November 24, 2009

Making the Grade

Penn State won't finish No. 1 in the polls, but it is leading the pack in the classroom.

ESPN The Magazine selected its Academic All-American teams, and the Nittany Lions got three players named to the first team. The only other program to have more than one player on the first team was Texas, and it had two.

Linebacker Josh Hull, long snapper Andrew Pitz and center Stefen Wisniewski represented Penn State on the first team. Eight Big Ten players were named to the first team or second team, meaning the Lions made up almost half of the conference's honorees.

It's the second straight season Hull and Pitz were named to the first team and Wisniewski moved up from second-team honors last year. Wisniewski was also named first team All-Big Ten by the media and coaches on Monday.

Punter Jeremy Boone was also selected to the Academic All-District team.

With the trio's selections, Penn State has had an Academic All-American for eight consecutive seasons. Looking even further back, the Lions' 47 Academic All-Americans of all-time places them first in the Big Ten and third in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

-Wayne

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November 23, 2009

Big Ten Reveals All-Conference Picks

The Big Ten released its All-Conference selections by both the coaches and the media on Monday, and Penn State earned its fair share of honorees.

Here are the "____ of the Year" winners:

Offensive Player of the Year (coaches and media): RB John Clay, Wisconsin
Clay has compiled 1,224 rushing yards and 13 TDs with one game still left in the regular season
Defensive Player of the Year: DT Jared Odrick, Penn State (coaches) and LB Greg Jones, Michigan State (media)
Jones posted 141 tackles and Odrick had 10 sacks
Coach of the Year: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Led the Hawkeyes to a 9-0 start and a possible BCS bid
Freshman of the Year: LB Chris Borland, Wisconsin
The frosh notched 51 tackles with 7.5 tackles for loss
Offensive Lineman of the Year (coaches): Bryan Bulaga, Iowa
Defensive Lineman of the Year (coaches): Odrick

The Coaches' First-Team Big Ten Picks
Offense:
QB-Daryll Clark, Penn State
RB-Evan Royster, Penn State
RB-John Clay, Wisconsin
WR-Eric Decker, Minnesota
WR-Blair White, Michigan State
C-Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State
OG-Dace Richardson, Iowa
OG-John Moffitt, Wisconsin
OT-Bryan Bulaga, Iowa
OT-Dennis Landolt, Penn State
TE-Tony Moeaki, Iowa
K-Brett Swenson, Michigan State

Defense:
DL-Adrian Clayborn, Iowa
DL-Brandon Graham, Michigan
DL-Jared Odrick, Penn State
DL-O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin
LB-Pat Angerer, Iowa
LB-Greg Jones, Michigan State
LB-Navorro Bowman, Penn State
DB-Tyler Sash, Iowa
DB-Amari Spievey, Iowa
DB-Brad Phillips, Northwestern
DB-Kurt Coleman, Ohio State
P-Zoltan Mesko, Michigan

The Media's First-Team Big Ten Picks
Offense:
QB-Daryll Clark, Penn State
RB-Evan Royster, Penn State
RB-John Clay, Wisconson
WR-Tandon Doss, Indiana
WR-Keith Smith, Purdue
C-Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State
OG-Justin Boren, Ohio State
OG-John Moffitt, Wisconsin
OT-Bryan Bulaga, Iowa
OT-Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
TE-Garrett Graham, Wisconsin
K-Brett Swenson, Michigan State

Defense:
DL-Adrian Clayborn, Iowa
DL-Brandon Graham, Michigan
DL-Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue
DL-O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin
LB-Pat Angerer, Iowa
LB-Greg Jones, Michigan State
LB-Navorro Bowman, Penn State
DB-Tyler Sash, Iowa
DB-Donovan Warren, Michigan
DB-Sherrick McManis, Northwestern
DB-Kurt Coleman, Ohio State
P-Zoltan Mesko, Michigan

You can see the Second-Team selections, honorable mentions and more here.

