RichRod on Michigan 2009: 'It was like taking a butter knife to a gun fight'

Rich Rodriguez found the perfect analogy to describe what it was like to be part of the train wreck he endured his first season as Michigan's coach...

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"It was like taking a butter knife to a gun fight. And that was not from a talent standpoint, but more from an experience standpoint. As much as we tried to coach and educate them, they were going to be in a tough battle, and we knew that coming in.

"We didn't help ourselves, either. There were some games when we had unforced errors but you've got to fight through that. Our guys will have more confidence this year because they've played, been through the process and understand what we want.

"It breaks things down to we've struck the floor, we've scraped the paint off, we're down to the bare bones and then building it up. Everybody says, 'You're not building a program because at Michigan you don't have to build it.' But we are building; I think you are always building a program, no matter where you're at.

"Everybody said I was an outsider, that I didn't understand. I understood it pretty well. Coming in I did my research, and after a few months of all the advice, you understood it pretty good.

"The biggest thing I learned about Michigan after being there was what we had on the team, what the strengths and weaknesses of our players were, what we needed to work on, where we needed to go in the future. You don't know that until you play a season with them."

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Updating (2): Penn State parts ways with 4-star cornerback

Phil Grosz of Blue White Illustrated is reporting that 4-star cornerback Darrell Givens will not be attending Penn State. There are a lot of rumors swirling about what exactly happened with the Class of 2009 signee. These rumors will likely remain more smoke than fire.

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Video: Big Ten Network president on access for Penn State fans

Here's a good interview with Big Ten Network president Mark Silverman during the Big Ten Media Days, courtesy of Blue White Illustrated...

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If you don't get BTN, please call your cable company today or vote with your dollars by switching to DirecTV or Dish Network.
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Updating: Penn State Majorette wins National Championship

P.J. Maierhofer (a/k/a Blue Sapphire) isn't the only Penn Stater who had success at the USA and World Twirling Championships...

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The Penn State Majorettes - the "Touch of Blue", a proud part of the Blue Bland, recently enjoyed tremendous success at the USA and World Twirling Championships, highlighted by their eighth straight National Title. The competition was held at Notre Dame University from July 21-24.

The squad received first place in a number of competitions, including College Half Time and Collegiate Dance Twirl. They also received the "WOW Award" for the most Entertaining Halftime Show.

The week saw the Nittany Lion squad compete against four other university majorette lines: the University of Florida Gatorettes, the Purdue University Twirling Line, the University of Arizona Twirling Line, and the North Carolina State University Twirlers.

"I am so proud of theses ladies and their accomplishments," said coach Heather Bean. "They have worked very hard since January to prepare for this week long competition. I received so many compliments on their performances, professionalism and school spirit. It truly was an amazing week for Penn State, the Blue Band, and these fine ladies!"

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Teammates Marcus Lattimore and Nick Jones visiting Penn State today

The nation's top runnning back, Marcus Lattimore, and his teammate, 3-star wide receiver Nick Jones, are finally making a twice-delayed visit to State College...

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Byrnes RB Marcus Lattimore (6-0 210) and WR Nick Jones (5-10 165) are visiting Penn State in their final trip before the start of practice Monday. The pair arrived in State College Thursday and are due back home this weekend. Lattimore already has Penn State in his final five along with North Carolina and Oregon. He will decide on the final two schools within a couple of weeks. He's considering USC [Cocks, not Trojans], Clemson, Auburn, Alabama, Florida State, and Maryland for those final two spots. Jones is also looking at USC [Cocks, not Trojans], Michigan, and North Carolina.

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Dakota Royer to Penn State photo gallery

Hats off to Harvey Levine of Fight on State for his photo gallery of Dakota Royer announcing for Penn State.

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Updating: Penn State parts ways with 4-star cornerback

So long, Darrell Givens, we hardly knew ye. Not so fast, my friend! There is breaking news on Givens...

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A new development tonight in the Darrell Givens story. According to a knowledgeable source, Penn State coach Joe Paterno has taken action to try to salvage Givens for his program. The source said Paterno has gone to the university president for relief. The source said if Paterno is able to get Givens into school, Givens may just decide to stick with the Nittany Lions.

It may seem odd that a South Carolina-based recruiting analyst would break this story, but recall that USC (Cocks, not Trojans) is one of the eight schools Givens named as a potential destination after being denied admission to Penn State.
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RichRod hoping to jazz up Michigan's Big House

The quietest 110,000 fans in sports might get a little rowdy this fall. Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said he’s talked with the university’s marketing department about things they can do to create a better gameday atmosphere at Michigan Stadium...

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Despite drawing some of college football’s biggest crowds for years - the Wolverines led the nation in attendance for the 10th straight season last year - Michigan is considered one of the more stale environments in the Big Ten.

“I think nowadays when people are coming to games they want entertainment,” Rodriguez said. “Obviously playing good football’s the best form of entertainment, but what else are you doing to get the crowd into the game and have it be a part of the game as opposed to just being there?”

Rodriguez said fans won’t see many noticeable changes this year.

“It’s a process,” he said. “It’s not going to happen overnight."

But in the works are things like making “the band and the students and some music” more a part of the gameday experience.

