.

Once the game started I’m not actually sure what I saw, or think I saw, about the 2012 version of Nittany Lions. With the understanding that the new staff wasn’t planning to show much of their new schemes, we’re trying to filter out what we think we saw. The QB play seemed as erratic as it has been in the past. Matt McGloin, 22 plays, Paul Jones, 22 plays, Rob Bolden, 21 plays and Shane McGregor, 11 plays, saw the action. Combined the group completed 23 of 48 passes for 343 yards, 2 touchdowns and 5 interception, 3 by Bolden. The passing game was very simple and was somewhat successful with short passes. Where they had problems was throwing the ball down the field or in to tight spots. Overall, there seemed to very little difference in the top three guys so the competition will continue.

As far as the running game, Silas Read played only one series in the game. Read is a top notch running back and one of the best in the Big 10. With Read out of action it was tough to determine what you were watching. Overall, the offense rushed for 144 yards. Bill Belton, being converted from wide receiver/shotgun quarterback to running back rushed for a game high 52 yards. Fullback Zach Zwinak added 37 yards and a touchdown.

The receivers played well overall. Allen Robinson and Shawney Kersey led the team with 3 receptions each.

On the other side of the ball the defense collected 8 sacks to go with their 5 interceptions. The starting seven of Jordan Hill, DaQuan Jones, Sean Stanley, Pete Massaro, Mike Hull, Glenn Carson and Gerald Hodges appeared strong as a group. The defensive backs on the other hand were questionable. The DB’s and LB’s allowing 343 yards, mostly underneath, but did have the 5 interceptions and 8 sacks. There were times when it appeared the offense could run the ball at will.

That brings us to the offensive line, with only one returning starter. At times they looked good and at other times, looked adequate at best. They put up yards but they gave up sacks. They are surely a work in progress.

At the end of the day, the biggest concern still has to be the quarterback play. First of all, who will win the job? Secondly will they be better than they were last year? If the QB play isn’t better, the O-Line will need to improve quickly to allow Read and the running game to control the football. On defense, returning coaches Larry Johnson and Ron Vanderlindin will do a great job with their groups as they have for years. The DB’s need experience, depth and repetitions. All four starters graduated from the 2011 team. There’s experimenting going on there, with possible position changes to help in that area.

Summer workouts and Fall practice will be very extremely important in the growth of this team that returns 10 total starters. The season opener is September 1st against Ohio University at Beaver Stadium. They follow the opener with a game at Virginia, before returning home to play Navy and Temple before opening the Big 10 schedule.

It’s way too early to make any conclusions, however, our take-away from the Blue-White game is that there’s plenty of work to do.

Feel free to click the FOLLOW button on the bottom right of this page, input your email address and receive your Philly Pressbox posts directly in your email.

Philly Pressbox would like to thank our Sponsor, Shop.com. Feel free to click on the business card below and browse the store.

 

, , , , , , ,

Joe Paterno – The Final Football Chapter

In Joe Paterno on January 25, 2012 at 4:45 pm

There have been so many great things written about Joe Paterno this week following his passing and very few of them talked about the football coach. That in itself is truly amazing when you’re talking about the winningest coach in FBS history. This is a lengthy list but one I think that’s worth reading. His accomplishments over 61 years in Happy Valley will never be surpassed.