Here are Penn State's honorees:
First Team Coaches
Offense:
QB-Daryll Clark
RB-Evan Royster
C-Stefen Wisniewski
OT-Dennis Landolt

Defense:
DL-Jared Odrick
LB-Navorro Bowman

Second Team Coaches
Defense:
LB-Sean Lee
P-Jeremy Boone

First Team Media
Offense:
QB-Daryll Clark
RB-Evan Royster
C-Stefen Wisniewski

Defense:
LB-Navorro Bowman

Second Team Media
Offense:
OT-Dennis Landolt

Defense:
DL-Jared Odrick
LB-Josh Hull
LB-Sean Lee
P-Jeremy Boone

-Staats

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The Collegian's 2009 All-Big Ten votes

The Big Ten Network will air the All-Big Ten Football Selection Show tonight at 8, so in anticipation of that, we'll chime in with our own selections. Unfortunately we don't have a vote, but here are our picks anyway:

All-Big Ten Team

QB- Daryll Clark, Penn State
RB- John Clay, Wisconsin
RB- Evan Royster, Penn State
WR- Keith Smith, Purdue
WR- Blair White, Michigan State
TE- Garrett Graham, Wisconsin
OT- Bryan Bulaga, Iowa
OT- Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
G- Justin Boren, Ohio State
G- Jon Asamoah, Illinois
C- Joel Nitchman, Michigan State

DE- Brandon Graham, Michigan
DE- Adrian Clayborn, Iowa
DT- Jared Odrick, Penn State
DT- Cameron Heyward, Ohio State
LB- Greg Jones, Michigan State
LB- Pat Angerer, Iowa
LB- Navorro Bowman, Penn State
CB- Amari Spievey, Iowa
CB- Chimdi Chekwa, Ohio State
S- Kurt Coleman, Ohio State
S- Tyler Sash, Iowa

K- Brett Swenson, Michigan State
P- Zoltan Mesko, Michigan

From putting together the team, it is clear that the amount of talent on defense is exponentially better than the talent on offense in the conference. Clark earned the QB nod with his four-touchdown performance at Michigan State, and while there could also be debate along the offensive line and at receiver, there aren't many All-American caliber players here. The injury to Minnesota receive Eric Decker certainly hurts as well.

Defensively, arguments could be made for Wisconsin DE O'Brien Schofield, Purdue DE Ryan Kerrigan, Ohio State DE Thaddeus Gibson, Indiana DE Jammie Kirlew, Penn State LB Sean Lee, Ohio State LB Ross Homan, Minnesota LB Lee Campbell, Northwestern CB Sherrick McManis and others, but there are only 11 spots. And that's why the official teams have a second team.

Award Picks
Matt Brown
Offensive Player of the Year: John Clay, RB, Wisconsin
Defensive Player of the Year: Navorro Bowman, LB, Penn State
Freshman of the Year: Adam Robinson, RB, Iowa
Coach of the Year: Jim Tressel, Ohio State

Matt Fortuna
Offensive Player of the Year: Daryll Clark, QB, Penn State
Defensive Player of the Year: Greg Jones, LB, Michigan State
Freshman of the Year: Tate Forcier, QB, Michigan
Coach of the Year: Jim Tressel, Ohio State

Nate Mink
Offensive Player of the Year: Daryll Clark, QB, Penn State
Defensive Player of the Year: Greg Jones, LB, Michigan State
Freshman of the Year: Tate Forcier, QB, Michigan
Coach of the Year: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

Wayne Staats
Offensive Player of the Year: Daryll Clark, QB, Penn State
Defensive Player of the Year: Pat Angerer, LB, Iowa
Freshman of the Year: Tate Forcier, QB, Michigan
Coach of the Year: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

And there you have it. Check back later for updates on the Big Ten's official awards.

