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Feature Pages:
[ Updated Wednesday, April 24, 2002 ]
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Linebackers don't play in football's trenches, but that hasn't stopped the fiercest battles for playing time happening at the position this spring.
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Welcome to Joe Paterno's doghouse. Population: Chris McKelvy.
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Matt Senneca is, by your definition, the ultimate loser. But he wasn't always.
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[ From Tuesday, April 23, 2002 ]
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Omar Easy had few opportunities to show off his football skills during his career at Penn State. But he showed enough talent to earn himself a second chance -- in the National Football League. |
[ From Monday, April 22, 2002 ]
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It was one-sided, sloppy at times, and in the long run, will mean nothing. Yet, none of that really seemed to matter to anyone on the field or in attendance.
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For a lot of players the best part of the Blue-White game is that when it ends, Spring practice is over.
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The Penn State secondary intercepted as many passes during the Blue-White game Saturday as they did all last season. |
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The option was not a viable option Saturday. |
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[ From Friday, April 19, 2002 ]
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Tomorrow at Beaver Stadium, teammates will try to knock each other up and down the field; players will switch teams in the middle of a game; and a game will take place that has absolutely nothing to do with the standings. |
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Where have you gone, LaVar Arrington? A campus turns its lonely eyes to you. What's that you say Mr. Paterno, there is hope at Linebacker U? |
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When asked about the reasons for the Penn State football team's turnaround last season, the first thing any fan would mention would be the play of quarterback Zack Mills. |
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If only everyone could be as lucky as David Carr. Carr, the former Fresno State quarterback, is a lock as the No. 1 overall pick in this weekend's NFL Draft by virtue of a seven-year contract signed Monday with the expansion Houston Texans. |
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My Opinion: Chris Korman
[ From Friday, March 29, 2002 ]
Sit down, Joe.
You've had all winter to reflect on last season, and now, finally, it's back to spring practice.
You've had all winter to reflect on last season, and now, finally, it's back to spring practice.
[ From Thursday, March 21, 2002 ]
Returning to a football field near you: the Penn State team that actually had a bit of a swagger and even intimidated other teams.
At least, that's the way Joe Paterno would have it.
At least, that's the way Joe Paterno would have it.
[ From Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2002 ]
Imagine that you are a Woodland Hills High School football player who has no chance of making it to a Div. I college program.
[ From Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2002 ]
Former Penn State football standouts Kim Herring and Tyoka Jackson will be on the field during Super Bowl XXXVI, making it the 32nd time in Super Bowl history a Penn State alumus has played for the NFL title.
[ Updated Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2002 ]
The official highlights video of Penn State's 2001 football season, "Year of 324," will be available on Feb. 1.
[ From Friday, Dec. 7, 2001 ]
This August, everyone wondered how the Penn State football team would respond after its first losing season in 12 years. No one could have guessed it would respond the way it did.
[ From Monday, Dec. 3, 2001 ]
All signs pointed towards it. A trip to a late December bowl game seemed inevitable for Penn State.
Zack Mills finally showed he was just a freshman.
Virginia was playing to win, not to salvage a lost season or try and ruin Penn State's bowl chances.
It wasn't supposed to end this way for Penn State's 18 seniors.
My Opinion: Brian McDonald
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Fingers point to weight room practices when Nittany Lions struggle
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[ From Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2001 ]
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Confidence breeds victory -- or does victory breed confidence? At Penn State, there hasn't been a shortage of either during the second half of the season.
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For the first month of the football season, becoming bowl eligible was almost a joke at Penn State.
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[ From Monday, Nov. 26, 2001 ]
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Is it purely for purposes of drama? Why does the Penn State defense torture us so? Why does it allow scores of yards per game yet somehow come up with the right plays at the right time to pull out invigorating victories?
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Those who have seen 6-foot-1, 249-pound Michigan State tailback T.J. Duckett in action have said at times, he appears to be running "downhill."
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Anyone who expected to see Matt Senneca lined up under center for the entire game, raise your hand.
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My Opinion: Brian McDonald
[ From Saturday, Nov. 17, 2001 ]
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It's a special thing to play football at Penn State, for a coach like Joe Paterno, in front of 100,000 people every Saturday when the Nittany Lions play at Beaver Stadium.
Today, the seniors of this season's Penn State football team will get their last chance to relish the experience.
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Antwaan Randle El excels in return to natural position
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Put Zack Mills in a room with 100 people for a couple of hours, and you can be sure that not all of them will know his name at the end of the afternoon.
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In a sense, when head coach Joe Paterno looks at Cam Cameron, he sees himself.