“There’s some venues we’ve been to and some venues I’ve been to in the past that get everybody fired up,” Rodriguez said. “They just can’t wait to come. And we have that some. When we’re playing well, and I know in the Big House there’s been some great moments, but there’s more that we can do to make the experience even better for everybody. So that’s what we’re talking about.”

One change not on the docket is more night games.

Rodriguez said he’s asked about that possibility, but security is an issue because some of the parking lots around Michigan Stadium (including the golf course) don’t have lights.

“I think ESPN would love us to do that,” Rodriguez said. “I think some of our fans would like it, not a lot of them. But I think some would like it. I think we’d entertain it more if we had - lights in the stadium is not an issue, but lights in the parking lots.

“I think there’s a lot of issues regarding security that have more concerns as much as anything else.”

[Hats off to ESPN's Big Ten blogger, Adam Rittenberg, for alerting us to this story!]
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Penn State parts ways with 4-star cornerback

Joe Paterno sounded hopeful about the return of A.J. Wallace from academic challenges at the Big Ten Media Days. It became even more critical today...

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4-star cornerback Darrell Givens, who signed with Penn State in February, was refused admission to the school and has de-committed. According to Blue White Illustrated Givens, who has met the NCAA's academic qualifications, will pick from eight schools this weekend: Florida, Miami, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rutgers, South Carolina, and West Virginia.

Larry Johnson, who recruited Givens, advised him to attend a prep school, but Givens declined.

This isn't the first time Givens has reversed field. He originally gave a verbal to Ohio State, but changed to the Nittany Lions last May.

This development makes Penn State's secondary even thinner. On the other hand, it frees up another scholarship for the Class of 2010.
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YouTube sensation Dakota Royer to Penn State!

4-star defensive end and YouTube sensation Dakota Royer announced for Penn State this afternoon...

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"I went up there and felt at home. There is no place like Penn State."

Scouts, Inc. offers the following evaluation of Royer...

It is pretty tough not to like Royer. This kid is a football player and fun to watch. Does not come across as the biggest kid on film, but his listed size is solid.

Royer plays on both sides of the ball, but on defense is where this kid belongs. He most likely projects to defensive end where he plays in high school, but we would not be surprised to see him get a look at outside linebacker also in college depending on where he goes.

Royer has a good get-off and at times will flash real good quickness. He is a tough kid with that Pennsylvania blue collar feel to his game. He is physical at the point of attack and good with his hands. He can bring them, separate, and shed. Does a good job of coming across the ball, breaking down, and being able to shuffle and close daylight.

Royer comes across as pretty heady kid with a good feel for the game and a nose for the ball. Runs well and has a great motor. He is a solid tackler though he does tend to overrun the ball and have to grab for cloth to bring the ball carrier down.

As a pass rusher you would not expect it, but the kid has some speed rush flare to him. He can get up-field, attack the outside shoulder, get some body lean, and turn the corner. He is active with his weapons and will work to battle and get free.

Royer is a player and one of those kids who seems to just find a way to get things done. He mixes ability with effort and smarts and should be a good and productive college player.

Royer had offers from Illinois, Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Pitt, Purdue, Oregon, Rutgers, Stanford, Syracuse, UCLA, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
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Penn State's sloshed frosh: Glenn Carson busted

Penn State police issued an incoming football recruit an underage drinking citation on Saturday...

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Glenn A. Carson, 26 Popper Street, Manahawakin, N.J., was charged with public drunkenness and underage drinking in connection with a July 25 incident that occurred at the intersection of Burrowes Road and Pollock Road, Penn State police said.

Carson was rated as a four-star linebacker prospect by Scout.com.

Neither Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley nor Penn State Sports Information Director Jeff Nelson could be reached for comment.

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Penn State's Alton Twins repeat as Nationals Champions

Penn State-bound Andrew and Dylan Alton repeated as Junior Nationals freestyle wrestling champions at the FargoDome...

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The Altons have now combined to win a total of eight Junior and Cadet titles in freestyle and Greco-Roman in Fargo. The twins continue to show why they are two of the top prospects to come along in recent years. The Altons shared the award as Outstanding Wrestler of the Junior Nationals freestyle tournament.

Andrew Alton outlasted Josh Kindig of Pennsylvania in a tough, three-period battle in the finals.

“It’s tough wrestling him because we train together and we’re pretty good friends,” Andrew Alton said. “He’s a real tough kid and we know each other’s styles real well.”

Dylan Alton also had to go three periods before he held off Vlad Dombrowskiy of California in his gold-medal match.

“There is a lot of pressure and expectations for us,” Dylan Alton said. “Having a brother going through the same thing helps me a lot. We support each other and push each other.”

Dylan Alton beat Kindig in the Junior finals last year.
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Erin Andrews' 911 call: 'I'm being treated like [freaking] Britney Spears and it sucks'

A tough month for Erin Andrews is getting tougher...

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Just days after her peeping Tom incident became national news, Andrews made a call to Dunwoody police around 2:10 PM, claiming someone was knocking on her door and wouldn't leave. [Click here for audio.] When cops arrived on scene, they discovered the person was a member of the news media looking for an interview with Erin, and eventually allowed the reporter to leave without incident.

Here is a transcript of the call, courtesy of Deadspin...

Dispatcher: DeKalb 911. What's the address of your emergency?

