The Lion offense rolled through another opponent with Saturday's 38-24 win over Illinois. We went down to the sight of the action, the Beaver Stadium turf, and broke down the game in the empty stadium.

If we appeared tired at all, it was almost one in the morning, so we apologize. But it was a pretty erriely, yet awe-inspiring scene being in that stadium, almost alone in the early morning hours. Definitely something I'll never forget.

Also keep your ears open for the sound of a train whistle from somewhere outside the stadium. Not sure where there are any tracks close than Bellefonte, so maybe it was a ghost.

Here it is, the Illinois Postgame Picnic

-- Wible

Not only did SportsIllustrated.com's Stewart Mandel call Penn State the best team in the Big Ten in his Sunday column and sorry to all of you lovely ladies from Western Pennsylvania, it's Mandel's words, not mine.

I realize many of you feel this is akin to being dubbed the prettiest girl in Pittsburgh, but last we checked, at least one of this conference's teams will be playing in Pasadena, if not Miami -- and the Nittany Lions look more and more like they could be that team.

In its first game against a ranked opponent (Illinois), Penn State showed exactly what the skeptics were waiting to see: An explosive spread offense with a plethora of weapons and a defense that wasn't exactly immune to big plays but produced enough turnovers (three) and key stops that the Illini couldn't close the gap. The Nittany Lions are the league's most complete team right now.

But he also urged any school not in a placed named Happy Valley to not even try to compete with the atmosphere inside Beaver Stadium.

Even seeing it for a third time, it was impossible not to be awed by the visual grandeur of Penn State's "White Out," which manages to turn a 110,000-seat stadium one enormous flashbulb. It's powerful, it's organized (right down to the block "S" in one corner) and, quite frankly, it's awesome.

Two words of advice to all the other schools trying to mimic it: Just stop. Seriously...

Some pretty high praise form a national college football writer. Pat yourselves on the back Penn State students, but just a piece of constructive criticism, if you want to call yourselves the best student section in the country, show up on time for every game, even the noon ones.

FanNation | Five Things We Learned This Weekend.

-- Wible

In case you weren't able to make it to the Illinois game, the atmosphere was once again pretty crazy.

Not only was it night time, but there was a fine mist raining down on the stadium and a fog floating around the lights. It was a pretty surreal scene and made for one great night. I know it made at least one football writer sort of miss his days sitting in the student section a little bit.

Mad props to the Beaver Stadium sound guy who made a clutch music decision during a couple of the timeouts. What better to play during a light rain than some Creedence?

And also mad props to the students for the slow and fast waves. Not sure how they coordinated it, but it looked pretty sweet from the press box. Also, good on the alumni and other fans for going along with it. Making the Whitehouse even better every day.

Fast Wave:

-- Wible

Following a tumultuous weekend filled with upsets, including Wisconsin falling at Michigan and Ole Miss upsetting Florida, the latest top 25 looks like it was thrown in a blender.

Starting at the top, with former No. 1 USC falling at Oregon State Thursday night, Oklahoma took over the top spot. But the Sooners aren't as popular a No. 1 as the Trojans were. Oklahoma grabbed 43 first-place votes, while new No. 2 Alabama, fresh off a 41-30 pasting of former No. 3 Georgia, captured 21 votes for the top spot. No. 4 Missouri also garnered one first-place vote.

Penn State jumped six spots to No. 6, cracking the top 10 for the first time since the end of the 2005 season. But a look at individual pollsters' ballots raises some questions.

Eric Page, from the Quad City Times in Davenport, Iowa must love himself some Big Ten football. He has the Lions third, behind Bama and Oklahoma. Maybe a tad high this early in the season.

Jason Franchuk from the Provo Daily Herald in Provo, Utah -- ironically the home of Brigham Young University (BYU) -- meanwhile, must be drinking too much water from the nearby Great Salt Lake. He has the Lions at No. 17, by far the lowest of any pollster.

Nobody that has ever watched one down of college football and is clinically sane should have Penn State ranked behind such one-loss teams as Ohio State, USC, Georgia, Auburn, Florida, Wisconsin and Kansas. He also has the Lions six spots behind homestate Utah and 10 spots behind hometown BYU.

But Franchuk shouldn't be second guessed. I'm sure he's seen more than enough Mountain West Conference football to know that its top two teams are both at least six spots ahead of the best of the Big Ten.

But then again, Franchuk is the same guy that put 26 teams on his top 25 ballot last season. He also felt Utah deserved to jump five spots after beating FCS Weber State by 16, but only moved Penn State up one spot.

Maybe by the end of the season Utah and BYU will be in BCS bowls and Franchuk will be validated. But for the time being, it's voters like this that make the AP poll such a joke and stresses the even greater need for a playoff system. I don't think any coach wants a guy that can't even figure out how many teams to put in his top 25 determining who should play for the national championship.

Sept. 28, 2008 AP Top 25

1. Oklahoma (43) 4-0 1,599
2. Alabama (21) 5-0 1,565
3. LSU 4-0 1,466
4. Missouri (1) 4-0 1,453
5. Texas 4-0 1,362
6. Penn State 5-0 1,252
7. Texas Tech 4-0 1,105
8. Brigham Young 4-0 1,098
9. USC 2-1 1,087
10. South Florida 5-0 1,035
11. Georgia 4-1 1,018
12. Florida 3-1 914
13. Auburn 4-1 860
14. Ohio State 4-1 829
15. Utah 5-0 713
16. Kansas 3-1 650
17. Boise State 3-0 549
18. Wisconsin 3-1 520
19. Vanderbilt 4-0 459
20. Virginia Tech 4-1 290
21. Oklahoma State 4-0 277
22. Fresno State 3-1 232
23. Oregon 4-1 199
24. Connecticut 5-0 126
25. Wake Forest 3-1 107

Others Receiving Votes

Maryland 46, Michigan State 42, Kentucky 40, Ball State 38, Northwestern 32, Tulsa 32, TCU 30, Illinois 24, North Carolina 21, Florida State 14, Ole Miss 13, Georgia Tech 10, California 5, Nebraska 5, Oregon State 3, Boston College 3, Colorado 2.

Dropped From Rankings

Clemson 20, Illinois 22, East Carolina 23, TCU 24.

-- Wible

Well, I'm about to head on down to the field. Don't know if you'll hear from me again, so take care everybody.

FUMBLE!!!!! Bowman caused it, Scirrotto recovers at the Illini 36. Could be the final nail in the coffin.

On the play, Daniel Defrene got smacked pretty good. Still jogs off the field.

Out of town, Alabama dashes Georgia's bid for No. 1, defeating the Dawgs 41-30 in Athens.

******

Penn State starts the drive with 12:42 left in regulation. The crowd, making a rare appearance in the fourth quarter, is doing every kind of wave imaginable. Slow. Fast.

Back to the game, Clark converts a 3rd and 1 with a roll out to the far side. Then, he finds Williams for a 16-yard strike to the Illini 30.

Clark finds Andrew Quarless in the back left corner of the end zone. The 17-yard completion puts PSU up two possessions with 9:03 left in regulation.

Score: PSU 38 Illinois 24

Scoring Drive:
7 plays, 77 yards, 3:39

Don't know why, but a few folks are headin to the exits, a questionable move with the amount of time left. Even the rain is slowing down.

*******

So, about that Regus Benn ...

Juice found him wide open on the near side. Benn scampered 54 yards to the end zone.

Score: PSU 31 Illinois 24

Scoring drive:
4 plays, 73 yards, 1:53

*******

HOLY $%&! ... D-Will takes the ensuing kickoff 94 yards to the house, prompting a Zombie Nation bounce session, and more importantly, a 31-17 lead.

Williams hit the seam and scooted down the far side. This is kind of play that changes the game, kinda like Regus Benn a year ago.

*******
Lions drives starts up with 3:06 left in the third quarter. Clark drops back, hits Williams for five yards. Next play, Stephfon puts the ball on the turf, and Illinois stud linebacker Martez Wilson recovers.

A busted wide receiver reverse pass, and two Juice scrambles leave the Illini with a 4th and 9.

This time it's Matt Eller (no relation to the stud on my right) taking the kick, and drilling the 43-yard kick.

Score: Penn State 24 Illinois 17

Attendance just announced... 109,626, good enough for the eighth largest crowd ever at the Beav.

Well, this third quarter is in the books. Rain coming down hard now. Looks like we'll in for a dandy for the final 15.

******

Illinois keeps running the ball down Penn State's throat. Then they made it into the redzone where the PSU defense put the clamps on Juice. A.J. Wallace batted down a pass in the end zone to bring up 4th down.

Here's Michael Cklamovski lining up the 33-yard field goal attempt toward the north end zone.

Annnnd, wide right! Illini still down 10. Penn State takes over on their own 20.

*******

With Illinois driving in Penn State territory, Anthony Scirrotto got shaken up after a collision near the Illini sideline. Scirrotto walked off on his own strength, figuring to be back patrolling the secondary soon.

*******

The Nittany Lions stopped the Illini on the opening drive of the second half. With the Lions first possession, Evan Royster blasted the Illinois D with a 37-yard sprint down the left sideline.

The drive stalled on the doorstep, forcing Penn State to settle for three.

Kelly has now kicked a field goal in each of the last 25 games.

Score: PSU 24 Illinois 14

Scoring Drive:
6 plays, 41 yards, 3:14

*******

Sup folks, this is Nate Mink taking you through the third quarter action here at Beaver Stadium. I got to tell you, being the women's volleyball beat writer, I feel kinda spoiled getting treated to a tight game.

Blue Sapphire PJ Maierhofer turned in a hot halftime performance, doin her thing twirling three fire-lit batons while the Blue Band did the turf a favor staying seated.