When quarterback Zack Mills looks at Antwaan Randle El, it's like he's peering into a mirror.
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Don't walk on the big 'S' in the locker room. Avoid it at all costs. Because if you do, Anthony Adams will find out, and you'll be forced pay the consequences.
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He stands in the tunnel and waits for the football team to arrive at the stadium. Same place, same time, same matching jacket, T-shirt and hat. The slogan on all three is the same. Grandpap of No. 47 Gino Capone.
[ From Friday, Nov. 16, 2001 ]
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Tomorrow may be the wackiest, fun-filled, exhilarating Senior Day to ever unfold at Beaver Stadium.
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Indiana football coach Cam Cameron has made some good decisions in his tenure with the Hoosiers. Playing his star player, Antwaan Randle El at wide receiver earlier this season was not one of them.
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A high ankle sprain will likely keep starting quarterback Zach Mills from action.
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My Opinion: Jeff Rice
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Everyone thinks they know why the Indiana offense is such a well-oiled machine.
But if you said Antwaan Randle El, you're wrong. |
Collegian sports writers pick the winners of this week's football match-ups
[ From Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2001 ]
The Penn State football team is running out of chances. With its loss to Illinois this past Saturday, the Nittany Lions will have to win out to be bowl eligible.
[ From Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2001 ]
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Well, the Nittany Lions aren't undefeated in the "second half" of their season any longer. Saturday's 33-28 defeat at Illinois ended Penn State's inspired three-game win streak, though, with a few exceptions, the loss didn't have quite the same feel as the team's first four.
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[ From Friday, Nov. 9, 2001 ]
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It's safe to say at this point in the season that Illinois is the Rodney Dangerfield of college football.
They get noooooooo respect.
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| R.J. Luke is a little more excited to be playing Illinois tomorrow afternoon than most of his Nittany Lion teammates. |
It's not surprising that the Illini are 7-1 and in serious contention for their first outright Big Ten title since 1983.
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The Penn State special teams players don't get much attention, but they deserve a lot for what they've done already this season.
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My Opinion: Jeff Rice
[ From Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2001 ]
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Zack Mills has gone from unknown backup on an 0-4 squad to the hottest player on a team that has won three straight and has Nittany Lion fans in an uproar.
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The Fighting Illini have only one loss on the season, a 45-20 drubbing by Michigan, and beat Purdue handily last Saturday.
Bend but don't break — that's been the credo of Penn State defenses for years. The Nittany Lions would surrender opponents plenty of yards — until they reached the red zone.
[ From Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2001 ]
Joe Paterno told his team the whole time that they would be good. Even after starting the season with four losses. Even after the Nittany Lions got off to the worst start in school history.
[ From Monday, Nov. 5, 2001 ]
A 38-20 victory paved the way to a three-game winning streak.
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There's a trio of Penn State football players who put out a quite a decent product Saturday against Southern Mississippi. And it wasn't baby powder or Band-Aids. It was big plays.
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The blue-collar former fullback started at tight end in John Gilmore's absence and excelled.
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It was his last Homecoming game and Bob Jones wanted to make it a memorable one. The senior defensive end wanted a third win for his Nittany Lions team that has come back from an 0-4 start.
My Opinion: Brian McDonald
[ From Saturday, Nov. 3, 2001 ]
When people think of the elite Big Ten passing teams they think of names like Michigan State, Illinois and Wisconsin. After today they may come to think of Penn State.
[ From Friday, Nov. 2, 2001 ]
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Shawn Mayer does the big things. He does the small things. For the Penn State secondary, Mayer does almost everything.
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The biggest attraction of the entire weekend is Saturday afternoon's gridiron clash that usually pits the beloved Lions against a somewhat inferior foe (although the Lions have a somewhat more formidable foe this year).
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Hattiesburg, Miss., has a hold on Jeff Bower. Southern Mississippi's 47-year-old football coach just can't seem to get away from the place.
[ From Thursday, Nov. 1, 2001 ]
In the last five years, Southern Mississippi has won at Alabama, Illinois, and Georgia. The Eagles and their coach would like to make one thing clear: this is not an underdog team.
[ From Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2001 ]
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Matt Senneca, don't give up hope just yet.
You know that meeting you had with coach Joe Paterno on Sunday where you came away thinking that Zack Mills is the team's starting quarterback from now on? Well, guess what. You were wrong.
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My Opinion: Adam Gorney
[ From Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2001 ]
They're still 2-4, not 2-0. But you wouldn't know that from talking to the Penn State Nittany Lions, who are in high spirits after their second win in as many weeks.
[ From Friday, Oct. 26, 2001 ]
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If Paterno beats Ohio State tomorrow at Beaver Stadium, he'll put the final touch on his lengthy résumé — win No. 324.