Andrews: Um, I was in the news recently about being in a hotel naked and I have paparazzi outside my window and I was told by law enforcement that if I did to call 911.

Dispatcher: Do you want to meet with an officer?

Dispatcher: Do you want to meet with an officer, ma'am, when they come out?

Andrews: Yeah, these guys are sitting in a car outside my house right now. I would like to tell the officer to have them leave because the cops have told me to call 911 if they're outside my house.

Dispatcher: And what's your name?

Andrews: My name is Erin. My last name is Andrews. I'm all over the news right now.

Dispatcher: I'm not familiar.

Andrews: I'm the girl that was videotaped without her knowing, without her clothes on in the hotel.

Dispatcher: Really?

Andrews: And I've got two assholes sitting outside my house.

Dispatcher: I'm so sorry.

Andrews: I am, too. Thank you.

Dispatcher: We'll send someone out. What kind of vehicle are they in?

Andrews: They're in a RAV, a white RAV4. I'm in a gated community, and I don't know how they got in. Mom, can you see their license plates? It's a handicap license plate they have. What's the license plate number?

Dispatcher: What's the tag number?

Andrews: We're trying to see. Do you see it, Mom? OK, I'm gonna try and go to another room and see if I can read it. I can't believe these jerks are knocking on my door. Fucking assholes. Mom, you're totally being obvious.

Dispatcher: Are they black, white, or Hispanic?

Andrews: What?

Dispatcher: Are they black, white, or Hispanic?

Andrews: They're both white males. I think it's — they know I'm here, 'cause I have a car out front. So they know I'm inside. I have private security that I'm working with, but they're not with me currently, and they said call 911. OK, here's the license plate. It's a handicap license plate for Georgia.

Andrews: They're looking at me through my window.

Dispatcher: Are you OK?

Andrews: Yeah, I'm just — I did nothing wrong, and I'm being treated like fucking Britney Spears, and it sucks. I'm sorry.

Dispatcher: OK, the first available unit will see you as soon as possible.

Andrews: Thanks. Do you know how far they're out?

Dispatcher: No. They should be in the area. They'll be there as soon as possible.

Andrews: OK.

Dispatcher: OK, thank you.

Andrews: Thanks.

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Penn State's Cael Sanderson on wrestling recruiting

To challenge for a national championship every year, any coach has to stock his roster with talented wrestlers. Cael Sanderson & Co. are off to a good start...

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Sanderson's first recruiting class at Penn State includes former Susquehanna Twp. wrestler Ed Ruth (rated No. 1 nationally at 171 pounds), Ohio star David Taylor (No. 1 at 135 and No. 1 overall) and Arizona product Luke Macchiaroli (in the Top five at 197).

Together, the class was ranked No. 6 by InterMat.

Taylor and Macchiaroli had committed to Iowa State but were given their release to follow Sanderson to State College.

Sanderson already has landed four recruits for his Class of 2010. Twins Andrew and Dylan Alton from Central Mountain High School in Mill Hall are ranked No. 1 nationally at 140 and 145.

Dirk Cowburn, a two-time PIAA Class AA 152-pound champion from Coudersport, is rated the 49th-best recruit in that class. Sam Sherlock of West Mifflin, this season's PIAA-AAA champ at 125, committed last week.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of any team; Sanderson said the process is painstaking...

"Recruiting is just doing your homework. You can't go online and look up what Web sites are ranking recruits. You've go to spend time watching them and pay attention to how they react when they win and when they lose.

"I'd rather watch a kid lose a match when I'm trying to figure out if he's a guy who will fit well in our program, because that's when you can see if a kid hates losing.

"Did he keep fighting to the end, or did he just put his head on the mat and just let it go? How did he react and how did he respond to certain situations.

"You've just got to do your homework. I don't like taking people's words for it. It's just a matter of getting out there and spending time."

Once those recruits are on campus, Sanderson said, he has his own way of evaluating them. One way is long, intense wrestling sessions...

"I'm looking for heart and trying to put them in a situation and give them a chance to keep fighting. Just really test these guys and stretch their minds. We can wrestle 45 minutes. Your body is capable of a lot more than you give yourself credit for.

"That's just kind of a mind-set. We try to push them and stretch them as much as we can. If you wrestle a kid hard for 45 minutes straight, seven minutes all of a sudden becomes nothing.

"Make it a matter of pride. That's something we do as a staff; we challenge these guys. We say, 'Let's go. First guy to quit loses.' Quitting doesn't just mean, 'OK, I give up' and walk off the mat.

"Quitting is putting your head down. It's laying on your back if you get there. It's ceasing to attack. We'll challenge them as much as we can, keep them on their toes and keep them guessing about what's coming for practice.

"That's how competition is. You don't know what's coming all the time."

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Marcus Lattimore to finally visit Penn State?

After a couple of false starts, the nation's top running back, Marcus Lattimore, is scheduled to visit Penn State tomorrow...

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“I’m driving up to Penn State on Thursday morning. I’m driving up with my teammates, wide receiver Nick Jones and linebacker Creighton Frost.”

The Nittany Lions are interested in all three, though Lattimore is the only one with a Penn State scholarship offer to this point.

“I want to get up there and check Penn State out. I’ve never been there. I talk to the Penn State coaches all the time. I feel like we have a real good relationship.”