  • Donated more than $4 million to Penn State, and funded the school’s library.
  • College Football Hall of Fame – 2007
  • Most Wins – 409
  • Most Bowl Wins – 24
  • National Championships – 2, 1982, 1986
  • Undefeated Season – 5, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1986, 1994
  • Big 10 Championships – 3, 1994, 2005, 2008
  • Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year – 1986
  • AFCA Coach of the Year – 5, 1968, 1978, 1982, 1986, 2005
  • Walter Camp Coach of the Year – 3, 1972, 1994, 2005
  • Big 10 Coach of the Year – 3, 1994, 2005, 2008
  • George Munger Award – – 3, 1990, 1994, 2005
  • Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year – 3, 1978, 1982, 1986
  • Paul “Bear” Bryant Award – 1, 1986
  • Amos Alonzo Stagg Award – 1, 2002
  • The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award – 1, 2005
  • Sporting News Coach of the Year Award – 1, 2005
  • Most seasons as Head Coach at one university – 44
  • Years on the Penn State staff – 62
  • Beaver Stadium capacity in 1966 – 46,284
  • Beaver Stadium capacity in 2012 – 106,572
  • Winning Seasons – 38, one more than Bear Bryant.
  • 1st Team All Americans – 79.
  • National Football Foundation Scholar-Athletes – 16
  • First-team Capital One/CoSIDA All-Americans – 37
  • NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners – 18
  • 1st Team Academic All-American – 13 since 2006.
  • NFL Players – 350+
  • NFL 1st Round Draft Choices – 32
  • U.S, Presidents during his PSU career – 13 starting with Harry Truman
  • Since he became head coach in 1966, there have been 886 coaching changes at FBS schools.
  • Head Coaching Record – 409-136-3
  • Bowl Record – 24-12-1
  • The only coach to win each of the four major bowls—Rose, Orange, Fiesta, and Sugar—as well as the Cotton Bowl Classic, at least once.
  • Penn State won at least three bowl games each decade since 1970.
  • Fiesta Bowl Wins – 6, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1986, 1991, and 1996
  • Orange Bowl Wins –  4, 1968, 1969, 1973, and 2005
  • Outback Bowl Wins – 3, 1995, 1998, 2006
  • Cotton Bowl Wins – 2, 1972 and 1974
  • Citrus Bowl Wins – 2, 1993 and 2010
  • Alamo Bowl Wins – 2, 1999 and 2007
  • Rose Bowl Wins – 1, 1994
  • Sugar Bowl Wins – 1, 1982
  • Liberty Bowl Wins – 1, 1979
  • Aloha Bowl Wins – 1, 1983
  • Holiday bowl Wins – 1, 1989

THE PATERNO TIME LINE TO 704 GAMES – 409 WINS

ASSISTANT COACH

  • May 27, 1950 – Hired by Rip Engle to coach the quarterbacks.
  • September 30, 1950 – 1st game – Penn State defeated Georgetown, 34-14, before a crowd of 16,617 at New Beaver Field.
  • October 29, 1960 – Game #100 Penn State 34 West Virginia 13.

HEAD COACH

  • September 17, 1966 – Win #1. In front of a crowd of 40,911 inside Beaver Stadium a 15-7 win over Maryland. 
  • January 1, 1969: Penn State 15, Kansas 14; first perfect season, 11-0
  • September 26, 1970 – Game #200 Penn State lost to Colorado 41-23, snapping the Nittany Lions’ 31-game unbeaten streak.
  • January 1, 1970: Penn State 10, Missouri 3; second perfect season, 11-0
  • January 1, 1974: Penn State 16, LSU 9; third perfect season, 12-0
  • November. 6, 1976: WIN #100, Penn State 41, N.C. State 20
  • October 21, 1978 – Game #300. Penn State 45-15 Syracuse 15.
  • January 1, 1983 – Penn State won its first National Championship defeating No. 1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. 
  • November 22, 1986 – Game #400 Penn State 34 Pittsburgh 14.
  • January 2, 1987 – The Nittany Lions claimed their second National Championship with a 14-10 upset of then No. 1 Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.
  • September. 5, 1987: WIN #200 – Penn State 45, Bowling Green 19
  • January. 2, 1995: Penn State 38, Oregon 20; fifth perfect season, 12-0
  • September 23, 1995 – Game #500 Penn State defeated Rutgers in Giants Stadium, 59-34.
  • September. 12, 1998: WIN #300 – Penn State 48, Bowling Green 3
  • October 27, 2001 – WIN #324. In one of the greatest Penn State comebacks in Beaver Stadium history, the Nittany Lions rallied from a 27-9 deficit to defeat rival Ohio State  The win moved Coach Paterno past Alabama’s Paul “Bear” Bryant into the all-time victories lead in Division I college football history.
  • September 27, 2003 – Game #600 Penn State was upset 20-14 by Minnesota.
  • November 6, 2010 – WIN #400 at Beaver Stadium. Wins 100, 200, 300, 324 and 400 and 409 were all played at Beaver Stadium.  The game was the biggest comeback in Beaver Stadium history under Joe.  Penn State scored 35 unanswered points to overcome a 21-0 deficit to beat Northwestern 35-21. 
  • October 1, 2011 – Game #700 Penn State beat Indiana 16-10 in Bloomington.
  • October 29, 2011 – Win #409 Penn State beat Illinois 10-7 at Beaver Stadium. This would be the final game and final win for Coach Paterno. This was also Game #704.