Here's a look at the key stats at the half.

PASSING:
D. Clark 10-for15, 138 yards, 1 TD.

RUSHING:
E. Royster 7 carries, 59 yards
D. Clark 8 carries, 27 yards, 1 TD
D. Williams 4 carries, 23, yards 1 TD
TEAM: 25 carries, 118 yards

RECEIVING:
D. Williams 3 catches, 49 yards, 1 TD

*******

And a knee from Daryll Clark brings the first half to an end. Exciting start, followed by some good defensive stands.

PSU 21 Ill 14, Halftime

***

The Lion defense has come alive. On second and long Navorro Bowman pressured Juice Williams into making a terrible incompletion. Then on 3rd and long, newly reinstated defensive end Maurice Evans swallowed Williams for a loss of 18. Four straight solid series by Penn State's D.

***

Penn State's next drive stalls at the Illinois 31 after a failed 4th and 1 attempt when the Lions gave it to Stephfon Green. Not sure why they didn't go with Evan Royster, the more powerful option at tailback.

***

Juice Williams missed his man poorly on 3rd and 11, and the Penn State defense forced its third stop in a row. The defense is finally starting to show a little life and another Penn State scoring drive could be the start of the end for the Illini.

***

Penn State can't take advantage of the turnover, and Kevin Kelly's quick kick is downed at the Illinois 7-yard line. Nice kick by Kelly, nice coverage by the Lions and nice call by the coaching staff. It's too wet to attempt a 55-yard field goal in a one-score game. Penn State's defense is coming off of a pair of stops and can make a statement with another three and out.

***

Second and nine for the Illini and Juice WIlliams guns a perfect pass right to Anthony Scirrotto. Pen State takes over at the Illinois 48.

***

Two plays later and Derrick Williams takes an end around for five yards and a touchdown. Couldn't imagine a better night for a shootout in the rain in Happy Valley.

In the words of Pittsburgh Penguins play-by-play man Mike Lange, get in the fast lane grandma, the bingo game's about to start.

Drive summary: 7 plays, 57 yards, 3:32

PSU 21 Ill. 14, 9:09 2nd quarter.

***

And it's raining in Beaver Stadium, thankfully I, and my blogging computer, are dry in the press box, so you'll still get your regular updates. After the crazy punt, Penn State is moving the ball and currently sits at the Illinois 22, 2nd and 9.

***

Penn State's defense finally gets a stop, thanks in large part to a pair of Illinois holding penalties.

But just when it appeared as though the Lions might be able to snatch the game, the ensuing punt hit Knowledge Timmons in the back and was recovered by the Illini. But after review, the officials ruled the punt hit Illinois gunner Martez Wilson in the shoulder before hitting Timmons.

Penn State takes over first and 10 at its own 43.

***

Howdy yall, it's Wible here to take you through the second quarter and all I can say is dang!. I don't think anybody expected this tight of a game. An an hour for the first quarter, we could be here past last call.

Illinois is showing some swagger and the week off surely helped the Illini

***

The Lions dodged a bullet on the first play of the ensuing drive as Daryll Clark was hit and lost the ball. The call on the field was fumble, and Illinois had recovered on the Lions' 19. But another instant replay reversal gave Penn State the ball back and gave it a chance to recover.

Some passes over the middle and a horse-collar penalty on a 3rd-and-two set-up a 22-yard touchdown reception by Derrick Williams and the Lions have tied the score up with 22 seconds left. The drive was seven plays, 81 yards in 2:51.

Apparently the defenses didn't know their was a ballgame tonight as this has all the makings of a high-scoring slugfest. Both offenses are moving the ball at will, and Illinois has possession as the game enters the second quarter.

Taking over on the blog for the second quarter is football reporter Andrew Wible.

*******

Illinois' dynamic offense is on show tonight as the Illini have retaken the lead with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Arrelious Benn. The play was ruled incomplete on the field, but after further review the call was reversed, as Benn drug his feet in the front left corner of the endzone.

The touchdown capped a seven-play, 60-yard drive that took only 2:51. Both scoring drives have taken under three minutes, as the Illini offense looks unstoppable in the early going.

The crowd erupted into boos when officials overturned the call after the review from upstairs. But the biggest issue for the Lions right now is their inability to control Illinois' no-huddle offense.

WIth 3:25 left in the first quarter, Illinois leads 14-7.

*******

The Lions respond right back with a long scoring drive of their own. A solid mix of rushing and passing plays ate up huge chunks of yards and led to a Penn State touchdown. Daryll Clark's one-yard touchdown run ended an eight-play, 73 yard drive that lasted four minutes. With 6:16 remaining in the first quarter, the game is knotted at seven.

Clark's touchdown run has re-energized the crowd and might shift momentum. Illinois' next drive could be significant to stem the tide. Watch for the Illini to keep using the no-huddle.

*******

Illinois drives right down the field and scores a touchdown on a one-yard run by Jason Ford. The Illini take a 7-0 lead on a six play, 60-yard drive that took only 2:39.

The points were the first given up by the Lions in the first quarter this season.

Illinois moved the ball efficiently down the field by implying a no-huddle offense and letting quarterback Juice Williams audible at the line of scrimmage.

The crowd here at Beaver Stadium has been silenced for the moment, and Illinois could not be happier with the first two possessions of the game.

*******

Penn State is forced to punt after picking up a quick first down. Illinois will get the ball at its own 40-yard line.

*******

The Illini won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Penn State will start from its own 10-yard line after 11-yard return by A.J. Wallace.

*******

This is Collegian Night Sports Editor Kevin Zitzman reporting live from the press box in a packed Beaver Stadium.

The matchup all the fans have been waiting for is less than 20 minutes away and the student section has its pompoms out in full force. The Nittany Lion made his way to the 50-yard line and has electrified the "whitehouse."

The kickoff is scheduled for 8:12. Make sure to come back to the footblog for updates as soon as the game gets under way.

*******

DE Maurice Evans and DT Abe Koroma are running with the second-team DL during warm-ups. Joe Paterno said on his radio show Thursday that Evans and Koroma would play.

The two were suspended for the past three games and were charged with a misdemeanor count of marijuana possession recently.

-- JL

*******

This is Travis, greeting you all from the press box inside Beaver Stadium.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's going to be a rowdy one tonight. This evening's game between No. 12 Penn State and No. 22 Illinois will be televised nationally on ABC and the student section is already packed. At least it's more full now -- an hour and a half before kickoff -- than it was in the early minutes of each of the Lions' first three home games.

This will be my parents second game inside Beaver Stadium, and they both had a pretty funny experience earlier.

Some drunk idiot in the RV section on Park Ave. had no clue where he was and kept fist-pumping with my step dad -- who thought it was hilarious -- until the poor kid tripped over a cornhole board and fell flat on his face.

As for the actual game. Here are some things to look for.

This will be Illini quarterback Juice Williams' second trip to Beaver Stadium. His first -- as a true freshman in 2006 -- was less than memorable. Williams was battered by Paul Posluszny and Co. in a 26-12 defeat.

Tonight it will be louder than it was two years ago. This game will be just the second full-stadium white out in Penn State's history. Will Williams be able to tune out the crowd and lead his team down the field?

If the Illini can move the ball, how will Penn State's defense respond? For the past couple of seasons, Penn State's defense has been anchored by a linebacker. Dan Connor, Sean Lee and Posluszny shouldered the loads for Penn State recently. This year, none of the linebackers have really separated themselves from the bunch. Last week Navorro Bowman had a great game, but can he follow that up with another good performance in-conference?

How much will Abe Koroma and Maurice Evans contribute tonight? Aaron Maybin has excelled in place of Evans who was suspended for the past three games. What kind of shape will Koroma and Evans be in after not practicing until earlier this week?

Keep reading, we'll keep bringing you more from the press box.

--TJ

In case you were too busy catching the new episode of "the Office" or studying last night (sorry grey's fans, no love here), you missed Oregon State's 27-21 upset over No. 1 USC in Corvalis, Ore.

Yes, the same Oregon State team that laid a huge Beaver egg in Beaver Stadium three weeks ago.

So doing some quick math, the Beavers are six points better than USC, and Penn State is 31 points better than Oregon State. So if USC and Penn State were to play in the Rose Bowl, the Lions would be 37-point favorites.

But in all seriousness for a second, this upset has huge implications for the college football landscape. The Trojans were essentially guaranteed a spot in the national title game. Now, it appears as though they'll just dominate the Rose Bowl for another year.

While two days ago there was pretty much only one spot open in the BCS title game, now there are two. If the SEC and Big 12 champions run the table, they're most likely both in.

But if another team, say from a one-time power conference in the Midwest makes a run, its resume looks better, especially after blowing out a certain team that just beat the No. 1 team in the country.

And it just goes to show, strange things happen on Thursday nights in rural Oregon.

-- Wible

Was doing some random internet hopping after a Penn State football conference call was canceled and ran into this interesting youtube clip.

It features Texas Tech coach Mike Leach offering his advice on dating to a Tech freshman. Leach is known as one of the more, umm, different coaches in football and has an infatutation with Pirates, but it's pretty hard to argue with his theories.

Make a girl eat in front of you? Rock Solid
Take her to a coffee shop with interesting characters? Brilliant

Just wonder what advice Joe Paterno would offer for would-be love birds. Maybe catch a Charlie Chaplin flick and stroll over to Coney Island for a nickel hot dog and some sodas at the drug store.