The 5-star prospect rushed for 2,320 yards and scored 30 touchdowns during his junior season. He averaged 7.6 yards per carry.
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Video: Penn State's Taran Buie Rocks Orlando

Taran Buie, a 6-foot-2 rising senior combo guard and 4-star prospect who has verbally committed to Penn State, came through in the clutch for the City Rocks (Albany, N.Y.) against Team Final (Philadelphia) on Monday during the final day of the AAU Super Showcase in Orlando...

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Buie scored 16 points, including a breakaway with 18 seconds left that broke a 64-64 tie, and added a drive to the hoop after a teammate picked up a loose ball with 2.7 seconds left in a 68-64 win. The game was televised live on ESPNU.

Here are the highlights, courtesy of Nittany Network...



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Bobby Bowden has secret plan to catch Penn State's Joe Paterno

For a guy who doesn't care about the all-time coaching victories count, Bobby Bowden sure does care. Even if the NCAA docks his 14 fake wins, Bowden has a plan to catch JoePa...

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Bobby is hatching one final trick play. This one involves digging up what he says are 22 victories earned while he was coach at South Georgia College from 1956-58. Asterisk that, NCAA...

"I've got to get put in the grave here one of these days. It don't count to them. It does to me."

Sorry, Bobby, but the 2009 NCAA Division I Football Records Book specifically states "record at four-year colleges only." South Georgia College is a two-year college.

[Hats off to Dave Kroll of We Are...Penn State for alerting us to this story!]
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Penn State Majorette wins National Championship

The USA and World Twirling Championships held at Notre Dame last week confirmed what Beaver Stadium ticket-holders have known for years: Nobody twirls a baton better than P.J. Maierhofer...

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The Penn State senior (and star of football halftime shows as the Blue Sapphire, the Blue Band’s featured twirler), has earned the title of College Miss Majorette of America. Maierhofer claimed the overall crown after winning the "strut" competition, tying for first in the "model" category, and finishing tied for third in the "solo" competition.
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Penn State's Joe Paterno is always coaching

What was Joe Paterno doing during down time at Tuesday's Big Ten Media Days? Coaching, of course...

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This photo was taken by Toki Wartooth of Hail to the Orange...

Toki Wartooth explains...

Can you tell what it is? That's right, it's a play diagram.

Apparently Paterno wanted to demonstrate some of the intricacies of the spread offense to the reporters. The story was related as follows by one the photographers who heard the whole thing. [Note: All of this is paraphrase, not direct quote.]

Joe wanted to show the reporters that the spread offense was nothing new, in fact according to Joe, "we were running it back in the '40s!"

Joe then proceeded to draw up an example of how he would run the backfield at Brown, drawing it up on the table cloth next to his coffee with a pen.

"Sometimes I would hand it off to him, sometimes to this guy, some times I would take it myself, and sometimes I would throw it. But I couldn't throw for beans."

So after the room cleared out for the autograph sessions and banquet, I walked back over to the table and got this picture, evidence that the story is true...

[Hats off to Dr. Saturday (Matt Hinton) for alerting us to this story!]

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Updating: Penn State outlook fading with Marcus Lattimore?

We expressed skepticism when Marcus Lattimore named Penn State as one of his five finalists, in large part because of multiple canceled visits. Nonetheless, we're glad to still be an insider for the nation's top running back...

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Back in late May, 5-star running back Marcus Lattimore narrowed his list of suitors to eight schools. Since that time, the elite prospect from Byrnes High School in Duncan (S.C.) has been using unofficial visits and some research to narrow his list of schools to a final five. Here is what the 5-foot-11, 210-pound back had to say about the three schools that have already made the cut...

Oregon: "They are because of distance. The distance will cause me to use an official there. I am interested in them because they have a good sports management program, they run the football, and they had a first round pick in Jonathan Stewart. So I know what they promise."

Penn State: "They are also in it because of distance. They run the football. I like all of the coaches there. I just have a real good feeling about Penn State in regards to my career there. I think I could be real successful there."

North Carolina: "It is really about the coaches and the people there. Coach Butch Davis, Coach Blake, they run a pro-style offense, they had five people drafted in the NFL. It is a beautiful campus in a beautiful city. That is why they are in my top schools."

As for the schools that will fill the other two slots, it appears there are four contenders...

"South Carolina, Florida State, Auburn, and Clemson are the other schools I am really considering. I am just going to talk to all of the coaches over these next couple of weeks coming up. I have been to all of these schools so it is just going to be the overall feeling of how I felt there on their campus and everything."

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Penn State's Joe Paterno on Daryll Clark: 'I blew that one'

Penn State coach Joe Paterno made an interesting confession at the Big Ten Media Days on Monday...

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Sophomore Daryll Clark was the backup quarterback to senior Anthony Morelli in 2007. As the Lions trudged through an 8-4 regular season, quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno wanted to get Clark some snaps in live action, but head coach Joe Paterno refused...

"I thought it would discourage the kid that we were using. I thought the kid we were using had the potential to be a good quarterback. I blew that one."

During Tuesday's Big Ten Media Days session Paterno expanded on his thoughts about using Clark so sparingly...

"Morelli was kind of a little bit tough, did not quite have the confidence in himself that I felt he needed and that I thought he would develop.

