Thoughts on Penn State's open practice session

Well, this is more like "Thoughts on (what other people are saying about) Penn State's open practice session."

There’s a practical orgy of information and reports coming out of Penn State’s open spring practice session this past weekend. Some of those reports were positive, and others not so positive. I wasn’t there, so I won’t go into speculating how the team looked, nor am I going to look too deeply into depth chart changes—everyone knows it will change drastically between now and the fall, when suspensions and injuries are settled. But there were a lot of interesting nuggets involving the player rotations and performances.

From Phil Grosz, BlueWhite Illustrated:

"Cedric Jeffries was at the "Fritz" OLB position… Tony Davis has been moved from free safety over to left corner."

Is Joe Paterno so dissatisfied with Lydell Sargeant’s play that he’s moved Davis back to his old spot? The Jeffries move to OLB could signal that Paterno is willing to keep Rubin at the safety spot opposite Anthony Scirrotto—why, I have no idea. Hopefully, guys like Nick Sukay and Chaz Powell are playing well enough that the coaches don’t want to keep them buried in the depth chart in 2008.

Grosz:

"First team offensive line:
LT - Gerald Cadogan
LG - Rich Ohrnberger
C - A.Q. Shipley
RG - Stefen Wisniewski
RT - Dennis Landolt"

I’ll admit I’m surprised Wisniewski cracked the starting lineup this early. Sure, he saw plenty of action in 2007, but this could be a huge leap for the true sophomore.

Grosz:

"Linebacker sets:
OLB - Ty Sales
OLB - Bani Gbadyu
ILB - Josh Hull"

We all knew Gbadyu would go in for the tweaked Lee, and I’m not too surprised to see Sales getting the starting nod—the charges being dropped, and all. But what strikes me the most is Hull jumping over Chris Colasanti at the ILB position. Hull played well the latter part of 2007, highlighted by his bowl performance, but Colasanti was everyone’s shoe-in for the ILB job in 2008. This could change, but it’d be nice to have this spot solidified by April 19.

Grosz:

"I want to make a comment about what I saw with the offense and then we'll close this down until Monday when we'll set up a chat and talk about what we saw at today's practice sesson.

Penn State is running a true multiple-set offense.

Here is an example of the formations they ran in today's practice session: 'I' Formation, Shotgun with a single-back and surprised also with a Pro set with Williams positioned at one of the split backs in the pro set, 'Off-set I', and every type of formation from the shotgun.
They were really as multiple as I've ever seen them in the past."

Don’t take too much stock in this. Every year, we’re told that Penn State has really turned the corner when it comes to offensive sets and playcalling. Every year, none of it matters. Who cares if you saw Derrick Williams taking a snap from the shotgun with five other wide receivers on the field? (That didn’t happen; I’m exaggerating to make the point) Penn State will still run the majority of its offense from the I-form or single-back sets. There’s nothing wrong with that either.

From Scott Cole, FightOnState:

"1. A.J. Wallace has become a much more aggressive cornerback. He was making quick breaks on out routes, intercepting one and almost picking off another. He also showed more physicality than we have seen in the past. He was not afraid to stick his nose in there on running plays."

Ok, that sounds outstanding. Penn State corners have had to get in receivers’ faces for years, and Wallace is showing he can do it. However…

Cole:

"3. Derek Moye looked like the real deal. His size created problems for every CB who tried to cover him. He has soft hands as he made grabs deep down the sideline where he badly beat Wallace and over the middle on a slant, both from Devlin."

So the Wallace high just came crashing down. After Michigan 2005, Penn State should never, EVER be beaten on a slant route again.

Cole:

"6. It's not hard to see why the linebacking corps is so good each year. Ron Vanderlinden is very much a teacher in the way he conducts drills. He never raises his voice. He merely points out what a player did wrong and explains how to correct the problem in future. He takes a very positive approach to coaching, preferring to pump a kid up rather than kick him in the butt.

In addition, I noticed both Sean Lee and Tyrell Sales helping Bani Gbadyu and Nate Stupar when their group was not up in the rotation. Sales was showing Stupar how to complete his drops into coverage better. It's this kind of mentoring that shows up on Saturdays when guys get their first chances to play."

Penn State lost a lot of talent in Dan Connor and Justin King. Even the lost of Rodney Kinlaw hurt much worse than any one ever though it could. But this Penn State team has something that’s been missing since 2005—vocal leadership. Lee, Williams, and Shipley have all been at the helm since the team got back from San Antonio. For some weird reason, Penn State isn’t a program that operates well under a quiet, cool leader. Penn State needs guys like Mike Robinson, Alan Zamaitis and Paul Pozlusnzy. I think they’ve found their leaders for 2008, and if they’re as good as those from three years ago, Penn State should be riding high sooner than later.

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The Blue-White Roundtable :: Spring Practice 2008

ZN was kinda, sorta invited to participate (finally) in the BWR--I was sent an email by Nittany White Out about their RT, which was followed up by BDS's email that they were already going to do one this week. I was sent that email also. So whether it was intentional or now, here I am, with the special spring practice edition of the Blue-White Roundtable. Here is the list of bloggers taking part in the BWR.