We kid cause we love, but seriously, Leach is a genius. Check it out:

-- Wible

The scene at Paternoville Tuesday afternoon was relatively quiet and calm compared to the boisterous, singing crowd last night.
People are napping in their tents, doing homework, using laptops, texting and listening to their iPods.
"I've been here during the middle of the day, and there aren't too many people here so I've just been doing homework. It's a little boring right now," Jimmy Hankins (freshman-civil engineering) said Tuesday afternoon.
Emilie Church was repairing her tent with the help of her father, Craig Church, who works as a cook in the east commons.
"We're rebuilding. We did it last night at 12:01, and it was wrong, so we're trying to fix the poles," Church (sophomore-marketing) said.
- Caitlin

Paterno isn't sure whether Koroma and Evans may practice the rest of the week. Asked if they would play Saturday, he said "we'll see."

On Juice Williams: "He's obviously better this year. He's a little more consistent. I think they're dependent on him a little more this year than last year. ... He's a big kid, he runs well. I think he's made good progress."

Kick coverage: "I wasn't pleased with the kickoff coverage. I had gone into the game telling people they had a return guy who could be very successful. ... We didn't do a good job, but that's really probably not fair to Temple. I think you've got to give them credit for doing a good job. ... We're aware of the fact we've got some problems there."

On the conference: "I think you're playing a good football team every week. ... I think most anybody in a good conference probably faces the same problems. ... There's some teams that get a break in what you call a grind. It's a good, competitive league and I think you've got to be ready to play it. ... If you're good, you're good. You handle it. If you're not good, you're not good and you don't handle it."

On Illinois' bye week: "I think that's an advantage. Sometimes. If I had my preference, I'd rather have a bye week. ... If we get licked, we'll get licked because we didn't do a good job. ... I'm not threatened very much about that, really."

On Lucian and Shuler: "I think they'll both be okay. ... I'm hopeful we'll have both those kids ready to play Saturday."

On Bowman and Maybin: "They make some mistakes, obviously. ... I think they both played well. They're getting better each week. They're good athletes, they like to play, they hustle and I think they have a chance to be really good."

On Quarless: "They're both good tight ends. Our problem there again is you only get one football and you try to get it to a lot of guys. ... We've got a good, balanced group of people who can go get the football and can hurt you with the pass. ... I think Quarless is a good football player. I think Shuler is too."

On leg: "I hope to be [on the sideline]. I could have been on in the second half if I wanted to. ... I intend to be on the sideline."

-- Klopacz is out for the year with a torn ACL. "It's created a problem for us. ... Right now we have been practicing Wisniewski at center all year."

-- Ohrnberger, Lucian, Wisniewski and Barham practice at center. If Shipley got hurt, Wisniewski could go to center and Lucian could be moved back."

On Illinois game in 1994: "We had great leadership. We obviously had some great football players. There's a reason we were down 21-0. Power went out at the hotel and so forth. ... We had a lot of poise. ... Even in 2005, people forget we're 4th and 19 when Robinson hits the kid over the middle."

On Wallace's hamstring: "There was a little bit of misunderstanding. ... I looked down there and he's in on a couple of return teams. I think he's okay. Last week not only his hamstring was bothering him a bit, he was also sick."

On Still returning: "I think if Still could come back, that would be great. He's all ready missed one year. ... That's a guess. ... I'm hoping he can be back."

On Beaver Field: "I told this story 1,000 times. ... It used to be right across the street from Rec Hall. ... The whole athletic layout was right there. ... We used to dress the freshman in what's now the water tower. ... It was more of a small college kind of stadium, that kind of feeling for want of a better word. Rip Engle came in one day and said they're gonna move the stadium. I said what do you mean they're going to move the stadium, ... After the meeting was over, I said that's gonna be a big mistake. You're gonna destroy Penn State football. That shows how smart I was. That was 75,000 seats ago."

On being 1-7 in Big Ten openers the past eight years: "I don't have the slightest idea. ... I don't know."

On third down conversions: "I think the quarterbacks have done a good job. The playcalling's been good and I think we have some guys who can make big plays."

On throwing over the middle: "You take what they give you. You should try to take what they give you. You've got three good wideouts. Most everybody worries about Butler and Williams on the outside, so I think that would make it easier for us to get the ball to Norwood."

On kickoff coverage: "One guy collapsed one time, double teamed him out of it, another guy went too wide, the kid did a good job finding the hole and getting up into it. ... We didn't cover quite as well. A lot of kids hadn't had that kind of pressure on them before. There's a lot of young kids on that team, several freshmen. ... We're addressing it. They'll learn. I think we'll be better. We better be better, because this kid can return kicks."

-- Josh

Abe Koroma and Maurice Evans practiced Monday, linebacker Navorro Bowman said in a conference call this morning.

"I don't know how far they'll go," Bowman said. "We'll leave that up to Joe, but we missed those guys. They're good football players, and we wouldn't mind having them back."

Evans and Koroma have been held out of practice since police found a small amount of marijuana in a Nittany Apartments residence in which the two were tenants, according to a search warrant that cites online housing records. They were charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana, an ungraded misdemeanor.

Joe Paterno will hold his weekly press conference today at 12:30. Check back later for more updates.

-- Josh

Carolina Panther linebacker Dan Connor tore his left anterior cruciate ligament against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Just like that. Three weeks in and Connor's rookie season is done.

The Associated Press is reporting the Panthers will place the former Penn Stater on injured reserve.

Last year, Connor's former Penn State colleague, Paul Posluszny was lost for the season in week three with a broken forearm. So far this season, Posluszny is leading the undefeated Bills with 18 tackles.

Connor joins fellow former Penn Stater, Justin King who also had his rookie campaign cut short by injury. King was placed on IR by the St. Louis Rams after he tore a ligament in his left big toe in the Rams' preseason opener on Aug. 9.

Man oh man. After those long waits on NFL Draft weekend for these two to be called?

Connor was selected in the third round by Carolina. The Panthers used the 74th overall pick to draft Penn State's all-time tackles leader.

King slipped to the fourth round, where the Rams acquired him with the 101st overall pick.

Now we'll have to wait even longer to see if they can contribute in the NFL.

--TJ

Penn State linebacker Navorro Bowman was named co-defensive player of the week Monday morning.

No surprise there. The surprise was that he shared the award.

Bowman had 11 tackles, three sacks, two more tackles for losses, forced a fumble and had an interception in his first career start, a 45-3 win Saturday over Temple.

He split the award with Northwestern end Vince Browne, who had seven tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble in a win over Ohio.

Nothing against Browne, but Bowman probably should have won the award outright. He had the same amount of sacks, one more tackle for loss, four more tackles overall and an interception.

-- Josh

The latest AP poll is out and, gasp, Penn State made one of the biggest jumps of the week, moving from No. 16 to No. 12, and passing Big Ten rival Ohio State in the process.

So now, according to pollsters, the Nittany Lions are the second-best team in the conference, Wisconsin currently sits at No. 9. Rounding out the Big Ten representatives are the Buckeyes at No. 14 and Penn State's next opponent, Illinois, sitting at No. 22.

USC remains in the top spot, earning 62 of 65 first-place votes.

Vanderbilt and TCU both joined the poll, replacing Florida State and West Virginia, who both dropped out following losses.

ESPN analysts Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit both had the Lions in their top 10. Fowler lists Penn State at No. 8 while Herbstreit has them sitting at No. 9.

Two pollsters, Bret Bloomquist from the El Paso Times in El Paso, Tex. and Scott Wolf from the Los Angeles Daily News both had Penn State at No. 20, the lowest of any pollsters.

Of note though, Wolf also has his hometown Trojans rated third behind Georgia and Florida, so who knows about his judgment.

-- Wible

Now the defense is getting in on the act, Navorro Bowman jumped in front of a Chester Stewart pass, and weaved in and out of defenders before being tackled at the one-yard line.

Bowman ran like a running back on that play, but a chop block brought the ball back to the 20.

***

The Lions' offensive steam roller keeps on chugging. A Chaz Powell seven-yard end around puts the Lions up by 42, well over the spread of 28.

Drive summary: 10 plays, 49 yards, 4:41

Penn State 45, Temple 3, 13:57 4th quarter

***

And that's the end of the fourth quarter with Penn State ahead 38-3. Ohio State's starting to pull away and the student section in the Beav is starting to disappear, probably off to the library to study I'm sure, Lord knows that's where I'm going after the game.

***

Josh Gaines is playing like a man possessed. He's just pinning his ears back and going at it. His second sack in as many series thwarts another Temple drive. Pretty hohum now. Still 14-10 in Columbus

***

The Owls looked like they might have had something going, but Josh Gaines came up with a beastly sack on third down to squash Temple's hopes. The ensuing punt went into the end zone and all Hooter the Owl could do was stand on the sidelines with his arms folded.

***

And just like that, Stephfon Green says whiz bang sucka and dashes 69 yards down the left sideline to the hizhouse. Gerald Cadogan and Stefen Wisniewski cleared the way for Green and the second he broke through the line, he was gone.

That's the burst Lion fans have been waiting for since the Blue-White game.

Drive summary: 2 plays, 81 yards, 0:38

Penn State 38 Temple 3, 9:44 3rd quarter

***

Travis wants to give a shout out to the dance team. He said he shot them a wink at halftime.

Back to the on-field action, after a Penn State punt, Temple started deep in Lion territory, thanks to a facemask penalty. But the Penn State defense stiffened and held the Owls to a field goal. The 26-yard kick pulls Temple within four touchdowns, we may just have a game on our hands ladies and gentlemen. Well, at least the most competitive game thus far this season.

Drive Summary: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:22

Penn State 31 Temple 3, 10:43 3rd quarter

***

Checkin' out the rest of the Big Ten, Columbus, Ohio is turning into Athens. The Buckeyes are struggling with another team of Trojans. Ohio State leads Troy 14-10 at the half. Freshman phenom Terrell Pryor got the start at quarterback and has thrown for a pair of touchdown passes. But the Trojans have actually outgained the Buckeyes.