, , , ,

LaVar Steps Up for JoePa!!

In Joe Paterno on January 24, 2012 at 10:10 am

Following is an interview done with LaVar Arrington yesterday that I wanted to share. Thanks to my friend Don for sharing it with me. I don’t know where it came from so can’t provide a credit. This says it all about Joe Paterno and the lessons taught to so many, even an emotional person like LaVar Arrington. Great job Joe and great job LaVar.

People have been asking about my feelings on this weekend’s passing of Joe Paterno. My phone has not stopped ringing with requests for interviews about Joe.  I know this will be a very long week for me. In a blog entry I posted after his last interview, I pretty much said my piece about my relationship with him and my thoughts on how he handled the scandal. I really thought I would wake up angry and upset today, ready to fight against what I feel took Coach down that final road of no return, but I didn’t. Instead of gearing up to lash out and let my emotions get the best of me for the second time, I actually woke up feeling a great deal of peace. I began recounting so many times I heard that loud distinctive voice directing and teaching. I started envisioning all the funny little moments, like when I use to smack Joe on the behind at team meetings and say, “Good day to be a Nittany Lion coach!”

 I remember the pregame speeches. Boy could he deliver a pregame speech. There are so many moments yesterday evening and this morning that I’m recounting about my time at school with him. I remember one time he sent for me to come to his office. At the time that was a scary invite, and I was right; my grades had started to slip after I became a “superstar” and he got into me pretty good about it.

The reason why I feel peace about Joe’s passing, is because all that Joe was is what I represent today and will pass on to my children. People may try and tear down his legacy. They will attempt to turn Joe into something he was not because of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. I waged war on the Penn State board of trustees because in my opinion they allowed this to happen. 

My focus was misguided. I should’ve approached the coaching search the way Joe would have — with grace and thoughtfulness. I made a terrible mistake when I said I was done with Penn State. I let frustration and anger guide my actions. But today my focus is not about attacking those who wish to say or do things to try and tarnish his legacy or ours. It’s not even about defending him in the media every day. Joe’s work speaks for itself. Through it all, he maintained the man that he was and even when he had one last chance to open fire on those who sacrificed him, he didn’t. I realize it’s our actions, in how we live our lives and impact others, that will forever tell the true story of Joseph Vincent Paterno.

Today I’m rededicating myself to strive to work harder, to be better — a better husband, a better dad, a better son, a better role model. Today I will carry the lessons taught to me by the great people who have graced my life and work to be better.

 The biggest tribute I can give to Coach Paterno is taking all that I’ve learned from him and apply it in my life. I, too, someday will cease to exist on this earth physically, but to know that my good works impacted someone so much that they would speak of me the way I speak of my former coach today, that’s the best way for me to honor the man who for three years taught me in his own way what it took to be a man.

 Thank you so much for being a great example, Joe. I will keep your memory alive as I too am not a perfect man, but yet and still a man. That means I can admit when I’ve made a mistake. I will protect and provide for my family, I will never yield standing on my spiritual, moral values and principles. Most important, I will always keep God first in the things that I do in my life.

 I didn’t see Joe much after I left school, so selfishly a small part of me will continue on as if he is still around just enjoying retirement. I hope in some way, maybe he is.

 Take care, Joe.

Sincerely,

LaVar Arrington, Class of ’99. We are Penn State.

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My JoePa Story – WE ARE PENN STATE!!!