Black Shoe Diaries
The Nittany Line
There Is No Name On My Jersey
William F. Yurasko
Tangled Up In White and Blue
The Big Eleventh
The Nittany Notebook
Run Up The Score
Nittany Whiteout


Let’s start with the ugly news. Chris Baker, Chris Bell, Phil Taylor, Knowledge Timmons, and Navorro Bowman are all sitting out the spring practice sessions. What impact will this have on the 2008 season?

-After Summer workouts begin, not much. Even with the guys who aren’t on the Spring roster, most of them will return and play. Remember what happened last season, when Quarless got nabbed and then played three games into 2008. Joe wants to win, and he’ll let these guys back. Luckily for the team, they’re all upperclassmen. It might work out for the best, giving the younger guys more time going against the first teams.

Would you move Sean Lee to middle linebacker like Paul Posluszny in 2006 and Dan Connor in 2007?

ZN: Never. I’m still not exactly sure why Poz made the move, but unlike Dan Connor—a MLB coming out of high school—Lee has always been a true OLB. With guys like Chris Colasanti ready to burst onto the scene, there’s no reason to take Lee away from his natural position.

If Lee stays on the outside, who would you start at the other outside linebacker assuming Bowman is out of the picture?

ZN: No one will like this, but Hull will make the start against Coastal Carolina. Watch out for Bani Gbadyu, though, as he really came on the last few games of 2007.

Which position on the field is our weakest link?

ZN: Right now, it’ll be the defensive line. But if all of the injuries heal up before June, and PSU gets back at least half the guys in trouble, this won’t be a problem. That being said, in the fall it will be the kick return coverage. The coaches have to start playing first-stringers on kickoffs and punts, or you’ll have more Illinoises and Purdues in 2008.

Who is your pony in the quarterback contro…uh, competition?

ZN: This is a cop-out, but I’m saying Joe breaks down and plays both, ala Florida 2006. Again, Joe wants to win, badly, and if he was willing to study Texas for Mike Robinson, he might just look at some of Urban Meyer’s tapes from the season he won it all.

Name three players that absolutely have to step up their performance this spring?

ZN: Andrew Quarless… This is his chance to put everything behind him. If he wants to even get a sniff at the draft, he needs to play like a man possessed. It’s been a long time since someone with his measurables has played for the Lions. Lydell Sargeant… He lost his job after the Ohio State game, and now has the chance to slide back into the starting job. That doesn’t mean he deserves it. If he can step in front of a few key passes (and actually catch them, unlike Justin King) he’ll earn the position. And finally, The Quarterbacks… I’m really selling out on this two-headed quarterback thing. I really think that if both Devlin and Clark play lights-out this Spring, Joe will be forced to get them on the field together.

Lightning Round

Who is your pick to win the Red Worrell award given to the offensive player that shows the most improvement during spring practice?

ZN: Gerald Cadogan.

Who is your pick for the Jim O’Hora award given to the defensive player that shows the most improvement?

ZN: Josh Gaines.

Your 2008 team captains are…?
ZN: Lee, Shipley, (definite) and Butler (not so definite, maybe Williams)

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The Whore has a brain, after all

Brian over at MGoBlog probably hit the nail on the head better than anyone I've heard so far, including Penn State fans.

"Andy Moeller was the Jay Paterno of Michigan's staff, and the transition away from his grand mismanagement is going to be a brutal one."

This is the first comparison of the two I'v heard or read, and for some reason, it's so clear now. Both Moeller and JayPa were trying so hard to make their "system" work, that it became a glob of ineffective offense. The interesting point in all this is that JayPa and Moeller had completely different styles--Jay claimed his was more of a spread (even though it wasn't) and Moeller was nearly allergic to the shotgun. I'm sure there's much more interesting stuff to talk about today, but I don't feel like digging for it.

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State College's finest at it again

When one Penn State student was issued a jaywalking ticket this week, it must have been like getting hit by a b-- er, ooh, wait.

Not that I want to inundate the Web with this story, but I feel this is just so outrageous, I can't let it go. You've most likely read about the Penn State student who was hit by a vehicle while trying to catch a CATA bus on W. College Ave. Then, while in the hospital, the officer who responded to the scene issued her a jaywalking citation. What a royal jackass.

I promise, this won't take long. If there were a small-town equivalent to the Bush-Cheney administration, it would be the State College Police department. It's almost as if their sole mission is to generate as much revenue as possible from tickets and citations, mainly given to college students--students who are the singular force behind the central Pennsylvania economic structure, and keeping these low lives employed. I can't tell you how many times I was ticketed less than five minutes after a College/Beaver Ave meter expired.

Here's another great one from the SCPD: I was driving down W. College Ave, and got to the intersection with Blue Course Drive. While waiting at the light, a maroon Dodge minivan traveling Southbound on Blue Course proceeded to make a U-turn at the intersection. A police cruiser was DIRECTLY BEHIND THIS VAN. Remember that, it's important later in this story.