***

Howdy yall, it's Wible here to take ya through the third quarter in the Beav. After spending the first half on the sidelines, Joe Paterno took a cart to the press box where he'll spend the rest of the game.

***

It'sssss halftime here at Beaver Stadium. After a shaky first quarter, Penn State is finally back where it should be...on top of Temple, 31-0.

So far it's been a couple of unsung heroes helping out today. Wide receivers Graham Zug and Brett Brackett have scored touchdowns, while running back Brent Carter has seen some time in the backfield. As for the defense, it's been business as usual. Aaron Maybin has been a hoss in the the Temple backfield, and linebacker Navorro Bowman is playing with fire. Will this energy carry into the second half, and make my 59-3 prediction more realistic? We shall see.

....

Now it feels like a Saturday in Beaver Stadium. The crowd is excited, and so is this Penn State team. The Lions now have the ball on the Temple 40, and are moving swiftly. Clark has seemed to have found a groove, and the offensive line is creating holes for the running game. Meanwhile, I'm going to step out and grab a brownie.

Well things sure have gotten interesting. Temple ran back the kickoff inside Penn State's redzone, followed by a Tony Davis interception, followed by a 49 yard pass to Deon Butler! Phew, man things are getting dicey.

Penn State now has a first and 10 from the 11 yard line. Clark takes the ball up the middle, and....TOUCHDOWN!

Penn State now leads Temple 21-0. 21 points in five minutes. Man, what a turnaround for this offense.

...

Touchdown Penn State...32-yard run by RB Royster

Penn State now leads the visiting Owls 14-0, and it's about time. Royster busted up the middle for a nice run, and it looks like the Lions are back to their ways.

A touchdown can now mean one thing. Stupid sorority chicks getting hoisted into the air. I would love to see one slip and fall. Yes, I'm a jerk, but oh well.

Injury timeout for one of Temple's players, but we can't tell who it is. It doesn't look serious, but something to keep an eye on. We know you will cause you can see everything from our blog site. Meanwhile, Clark is starting to move the ball down the field. The Lions have a 3rd and 3 from Temple's 42 yard line. I'm thinking a dump off here.

...

Alright folks, Brian taking over for Julia, who did such a nice job on her first blogging of the season. Let's give her a round of applause.

Okay, that's enough.

Penn State finally got into the endzone, with a 20-yd touchdown strike to WR Brett Brackett.

Temple responded with a three and out, and now the Lions will look to get back to their high-powered ways on offense.

**

The all-knowing stadium voice just informed us that this is the first quarter this season Penn State has gone scoreless in the first quarter. Ouch.

In brighter news, the team has maintained the record of not allowing the opposing team to score in the first 15.

**

The clock is running down on the first quarter, and the Lions still have no points on the board.

Our predictions for today's game are beginning to look slightly out of reach.

**

First interception of the season for Penn State.

The ball was overthrown by Clark, and wide reciever Brett Brackett couldn't get his hands around it.

**

Julia here, peering out from the glass of the press box as the first quarter gets underway.

Only a few minutes into the game and Temple's staring quaterback is on the sidelines getting looked over by team doctors. It's looking like he's having some problems with his arm and might not be making it back onto field anytime soon.

Not looking very good for the Owls.

**

Joe Paterno is on the sideline.

Paterno led his players out of the tunnel, walked to the sideline and it appears Paterno will opt to stay in the sunshine today.

I'm going to turn it over to Ms. Julia Chapman who will take you through the first quarter.

--TJ

***

Joe Paterno is on the field.

Paterno just had a chat with Temple coach and former Penn Stater, Al Golden at midfield and now Paterno is walking around as Penn State is stretching.

Paterno seems to be walking fine, but we will let you know if he heads up here.

--TJ

***

"I've been through the desert on a horse with no name..."

This song is always in my head on Saturdays. (I think it's on constant rotation in the stereo here).

Hello all, It's Travis and I'm blogging live from the press box in Beaver Stadium. We're about 38 minutes from kickoff and fans are beginning to pile in for today's game that pits the undefeated Penn State Nittany Lions against the visiting Temple Owls who are 1-2.

The feeling up here is that this Temple squad will put up a better fight than they did last season and be a better challenge for the Lions than Coastal Carolina, Oregon State and Syracuse.

The word around the campfire is that Joe Paterno could coach from a box up here as opposed to on the sideline, as he's having some trouble with his leg.

We'll keep an eye out for JoePa up here, so you can keep your eyes on the game.

Here are some things to watch for.

Temple's quarterback Adam DiMichele leads the Owls in rushing. DiMichele will be the first real mobile quarterback the Lions will face, and if the Penn State defensive line can't contain him, responsibility then falls to the linebacking corps. If DiMichele scoots outside of the pocket on the run, we will get a chance to see what kind of range Josh Hull and the rest of the 'backers have. Will Hull be able to fly up and attack DiMichele before he gains big yards?

Anyone's who's watched the Lions dismantle their three opponents thus far knows the Penn State offense runs on the legs of sophomore tailback Evan Royster. So where's redshirt-freshman Stephfon Green been?

Green's carried the ball 31 times for 160 yards. He's averaging a neat 5.2 yards per carry, but all of his yards have come in garbage time with the game already in hand. Last week against Syracuse, Green missed a few open holes that could have been huge runs. It'll be interesting to see if the PSU staff gives Royster more carries. They'll need him too, come Big Ten season.

Will Pat Devlin see as much time in this game as he did against the Orange last week? If the game gets out of hand quickly, Devlin will surely get time, but will he see snaps if Temple can stay competitive? We're guessing yes.

--TJ

Chris "Beanie" Wells will not play for Ohio State against Troy this weekend.

Buckeye head coach Jim Tressel announced Wells' status earlier today.

The Heisman-hopeful tailback could also miss his team's first Big Ten game against Minnesota on Sept. 27, as Tressel did not say if he knew when Wells' injured right foot would be ready.

The Buckeyes also don't have a starting quarterback. Tressel has not said whether senior Todd Boeckman or true freshman Terrelle Pryor will start against Troy.

Boeckman started the year for OSU but looked dreadful in a 35-3 defeat to USC last week. He finished 14-for-21 with just 84 yards. Boeckman threw two interceptions.

One of those picks was returned by USC linebacker Ray Maualuga 48 yards for a touchdown.

On the other hand, Pryor was 7-for-9 with 52 yards. Pryor also added 40 yards rushing on 11 carries.

--TJ

Wisconsin linebacker Jonathan Casillas was charged with driving under the influence last month while on a MOPED.

The Wisconsin State Journal said Casillas was pulled over during the early morning hours of Aug. 24.

The State Journal said police reports cited Casillas' blood alcohol level of .15, twice the legal limit. He was also cited for driving with more than one person on the moped, according to police reports the State Journal said.

The State Journal reported Badger coach Bret Bielema said he has already disciplined Casillas and wants to keep the incident in house.

Casillas played in Wisconsin's 13-10 win at Frenso St. Saturday night.

-- Wible

As many of you may have heard, two Penn State players, defensive end Maurice Evans and defensive tackle Abe Koroma were charged with possession of marijuana after police found "a small amount" of wacky weed in their apartment on Sept. 2.

ESPN's coverage of the charges has generated quite a bit of talk from fans. As of 8:40 p.m., 262 comments have been posted on the subject.

Wible and I took it upon ourselves to analyze each comment to gauge the public opinion of the incident.

Our criteria was simple. We're going with three main categories:

Those who think Koroma's and Evans' situation is no big deal, those who think it is and the players were rightfully charged and those who are indifferent.

105 comments were counted as "no big deals". The line of thinking here is that college kids smoke pot. Even football players. A lot of these comments also included shots at other players at other schools who have been charged with more serious crimes.

29 comments were counted as "it's a big deal". The majority of these ESPN users feel as if Koroma and Evans have a larger responsibility to their community and teammates, and that drugs are bad, mmmkay.

16 comments were counted as "indifferent" or Wible and I are too dumb to figure out what these idiots were trying to say. Spelling errors were common in these.

BONUS RESEARCH:

3 comments called for Joe Paterno to be fired. These users blamed Paterno for allowing his players to get hooched up.

2 comments were racially charged. We can't count these for anything.

1 comment in particular guaranteed a Penn State loss to Wisconsin this season. We're guessing this guy's from Madison.

DISCLAIMER:

Wible and I did not count every comment. Many people use the internet to simply rip each other apart and most of this thread we have studied has degenerated into an argument to legalize pot.

Those arguments disintegrated even more into personal attacks. We didn't bother to read too far into those.

--Travis

ESPN's Thomas Neumann conducted an interesting study.

He looked at the number of non-conference games BCS schools have played against other BCS opponents, and his research revealed Penn State's percentage of games against BCS schools of .500 is ninth in the country.

I'm still trying to figure out what's worse: the logic that places equal weight with Penn State playing a team like, say, Syracuse as Ohio State receives for playing USC, or the fact that Penn State playing the likes of Coastal Carolina, Oregon State and Syracuse is on par with all but eight other BCS schools. It should be noted that only the 1998-2007 out-of-conference schedules were included, so this year's slate wasn't factored in. But the Nittany Lions' scheduling philosophy this year has been mirrored in recent years.

Neumann's research was clearly inexact since there's no possible fair way to measure out of conference games, but it was interesting nonetheless. Penn State has been roundly criticized for a soft out-of-conference schedule, but based on Neumann's study, Penn State is in line if not exceeding the national average.

Temple, by the way, was not included since the Owls weren't BCS members from 1998-2007.