"Looking back I probably should not have done that. I probably should have just told Anthony, 'Look, you gotta compete, we're gonna give Clark a shot at it.'"

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Updating: Joe Paterno says two Penn State starters gone, maybe for good

A day after Joe Paterno hinted that Abe Koroma would not be back with the team for the 2009 season, the Penn State football coach confirmed the defensive tackle would not play this season...

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"We're going to lose Koroma. Koroma's going to drop out for a year."

Paterno added that it was a "personal decision," and did not elaborate on whether the redshirt junior would be back for his final year of eligibility in 2010.

The 82-year-old coach also said senior cornerback A.J. Wallace is still in some hot water because of academic work. Paterno said Wallace has yet to complete a course he took in the first summer session...

"I'm not going to let him go until he gets that thing done. I haven't let him out. I think he'll get that done, he'll get it done this week, and I think he'll be all right."

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Cell phone funnies at Penn State

Penn State linebacker Sean Lee shared an anecdote during Big Ten Media Days about ringing cell phones during team meetings led by Joe Paterno. A ringing phone breaks a Nittany Lions team rule...

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"Whenever we hear one go off, we start coughing to try to mask it. And he's like, 'What are you guys doing? Why is everybody coughing?'"

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Athletic riches for the Big Ten

When it comes to athletic revenue, there are the haves and have-nots among BCS conferences. The Big Ten, SEC, and Big 12 rake it in while the Pac-10, ACC, and Big East lag behind...

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Below are the athletic revenues for the Big Ten and selected others. This includes generated revenue (such as proceeds from ticket sales and sponsorships) and allocated revenue (such as tuition waivers, money from student fees, and direct institutional support.)

These figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education. Each year, the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act requires schools to report their overall revenues to the Department of Education.

1) Texas, $120,288,370
2) Ohio State, $117,953,71
3) Florida, $106,030,895
4) Michigan, $99,027,105
5) Wisconsin, $93,452,334
6) Penn State, $91,570,233
7) Auburn, $89,305,326
8) Alabama, $88,869,810
9) Tennessee, $88,719,798
10) Oklahoma State, $88,554,438
11) Kansas, $86,009,257
12) LSU, $84,183,362
13) Georgia, $84,020,180
14) Notre Dame, $83,352,439
15) Iowa, $81,148,310
16) Michigan State, $77,738,746
18) Stanford, $76,661,466 (top Pac-10 program)
23) Duke, $67,820,335 (top ACC program)
29) Minnesota, $63,782,454
30) Purdue, $62,093,614
35) Illinois, $57,167,843
38) Indiana, $54,839,398
39) Connecticut, $54,721,742 (top Big East program)
59) Northwestern, $41,835,733
61) Pitt, $39,741,621 (below every Big Ten school)

Here are the per-school averages broken down by conference...

1) Big Ten: $76.4 million
2) SEC: $71.1 million
3) Big 12: $66.5 million
4) Pac-10: $58.7 million
5) ACC: $54.1 million
6) Big East (football schools only): $45.5 million

Keep these charts in mind the next time you're tempted to complain about Penn State being in the Big Ten instead of the Big East or ACC. And staying independent would have been no guarantee either, with Notre Dame 14th despite a monster television contract from NdBC.

[Hats off to ESPN's Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg for alerting us to this chart!]
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Stud DT Sharrif Floyd has Penn State in Top Three

Penn State's recruiting to date has wildly exceeded expectations. There's another manchild who has Penn State among his finalists...

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Philadelphia (Pa.) George Washington defensive lineman Sharrif Floyd remains a top target on the Nittany Lions’ hit list.

The 6-foot-3 and 298-pound 5-star prospect is a powerful young man who has been a starter on both sides of the line since his sophomore season. He has dominated most competition.

Floyd has close to three dozen scholarship offers, including Boston College, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Rutgers, Penn State, Pitt, South Carolina, Stanford, UCLA, and West Virginia.

Floyd is working on his visit schedule...

“I’m thinking about just taking three official visits right now. Penn State will be one of them. Boston College will probably be one. I’ll decide on the other one at the end of the summer or beginning of the season.”

Floyd was in State College for the Nike Football Training Camp at Penn State in May. He said he might not get back out to State College until his official visit...

“I’ll probably make my official visits toward the end of the season."

Floyd plans to announce his college choice in early January.

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Penn State's Ako Poti charged with DUI

Penn State receiver James McDonald was kicked off the team last week after being hit with DUI charges. Now comes word that another Nittany Lion is facing similar accusations...

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According to court documents, Ako Poti, whose actual first name is "Isaako," was recently charged with DUI. The Criminal Docket report filed in Centre Country says Poti faces charges of DUI, DUI with a high rate of alcohol (blood alcohol content of .10 to .16) and disregarding a traffic lane.

It is not clear when the alleged incident occurred. But Poti was pulled over by State College police in the borough. Charges were filed July 17. A summons was served July 20.

A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 2.

Penn State athletic spokesmen were not available for comment on this matter. They were presumably traveling after attending Big Ten Media Days in Chicago Monday and Tuesday.
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Joe Paterno's badmouthing of Penn State football a good sign for 2009?

Brian Cook of MGoBlog made an interesting observation about Joe Paterno's comments at the Big Ten Media Days...