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It was last season, the Ohio State football team was pounding Penn State into submission and were comfortably leading the game by more than 30 points.
Enough about Matt Senneca and Zack Mills already. Both deserve to play and it doesn't matter which one starts against Ohio State. In a nutshell, that's what coach Joe Paterno has said all along about the "quarterback controversy."
My opinion: Jeff Rice
[ From Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2001 ]
The mood has changed, a new seven-game season has started and the Nittany Lions football team is back.
At least that's what coach Joe Paterno and his players are saying.
[ From Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2001 ]
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Penn State's thrilling come-from-behind victory at Northwestern last weekend was a thing to behold for Nittany Lion fans, but Wildcat patrons had to be sick to their purple stomachs.
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My opinion: Chris Korman
[ Updated Monday, Oct. 22, 2001 ]
Evanston, Ill. — That huge gust of wind that blew through Northwestern's Ryan Field on Saturday wasn't the traditional blast of air that usually pelts the Chicago suburb of Evanston. No, it was the collective sigh of relief that came from the Penn State football family.
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Evanston, Ill. -- A Northwestern sports information assistant said it best as Joe Paterno left his post-game news conference after he tied Paul "Bear" Bryant's all-time wins record with a 38-35 victory. "He's just awesome," she said as Paterno walked out of the media room.
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Evanston, Ill. – He doesn't say much, but when Zack Mills speaks, people listen. The redshirt freshman was silent for most of the game, but with 1:39 left against Northwestern, the quarterback finally spoke up.
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Evanston, Ill. — Zak Kustok wanted this one badly. The Northwestern quarterback did everything within his power to beat Penn State. Kustok ran for three touchdowns, threw for another, rushed for 115 yards and passed for 298. His numbers would've earned his Wildcats team a win any other time in the Big Ten.
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My Opinion: Brian McDonald
[ From Friday, Oct. 19, 2001 ]
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It's starting to get to the point where the Penn State football team's 2001 year is beginning to resemble a broken record rather than an actual football season.
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The Nittany Lions will be in Evanston, Ill., this weekend, a place where wide receivers stretch the field as far as the eye can see, where opposing defenses had better not blink, or Northwestern will be in the end zone.
Northwestern's new spread offense has worked well for the Wildcats, especially for running back Damien Anderson.
Coming into this season, several Big Ten teams were undecided with who they were going to play at the quarterback decision. But Northwestern is not one of those teams.
My Opinion: Jeff Rice
[ From Thursday, Oct. 18, 2001 ]
The retirement rumors buzzing around Penn State football coach Joe Paterno are funny. At least he says so.
[ From Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2001 ]
A bye week is usually looked forward to, especially for a team that has struggled in the first few weeks of the season.
But the Penn State football team is sick of not playing every Saturday.
[ From Friday, Oct. 12, 2001 ]
Coach Joe Paterno has held rigorous practices the past two days in hopes of ironing out some of his squad's problems, after giving his players a two-day rest that coincided with the university's fall respite.
[ From Thursday, Oct. 11, 2001 ]
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Joe Paterno is receiving letters these days that never came in the past. When the Penn State football team was winning, Paterno got fan mail about his Nittany Lions teams.
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[ From Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2001 ]
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Michigan shut out the Lions for the first time at home under Paterno.
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This was supposed to be the year the 74-year-old Joe Paterno eclipsed Paul "Bear" Bryant's record of 323 NCAA Division I-A victories.
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Mills held back by rest of offense in first start.
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When it looked across the line of scrimmage last Saturday, the Penn State defense had to be glad to see Anthony Thomas finally absent from Michigan's backfield.
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Tired of hearing they were the team's weak link, the members of Michigan's defensive line took it upon themselves this season to make the transformation from pushovers to powerhouses.
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My opnion: Brian McDonald
[ From Friday, Oct. 5, 2001 ]
Joe Paterno and the Penn State Nittany Lions need a win. Badly. Unfortunately, this weekend's opponent is not exactly the kind of team you would want to face while struggling.
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Joe Paterno plans to mix things up, play some true freshmen and try to find something that works for the Penn State football team.
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David Royer worked non-stop this summer and has become the player Paterno has called the one bright spot on the Penn State football team after three games.
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Lions refuse to hold offense responsible for early problems.
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My opinion: Jeff Rice
[ From Thursday, Oct. 4, 2001 ]
There will be two agendas on the football field Saturday when Michigan and Penn State meet at Beaver Stadium
[ From Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2001 ]
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Still lacking production from their offensive big guns, the Penn State Nittany Lions turned Saturday and looked elsewhere for a playmaker.