-- Josh

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said his star running back Chris "Beanie" Wells, who was out when the Buckeyes were pounded by USC last week, practiced Tuesday and could be cleared to play against Troy this Saturday.

Wells is nursing a tender right foot suffered during the season opener against Youngstown St.

In other news from the Buckeye backfield, Tressel said true freshman sensation Terrelle Pryor, who had some success against USC, has played himself into a competition with incumbent starter Todd Boeckman.

Boeckman, a pure pocket passer, struggled against the Trojans because he was a sitting duck in the pocket. Pryor gives the offense a dual-threat quarterback who was the top recruit in the nation last year.

Penn State's Oct. 11 road trip to Madison, Wisc. to take on the Badgers could have league championship implications.

At least, the conference's reputation depends on one of these teams to step up.

ESPN's Big Ten blogger is pointing out the best-case scenario for the Big Ten would be for either the Nittany Lions or the Badgers to represent the conference in the national championship game.

The worst thing that could happen to further smear the conference's reputation? Ohio State going to the big game again and getting blown out -- again.

We all saw what happened against the Trojans.

--Travis

Bowl predictions don't mean much of anything in the third week of the season, but they're still fun to check out.

This one on ESPN has Penn State playing Oregon in the Rose Bowl if Mark Schlabach's projection turns out to be accurate. Bruce Feldman weighed in and picked Penn State to play Tennessee in the Outback Bowl.

Penn State last played in the Rose Bowl in 1994, and the opponent that day was Oregon.

Schlabach has Ohio State receiving the Big Ten's second bowl bid and Wisconsin getting the third. Feldman has Wisconsin getting the first, Ohio State the second and Penn State the third.

-- Josh

Check out Monday's Daily Collegian for full coverage of Penn State's win at Syracuse, but here's a few online extras that won't be found in the paper.

Here's an online photo gallery that photographers Abby Drey and Meagan Kanagy compiled.

Here's the postgame picnic from Week 3.

Here's a surprise.

Former Penn State star Larry Johnson Jr. feels the Chiefs are diminishing his role in Kansas City's dismal offense, so he decided to speak out.

Again.

"I've got to sit back and figure that the writing is on the wall, that this season or next season could be my last season as a Chief," Johnson said, according to the Kansas City Star. "I don't know. But obviously if they're making personnel changes now and I'm not even in for any of the snaps to (try to) help win this game, then that pretty much says it for all."

Johnson carried the ball 12 times for 22 yards, and he was particularly upset that coaches took him out when the Chiefs were near the goal line.

He would seem to have a point. Why give one of only three running backs in NFL history to rush for more than 1,750 yards in consecutive seasons 12 carries, especially when he's one of the few talents on offense? There must have been a good reason Johnson was signed to a multi-million dollar long-term contract.

This wasn't the first time he questioned his offense's playcalling.

Johnson also publicly feuded with former Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil after Johnson was memorably told he needed to "take the diapers off."

-- Josh

The latest AP poll is out and the Nittany Lions have moved up one spot to No. 16. Penn State jumped Oregon, Kansas and Arizona State but were jumped by BYU and South Florida.

USC solidified itself as the run-away No. 1 team after pasting Ohio State 35-3. The Buckeyes fell from No. 5 to No. 13, the biggest fall of the week.

No. 8 Wisconsin and No. 22 Illinois round out the Big Ten representatives after a pair of close wins.

Top 25
Rank Team (1st place votes) Record Pts.
1. USC (61) 2-0 1,596
2. Oklahoma 3-0 1,485
3. Georgia (2) 3-0 1,437
4. Florida (1) 2-0 1,414
5. Missouri 3-0 1,389
6. LSU 2-0 1,274
7. Texas 2-0 1,140
8. Wisconsin 3-0 1,076
9. Alabama 3-0 982
10. Auburn 3-0 958
11. Texas Tech 3-0 904
12. South Florida 3-0 801
13. Ohio State 2-1 800
14. Brigham Young 3-0 788
15. East Carolina 3-0 781
16. Penn State 3-0 779
17. Oregon 3-0 679
18. Wake Forest 2-0 482
19. Kansas 2-1 445
20. Utah 3-0 428
21. West Virginia 1-1 179
22. Illinois 2-1 163
23. Clemson 2-1 160
24. Florida State 2-0 146
25. Fresno State 1-1 121
Others Receiving Votes
Vanderbilt 63, Oklahoma State 62, TCU 45, Boise State 38, Arizona State 36, North Carolina 31, Virginia Tech 28, Nebraska 21, Tennessee 15, Connecticut 13, Iowa 12, Kentucky 6, Tulsa 6, Northwestern 4, Notre Dame 4, Minnesota 4, Arizona 2, UCF 1, Ball State 1, South Carolina 1.
Dropped From Rankings
Arizona State 15, California 23.

-- Wible

I am the king of predictions!!! The closer, Paul Cianciolo hit Derek Moye for a 33-yard touchdown. The score made it 55-13 Penn State and that's how it ended, and guess who predicted Penn State to win 55-13 . . .

PSU 55 SU 13, FINAL

***

Backup kicker Colin Wagner boots a field goal and Penn State extends its lead to 35. That 55-13 prediction is looking better and better every drive.

PSU 48 SU 13, 14:08 fourth quarter

***

Syracuse finally has gotten something going and the Orange find the end zone for the first time today. Cam Dantley hit Marcus Sales for an 11-yard TD strike to pull Syracuse within 32.

Just for the record, a certain football writer who will remain nameless predicted 55-13 for the final . . .

PSU 45 SU 13, 1:23 third quarter

***

After a relatively uneventful first two drives, Penn State picked up where it left off. Stephfon Green took a pitch in from two yards out for a score.

The big play on the drive was an 18-yard Devlin to Chaz Powell pass, which Powell fumbled but Derek Moye recovered. It's just too easy for this offense, only 28 more yards to eclipse 500 for the game.

PSU 45 SU 6, 7:05 third quarter

***

Halftime stats

Team PSU SU
1st downs 19 3
Total Yards 393 51
Rush Yards 137 13
Pass Yards 256 38
Turnovers 2 1

Individual

Passing
Daryll Clark - 9 of 18 156 yards, 2 TDs
Pat Devlin - 7 of 9, 100 yards, 2 TDs

Rushing
Evan Royster - 11 carries, 96 yards

Receiving
Jordan Norwood - 5 rec., 113 yards, 2 TDs
Deon Butler - 7 rec., 110 yards, 2 TDs

***

Joe Paterno is saying eff you to Syracuse and called a pair of timeouts with less than two minutes to play in the first half. He wanted to preserve the clock so his offense could put more points on the board.

But the timeouts were for not because Anthony Scirrotto fumbled the punt return and Syracuse recovered. But Penn State's defense was able to hold the Orange to just a field goal and the Lions will take over with 45 seconds to play.

PSU 35 SU 6, 0:45 second quarter

***

A little razzle dazzle from the Lions, a WR pass from Jordan Norwood fell short of Butler in the end zone. But two plays later, Devlin found Norwood wide open over the middle for a 24-yard TD. Norwood's second of the game.

That pass put Devlin right at 100 yards for the game, meaning Penn State has two 100-yard passers in the first half.

PSU 35 SU 3, 2:32 second quarter.

***

Say bye bye shutout. Syracuse finally manages to pick up a first down. The Orange put together a decent drive, but, as usual, stalled at the 27. A 44-yard field goal puts Syracuse on the board.

PSU 28 SU 3, 8:11 second quarter

***

And that touchdown for Butler puts him into third place on Penn State's all-time touchdown list with 17 scores, passing O.J. McDuffie.

***

The rout is officially on because Pat Devlin is in the game. It's only the second quarter but Devlin's getting some playing time. Good job by the coaches, keep your starters healthy and save them for Big Ten play.

And three plays after entering the game, Devlin finds Butler in the front corner of the end zone.

And just for the record, a certain football writer, I won't name any names, called Butler as his player of the game during the Pigskin Pregame video.

PSU 28 SU 0, 12:11 second quarter.

***

This is getting pretty boring. Another Syracuse drive, another three and out. This game is out of hand already and only getting worse.

***

And we have our first Mike Lucian sighting on defense. Lucian, a backup offensive lineman, was moved to defense to help provide depth to the thin defensive line. A big Aaron Maybin sack forces another Syracuse three and out and Penn State takes over at its own 31.

***

Another impressive drive by the Lions, mainly Royster and Williams on the ground. Capped off by a Dan Lawlor 1-yard TD run. Good for Lawlor, he's done a heck of a job blocking this season and finally gets rewarded with his first TD run of the season.

The rout is on.

PSU 21 SU 0, 2:54 first quarter.

***

The defense forces another three and out. This just ain't fair. Syracuse is pretty dang bad.

***

Another drive, another Penn State touchdown. Clark finds Deon Butler on a fade in the side of the end zone. It's being reviewed, but it's gotta stand. He got a foot down, maintained possession and the review confirms the ruling on the field.

PSU 14 SU 0, 7:45 first quarter

***

Third and long and Clark finds Norwood down the middle, how is he always open? Hello defense, Jordan Norwood's good, why don't you try a double team every now and then?

***

The Lion defense forces a three and out, with a clutch play from Jared Odrick on third down busting up a draw. On the punt, Derrick Williams gets interfered with so Penn State starts their third drive on its own 44.

***

As soon as Penn State turns it over, Syracuse shows just what kind of team they are and Curtis Brinkley fumbles a screen pass and Lydell Sargeant recovers.
Very next play, Clark finds Norwood who makes three men miss and goes in from 55-yards out. It was a terrible start for the offense, but one big play from the defense and just like that, Penn State has control

PSU 7 SU 0, 14:00 first quarter

***

And on the first drive, second play, Daryll Clark rolls out to the left and gets hit. Fumble, recovered by Syracuse. Something we haven't seen. Some adversity, we'll see what the defense can do with a short field. First and 10 Cuse from the 36.