-Brown

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November 22, 2009

Lions move up to No. 13 in BCS

With a 42-14 win at Michigan State and LSU's bizarre loss to Mississippi, Penn State moved up one spot from No. 14 to No. 13 in the latest BCS standings, released Sunday.

The Nittany Lions must be in the top 14 to be eligible for an at-large bid to a BCS bowl, but Iowa jumped up two spots -- passing LSU and Oklahoma State -- and is now No. 11. The Hawkeyes, of course, boast the same 10-2 (6-2 Big Ten) record as the Lions and own the head-to-head matchup with a 21-10 win at Beaver Stadium.

But that doesn't mean Iowa is a lock to get a BCS bid over Penn State to either the Orange Bowl or Fiesta Bowl.

For some inexplicable reason, Penn State ranks above Iowa in both of the human polls that are part of the BCS (Penn State is No. 11 while Iowa is No. 13 in the Harris and coaches' polls). However, the computers favor Iowa, given that the Hawkeyes beat Penn State, Wisconsin and Arizona, while the Lions beat.... um... a Northwestern team that beat Iowa? And, um, Temple.

With strength of schedule a factor, Iowa ranks No. 10 in the computers (for what it's worth, Ohio State -- who beat Iowa -- ranks 11th in the computers), while Penn State is No. 18.

With Big Ten play finished, all the Lions and Hawkeyes can do is sit back and wait while rooting for Oklahoma State, TCU and Boise State to lose.

-Brown


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November 21, 2009

Report Card - Michigan State

Quarterbacks - A
Daryll Clark lit up the scoreboard in the third quarter, going 6-for-6 for 130 yards and three TDs.

Running backs - A
Royster averaged 8.8 yards per carry. Penn State is 12-0 when Royster rushes for more than 100 yards.

Wide receivers - A
Graham Zug made up for his drop late in the second quarter with two third quarter-touchdowns. Quarless caught a pair of TDs, one coming from freshman Curtis Drake.

Offensive line - B+
Early struggles are masked by third-quarter explosion. Unit stayed away from penalties.

Defensive line - B+
Just one sack but held Michigan State under 100 yards rushing. Adequate pressure on QB Kirk Cousins.

Linebackers - A
Sean Lee had an interception and nice run after. Bowman made 10 stops, including 3.5 tackles for loss.

Secondary - A-
Spartans' air attack was held to 239 yards, a lot of which came after the outcome was decided. Sukay's pick was a turning point in the game. Bradley said they tackled well. I guess they did.

Special teams - B+
Two missed field goals are the only complaint. Kick coverage was good on dangerous return man, Keshawn Martin.

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Live Blogging Penn State/Michigan State

We're heading down to the field with eight minutes left in the regular season. Check back at psucollegian.com for updates.

***
Caper just ran it for eight yards to mercifully end the third quarter for Michigan State.

How brutal was that for the Spartans?

-Cousins threw two picks, each of which resulted in Penn State touchdowns.
-His counterpart, Clark, went 6-for-6 for 130 yards and tossed three touchdowns, becoming Penn State's all-time (43) and single-season (23) touchdown pass leader.
-Royster ran the ball five times for 43 yards and is now averaging 8.8 yards per carry. He is at 114 yards on the afternoon, bringing us to...
-Penn State is 11-0 all-time when Royster eclipses the 100-yard rushing mark

Well, Penn State won't be falling to the Alamo Bowl. It probably won't even fall to the Outback Bowl. Wisconsin is losing at Northwestern right now, and if that holds up, the worst likely case for the Lions would be the Capital One Bowl.

Iowa beat Minnesota, 12-0, today, and right now it's all about style points for Penn State. Will a win by this margin (28) or better give the No. 14 Lions enough style points to jump the No. 13 Hawkeyes in the BCS standings? My money is on yes.

Don't be surprised to see Kevin Newsome get some snaps here, as predicted by yours truly on our Pigskin Preview page.

***
Graham Zug, the title is all yours.

Amish Lightning, that is.