So my girlfriend and I were kind of laughing that the cop didn't even notice this person making an illegal U-turn (a moving violation). Just as the van finished the turn, our light turned green. We made the right onto Blue Course, not too far from the van. Then, the cop actually makes the same U-turn as the van, and started to speed up. Obviously, he was going to finally make the traffic stop and nab the van's driver. NO! He pulled me over, and in a condescending tone asked me if I knew U-turns were illegal. I was ready to flip a shit on this guy, but I simply told him that the van that was right in front of his eyes made the turn, and that it's probably too far gone to do anything now. Thankfully, he believed us. To this day, I don't know what that cop was looking at. All I know is that if the rest of the SCPD is as alert as this winner, we're all in trouble.

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BCS Conference Strength

What better way to pass the time than dissecting other bloggers' dissection of college football? As we are only ankle-deep in the 2008 football season, there's not much to talk about other than roster changes, a few sprinkles of info from Spring practices, and maybe a "Our conference is better than yours" argument or two. And that's where we have it. Even though it's not really defending or attacking a particular conference, Bears Necessity made quite a splash with its Which Conference Proved They Were the Strongest? post this week.

"The Big 10 did not defeat a single team above .500 from the big conferences. Not one. Not any. No no no."

I realize that this post was about OOC schedules. Fine. But the entire argument is null and void if you don't include bowl games to the OOC opponent list. Michigan beat Florida and Penn State beat Texas A&M, both teams coming in with .500+ records. I know, teams don't plan who they'll play in the bowl, but don't those games count towards which conference is better? OK though, I'll go along with the regular-season OOC games only. But what about other conferences, like the Pac-10?

"...both USC and Arizona St. had two weak schedules this year, but at least the Trojans had to go on the road for two of them (and the Nebraska game did seem like a toughie to begin with)."

Oh, so it's OK for USC to not completely blow the doors off (not right away, at least) of Nebraska because the Huskers were supposed to be better? Naha. If you want to play that card, then you have to give Penn State credit for playing a Notre Dame team coming off of two straight BCS appearances, 10-win seasons and was supposed to finish somewhere around 6-6. Or what about Ohio State's win over Washington in Seattle? The Huskies were 2-0, just off upsetting Boise State. At that point, they were supposed to be a decent team, possibly in bowl contention. If you're going to make an argument, first be careful how much ammo the other side has.

"After LSU beating Virginia Tech, no other team defeated a Division I opponent with more than eight wins. Again, the SEC’s accomplishments were internal (beating up on each other) rather than external (11-1 against the Sun Belt! POWER LEVEL RISING!)"

Finally! Someone outside of the Big Ten calling out the SEC for playing glorified high school teams OOC. I don't care what the SEC schedules are like in 2008 (many more teams are traveling a good distance for OOC BCS games), the SEC has still been the absolute worst conference when it comes to playing OOC games away from the Confederate States of America.

"Florida State had to go to Boulder (and won), play the Tide (and won) along with getting beaten by the Gators. Thanks to their glorious past, the Seminoles will not be having any light schedules anytime soon."

Colorado lost to Iowa State, Alabama and let Nebraska torch them for 51. (Even though CU won 65-51) Alabama lost to Louisiana-Monroe... 'nuff said there

"Cal beating Tennessee was mighty impressive, but it’s always tougher to go into SEC country and win it. South Florida took advantage of Tiger mistakes and blasted their way to victory. Cincinnati obliterating Oregon State was a close 2nd."

This was part of the Big East analysis, but of course a Cal win over an underachieving Tennessee team was "mighty impressive" according to this Cal homer. But for South Florida, the win at Auburn was one of the most underrated games in 2007. At first, everyone was shrugging it off as a fluke. Then USF got to No. 2, and lost to Rutgers. Out came the "Ah ha! I knew they were fake!" arguments. No, and no again. The Big East will never gain respect for what its done the last few years. I can't really explain it. It's just one of those oddities in college football that will never be solved. But now for the topper:

"...the Big 10 looks like a total embarrassment in terms of the opponents they face. It’s almost hard to believe why they’ve performed so badly during BCS season–they never look totally prepared for what’s coming to them."

Fared so badly, indeed. The Big Ten has sent seven different teams to the BCS: Ohio State (4-2), Michigan (1-3), Illinois (0-2), Wisconsin (2-0), Penn State (1-0), Iowa (0-1), Purdue (0-1). The SEC has had only six different teams represent the conference in the BCS: LSU (4-0), Florida (3-1), Georgia (2-1), Tennessee (1-1), Alabama (0-1), Auburn (1-0). The Big Ten is 8-9, while the SEC is 11-4. But if the SEC is so wonderful--not saying that the author of Bears Necessity is saying the SEC is better; it's just the most common conference comparison in football, BT vs. SEC--then why hasn't it sent more teams to the BCS on a regular basis? With 12 teams, you'd think there would be a different pairing every year, like the Big Ten had in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007. (OK, I know, Illinois shouldn't have been there, but they were, so shut up about it already) And if you want to throw a little dirt in their Johnny Reb eyes, just bring up the whole Georgia beating Hawaii thing from last season.