***

I'm hearing from Josh that the fan split is about 60-40 Syracuse. And Derrick Williams returns the opening kick to the 34. Good start, we'll see what the offense can do on the road.

***

Because of some technical difficulties in the Carrier Dome, I'll be taking you through the game until Travis and Josh get things under control

***

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- We're still more than an hour away from kickoff here at the Carrier Dome but that's perfect for a few updates.

Penn State defensive linemen Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma did not travel with the team.

The starting defensive line is as follows:

LE: Aaron Maybin
LT: Jared Odrick
RT: Ollie Ogbu
RE: Josh Gaines

Cameron Dantley will start at quarterback for the Orange. Last week

***

Hello from blog land. This is Travis and I'm sitting in what has quickly become my favorite press box -- inside the Carrier Dome on the Syracuse campus.

The press box is open and you can literally smell the turf. Mmmm...football.

I'm alongside my partner, Josh Langenbacher and J.L. and I will be taking you through today's game. We'll try our best to get you every update on the jiffy, but there is only two of us today. Wible didn't make the trip and we wish him well. Poor dude spent the night in the hospital back in State College last night. Get better pal.

Josh and I are also joined by two lovely ladies -- miss Abby Drey and miss Meagan Kanagy. Meagan and Abby will be shooting today's game and will have the pictures up tomorrow afternoon at the Collegian's website.

We're still more than two hours from kickoff, but some Syracuse students have already began to file in. Everything here is orange and I think some of these kids spent a combined 100 bucks on orange body paint.

The Orange have compiled a 7-30 record under current head coach Greg Robinson over the past three seasons. For those of you who aren't too quick with math (like myself) that's bad. Real bad. Detroit Lions bad.

So far this year, Syracuse has been demolished by both Northwestern and Akron.

Josh and I got the chance to hang out at a house party here last night and the common consensus is that Robinson is on the hot seat here. This will be a big game in determining his coaching future with the team.

Another interesting note. If you don't pay three bucks for a cup for beer at parties here, they kick you out. Luckily my minor is espionage and I snuck back in.

Syracuse is on the field in warm-up gear throwing some pigskins around now. We have yet to see the Penn State squad.

I'll go ahead and take this time to answer an email we got.

Brian in Irwin, Pa. wants to know where he can get a skull and crossbones Lion Ambassador-style t-shirt.

Brian, we're not sure. In fact, I haven't seen one of those shirts yet. I'd say your best bet is to find someone with one and ask them where they got it. I'll do my best to find out for you and email you back when I get back to State College.

Keep the mail coming.

--Trav

While Travis and Josh are somewhere in southern New York right now on their way to Syracuse, I'm here holding down the fort. So if you can't wait for kickoff and want even more insight, check out our preview of the Syracuse game.

-- Wible

Virginia starting quarterback Peter Lalich won't travel with the team this weekend when it heads to Connecticut to take on the Huskies. Lalich will stay in Charlottesville, Va. to concentrate on legal issues stemming from an underage drinking charge in July.

No word yet if he's not traveling because they can't start the plane because Lalich can't register under the legal limit on the plane's breathalyzer.

Lalich said he didn't want to be a distraction for the Caveliers.

"I love my team and my teammates and the way they have let me know that they trust me and have my back," Lalich said in a press release. "Because I care so much about our team, it is best for me to step back temporarily from my starting position so that my teammates can focus 100 percent on getting ready for the game. Coach Groh and I have frequent conversations and we agree on this. I appreciate that Coach sees me first as a person, then as a quarterback.

"I make mistakes like everyone, but I have followed the terms of my probation and I am committed to our team and the University of Virginia."

-- Wible

The fine people over at Notre Dame have decided to dedicate a statue to former Fighting Irish head coach Lou Holtz. Holtz finished with a 3-4 career record against Penn State and Joe Paterno, but yet is still deserving of a statue.

No word yet on whether or not the statue will be covered in Holtz's salivia. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, just watch this "pep talk" he gave Penn State during an ESPN college football show last season.

Following up on our earlier police brutality story about East Carolina, school officials said they've identified officers who stuck and beat students rushing the field. Whether any actions will be taken against the officers is up to their respective departments.

Pirate Chancellor Steve Ballard called the incidents, "the most disappointing and shocking I've witnessed in my more than four years here."

-- Wible

While this isn't really Penn State news, it deals with the Big Ten's public perception and whether or not Ohio State can hold its own.

We told yall earlier that Ohio State all-american running back Chris "Beanie" Wells would play for the Buckeyes' top-five showdown with USC Saturday. And as of Tuesday, that information was correct.

Well, Wells said he was sore after Wednesday's workout and Tressel said Wells is "doubtful," for the collision in the Coliseum.

One of my buddies said he thinks this is just Ohio State hedging its BCS bets. If the Buckeyes would lose with Wells, their BCS title dreams would be done. But say OSU gets demolished without him, would the voters take pity on the Buckeyes and want to see a healthy Wells in the national title game?

This reeks of a little gamesmanship on the part of Tressel. If Wells is actually 75 percent, like he said he was Monday. And if he's a true football player, he's going to play. The only way he would miss this game would be if his foot was still stuck in the turf at the Horseshoe.

Wells is gonna play, Tressel just knows how cocky the USC players are and wants them to feel like a win is a given.

He's gonna play.

-- Wible

Thirty-five-year-old former Penn State star QB Kerry Collins will start for the Tennessee Titans this weekend. Collins replaces the Titans' Vince Young, who officially is out with a strained MCL.

But the real reason, in case you missed it, started with Young's recent O.J.-esque tirade, the former Texas star stormed out of his house, sans cell phone, went driving with an unloaded gun in his car.

His boys were so concerned they called members of the Titans front office, who in turn alerted the cops to find Young. Police found him during the early morning hours at one of his boys' house eating wings.

Young's mom says he's emotionally scared inside and needs a break. But sure didn't look like he needed some space here? Wait, I guess that's just the Titans locker room seeing the lack of women.

Collins started for the Nittany Lions during the 1994 Rose Bowl season and is the last QB to lead Penn State to an undefeated record.

He was selected No. 5 overall by the Carolina Panthers, but started drinking, a lot.

Collins, however, began to control his addiction and even led the Giants to the 2000 Super Bowl. Maybe he can help Young jump out of his spiral of disrepair.

-- Wible

Officials at East Carolina are investigating allegations that police used excess force in dealing with students storming the field after the Pirates upset West Virginia in Greensville, N.C. last week.

It was ECU's second consecutive upset. The Pirates knocked off Virginia Tech in the opening week.

Several fans claim they were struck and thrown to the ground by officers. University officials are conducting interviews and reviewing videotapes before making a decision.

Wait, police on the field following an upset? Sounds eeriely familiar. . .

-- Wible

While the Nittany Lions have no weather worries as they trek north to take on the 'Cuse in the Carrier Dome, the Deep South is feeling the brunt of hurricane Ike.

Somehow, the LSU-North Texas game will go on as schedule at 8 p.m. Saturday. LSU officials said the storm will apparently pass to the west of Baton Rouge and Tiger Stadium won't feel the brunt of the surge.

It was just two weeks ago that the LSU-Appalachian State game was move to 10 a.m. central time to avoid the full bore of Hurricane Gustav.

Ike, however, will make its presence felt in Austin, Tex., where the Texas-Arkansas game has been rescheduled for Sept. 27 because the area is expected to get drenched.

Here's a dramatic recreation of what Austin will look like when Ike hits landfall.

Kind of makes you appreciate living in the Central Pennsylvania mountains, eh? All we gotta worry about is this:

-- Wible

As an update to the last post, the Colts decided to waive Ed Johnson.

Johnson started 18 games, including one postseason game, for Indianapolis. When he was at Penn State, he was disciplined three times, including missing the entire 2005 season and a suspension from the 2006 Outback Bowl.

Here's the story.

-- Josh

Indianapolis Colt and former Penn State defensive tackle Ed Johnson was arrested early Wednesday on drug possession charges, according to police reports.

Police reports say Johnson was stopped by policing for speed on Interstate 495 just north of Indianapolis between midnight and 1 a.m.

Police reports said he was charged with both speeding and marijuana possession.

Story: Johnson arrested on drug charges

-- Wible

Josh Gaines spoke on a conference call this morning about watching film of Syracuse's two quarterbacks, Cameron Dantley and Andrew Robinson, in preparation for Saturday's game against the Orange.

It looks like he can focus on Dantley, who is starting against Penn State.

Dantley looked respectable against Akron, going 13-for-20 with three touchdowns. But he threw for only 135 yards.

-- Josh

Obviously this week is the biggest matchup of the college football season when Ohio State travels to sunny Southern California to take on the Trojans.

USC trucked Virginia in week one and is coming off a bye while the Buckeyes struggled to get past Ohio. But Ohio State played that game without star running back Beanie Wells, who was held out with a foot injury suffered in the opener.

But Wells will play against USC and he wants his carries.

-- Wible

We've polled former Collegian football writers and compiled a top 25 poll. We're going to keep it going every week until the end of the season, because, well, why not? It's fun. It's not exactly scientific, and we doubt the BCS is going to be calling anytime in the near future, but here we go.

Rank Team (First place votes) Pts.