Enter the fullback, Sean McHugh.
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It's going to be another tough weekend for the Penn State football team. Especially if coach Joe Paterno's comments on No. 15 Michigan hold true.
[ From Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2001 ]
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The Lions continued with their poor ground game by gaining 33 yards on 27 carries.
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Sometimes the game is decided by the ones who aren't on the field for more than five minutes all day. The ones who kick, or punt, or return or fly down the field like Kamikaze pilots after the ball carrier.
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Sometimes the game is decided by the ones who aren't on the field for more than five minutes all day. The ones who kick, or punt, or return or fly down the field like Kamikaze pilots after the ball carrier.
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[ From Monday, Oct. 1, 2001 ]
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Oh-and-three?
Doesn't have a pretty ring to it, but for the first time since 1983, that is the Penn State football team's record.
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IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Chalk up Iowa strong safety Bob Sanders as another one that got away from coach Joe Paterno and Penn State.
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Penn State goes 90 yards in 18 plays to sustain its longest drive of the season.
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IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Woody Hayes is rolling over in his grave.
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[ From Friday, Sept. 28, 2001 ]
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Lions hit road in hopes of elusive first win.
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This has been one lousy start to a season that was supposed to be — at least in the team's mind — a complete 180-degree turnaround from last year.
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Iowa coach has brought program back from the dead in three short years.
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Just like earlier in the season when the Nittany Lions had three weeks off between the Miami and Wisconsin games, Iowa will come off a 21-day stint without playing.
My opinion: Jeff Rice
[ From Thursday, Sept. 26, 2001 ]
Sometimes journalists and analysts are dead on with their observations. But other times their opinions are pretty obscure and don't carry much weight.
It's a matter of execution for the Penn State football team. Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, not much has been getting done.
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You could say Kyle McCann came into his own last year during the Penn State-Iowa game. You could say that, but the Hawkeyes' quarterback probably wouldn't agree with you.
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[ From Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2001 ]
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The critics and naysayers are scrambling out of the woodwork.
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Joe Paterno isn't going to take this lying down.
[ From Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2001 ]
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Penn State tailbacks Omar Easy, Eric McCoo and Larry Johnson are three of the best in the Big Ten. Unfortunately for Penn State, its offensive line hasn't been much help to them in the Nittany Lions' first two games.
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If you plan on watching Penn State's contest with Iowa this Saturday, you better grab a team roster before you turn on the tube.
When college football resumed last weekend, the Heisman Trophy front-runners picked up right where they left off.
My opinion: Chris Korman
[ From Monday, Sept. 24, 2001 ]
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In a sense, Penn State was lucky to come out of Saturday's game with Wisconsin with an 18-6 loss.
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Penn State's rushing and passing games both fail to get going.
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You wouldn't know it by looking at the final score or statistics, but there were times in Penn State's 18-6 loss to Wisconsin on Saturday where the Nittany Lions actually had the Badgers right where they wanted them.
[ Updated Saturday, Sept. 22, 2001 ]
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Hampered by a three-week break, the Lions played a sluggish football game from the opening kick-off on their way to a second consecutive loss, 18-6.
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[ From Friday, Sept. 21, 2001 ]
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Joe Paterno hit the nail square on the head earlier this week. The 74-year-old coach said this is an extremely awkward time to be an American.
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Wendell Bryant turned 21 last week — an age not usually considered "old" for a college football player. But to Big Ten offensive linemen, it seems as though he's been around forever.
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Some time ago, a wise football sage came up with the adage that speed kills. It certainly does. The Penn State football team can attest to that.
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Tom Williams has waited for this chance. For the Penn State linebacker, it hasn't been an easy road.
[ From Thursday, Sept. 20, 2001 ]
It's finally a game week for the Penn State football team.
After three weeks of practice, an idle week and a postponement, what coach Joe Paterno called a second pre-season, the Nittany Lions are ready to get back to action.
[ From Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2001 ]
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Joe Paterno had tears in his eyes when he addressed the Penn State football team after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. last week.
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It's been a long time since the Penn State football team played its last game.
[ From Thursday, Sept. 13, 2001 ]
The Penn State-Virginia football contest has been rescheduled for Saturday, Dec. 1 at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va., after the tragic events in New York and Washington, D.C. earlier this week.
[ From Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2001 ] The Penn State football team suffered more than a bad loss Saturday night against No. 1 Miami.
Sure, they lost. But they lost to the No. 2 team in the nation.