No conference is better than the other. You can't gauge something like that in college football, when teams rarely play common opponents, never mind playing teams from Division I-A. But it sure is fun to argue, isn't it?

- - - -

Just a side note, RUTS just brought it to my attention that Penn State has released its official Spring 2008 roster. I'll take a look at it and give some thoughts.

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Will Penn State go both ways in '08?

Penn State must chose between two very good quarterbacks in Spring practice. Can Daryll Clark or Pat Devlin pull ahead and take the job, or will Joe Paterno get them both on the field in 2008?

Sports Illustrated's college football page lead story today is Penn State's quarterback battle, along with other tidbits about Spring practice in Happy Valley. But hey, it's an AP story, so it is more of a "well, what else are you going to tell us that we already knew?" story.

Not all that long ago, ZN had its own breakdown of the impending quarterback battle at Penn State, and even though it's now outdated and I'm somewhat tempted to take another look at the situation, I'm going to hold off on this one until after Spring practice is over.

When was the last time the Penn State quarterback position wasn't clear going into Spring practice? After Zack Mills went ballistic against Ohio State in 2001, everyone knew he would be the guy, regardless of what Mike Robinson had to offer a year later. Mills came and went, leaving Penn State fans divided on whether it should be Robinson, or that strong-armed kid, you know, what was his name again? Oh yeah, Anthony Morelli. But that didn't last past December workouts. Robinson was the senior, so he was the starter. Through Spring practice, no one was debating who would be the starter. In an even less competitive quarterback race--actually, there was no real chance for the incumbent to be defeated--Morelli took the held immediately following the Lions' 2006 Orange Bowl victory.

Not so clear these days.

Penn State has two passers that can move. (Devlin is underrated as a scrambler, while Clark is a demon with the QB-draw) Both candidates are nearly equal in talents, and right now either could land the job. But why is it so important for Penn State to chose just one quarterback going into 2008? Florida won a national championship on the shoulders of Chris Leak and Tim Tebow. Although Joe Paterno isn't nearly as adventurous as Urban Meyer, an arrangement similar to Florida's 2006 team would give Penn State a distinct advantage over opponents: the defense cannot make its call until the ball is ready to be snapped. We saw it used with great effectiveness in the Alamo Bowl win over Texas A&M, and I wouldn't doubt it if the Penn State coaches are salivating at the prospect of having two, even better, quarterbacks on the field in 2008.

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Cell blogging today

This is really not as easy as everyone makes it out to be. But I guess we all must sacrifice. After all it's spring practice time, and we're steaming towards the most overrated football event of the year- -the Blue White Game. I'm probably going to just wait till later to do a "spring special" post, as this is taking unbearably long to type on a phone key pad. Check back for more on spring practice and why the Blue White Game is meaningless.

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Here's My Story

A (very brief) look at the man behind the blue and white Web page.

Even, after spending a good several months writing professionally, I won’t be the first one to say I’m a “veteran” journalist. But I did learn a few things. One, that a common “work week” is never less than 50 hours; Two, that people will absolutely hate your guts; Three, that people will then turn around and be your best friend, when it suits their agenda; Finally, that no matter how hard your work, or how good you are at what you do, you’ll never make a lot of money being a journalist. Don’t take that the wrong way. Writing books, making TV appearances and giving a speech or two to a group of students will always grab you some extra dough. But unless you’re working at ESPN, SI or other major sports news outlets, you’re not going to have a lot of time to do those other things I mentioned.

There is a funny aspect to all of this. Like most other careers in a capitalist economy, the more you make, the less you do. It’s no different in sports journalism.

When you’re trying to make it for yourself in this business, you’ll do anything to get your name out there. That means you’ll cover anything, any time, anywhere, usually with little or no reward, other than logging one more clip into your record. I wasn’t willing to do that. No; not after seeing people like Jeff Rice and Jenny Vrentas go from The Collegian to lucrative careers with the CDT and Newark Star-Ledger, respectively. Don’t get me wrong. I like them. I’ve never met them, so I don’t have anything to go on, but I don’t care either way for them. To me, they’re just products of the system we’re in.

I was a music major through my sophomore year at PSU. I then realized that you have to be wealthy to be a music major. I wasn’t wealthy, so I switched to a major that required little financial burden—journalism. Yes, that magical discipline, in which you only need a note pad, a pen, and maybe a digital recorder for $49.95. Compare that to what I needed to start my music performance major: Instrument (Euphonium), $5,500; Instrument maintenance/equipment, $300; Sheet Music, $50 per week; and most costly of all, practice time: 6-8 hours per day, minimum. You can’t hold a part-time job when you’re stuck in the basement of Music Building II for 40 hours per week. So, I switched.

It was a really good feeling when I graduated only one semester late. I could even say I graduated in the year I was supposed to. But that joy was short lived. I was soon working for my father (home improvement business), helping one of his friends flip a house in Paramus, NJ. (Remember, at that time, the housing market was still OK.) Meanwhile, other students were working for papers, news stations, and other actually journalism jobs. When Jeff Rice first started at the CDT, getting the PSU football beat the moment he stepped into their building, I realized my dream was doomed. I would never become PSU’s beat writer in the home-town paper every fan reads on game days. Oh well, poor me.