1. USC (6) 174
2. Georgia (1) 160
3. Florida 159
4. Oklahoma 157
5. Ohio State 144
6. Missouri 139
7. Texas 131
8. LSU 130
9. Auburn 115
10. Wisconsin 106
11. Alabama 97
12. Texas Tech 89
13. Oregon 82
14. Arizona State 80
15. Kansas 79
16. Penn State 76
17. East Carolina 73
18. Cal 44
19. South Florida 44
20. BYU 20
21. Wake Forest 35
22. Utah 33
23. Fresno State 32
24. West Virginia 11
25. UCLA 6

Others receiving votes: Vanderbilt 5, Tennessee 4, Clemson 3, Virginia Tech 3, Ball State 1, TCU 1

-- Wible

I'm not just a first-quarter blogger.

Here's a story I found during a recent Google session. It's from a 1988 issue of the New York Times. It explains why Penn State and Syracuse ended their annual gridiron meetings.

Penn State has played the Orange 68 times since 1944. The two teams haven't met since the Nits beat 'cuse 27-21 at Beaver Stadium in 1990.

-Travis

Check out the latest installment of the postgame picnic where we three football writers break down the action from the Oregon State game.

Please let us know what you think about it, even if you think it sucks. We have thick skin, let 'er rip. And if you're a single female please direct all your e-mails to me, otherwise, hit up Travis and Josh

Oregon State Postgame Picnic

-- Wible

It was pretty much known Saturday, but it was confirmed this afternoon that redshirt junior defensive end Jerome Hayes will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) against Oregon State.

Hayes went down while covering a punt early in the 4th quarter. Hayes was hit with a chop block and his left knee buckle.

It's his second torn ACL during the past year. He tore his right ACL during a punt return against Wisconsin last year.

Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said after the game that Penn State will petition the NCAA for a 6th year of eligibility for Hayes.

-- Wible

Now it's not like it was a huge jump, but the Lions moved up to No. 17 in the latest AP poll.

The biggest mover in this week's poll is East Carolina. Following a pair of "upsets" over Virginia Tech and West Virginia, the Pirates appear in the poll for the first time this season at No. 20.

After struggling to put away Ohio, Ohio State dropped to No. 5. But don't worry, it won't take any of the luster off Saturday's matchup at USC (the Trojans by the way top the poll).

The only other Big Ten team in the poll is Wisconsin at No. 10. Illinois dropped out following a win over Eastern Illinois.

9/7/08 AP top 25

RANK TEAM RECORD PTS PVS
1. USC (34) 1-0 1481 1
2. Georgia (18) 2-0 1454 2
3. Oklahoma (3) 2-0 1370 4
4. Florida (3) 2-0 1306 5
5. Ohio State (1) 2-0 1289 3
6. Missouri 2-0 1212 7
7. LSU (2) 1-0 1198 6
8. Texas 2-0 1069 9
9. Auburn 2-0 1017 10
10. Wisconsin 2-0 946 11
11. Kansas 2-0 854 12
12. Texas Tech 2-0 755 13
13. Arizona State 2-0 737 14
14. Oregon 2-0 665 16
15. BYU 2-0 628 15
16. Alabama 2-0 611 17
17. Penn State 2-0 547 19
18. South Florida 2-0 475 18
19. Wake Forest 2-0 419 20
20. East Carolina 2-0 375 NR
21. Fresno State 1-0 300 21
22. Utah 2-0 235 23
23. Clemson 1-1 175 22
24. West Virginia 1-1 145 8
25. California 2-0 128 NR
Others Receiving Votes
Illinois 124, UCLA 86, Florida State 50, Kentucky 28, Boise State 22, Tennessee 21, TCU 18, Nebraska 16, Georgia Tech 15, Arizona 11, Virginia Tech 11, Vanderbilt 8, Oklahoma State 7, Iowa 4, Colorado 3, Notre Dame 3, Tulsa 2, Connecticut 2, Bowling Green 1, South Carolina 1, Northwestern 1

-- Wible

15:00: All the defensive starters are still on the field as Oregon State's at Penn State's 42. Moevao passes to Jacquizz Rodgers for 10 yards. There's clearly not the same passion there was.

Penn State's student section -- which was half empty at the start of the game -- is half empty at the start of the quarter. Who can blame them?

Jacquizz Rodgers finishes the drive with a 4-yard run, 42-14 PSU.

10:13: Green bobbles kickoff return, picks it up as PSU begins drive at the 17. Starting offensive line still in with Devlin at QB and Carter as the RB. Drive goes three and out with a Carter run, Devlin incompletion and Devlin 1-yard run. More fans trickling out, but Oregon State's impressive following remains. Boone breaks loose for a long run after an apparent miscommunication. The coaches came out on the field, and Boone looked to be explaining what happened.

Hayes hurt on the kickoff return. He's down at the 44 right now with a knee injury. Trainers lifting him off the field and he's applying no weight. Initially, the players were bringing him off the field but Hayes fell down. When he came to the bench, he flipped something to the air in a combination of pain, frustration and disappointment. Wallace, Norwood, Gaines, Williams are huddled around him.

His loss would again further tax a defensive line that lost Chris Baker and Phil Taylor permanently and Koroma and Evans until an incident involving marijuana being found at their apartment is resolved.

Eagle-eyed Travis Johnson reports Hayes has a towel over his head and looks very upset.

Rubin comes up with a sweet interception and with that I'm headed down to the field.
--------

With that, I'm going to pass it over to Josh as "Hey Baby" entertains the remaining white-clad student section.

End of the 3rd. Oregon State has strung together a few first downs and end the quarter on its own 42.

0:44 Now, we know this isn't a nailbiter, but the student section is pretty depressing. The upper decks have already emptied and the remaining students can sit and relax without having to bob thier heads around the person in front of them.

In other news, this year's spoilers, East Carolina are beating No. 8 West Virginia, 17-3, at the half. First VT, now WVU? Maybe this year, it's not a fluke.

2:47 A lackluster drive for Devlin as the drive ends with a 31 yard field goal from Kelly. 45-7.

3:30 And as expected, Pat Devlin has taken over for a very impressive Clark.

4:06 Lyle Moevao must be colorblind since he just threw a pass directly to Penn State inside linebacker Josh Hull for an interception. Hull returned the pick for 14 yards to the Oregon State 16.

4:53 Clark avoids several tackles down the left to reach the Penn State endzone. The Beaver secondary met him at the endline, but Clark managed to muscle his way through for a score. 42-7, Penn State.

6:11 Another incredible acrobatic catch from Norwood who was in some traffic. Penn State 1st down on the 18. Norwood's numbers thus far: 8 catches, 116 yards. A career high for the senior.

6:45 Alright, well Clark must be getting some updates about this blog since he just threw a bullet to Norwood to the OSU 34 for a first down.

7:46 A holding penalty against the Lions pins them back to their 31. Clark misses a pass to Shuey - the second incomplete pass of the series. Any chance Pat Devlin will get a chance to toss a few? Clark has definitely been mobile in the pocket, but maybe the kid from PA can finish this one out.

8:04 And let's try to get this play started now after some delays. And the crowd is up again. Anthony Scirrotto broke up the play in the middle of the field with a near interception. Penn State takes over on downs.

8:04 An Oregon State TO allows our beloved Lionettes to the field. I never really understood the concept of dancing without the flips and pom poms...but that's just me.

8:04 Oregon State is going for it on 4th at 3 on the Penn State 41. Aaannddd cue the increase in volume.

Hey kids...I'm Julie Reis, and welcome to the rest of the third quarter.

***

Royster just pulled a Barry Sanders-esque run as he ran right, saw nothing, cut back to the left, got a block from Clark, made two men miss and took off for 5 yards, but he ran about 25. Then after a beautiful 24 yard Clark pass to Deon Butler, Royster fumbled one yard short of his 4th TD of the day.

1st and 10 OSU on its own 1-yard line. The students all got their hands up begging for a safety.

Well that's all for me folks, I need some grub. I'm gonna toss it to Miss Julie Reis who'll take you through the third quarter. Later Yall, Wible out

***

The 1973 Penn State team is being honored on the field. That squad was the first team in college football history to go 12-0, yet finished 5th in the country. The team also featured RB John Capelletti, Penn State's only Heisman Trophy winner.

While they get their pub, let's look at some stats.

Team Stats
PSU OSU
Rushes-yards 21-180 15-51
Passing yards 149 86
Att.-Comp.-Int. 18-11-0 17-10-0
Total plays-yards 39-329 32-137
Penalties-yards 0-0 1-10
Time of Possession 15:11 14:49
Punts-avg. 1-57 5-27.2
3rd down conversions 5 of 6 2 of 8

Player Stats

PSU

Rushing
Evan Royster - 12 carries, 121 yards, 3 TDs (9.9 avg.)
Daryll Clark - 4 carries, 46 yards (10.8 avg)

Passing
Clark - 11 of 17 for 149 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs

Receiving
Jordan Norwood - 6 catches, 74 yards, 1 TD
Mickey Shuler - 3 catches, 48 yards, 1 TD

Defense
Navorro Bowman - 6 tackles
Tyrell Sales - 5 tackles
Josh Gaines - 4 tackles, 1 sack

***

PSU's 2-minute drive resulted in a 60-yard field goal attempt from Kelly that fell just two yards short. And it's break time boys and girls.

PSU 35, OSU 7, Halftime

***

And just when it looked like the Beavers were gaining some momentum, Josh Gaines smashed it away with a beastly sack of Moevao on 3rd and 6. PSU quickly called timeout with OSU about to punt with 24 seconds left in the half.

And shank you very much, the Lions got what they needed, as Hekker booted a 20-yard duck that bounced out of bounds.