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Everyone knows about JoePa. He's like the senile-but-fun grandparent, and he's always going to give a couple good quotes. Given his propensity for talking down on good Penn State teams, and building up mediocre ones, it seems like Penn State might be pretty good this year.

Brian's entire post is worth reading.

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Joe Paterno says two Penn State starters gone, maybe for good

Penn State could be without its projected starting cornerback and top backup defensive tackle when preseason practice starts Aug. 10. Coach Joe Paterno said Monday at the Big Ten Conference's annual media days that redshirt junior defensive tackle Abe Koroma and senior cornerback A.J. Wallace are dealing with off-the-field issues...

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Their lockers were cleared out earlier this month.

Asked if Koroma would be back, Paterno said: "I doubt if Koroma will be. He's got some personal problems."

As for Wallace, Paterno said: "There is some question. He cut some classes."

Koroma (6-3, 317), started four games last year and finished with 26 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Wallace (6-1, 201) has appeared in 39 career games for the Nittany Lions, with six starts. He had 20 tackles a year ago.

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Penn State edges Florida for pre-season Number One

Penn State University is now the nation's No. 1 party school...

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The school known partly for its football tailgate weekends and fraternity and sorority scene snatched the title away from the University of Florida in the 2009 Princeton Review survey of 122,000 students nationwide. Florida, last year's winner, finished second in the annual survey released Monday.

It's the first time Penn State has finished first in the dubious category. The school has been on the list the last seven years and ranked third in 2008. The listing covers Penn State's main University Park campus in State College.

“These rankings are not more than popularity contests,” said university spokeswoman Annemarie Mountz. She noted that groups on the social networking site Facebook have urged members to make Penn State the top party school.

“It's a badge of honor at this point. Nationwide, kids want to pump their schools in these surveys,” Mountz said. “It's not connected to reality.”

The rankings were part of the Princeton Review's The Best 371 Colleges annual guide. On average, there were 325 respondents to the survey per school, which Mountz said amounted to less than 1 percent of the University Park campus' enrollment of 43,000 students.

Penn State also finished first in the categories “lots of beer” and students who pack the stadium. Beaver Stadium is one of the country's largest sports facility, seating more than 107,000 for football games.

After Penn State and Florida, the top five institutions on the party schools list were the University of Mississippi, the University of Georgia, and Ohio University-Athens.

The Princeton Review is a New York company known for its test preparation courses, educational services and books and is not affiliated with Princeton University.
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Updating: Penn State Clips vs. Wonderlic

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to take the Wonderlic exam. At the time we wrote...

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"We found the Wonderlic to be significantly easier than the Level I Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Exam that we sat for last month."

The CFA results are in and it's a PASS for Penn State Clips! Our score breakdown is as follows...

Alternative Investments: >70%
Corporate Finance: >70%
Derivatives: >70%
Economics: <=50%
Equity Investments: >70%
Ethical & Professional Standards: >70%
Financial Reporting & Analysis: >70%
Fixed Income Investments: >70%
Portfolio Management: 51-70%
Quantitative Methods: >70%

They don't give a final score, it's just a pass/fail plus a three-category breakdown for the ten sections.

Hats off to Stalla, from whom we took a prep class. We'll be enrolling in their Level II class in January.

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Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany on bowls and byes

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany is in discussions with 11 or 12 different bowls, including the five current tie-ins - Capital One, Champs Sports, Motor City, Outback, and Valero Alamo - that expire after the season...

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"It's a great thing to have competition. The incumbents that we have, we have them for a reason, because they do their jobs so well. But it's really important to understand, from a television perspective and a revenue perspective...it's got to be the right mix."

There's no shortage of intrigue with regards to these contracts, including the Pac-10 trying to muscle in on the Big Ten's Alamo Bowl spot, Orlando's Citrus Bowl stadium is a dump, and the Big Ten potentially eyeing the Cotton Bowl at the Cowboy's fabulous new stadium.

The Big Ten's relationship with the Rose Bowl remains as strong as ever, though a change in the Rose Bowl's selection criteria could keep a Big Ten team from playing in Pasadena once every four years. The Rose Bowl is now required to take an eligible non-BCS team if it loses the Big Ten champion or Pac-10 champion to the national title game. The policy would only take effect once during the four-year BCS bowl cycle...

"There was pressure on us to make that change. The Sugar Bowl has had a couple of non-BCS teams and the Fiesta Bowl has had one. We believe very strongly that the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions should always be in the Rose Bowl if they're not playing for the national championship...That opportunity is still there, but there was a desire by others to see us share that."

Dalany also commented on the possibility of two byes per team, which could push regular season finales into December...

"On the issue of the schedule and the bye dates and playing games that late, it's probably worth a discussion. We've never had that before. There's not a rule about that. People have gone to Hawaii. We've never really questioned that. There's some coaches and athletic directors who feel more strongly than others about the need to play games late in the year to stay sharp. It is a trend."

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Kevin Haplea to Penn State!

4-star tight end Kevin Haplea "officially" committed to Penn State on Monday, but the decision was made weeks ago...

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“I did a silent verbal over the phone. I called Coach (Dick) Anderson and Coach (Bill) Kenney on July 7. I let them know I had picked Penn State, but to keep it under wraps. I wanted to wait to tell Coach (Joe) Paterno in person.”

Paterno has been on vacation, but had to be happy to return to good news.