So I got a job with a paper in VA to pass the time. My beat was local government and civic events (basically homeowners’ associations meetings and grand openings of prestigious businesses like SUBWAY). The closest I got to covering sports was a few higher-profile high school games in the area, as the paper didn’t even really have a sports page outside of what I threw together as an experiment. My now-fiancé graduated from PSU in 2005, and was already down here teaching, which all worked out for us job-wise in the end.

Then I got real sick from my Crohn’s Disease, needing a Laparoscopic Ileocolic Resection at Mount Sinai in NYC. So I was out of work from the paper, with no health insurance (I was still on the company’s “probationary” period, which meant no benefits yet) and no income for more than a month. That was fun. Now, $75,000 later and still not back up to my starting weight of 162 lbs before the summer, I’m at a new job working for Loudoun County Public Schools. Unfortunately, one of the worst things for Crohn’s Disease is stress, and being a no-name journalist comes with a lot of that.

That’s where this blog comes in. I know, I took the longest possible route to get to my point, sorry. The beauty of today’s society is that anyone can strike gold at any point. No, I’m not going to quit my job and try to live off of Zombie Nation. That’s just plain idiotic. But why kill myself so that maybe, just maybe I get my résumé noticed by some paper or station in PA that needs a PSU beat reporter? Unless you’re someone like Rice or Vrentas, or don’t want any kind of life outside of your budding career, you’re doomed down the path I once thought promising.

This leads me back to the “system” we’re in. There are a few necessities that will land you the sports-writing job of your dreams: start early, and get in good with the right people. I cannot stress that first point enough. That’s actually my whole point. I didn’t start early enough. I remember walking into the Collegian offices in James Building for my interview/tryout. I said I wanted to cover PSU football. I’m surprised they didn’t just burst out laughing at me right then and there. The two editors at the time basically told me that I wasn’t next in line to cover PSU football, so I had no chance. Nice. So that’s how real newspapers are run, seniority over performance? Maybe I was working in another universe, but performance is everything in journalism. Apparently, the Collegian’s “club” mentality takes the former approach.

What was once a nice little writing career crashed and burned (partially my fault, but mostly not). So now I’m left with a regular 40-hour-per-week job and a nifty little sports blog on the side. That doesn’t exactly put me above the dozens of other whipper-snappers who think they know more about PSU football than the next guy. But I’ll be the first to admit that being a sports writer isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It’s very nice to dream of working for the ESPNs, SportsIllustrateds and CDTs of the world, but we have to remain grounded and realistic. Yes I would still take one of those jobs in a heart beat. I’m not that much of a hypocrite. Joe Paterno has told the media a thousand times that he stays in it because it’s fun. Being a sports writer is no different. I wasn’t having fun at a local paper in northern VA. So I got out. I might try to get back in someday, maybe if I end up in PA. But for now, I’ll just leave it to the ones who are willing to sacrifice so much to make it in that world.

*Well, you made it to the end. Thanks for reading.

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Thursday, March 20, 2008 PPD (Post-Pryor-Decision)

There you have it folks. It's done... finished! I know, I sound way too excited considering Ohio State just got the top-ranked recruit in the nation yesterday, a top recruit hailing from Pennsylvania, no less. But it's not all that horrible. I'm not going to go into a big long rant about how he's overrated and a criminal. No, I'm going to actually give you two reasons why we Penn State fans shouldn't view this as the end of the world.

Pat Devlin/Daryll Clark... I realize that a kid like Pryor is always worth nabbing, but with two very good quarterbacks on the roster, ready to start, what is there to worry about. I'm not necessarily saying the Devlin/Clark route is a better one than Pryor. But how does anyone know that Pryor will win a national championship in year one? How many NCs did Vince Young win? But that's besides the point. When Devlin de-committed from the Miami Hurricanes--remember, at the time, they were three years removed from a NC appearance and four away from a NC win--to play at PSU, we were cheering it as a major coup, and that he would lead this program to the next level. I'm still standing by that. I believe that you will see Devlin on the field this September. That's not to say Clark won't be there with him, though. The coaches have finally figured out how to use two quarterbacks, even if it was against a fair Texas A&M team. Trust me, until PSU plays OSU in 2009, you'll forget about Pryor quicker than you think.

Pryor wouldn't have played... And he sure wouldn't have been good in the slash role Michael Robinson played in his first three seasons. If Pryor didn't start as quarterback right away, you wouldn't have seen him until 2010--as a junior. You can't tell me that he wouldn't have been redshirted and then sat behind Devlin/Clark. I'll take this so far as to say OSU will even redshirt him in 2008. If you have a talent like Pryor, you want to keep him around your program as long as possible. Todd Boeckman will get his AARP card next week, and played better than Troy Smith did in his junior year. Sweatervest won't waste Pryor as a backup or "change-of-pace" quarterback in 2008.

I might want to add more to this later, or not. I'm not sure yet. But for now, that's all I have to say. Good luck, OSU--not against PSU, however. Kick some Wolverine ass this season, and every season. Let's hope PSU can finally do the same.