Zug just took a Clark toss, made a man miss, and scooted into the end zone 27 yards for the score, Clark's fourth touchdown pass of the quarter. The throw makes Clark the all-time passing touchdown leader at Penn State.

Third quarter, :15,
Penn State 35, Michigan State 7

***
Daryll Clark, congratulations on your second consecutive first-team All-Big Ten selection.

You probably won it with your play through the season's first 11 games and your third quarter performance here today, but just to be certain, Cousins decided to gift-wrap you the honor himself with another awful pass, which Sean Lee picked off.

That's now back-to-back interceptions for the Lions, who will started at the Spartan 43.

***
Welcome to Florida, Penn State.

OK, maybe that's a bit premature in the third quarter, considering the Lions blew a 17-point third quarter lead last time here.

But Nick Sukay just had a 32-yard interception return down to the Michigan State 32-yard line, where Penn State went for the apparent knockout blow and struck successfully.

It was Clark to Zug for the 32-yard score on the drive's only play. Zug must really be after that Amish Lightning title again, as he has redeemed himself following a costly drop late in the second quarter.

Third quarter, 5:22
Penn State 28, Michigan State 7

***
Three big plays resulted in Penn State's third touchdown of the game.

Clark hit Quarless for 11 yards, Royster ran for 30 and Clark then found the fullback Suhey on what looked like a wheel-route out of the I-formation for a 30-yard touchdown. No one was near Suhey on the play until he dove in. The play was reviewed and upheld, and the Lions now find themselves up two scores here in the latter half of the third quarter.

Clark took a hit on his left leg upon his release of the drive's first play -- the completion to Quarless -- and was limping as he headed back to the huddle. It didn't seem to matter the rest of the way.

Third quarter, 6:19,
Penn State 21, Michigan State 7

***
No, that wasn't Drake with another big play. It was the junior cornerback Cedric Jeffries, also No. 7, who drilled Cunningham on a 3rd-and-5 toss from Cousins.

Bates' punt seventh punt of the afternoon was a short one but it took a friendly Spartan bounce to the Lion 34, and that's where Clark and the Lion offense will start their third drive of the second half.

***
Suhey and Royster went for 9 yards on two rushes, but the offensive line again failed to protect Clark, who was sacked for a loss of two on 3rd-and-1 by Jones and Tyler Hoover.

Boone's punt went out of bounds at the Spartan 29, and Cousins will start from there.

***
Penn State will get the ball with good field position again, as the Lion offense will take the field at their own 35.

Caper ran twice for 13 total yards on Michigan State's first two plays, but the Spartan drive stalled three plays later after a 3rd-and-2 toss to Linthicum went off the reserve tight end's hands.

***
I lied again, as it looks like you folks are stuck with me for the rest of the game.

It may be a turn of fortunes for Penn State, however, as the Lions may have just found their return man of the future (it took them this long?).

Green returned the kickoff 36 yards to the Lion 45, where Clark found Moye for 22 yards on Penn State's second play of the drive. A late hit on Clark by defensive end Trevor Anderson cut Penn State's distance to the goal in half, and on the very next play Curtis Drake took an option pass and tossed it to a double-teamed Quarless in the end zone for the 14-yard score. That's touchdown No. 2 on the day for Mr. Quarless, and Kevin Newsome may have to get used to those heated benches on the sideline as the Lions might just have another decent arm behind Clark for next season.

Third quarter, 13:53,
Penn State 14, Michigan State 7

***
Clark did his best to respond, but ultimately it was Big Ten preseason defensive player of the year (and likely regular season winner, announced Monday) Greg Jones coming up big, sacking the Lion quarterback with :07 left at the Spartan 34.

Green gave Penn State solid field positions with a 27-yard kickoff return to the Lion 33, and Clark completed back-to-back passes to Drake and Graham Zug, respectively, for a total of 38 yards. Zug then dropped a beauty from Clark near the Spartan 10, a big blow because Clark got sacked on the next play.