“He got back over the weekend. Me, my parents, and my two sisters drove out there on Saturday. We went out to lunch with Coach Anderson and Coach Kenney. Then we had a meeting in Coach Paterno’s office. I told him I was going to Penn State. He was pretty excited.”

What factors weighed in Haplea's decision to pick Penn State?

“My first time there I was blown away. The campus is beautiful. You could tell there was a buzz around the place. Penn State jumped in early. They were my second offer. They didn’t wait until 15 or 20 other schools had offered.

“The depth chart looks good. They graduate two senior tight ends next year.”

That last point has not been lost on Penn State, which hopes to add to its depth chart with Ben Koyack of Oil City, who is one of the top tight end prospects in the country for the Class of 2011.
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Ohio State named Big Ten favorite; Penn State second

The Big Ten Conference announced today that Ohio State has been selected as the preseason favorite for the 2009 football season by media members attending the conference’s football media day...

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Penn State was tabbed to finish second, and Michigan State was third. In addition, the media panel also named Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and Michigan State linebacker Greg Jones the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Ohio State enters the 2009 season in search of its fifth straight Big Ten title.

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Clueless Florida State fans amuse Penn State Clips

We cracked up when we read David Erstling's letter in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel...

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"I have been reading and following the situation with Florida State University and the NCAA. It seems to me that the NCAA has become a dictatorial and overbearing type of organization. There is no fairness in their decision. Bobby Bowden and any other coach for the FSU sports program had nothing to do with what happened. I would think academic cheating occurs everywhere. Is it right? No, but do not put blame where the problem never happened — on the sports programs."

Bobby Bowden makes millions of dollars per year as the CEO of Florida State Football, Inc. The flip side of glory and riches is taking responsibility when things go wrong. Does the buck stop with Coach Bowden? Apparently not in Mr. Erstling's eyes.

"If the NCAA sticks by its decision, FSU should withdraw from the NCAA. All colleges, especially Penn State, should also be requested to do the same and possibly demand the NCAA be dissolved and reorganized."

It's not clear to us why "especially Penn State" should withdraw from the NCAA.

"I am sure Joe Paterno does not like what is happening."

We are sure Joe Paterno has much bigger concerns than F$U's legal problems.

"I would think Paterno might consider giving back the same number of wins taken from Bobby Bowden."

We can't imagine any plausible scenario whereby this would happen. And why should it? Penn State hasn't done anything wrong.

To the contrary, Joe runs a tight ship academically and we can't conceive of such a scandal happening on his watch. Joe Paterno has earned all his victories with eligible players. Sad that the same can't be said for Coach Bowden.

Don't hold your breath on this one, Mr. Esterling.
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OT: Penn State Ice-Cream Grad Is 'King of Cones' in Kentucky

Folks headed to Bowling Green, Kentucky, are most often going there to take in sights like the National Corvette Museum and nearby Mammoth Cave National Park. However, odds are good that while they’re in town, they’ll also end up tasting some Chaney’s ice cream. While Chaney’s Dairy Barn has become a local landmark, in many ways it owes its existence to a landmark located several states away — Penn State University and its internationally famous Ice Cream Short Course.
Read on....

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New Penn State Women's Basketball Recruit

Penn State women's basketball head coach Coquese Washington and husband, Raynell Brown, welcomed a new addition to their family Thursday with the birth of their daughter, Rhaiyna Kamille Brown.

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Rhaiyna, who was born at 2:40 p.m. on July 23, is 20.5 inches long and weighs seven pounds, five ounces. The couple also has a four-year-old son, Quenton. Both mother and daughter are doing well.

[Hats off to Dave Kroll of We Are...Penn State for alerting us to this story!]
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Penn State commitment Bolden is Golden at Elite 11 Camp

Daryll Clark had a chance this week to work with one of his prospective successors as Penn State's signal-caller...

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Clark was one of eight pro and college quarterbacks who served as counselors at the prestigious Elite 11 passing camp this week on the campus of Soka University in Aliso Viejo, Calif.

A candidate to replace Clark, Robert Bolden from Michigan, was one of the invitees. Bolden, who gave a verbal commitment to the Nittany Lions earlier this month, was rated fifth overall by the counselors at the end of the 12-man camp on Thursday. [Penn State Clips commentary: The Elite 11 camp has 12 participants? They must count like the Big Ten!]

Bolden was also given the “Best Arm” and “Quickest Release” awards.

Clark said he finished second in a passing accuracy competition among the counselors, a group that included Heisman winner Carson Palmer (USC/Cincinnati Bengals), NFL rookies Mark Sanchez (USC/New York Jets) and Chase Daniel (Missouri/Washington Redskins), and fellow college seniors Colt McCoy (Texas), Zac Robinson (Oklahoma State), Cody Hawkins (Colorado), and Juice Williams (Illinois).
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Updating: PIAA to stay at four classes for football

As expected, the PIAA Board of Control voted to retain four classes for football through at least the 2012 season...

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The vote was 15-13 (with three members absent) on Friday morning to retain the status quo regarding football playoffs. That format was recommended to the Board by the PIAA's Strategic Planning Committee, comprised entirely of district representatives. Virtually all of the 15 members voting in favor of the status quo were district committee members.