"AP Story On Pryor's Decision:

JOE MANDAK
The Associated Press

JEANNETTE, Pa. - Oregon was too far away. Penn State was too rural. Michigan was a close second.

Terrelle Pryor, the highly touted western Pennsylvania prep quarterback, announced Wednesday that he will play for Ohio State next season.

The 6-foot-6, two-sport star , flanked by his parents, two younger siblings and some of his coaches , made the announcement on the auditorium stage at Jeannette Senior High School near Pittsburgh, where Pryor had one of the greatest prep careers in Pennsylvania history.

"If everyone's here," Pryor said to start the news conference, "University of Ohio State." He then unzipped his windbreaker to reveal an Ohio State T-shirt and donned an OSU hat. His parents, Craig and Thomasina, also revealed Ohio State shirts.

Pryor, considered by many scouts to be the top-rated unsigned high school recruit in the country, said he couldn't go wrong with any of the four schools he considered.

But he said the car trip for his family to games in Columbus, Ohio, is shorter than the flights they would have to take to Oregon. Penn State was too "countryside." And, despite a last-minute push by new Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez, Pryor decided Ohio State is best for him, even though senior Todd Boeckman is the entrenched starter and Pryor felt he would have a chance to start as a freshman at Michigan.

"I can learn from a senior," Pryor said. "And whenever I can get in on some plays, I can make something happen."

Pryor said he didn't make a final choice until Wednesday morning.

When he told Tressel, the coach said, "Welcome to the family."

As for his final call with Rodriguez: "He was still recruiting me, giving me lines," Pryor said. "Coach Rod did his job. He's gonna be a great coach; he is a great coach. He'll make stuff happen (at Michigan)."

Pryor called a Feb. 6 news conference to announce his choice, but then said he hadn't chosen a school after all.

Tressel said he was impressed by that, given that Pryor was trying to help his high school basketball team to a state championship and was mulling conflicting advice from his friends and family.

Tressel said Pryor felt like "there's a whole bunch of people that are very important in my life who think I should give this some more thought. He respected them and he loves them. So I think he's grossly misunderstood."

Pryor's advice to other recruits: "Pick early, you don't want to go through it."

Asked about advice from his father and others, Pryor said simply, "I'm an 18-year-old kid and I feel like a man. I gotta make choices for myself."

One person noticeably absent Wednesday was Charlie Batch, the backup Steelers quarterback and family friend who advised Pryor. Pryor said the former Detroit Lions starter, who played at Eastern Michigan in college, was pushing Michigan.

Batch was in Hawaii during the announcement.

"He's up right now, texting me actually. I mean, he's cool with my decision," Pryor said. "He's just trying to see which one would be, for me, better to get in the NFL."

Pryor brushed off local talk show criticism about his image stemming from his nonannouncement last month, and a scuffle earlier this month between some Jeannette players and another team after a recent state playoff game.

"I'm not worried about none of that," Pryor said. "I think the football field will speak for itself. I mean, that's why you are here, right? Whether I was a bad kid or not, you are still here."

Pryor said he doesn't seek attention. "Ask my teammates, ask anybody around here. That's not how I am. I don't like being in the spotlight at all. I didn't ask to be number one in the country."

Ohio State signed 19 players last month and had been holding a 20th scholarship for Pryor.

Pryor is the only Pennsylvania player to both rush and pass for at least 4,000 yards in football. He also scored 2,285 points in basketball. Pryor doesn't plan to play college basketball because he said it will interfere with his goal of becoming a top-flight quarterback.

"I mean, we just want to work hard and do whatever we can to help Coach Tress get over that little hump he got , that little championship losing two years in a row," Pryor said."

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Sales arrested, maybe I'm bad luck

Tyrell Sales was arrested this weekend. I'm really getting sick of this. More later.

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Heading up to the SC today

I'll be back writing tomorrow... from good ol'PSU. There will be plenty of time to vent from the hotel room (Days Inn, of course), and betweend Nittany Lion Inn stuff (wedding) and looking at houses (like, moving there stuff). So let's hope it goes well, and check back the next few days.

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Freaking just commit already! God!

Next week, I'm going to say the school I'm going to, sign it and get it over with,' Pryor said after getting 23 points and eight rebounds to lead his team to a 76-72 overtime win over Strawberry Mansion in the Class AA title game." - Associated Press.

I'm not going to be pessimistic about this the way most everyone else is right now. You know what, sure, Ohio State has the best shot at him. Many are pointing out that he hasn't taken an official visit. But why does that mean he doesn't know what PSU has to offer? I'm quite sure he's been there plenty of times. He knows Tom Bradley, and has a really great relationship with him. We'll see, but regardless of what I'm hearing, I'm going to remain optimistic.