That brought up a 51-yard field goal attempt from Wagner, and although I probably don't even have to tell you how that went, I will anyway:

Not good.

It actually had the distance but was too far to the left with :02 to go. Cousins took a knee to end the half with the score tied at 7.

Halftime,
Penn State 7, Michigan State 7

***
Sometime between my remark before the game and the :45 mark of the second quarter, Spartan Stadium filled up. And it was just in time to see Cousins' two-minute drill, a work of magic against a Penn State defense that had not allowed much for the first 58 minutes of the half.

Passes to Gantt, Cunningham and White went for a total of 32 yards. Cousins then found Dell on back-to-back plays of 20 and 24 yards, respectively. Penn State called a timeout to challenge the second catch, which was awfully close to the Michigan State sideline. Nonetheless, the call was upheld, and two plays later Cousins found the tight end Gantt again, this time for an 11-yard touchdown strike to knot things up at 7.

The Spartans went 87 yards in just eight plays, taking 1:41 off the clock.

If I had a vote for first-team All-Big Ten quarterback, it would go to the winning signal-caller from this game. After that drive, I'd say advantage Cousins.

Second quarter, :45,
Penn State 7, Michigan State 7

***
That was quick.

Penn State's offense needed just five plays and 2:12 on its drive to break this scoreless tie. Clark throws to Zug, Shuler and Moye totaled 27 yards, but a 29-yard strike to the wide open Quarless in stride down the Lion sideline put points on the board.

Second quarter, 2:10
Penn State 7, Michigan State 0

***
Penn State's defense forced a three-and-out allowing only a five-yard pass to Blair White going for positive yardage on the Michigan State drive.

Bates' punt hooked out of bounds at the Lion 44, so Clark and Co. will have good field position as it tries to put some points on the board before this half ends in 4:22.

***
Penn State finally got Green where he belongs, on the outside. The result? A 31-yard screen pass down the Lion sideline to the Spartan 42. Strong safety Trenton Robinson made the touchdown-saving tackle on the play, a huge stop. Free safety Danny Fortener's stop may have been even bigger.

After Royster ran for 21 on the Lions' next play, Clark had an open Quarless in the end zone before Fortener made a last second tip on it. A screen pass to Suhey then lost a yard before Clark was forced to scramble for two on 3rd-and-11, leading to more special teams woes.

Collin Wagner hooked a 38-yard try wide right, and this contest remains scoreless.

***
Stephfon Green was drilled on Penn State's first play of the drive by Greg Jones for a loss of five. Clark then connected with Moye for 11 before the Lions called a timeout on 3rd-and-4 from their own 16.

Second quarter, 9:26 remaining
Penn State 0, Michigan State 0

***
The freshman Edwin Baker took off on a nice 34-yard run out of the timeout, but only a three-yard short pass from Cousins to reserve tight end Brian Linthicum netted positive yardage on the next series.

Cousins had to throw it away on 3rd-and-15 after Caper was stopped for an eight-yard loss on the previous play by Sean Stanley and (who else?) Bowman.

Astorino called for a fair catch at his own 10, which is where the Lions will start.

***
The announced crowd of 73,711 erupted upon the scoreboard showing the Ohio State-Michigan final. It then erupted as the Michigan State offense finally got something going on the ground, as Capers carried it twice for 10 and nine yards, respectively, before the Spartans called a timeout with the ball at their own 30.

***
I lied, I'm back for one more quarter.

Nothing changed on the drive for Penn State. Royster ran for four, and Clark failed to connect with Zug and Andrew Quarless. It looked like there was some miscommunication with the throw to Quarless.

Boone kicked a beauty for 54 yards to Martin, who used a nice juke to make Morris miss on the tackle. Morris was then blocked behind by Mitchell White, but was able to recover and tackle Martin. After all that juking and running, Martin netted nothing on the return, and the Spartans will start from their own 11.