In Joe Paterno on January 22, 2012 at 11:47 am

 I’m very saddened by the turn of events in Coach Joe Paterno’s health. This is such a sad day for all Penn State fans and followers. At the time I was living and coaching high school football in Florida. I had the opportunity to meet coach for the first time in 1994 when I took my first player to the Penn State football camp through Tom Bradley, who has become a friend over all these years. A few years later I had the opportunity to take my son, Billy Furman, and his friend Greg Adkins into the football building and have a picture taken with Coach that I later got signed and have cherished. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was going to take the picture of Billy, Greg and Coach when Joe said to me, “Coach, do you want to get in the picture?” Of course I did, so he had a staff member take the picture so that I could be in it too. What a great moment! (I have the photo posted on my Facebook page, Philly Pressbox). I had the opportunity to meet Coach several other times over the years but the most exciting time was actually over the phone. It was 2001 and Penn State was again recruiting one of our players, Wayne Dickens, who ended up going to Auburn. Wayne was being recruited by Bob White and Larry Johnson and Bob had called me at my office to check on Wayne’s recruiting status. At that time Bob said, hang on a second Coach wants to talk to you. I proceeded to talk to Coach Paterno for 15 minutes. During that time we talked about everything except for football for the first 13 minutes. He wanted to know how my family was doing, how it was in Florida and of course how the weather was. We spent the last 2 minutes talking about Wayne and his recruitment to Penn State. It was a great time to be talking to someone who you think you’ll never have an opportunity to actually feel like you’re spending time with other than a handshake. I only met Coach once after that but those memories will never be forgotten.

The two other things I will remember most about the impact Coach Paterno had on me was the people who I met that were directly impacted by Coach. The first year I went to the camp I took one of our players, Keydrick Vincent, to the camp. Keydrick was 6’5” and 340 lbs at the time so obviously you could see him. He ended up going to Ole Miss and playing in the NFL for 10 seasons. When we were on the small plane between State College and Pittsburgh on the way back Matt Suhey was on that plane. When we got to Pittsburgh Matt waiting for us to get off the plane and spoke to us for 10 minutes. He spoke about his PSU experience and about his experience with the Bears and playing in the same backfield with Walter Payton. When Matt walked away I remember Keydrick saying, “Oh my God that was Matt Suhey of the Bears and he’s the coolest guy I ever met”. Talk about impact on an 18-year-old. I know Keydrick never forgot it through his years in the NFL. I also have had a chance to meet John Cappelletti on various occasions. Cappy is always talking about the values he learned from Coach and PSU. I’ve become friends with Adam Taliaferro over the last few years. Most people know Adam’s story but don’t know the person. Adam credits Coach Paterno, his parents and Penn State University for his success as an attorney and involvement in many charitable groups. Adam wants to and is going to make a difference in people’s lives. The list goes on and on but I think the way the PSU football staff handled themselves says all that needs to be said. Anything less than be a first class professional when dealing with high school coaches and players was unacceptable. Coat and tie when visiting high schools was mandatory but the actions and the impression about what to expect academically and in college life was put ahead of what to expect on the football field. The final impact that I feel is the actions of the PSU fans either at home or on the road. There is nothing like a road trip to Beaver Stadium for a football game with all out tailgating. It’s an event like no other. If you’ve never been part of it you have no idea what you’re missing. Visitors can come to Happy Valley, walk College Avenue and go to any local establishment and know they’re going to have a good time and not have to worry about the actions of fans. When the massive Penn State road show heads out everyone knows they’ll be first class fans. It is all a part of the foundation that was laid by Coach Paterno as he built the football program and the university over 45 years as head football coach.

Coach proved that the Grand Experiment can work. Quality athletes can be great people as well as great athletes. Many have become very successful in their personal lives outside of football because they were good students who were held to academic standards like every other student. Coach Paterno led the charge that made 10’s of thousands proud to say “WE ARE PENN STATE”.

Last on this list but surely the reason he was able to build the program he has is his 409 career wins, more than any other major college football coach. Coach really didn’t care about all of records. As far as he was concerned it was important to him how it affected his players and his coaches and fans. Being able to brag that you were a Nittany Lions fan was a special place to be. Whether you were in Gator Country, Seminole Country, Alabama, Tennessee or anywhere else in the country a PSU conversation always led to every fans respect for Joe Paterno as a great coach and a great person who coached college football the right way.

Coach, you will be missed by all of Penn State fans and all fans around the country.

FOR THE GLORY!!

WE ARE…….PENN STATE!!!!