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It's the Bowden bashing hour, brought to you by Foot Locker

Mike over at BSD tore Bobby Bowden a new one, after EDSBS took the initial swing at the legendary FSU coach. All I have to say is Bowden had it coming sooner or later. Wrote Mike of BSD:

"This is a common practice in these southern schools. They are only supposed to sign no more than 25 kids in any one recruiting class. But every year there's Alabama taking 32, Auburn taking 30, LSU taking 26. This year Florida State granted scholarships to 30 kids. Inevitably someone has to get cut. So you start hearing stories about kids being declared academically ineligible. Or suffering mysterious injuries that cut their career short. Or in this case, fifth year seniors who are basically asked not to come back."

Read the original letter sent by former FSU lineman Geoff Berniard's girlfriend to Larry Williams, of the Post And Courier in Charleston, SC. The letter explained how the Bowden family is following a disturbing trend--win at any cost, even if you ruin some people's lives along the way.

But let's take a different angle on this. I'm not going to get on Bowden's case today. I've done plenty of that, and usually focus on his wins at Samford--they count towards his career wins record, even though Joe's were all at a major program like PSU.

Where I'm going with this is PSU's recruiting efforts in recent years. Every one's been bashing the coaching staff for the last two hauls in '06 and '07. The loud minority fan base, which has cried for a top-ten class every year, says that PSU won't win championships by awarding fewer than "the other" do. Mike mentioned earlier that SEC schools usually sign between 25 and 30 recruits... each season. Maybe that's the reason SEC schools usually rank so high on the recruiting class lists. These coaches--in this case, when I say "SEC" I really mean most southern schools--offer kids a scholarship, with nearly no guarantee that they'll remain on scholarship if the on-field performance isn't up to par. That's just plain bullshit. You offer a kid to play for your team, and if he doesn't pan out, tough luck for you, not him. The coaches should never encourage a kid to leave school, just to save a freaking scholarship for next year's recruiting class. Bowden--and by Bowden I mean his whole staff, since he's responsible for their actions--has now fell into the "SEC" category of coaches. Mike's take was hardly as sweet as mine:

"Like I said before, in a way I was glad Joe Paterno broke his leg in 2006. It delayed him from entering the College Football Hall of Fame by one year. If you remember, he was supposed to enter the Hall alongside Bobby Bowden and they were both going to share the stage. I'm glad Joe didn't have to share anything with that fat jerk. The only thing these two men have in common is a lot of wins on the football field. Outside of that, the two programs could not be any more different."

That's just it. Penn State is nothing like Florida State. To many sportswriters and "experts" lump the two schools together all to often. Why, because the two coaches have been around forever and racing to see who could finish with the most wins? Sure, but that's the one and only connection between the two schools. How many times has Florida State played Penn State? Three times. Wow, I'm impressed. Bowden was forced to play PSU in the '70s because West Virginia always played PSU. I don't see FSU scheduling PSU anytime soon. Actually, I don't see FSU scheduling any living, breathing opponents anytime soon.

Let FSU die its slow, painful death. It'll be good for college football. The age of cheating and under-the-table deals is gone in this sport. I'm not being naive. I know there's still wheeling and dealing every hour of every day. But a program like Florida State--rulers of the late '80s and the entire 1990s--needs to go to rehab after its 15-year high. Penn "Mr. Boring Straightedge" State might not be as exciting or fun. PSU is surely not the life of the party in college football, but if you consider what Joe Paterno and his coaches have done for the last 50 years, it's a feat no other school could fathom doing. How many times has PSU been on probation in the Paterno era, or any era for that matter? NONE. Penn State wins with honor.

Oh, and if you didn't get that Foot Locker reference, go look up "Florida State," "Foot Locker," and "1993."

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Change those bookmarks!

ZN's new home: http://www.ZombieNationPSU.com

No more ".blogspot.com" for this college football blog. So make the changes to your bookmarks and such. But just in case, the old blogspot address will easily redirect you to this new domain name. Thanks.

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Beaver Stadium was ALWAYS bigger than Michigan Stadium, but now it'll be official

I just can't tell you how happy this makes me. The Michigan Daily had the story this morning:

"The University has reached a settlement that ends the lawsuit over Michigan Stadium's accessibility to disabled fans - and, for the time being, will end the Big House's reign as the largest football stadium in the country."

But, oh, there's more:

"Because wheelchair-accessible seats take up about 12 times as much space as normal seats, the changes will also drop the stadium's seat capacity from 107,501 to an estimated 106,201 for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. That will make Michigan Stadium the second-largest football stadium in the country after Penn State University's Beaver Stadium, which holds 107,282."

I was fortunate enough to work for the Penn State All-Sports Museum in the Beav'. And I can tell you, one of the first things we told visitors on tours into the stadium was that Michigan Stadium allowed their fans two inches less per bleacher seat. If Penn State was to reduce its bleacher seat space allotment to that of Michigan's, Beaver Stadium's capacity would skyrocket upwards of 126,000. But that's not all:

"Engineering graduate student John Nanry said he thought the Big House "might lose a bit of its personality if it's not the biggest," but added that Penn State's Beaver Stadium already felt bigger because it traps sound better than Michigan Stadium."