***
Royster ran for two and Clark hit Moye for 16 to the Lion 30, and that will take us to the second quarter, with both teams yet to score.

End of first quarter,
Penn State 0, Michigan State 0

***
Cousins did all he could for the Spartans on their last drive. The only problem for him was that Bowman did all he could for the Lions, and with this quite possibly being the redshirt junior's final regular season game in a Penn State uniform, he is making a statement.

The Buffalo Bill scout seated to our right seemed to be impressed, furiously jotting down notes after every big Bowman play on the drive.

A few highlights:

-stopping a Capers rush with Sean Lee
-sacking Cousins for a loss of nine
-breaking up a 3rd-and-22 Cousins pass intended for Gant

Cousins had his highlight on the drive, rushing for 12 yards on a 3rd-and-7 and emphatically signaling "first-down" with his right arm, but ultimately it was Bowman who had the last laugh.

Nate Stupar was charged with a controversial running-into-the-kicker penalty -- only a five-yard infraction -- and on the second kick Astorino signaled for a fair catch at his own 11. That's a perfect 3-for-3 for Astorino on the day.

***
If the run isn't working for Michigan State, it certainly is for Penn State. The question, of course, is why the Lions haven't done it more often?

They ran it on their first three plays of their second drive, with Royster taking it twice for a total of nine and Drake going for 18 on a 3rd-and-1.

In Spartan territory, however, the Lions tried to go through the air, and Clark was sacked twice for a combined loss of 13 yards. Royster had an eight-yard rush in between the sacks, as he is well over 1,000 yards on the season for the second consecutive year.

Michigan State will start from its own 19.

***
Michigan State got one big play on its second drive when it needed two.

A 3rd-and-5 pass from Cousins to B.J. Cunningham went for 15 yards, with Cunningham absorbing a vicious hit from Astorino on the way down. The Spartans then went the way of the run on their next series, however, putting them in a 3rd-and-11 hole. Cousins then found the hole in the Penn State defense but was unable to connect with Mark Dell, just overthrowing the wide open junior.

Michigan State ran four times on that drive, totaling just four yards on the ground. Penn State has been all over the rush and got lucky it wasn't taken advantage of through the air on Michigan State's last play of the drive.

Astorino was drilled upon catching Bates' punt, as Ross Weaver was in on the big hit at the Penn State 25.

***
A promising drive for Penn State ended without points.

Daryll Clark hit Joe Suhey on a screen for 10 yards and a first down and Evan Royster ran to the outside for 23 yards before the Lions went to the pass. Three straight incompletions -- intended for Mickey Shuler, Curtis Drake and Graham Zug -- fell incomplete and Jeremy Boone was forced to punt with the Lions at the Spartan 35. Keshawn Martin was on the return for Michigan State, which will start from its own 9.

***
Michigan State won the toss and elected to receive. Penn State chose to defend the south end zone.

The Lion defense was all over the Spartan offense on its first drive. Following a Kirk Cousins incomplete pass to the flat, Navorro Bowman made a nice stop on a Larry Caper rush, stuffing the freshman for a loss of one. Bowman again made the stop on 3rd-and-11, wrapping up Cousins on a six-yard scramble.

Drew Astorino managed to successfully field the Aaron Bates punt, even returning it for a few yards to the Michigan State 32-yard line.

***
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Hey folks, Matt Fortuna here to take you through the first quarter of Penn State's regular season finale against Michigan State. They've got themselves a very nice press box here in Spartan Stadium, although I'm not too fond of the whole "pay for food" part of it.

The Michigan State band is currently on the field welcoming the Spartan seniors. The press box P.A. announcer has informed us that the true freshman Stephon Morris will start over senior A.J. Wallace at corner today for the Nittany Lions.

For all the heat Penn State's student section has taken, it has put on a far better performance this season than that of Michigan State's today, as there are a number of empty spots in the Spartan student section (and throughout the entire stadium, for that matter.)