Curiously, the initial vote appeared to be 18-10 in favor of the status quo. But as PIAA executive director Brad Cashman and Board president Rod Stone asked board members to hold up their hands for those opposed, more hands popped up.
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Penn State TE target Kevin Haplea to announce Monday

4-start tight end prospect Kevin Haplea of Annandale (N.J.) North Hunterdon will announce his college choice on Monday...

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“I’ve scheduled my announcement for Monday at 11 a.m., a little after our team workout that morning. The announcement will be at my high school."

Haplea has 23 scholarship offers including Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse, and West Virginia.

“I have my top five of Penn State, Florida State, West Virginia, Pitt and North Carolina. I’ve been to all of them.

“I’ve been to Penn State three times. The last time was for the Blue-White Game. I’ve been to Pitt and West Virginia multiple times. I’ve been to Florida State and North Carolina just once each.”

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Interview with Penn State's Jay Paterno

ESPN Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg interviewed Jay Paterno. The whole interview is worth reading, here are some of the more interesting exchanges...

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Q: This is the second year of the Spread HD offense. Are you able to do a lot more with the offense now with an experienced quarterback, an experienced running back, or is it going to be a wait-and-see thing?

A: Well, now that Daryll weighs 372 pounds, I don't know if we'll be able to do anything with him running. No, I'm kidding.

The big thing will be how much can our wideouts and the offensive line handle? We'll be able to keep things simple enough so the offensive line can gel because the secondary and the offensive line are really the two areas that take the most time to get cohesion.

But the one thing about our offense is we're able to do some things to keep it simple for the offensive line, but it puts more pressure on your wideouts and your running backs to line up in different places and different formations, those kinds of things.

I think we'll be able to handle it. We've got wideouts coming back that have played. So we'll be as varied as we've been in the last year. It will just be a question of how much they can handle early on.

Q: Having a younger quarterback behind Daryll, do you take fewer chances with him? How careful do you have to be?

A: He's got to play his game. You can't worry about guys getting hurt and things like that. You don't want to be stupid about it and have him take full contact in practice, but when it comes time to play the games, he's going to go out there and compete and do what he's always done.

We've just got to make sure the guys behind him are ready to go if God forbid, we need to use them. I'm hoping we don't have to and I'm hoping he stays healthy, but Daryll's got to play his game, and that involves when things break down, scrambling, making some things happen, running the ball sometimes in key situations. I don't think that will change.

Q: How is Daryll with the back-ups?

A: He's been great with the young guy, [Kevin] Newsome. If it's five minutes before a meeting's supposed to start and he doesn't see Kevin, he's on the phone with him, "Hey, you better be in here on time."

He's been part big brother, and watching him with Kevin Newsome has been like watching Sanford and Son. He's the grumpy old man sometimes and he's fussing at him sometimes if Kevin's not doing things exactly the way Clark thinks they should be done. So it's been good.

Q: Did Kevin make the type of progress you thought he would in the spring? It's obviously a tough situation to come in so young, but where's he at going into camp?

A: The thing we found out in the spring game is when the lights come on, he's going to compete and make some things happen, which is good to see. There's 70,000 people at the game and he went out there and competed like it was 7,000 or 700 people out there. It didn't bug him. He turned it on and really made some plays. He made the progress we wanted him to make. He's got to make more, obviously.

We got him here in January and in the back of my mind, we were going to have 15 spring practices and 29 preseason practices before the season starts. So he's really only one-third of the way there as far as practice time, and he's more than one-third of the way where I think he needed to be and where Joe [Paterno] thought he needed to be to play this fall if he has to.

Q: Talk about your new receivers.

A: Obviously, Derek Moye is a guy because of his height and speed who's exciting. Chaz Powell's a guy that has really explosive speed. And then Brackett and Zug are those guys that everyone underestimates. They just continue to make plays. Zug is not afraid to go over the middle, take his hits, and Brackett's very similar.

We have the pieces in place, and we'll wait and see what happens with these freshmen because we've got a pretty good stable of freshmen coming in, in terms of speed. It will be interesting to see what they do when they get hit.

Q: Can you give us an update on running back Stephfon Green, is he on schedule to come back at full strength after his ankle injury?

A: He went through the Lift for Life two weeks ago, and the Lift for Life is probably tougher than the games. So I think he'll be alright. The Lift for Life is almost torture. But it's a lot of fun. They raise a lot of money every year. The point is, he went through that workout, so a game will be a piece of cake for him.

Q: I really sensed that Joe had a second wind in the spring. Did you sense that as well after his health issues were behind him?

A: Yeah. Obviously, with the hip-replacement surgery, he had his own challenges there. But he's really, really been upbeat. Even on vacation, he called me a couple times, "Hey, what do you got for me? What are you working on?" And I'm like, "Well, actually, I'm on vacation. I'm not in here painting the Sistine Chapel for you. I'm working on it, sketching some things out."

I was watching the British Open last week. They talked about Tom Watson, he had his hip surgery in October. I said to Joe, "Hey, he had his hip done in October and competed for the British Open. You got yours in November. Time for you to step up. Guys are making you look bad. Lance Armstrong's back on the bike and he's 37. Some guy out in Oregon, an 81-year-old guy, he did a NASCAR race." I said, "You're slacking. You're just coaching." And he kind of laughed and said, "You know, you're right. I'll have to pick it up."

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