[ From Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2001 ] Beaver Stadium felt the Hurricanes a blowin'.
| Adam Taliaferro made his most important run out of the Beaver Stadium tunnel Saturday night before the Penn State-Miami football game. |
When opportunity knocks, you had better answer.
| He nearly pulled a Thurman Thomas. |
[ From Friday, Aug. 31, 2001 ]
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Although the bookies may tell you otherwise, tomorrow night is Penn State football coach Joe Paterno's first chance to pick up his 323rd career win that would tie Bryant for the most all-time Division I-A coaching victories.
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Miami offensive linemen Bryant McKinnie and Martin Bibla played high school football right in Penn State's backyard. But Nittany Lions football coach Joe Paterno couldn't get either to play in Happy Valley.
Was 2000 a fluke, or a sign of things to come?
How do the Nittany Lions compare to challenges from Indiana, Purdue, Minnesota and Iowa?
[ From Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2001 ]
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The Penn State football team has its game plan pretty much worked out for Saturday night's showdown with No. 2 Miami.
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Homer Simpson said it best — "I saw this in a movie about a bus that had to SPEED around the city, keeping its SPEED over 50, and if its SPEED dropped, it would explode!! I think it was called, "The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down.'"
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Back when Penn State began playing football in the Big Ten in 1993, everyone thought the conference was going to become the Big Three — the Lions, Michigan and Ohio State — Plus Eight.
The Miami football team has been aching for Saturday night's contest with Penn State since Sept. 18, 1999.
[ From Monday, Aug. 27, 2001 ]
The Penn State football team isn't overreacting. After an awful 5-7 performance last season, the Nittany Lions don't plan on changing the game plan or starting from scratch.
[ From Friday, Aug. 24, 2001 ]
The Baltimore Ravens showed it last year. A team with a great offense may get more attention, but a team with a great defense will go far.
David Royer never had big crowds at his high school football games. The junior punter said that if a few hundred people showed up at his Penns Valley H.S. games, he would constitute that as a good-sized crowd.
Have you missed the boys on ESPN Gameday? Are you jonesin' for a shot of Lee Corso putting something stupid on his head and contradicting Kirk Herbstreit with one of his patented, "Not so fast, my friends"?
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For the Penn State football team to be successful this season, three things need to click: Offense, defense and special teams.
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[ From Thursday, Aug. 23, 2001 ]
If you're flipping through the Penn State media guide or a Beaver Stadium game day program this year, don't be fooled when you get to the player profile on junior cornerback Bryan Scott.
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The Penn State football team has three very good tailbacks. Now it just might be a matter of how many carries the Nittany Lions offense can get each of them.
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Matt Senneca will not wow you with his arm. He won't make five guys miss and rip off a 20-yard scramble on third down. And Penn State's new quarterback probably won't be at the Downtown Athletic Club in December for the presentation of the Heisman Trophy.
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Consistency. One of the benchmarks of any good football team. One of the missing elements of the 2000 season for Penn State's offensive line.
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When opposing quarterbacks line up across from Penn State's defense this year, it may see a shade of green mixed in among the Nittany Lions' traditional blue and white uniforms.
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If a couple of trees fall in University Park, do they make a sound?
The Penn State fullbacks are going to love their jobs this season.
Aug. 21: Paterno plans stay beyond Nittany Lions rebuilding year
Aug. 21: Wake joins storied tradition of Linebacker U.
Aug. 21: Wideouts looking to step up
Aug. 21: Big Ten's loss of power threatens Rose Bowl run
Aug. 21: Big Ten's loss of power threatens Rose Bowl run
Aug. 21: Vanderlinden's linebacking unit still hasn't impressed Paterno
Aug. 1: Football Hall of Fame to induct former Lion
July 16: Old rivals return to schedules
June 25: Paterno receives Founder's Award
| 2001 S C H E D U L E | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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*Homecoming
Archives
- 1996 Season (11-2), Fiesta vs. Texas (W)
- 1997 Season (9-3), Citrus vs. Florida (L)
- 1998 Season (9-3), Outback vs. Kentucky (W)
- 1999 Season (10-3) Alamo vs. Texas A&M (W)
- 2000 Season (5-7) No postseason.
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Records and Stats
- The JoPa countdown to 324 wins is over.
- Penn State and the National Polls
- Penn State Bowl Game Results
- Penn State vs. the Big Ten
- Division I-A Perfect Regular Seasons (since 1966)
- Former Nittany Lions in the NFL
- Penn State in the Pro Football Draft
- Fun facts about the team
- Penn State NCAA Records
- Penn State Team Records
- Penn State Offense Records
- Penn State Defense Records
- Penn State Special Teams Records
External links will open in a new browser window.
Please report dead links to: collegian@psu.edu
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