I was also informed that Big Ten championship t-shirts are present in the building, though that won't matter now, as Ohio State has topped Michigan for the sixth straight time and has clinched the outright Big Ten title. A Buckeye loss and Lion win would have given the Lions a share of the Big Ten title, although the Buckeyes are going to the Rose Bowl regardless.

We're just five minutes away from kickoff here in East Lansing, and we'll be back with game updates in a bit.

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November 19, 2009

Week 12 Staff Picks

Last week's records:
Mink: 8-2
Staats: 8-2
Fortuna: 7-3
Brown: 5-5

Overall standings:
Staats 76-34
Fortuna 75-35
Mink 68-42
Brown 62-48

Week 12 Picks
No. 10 Ohio State at Michigan
Brown: Ohio State 34-10
Fortuna: Ohio State 27-13
Mink: Ohio State 10-7
Staats: Ohio State 24-10

Minnesota at No. 13 Iowa
Brown: Minnesota 20-17
Fortuna: Iowa 18-11
Mink: Iowa 13-7
Staats: Iowa 21-13

Oklahoma at Texas Tech
Brown: Oklahoma 35-27
Fortuna: Oklahoma 34-24
Mink: Oklahoma 42-6
Staats: Oklahoma 35-28

Connecticut at Notre Dame
Brown: Connecticut 31-28
Fortuna: Notre Dame 27-21
Mink: Notre Dame 10-0
Staats: Notre Dame 28-24

No. 8 LSU at Ole Miss
Brown: LSU 16-14
Fortuna: LSU 21-13
Mink: LSU 10-7
Staats: Ole Miss 24-21

Purdue at Indiana
Brown: Indiana 27-23
Fortuna: Indiana 38-31
Mink: Indiana 31-27
Staats: Purdue 38-35

No. 16 Wisconsin at Northwestern
Brown: Wisconsin 35-24
Fortuna: Wisconsin 24-17
Mink: Wisconsin 40-7
Staats: Wisconsin 27-20

No. 25 California at No. 17 Stanford
Brown: Stanford 41-31
Fortuna: Stanford 21-20
Mink: California 30-24
Staats: Stanford 34-31

Kansas State at Nebraska
Brown: Nebraska 23-17
Fortuna: Nebraska 24-12
Mink: Nebraska 22-3
Staats: Nebraska 28-10

No. 11 Oregon at Arizona
Brown: Oregon 38-24
Fortuna: Oregon 37-27
Mink: Arizona 13-7
Staats: Oregon 31-17

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November 18, 2009

Turning Heads

The Land Grant Trophy can't help it -- it just grabs attention.

"It means a lot of guys are looking around like, 'What the heck is that giant piece of wood sitting in our locker room?' " center Stefen Wisniewski said. "At the same time, I don't think most players quite understand the reason for it exactly. It is kind of weird looking, but it's cool to have."

Indeed, the Land Grant Trophy may be one of the most unsightly trophies in sports. But people can judge for themselves:

land_grant_trophy_450.jpg

Yeah, it's easy to understand where the players are coming from.

It seems most players have a hard time not missing it, especially since the trophy was placed in the Nittany Lions' locker room with Penn State's visit to Michigan State on tap this Saturday. Penn State leads the trophy series against the Spartans, 12-4, and have won four of the last five meetings.

"I looked at it a few times," linebacker Navorro Bowman said. "It catches your attention pretty fast. But if we got it we're gonna try to keep it."

Jared Odrick acknowledges that some people think it looks a little awkward and weird. But even the 6-foot-5, 296 pound defensive tackle admitted it's pretty heavy.

Plus, the unique trophy also appears to be 100 percent after last year when it fell off the push cart and the top portion broke off. Quarterback Daryll Clark said it looks to be in top shape right now and has been "really shining."