***

Daryll Clark is one tough Mo Fo. On 3rd and 9 at the OSU 30, he ran a QB draw up the middle, was hit after five yards but carried 3 defenders across to pick up the first down. And 2 plays later, he shows he can chuck it a lil too. Clark hit Norwood on a ball that was underthrown, but in a good way. Nice throw, nice catch, on the 19-yard scoring hookup.

And on that play, Norwood registered his 126th catch in his career, moving him into 3rd place on Penn State's all-time receptions list, ahead of former NFL receiver O.J. McDuffie.

Penn State scoring drive: 11 plays, 78 yards, 4:48

PSU 28, OSU 7, 1:01 2nd quarter

***

Well maybe I spoke too soon. OSU finally figured something out. The Beavers ran right at PSU and methodically drove for a touchdown. RB Jacquizz Rodgers was the workhorse, he toted the rock 7 times for 52 yards and the 12-yard touchdown run. The lights starting to get a little dim, is it heating up?

PSU 28 OSU 7, 5:55 2nd quarter

***

OSU James Rodgers finally got a hint, he fielded Kevin Kelly's kickoff in the endzone and instead of taking it out and getting tackled short of the 25, like his other 4 attempts, he takes a knee. If he had had a white flag, I'm sure he would've waived it too.

***

I hope all the orange-clad Beaver fans got their plane tickets on travelocity or orbitz, cause this is pretty much a wasted trip. Well, I guess they did get to see some cows, some fields and some mountains.

***

After a 34-yard run by Royster and a 20-yard Clark to Williams connection, Royster followed Gerald Cadogan and waltzed into the end zone. It just looks too easy. Royster's first run was impressive as he made 2 men miss and got to the sideline. Royster surpassed the 100-yard mark on that first run and currently has 112 yards on 10 carries and 3 TDs.

Penn State scoring drive, 5 plays, 70 yards, 1:55

PSU 28 OSU 0, 11:11 second quarter (make a wish)

***

And while we take a timeout on the field, I'm drawn to a herd of cows just chillin in the grass by 322. I wonder if they have any idea what's going on here. That gets me thinking again, why doesn't any school call themselves the cows. I mean it's not frightening, but it'd be pretty cool.

***

It's like clockwork, OSU starts inside its own 35, and 3 plays later the Beavers are punting. Some good gang tackling by the Lions and a nice play by Tony Davis forces an OSU punt that's fair-caught by Derrick Williams at the PSU 30.

***

This thing ain't even close ladies and gentlemen. Either Oregon State's not good at all or Penn State's a top-10 caliber team because this game has the feeling of a blowout all over it.

***

And two plays later, after a little failed razzle dazzle, a Derrick Williams pass to Jordan Norwood was knocked away by OSU corner Keenan Lewis, the ole' standby Evan Royster busted to the left sideline and streaked his was for a 28-yard TD run.

PSU 21, OSU 0, 14:41 2nd.

Unsung hero of the drive: Royster. Sure, he gets the TD so he's not unsung, but it was all himself bouncing outside.

***

Howdy Yall, it's Wible taking over from TJ while he goes to ice his hands.

And Travis, that punt we were waiting for never happened. OSU punter Johnny Hekker, who's had a rough day already, bobbled the snap, felt the Penn State rush and was tackled by Nate Stupar. Penn State takes over on the OSU 28.

***

We're waiting on another punt from Oregon State after PSU DE Aaron Maybin hammered OSU QB Lyle Moevao as he released the ball.

My fingers hurt, so Wible will be taking you all through the second quarter.

PSU 14, OSU 0, END 1ST

--TJ

***

Clark misfired on third down and Penn State will punt for the first time from its own 43. We're not really sure how you overthrow 6'6" Brackett, but hey, it happens.

PSU 14, OSU 0, 1:14 1ST

***

Oregon State can't convert on third down for the third straight drive and will have to punt at midfield.

PSU 14, OSU 0, 3:59 1ST

***

Truth: When Daryll Clark runs the ball, Penn State fans stand up. Clark took off for 24 yards around the right side. Derrick Williams added a nice end-around for 15 yards. Only a desperation tackle (and a good one) by OSU linebacker Keith Pankey saved the touchdown.

But then Clark threw a nice pass from the five-yard line to Mickey Shuler for the touchdown.

UNSUNG HERO: WR Derrick Williams. When Clark got to the outside, Williams set him up for a few more yards with a nice block OSU's left cornerback. That's what football's all about baby.

7 PLAYS, 55 YARDS, T.O.P. 2:53

PSU 14, OSU 0, 4:11 1ST

***

Oregon State will have to punt again. PSU 'backer Bani Gbadyu blew up the Beavers' trademark -- the fly sweep -- and OSU failed to cross their own 30-yard line.

PSU 7, OSU 0, 8:00 1ST

***

Daryll Clark looked impressive on Penn State's first possession. The senior QB threw to Jordan Norwood and Mickey Shuler for first downs to move the chains. Clark looked especially poised when and Oregon State defender came untouched up the middle on a blitz. Clark rolled away from him and took off for 11 yards.

Evan Royster did the rest with a 15-yard touchdown run.

UNSUNG HERO: WR Brett Brackett. The redshirt sophomore made a nice crack-back block to spring Royster close to the five.

PSU 7, OSU 0, 9:34 1st

***

Not a great start for PSU special teams. Kevin Kelly kicked the ball out of bounds and OSU started on the 40 but couldn't convert a third down after a short run by James Rodgers and two passes by QB Lyle Moevao.

Penn State takes over after an 18-yard punt.

12:50 1ST

***

The cows are laying down out along 322. You know what that means. Rain. It hasn't started to rain yet, but a dark cloud has settled over Beaver Stadium. It could be a sign of bad weather to come.

Penn State won the toss and deferred to the second half. The Beavers will receive and have to start back in hostile territory. It's too bad the student section isn't full yet. Another disappointing early turnout.

--TJ

* * *

23 minutes before kickoff. We think we've got a glimpse of the re-vamped defensive line.

The first unit drilling on the five yard line is as follows:

LE - Josh Gaines
LT - Jared Odrick
RT - Ollie Ogbu
RE - Jerome Hayes

Starters Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma are suspended for todays game.

Oregon State is running 11-on-11 drills.

* * *

We're 37 minutes from kickoff in Beaver Stadium and we've spotted Andrew Quarless. Joe Paterno said earlier this week on his call-in radio show that Quarless would not play after police found marijuana in an apartment the tight end shared with Abe Koroma, Maurice Evans and A.J. Wallace.

It looks like Quarless will play today.

--TJ

* * *

Howdy Nittany Nation and any Oregon State fans who may have happened upon this blog. I'm Collegian football reporter Travis Johnson. My partners and I will take you through today's action between the Nittany Lions and the Beavers live from the press box in Beaver Stadium.

We're still about an hour and a half from kickoff and the bleachers are sparsely populated. The grounds crew has just removed the tarp that was covering the field.

It looks like it's going to be a rainy one folks. AccuWeather is forecasting a 62 percent chance of rain this afternoon.

Keeping the conditions in mind, this game could be a test of two different running games. Last weekend, Evan Royster, Stephfon Green and Brent Carter ran behind PSU's offensive line for 220 yards. The Beavers ran the ball 28 times against Stanford for just 86 yards.

AccuWeather is also calling for 9 mph winds with 27 mph gusts. Quarterbacks don't like that. There is no tougher condition to throw in than wind.

We are officially 80 minutes from kickoff and the student section has just started the first 'WE ARE...' chants.

The Associated Press poll was just released and the Lions moved up three spots to No. 19.

There were also some minor shakeups at the top. After an impressive 52-7 blowout win over Virginia, USC moved into the top spot, hurdling Georgia.

The rest of the top five featured Ohio State, Oklahoma and Florida.

Wisconsin, the Big Ten's second highest ranked team turns in at No. 11 and Illinois dropped to No. 25.

AP top 25

-- Wible

The Lions are gettin' some love from Las Vegas. The line for Saturday's game against Oregon State has rocketed up to 16.5 points. That's pretty huge for a game featuring two BCS teams.

I guess Penn State's impressive showing vs. Coastal Carolina, coupled with Oregon State's loss at Stanford has a lot of people throwing some bones down on the Nits.

The Beavers struggled to stop the run, and Penn State enjoyed tons of success on the ground, so it is a pretty big mismatch, but 16.5 points? I'm not so sure.

Tate Forcier, a California quarterback expected to take a visit to Penn State for the Illinois game, committed to Michigan Sunday.

Watching Rich Rodriguez try to run his offense without a quarterback must have screamed early playing time.

Forcier took a unique approach to his recruiting by creating a Web site and posting the letters of all his scholarship offers.

The only major quarterback prospect Penn State is now involved with is Kevin Newsome, who decommitted from Michigan recently.

Newsome, who is from Virginia, is reportedly considering Penn State, Virginia Tech and North Carolina, in no particular order.

Not landing either would Penn State's quarterback situation in precarious shape heading into the 2009 season. Daryll Clark will still have a year of eligibility, and Pat Devlin will have two years, but Clark and Devlin would be Penn State's only scholarship quarterbacks.

-- Josh

Watch the Daily Collegian's football writers break down the action from this weekend's game against Coastal Carolina.

Former Penn State wide receiver Chris Bell, who enrolled at Norfolk State, is taking a redshirt this season, Norfolk State sports information director Matt Michalec said Monday.

Bell is practicing with the team, but because he did not complete the spring semester at Penn State, he did not have enough credit hours to become immediately eligible under NCAA guidelines.

Bell, as Penn State fans well know, was removed from the team after police said he pulled a knife on Devon Still in the team's dining commons in a dispute over a cell phone case that Still accused Bell of stealing.

Bell, who starred at Granby High School in the Norfolk area, will have two years of eligibility beginning in 2009.

-- Josh