Well, there's at least one intelligent human being in Ann Arbor. I've been to two games in Michigan Stadium--2002 and 2005. Although those two losses were the most painful in my enitre tenure with the Blue Band--attending every single home and away game for four years--I was struck by the fact that Michigan Stadium had no spark to it. The crowd noise is funnelled up and out, the view of it from the street is less than spectacular or intimidating, and it's cramped... reeeeally cramped. So Mr. Nanry was absolutely correct, and I applaude him for being honest. Beaver Stadium outshines "The Pig House" any day of the week, and will continue to do so, even after it's $226 million face lift.

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Blackout later today

ZN will be temporarily down later tonight--probably starting at 10pm--for a little while. I'll be making my first pathetic attempt to switch over to ZN's new home. I'm not anything close to computer-savy, so this may not work the first time. Or the second time... So bear with me. Thanks.

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PSU AD Curley: No Timetable on Paterno

Penn State AD Tim Curley said at a presser today that there's no timetable on Paterno's exit.

Q. Joe (Paterno) is going into the last year of his contract. Are you looking to get something done in terms of extension or plan for the future?

"We're just visiting in the off-season and when we have something to report, we will. We don't have any specific timetables. We've had some calendar issues in terms of getting together. Those will be resolved. We've already met once and will continue to meet and keep our discussions going."

Q. What about the women's basketball program? Obviously they had a tough ending of the year. What are your thoughts?

"I've been really pleased with the transition with Coquese (Washington) and her staff. Obviously, the last part of the calendar didn't work in our direction. I really just see good things there. We're all frustrated it didn't end on a better note. Everything I can tell, she's got the makings of everything we thought she could do when we hired her."

Q. You said you met once with Joe. Can you go into any detail?

"No, I really don't want to go into detail. We indicated we'd get together and we have since that last time we talked. Those discussions are going to continue. Once we feel like we have something to report, we will at that time."

Q. Is it important to get something done by spring practice?

"I don't think there's any deadline that's super imperative right now. Obviously when spring practice starts he gets pretty tied-up and pretty focused, but I wouldn't put a deadline on it."

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Go to hell, CFN

It's happening again. Remember last spring, when everyone was saying that 2007 would be "the year?" You know, when Beano Cook said Penn State could win the National Championship? Well, it's starting already for 2008. I love PSU football, and deep down, I believe every year is a good chance to go undefeated. But to be so premature is just rediculous. In the quest for the most hits, CollegeFootballNews has jumped at the chance to proclaim PSU has a great chance to go bowling in Pasadena next January. The last time PSU went undefeated when it was supposed to was in 1994.

Spring Practice Begins: March 24 Game: April 19
The early spring buzz ... All the talk is about everything other than football. The off-the-field stuff has taken center stage with WR Chris Bell and starting DT Phil Taylor suspended because of academic issues. DT Chris Baker and LB Navorro Bowman were booted off the team for the time being after being charged with felony assault after a fight last fall, with CB Knowledge Timmons being charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct for a problem after the fight. Top safety Anthony Scirrotto agreed to a plea bargain after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of defiant trespass in an issue last April. If that wasn't enough, everyone is talking about what the succession plan is going to be after Joe Paterno decides he's done, while the Nittany Lion nation continues to hold its breath as it hopes beyond all reasonable hope that super-recruit Terrelle Pryor will sign and be the 2008 starting quarterback.

When was the last time PSU started a true freshman quarterback? Ummm. Exactly. I know the coaches and the school want to win, and soon, but there's hardly a chance Pryor would play. I think he would gladly take the redshirt, if he was promised to see playing time next to Devlin in '09 and '10. But who knows what he'll do. I sure don't.

The big spring question is ... Is there a ceiling on the 2008 team? The 2007 team blasted Wisconsin and collapsed against a motivated Michigan State, but for the most part it beat the teams it was supposed to, and lost to the better teams (Michigan, Illinois and Ohio State). The offense needs more pop, the defense needs to play up to its talent level game-in-and-game-out, and for a full sixty minutes, and there can't be any gaffes. It's all about gearing up for a huge midseason stretch with four road games in five weeks (Purdue, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Iowa) after a home date against Illinois. The home oasis? Michigan.

When was the last time PSU beat Ohio State in the 'Shoe. Ummm. My parents were newlyweds and Grease was the newest box office hit. Unless PSU plays out-of-this-world better, and OSU plays way below its potential, there's at least one win PSU won't get. And as I've said before, this will be just another "if-we-can't-beat-Michigan-this-year" for the ump-teenth time. So, yet again, it will all come down to Michigan.

The most important position to watch is ... Quarterback. Anthony Morelli was the poster boy for Underwhelming Quarterbacks of America, but he wasn't bad and led the way to a few good seasons. Can Daryll Clark make the offense more exciting? Yes. Can he throw? No. Pat Devlin could quickly take over the No. 1 spot if he's consistent this spring, but Clark, because of his mobility, is an X factor. The team might live through his mistakes to go with his personality and potential.

Even though Paterno has no real loyalty to either quarterback right now, I think you'll see Devlin as the "starter" with Clark as the "starter II." Everyone, including me, loved the wrinkle PSU threw in by having Clark run the ball ala M-Rob style. The bigges