Regardless, by seeing the trophy every day this week in the locker room, Clark expects it to send a message to the team.

"It's to let everyone know how important it is, how far this rivalry goes back and how important it is to Michigan State as well," Clark said. "In order for them to get it, they have to beat us. That's definitely a tool the coaches have used."

-Staats

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November 16, 2009

Crawford reflects on first season as starter

It's been Jack Crawford's busiest year in America. By all means, it's been his most successful one, too.

Crawford, whose journey from London to the United States has been well-documented, has started at defensive end in every game for Penn State this season, recording 5.5 sacks and a team-leading 13.5 tackles for loss.

The true sophomore saw action in every game last season, but nothing has compared to his whirlwind 2009 campaign, which even his brother got to witness a part of last week.

"It flew by really quick," Crawford said after his team's 31-20 win over Indiana Saturday. "It started out real well. It's been a great year. It's been a great year for experience and I couldn't ask for anything more. I feel like I still got a lot to learn. I just need to take it and improve from here."

Crawford said he has slowed down toward the end of the season, something that has reflected in his numbers.

Only one of his 5.5. sacks and only five of his 13.5 tackles for loss have come in the Nittany Lions' last five games.

The more he thinks about it, he said, the more it slows him down.

"A big part of the season is mental. Every day it's a practice," Crawford said. "At some points you just wonder when the season's gonna be over because you wanna go home, but it's about who's gonna stay the longest and try the hardest, and it's been a great season. I couldn't ask for anything more. Hopefully next season will go better and I'll try my best to improve."

-Fortuna

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Pannell happy to regain starting role in win

It's not been the storybook breakout season some expected for DeOn'tae Pannell.

After seeing mop-up action as a true freshman, the Southfield, Mich., native appeared ready to become a three-year starter at offensive tackle for Penn State.

But the 6-foot-5, 300-pound sophomore struggled in September, starting the first four games at right tackle before losing his job during the 21-10 loss to Iowa.

As part of a unit that goes through changes nearly every week, whether through injuries or based on performance, Pannell shifted back to left tackle as Dennis Landolt's backup before getting the call at guard for Saturday's win over Indiana.

"I was just grateful for the opportunity to get back on the field and just knew I had a lot of work to do in the week and I just approached it like that," Pannell said.

With Johnnie Troutman nursing a leg injury, Pannell was asked to make the switch last Monday and moved into the starting role over opening-day starter Matt Stankiewitch.

It's not the first time Pannell has played guard. He had experience at the position in high school and also made the shift last year during Rose Bowl practice.

Despite the switch and the move into a starting role again, Pannell said his pregame nerves didn't last long.

"A little bit, but once we got rolling," Pannell said, "I had to get that out of my head and just knew that I had to keep pressing on and not worry about making mistakes and things would take care of themselves."

-Brown

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The Roster

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Matt Fortuna is a junior majoring in journalism and a football reporter for the Collegian. He has previously covered the men's tennis, soccer and basketball teams. A traditionalist, he would like nothing more than to see Joe Paterno throw it back to his Brooklyn days and install the single-wing offense this season.

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Nate Mink is a junior majoring in journalism and a football reporter for the Daily Collegian and a 5-foot-10 sesquipedalian from Allentown who has tried to grow facial hair for 20 years. Sadly, he has been unsuccessful thus far. He is anxious to get a new driver's license in September and hopes the bartenders at Zanzibar in Ann Arbor believe he's 21.

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Wayne Staats is a senior majoring in journalism and history and is a football reporter for the Collegian. He previously covered the baseball and women's basketball teams. He never made it far playing competitive football, unless Nerf football in grade school counts.

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Matt Brown is a senior majoring in journalism and is the Collegian's football editor. He previously covered the Penn State men's basketball, baseball and women's soccer teams. While a fan of most sports, he thinks the 14 Saturdays of the college football season are the best 14 days of the year and all 34 bowl games are worth watching.

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