PSU_Lions_84

Kid, you either have great sources or brown eyes (the latter b/c you are full of crap). Checked a few on-line sources -- nada on this story. Of course, I live in North Carolina, which is not a hotbed of Big10(11) football.Do you guys run a gameday thread? If you don't mind (assuming I can't get to Happy Valley for this game) I'd like to discuss the game in realtime when it FINALLY gets to 5 Sep.I read that one on the Scout boards. http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=157&f=1395&t=4524450Thanks, Kid! Interesting that they've been discussing for two days but it hasn't shown up anywhere else. But, hey!, every story -- true or false -- starts somewhere.Also, we have a live chat feature on gamedays for discussion in realtime.Thanks again! Like I said before, you guys remind me of the Oregon State fans: Very knowledgeable, enthusiastic, loyal. I am privileged to interact with you -- I hate getting into pee'ing contests over trivial stuff -- you guys avoid that garbage.

Kid, you either have great sources or brown eyes (the latter b/c you are full of crap). Checked a few on-line sources -- nada on this story. Of course, I live in North Carolina, which is not a hotbed of Big10(11) football.Do you guys run a gameday thread? If you don't mind (assuming I can't get to Happy Valley for this game) I'd like to discuss the game in realtime when it FINALLY gets to 5 Sep.

Thanks for the update, Kid!A little wallaby told me Zippy is up to 183 lbs/87% body fat.Johnny, that statistic fits me!!

penn state sucks.penn state sucks.p-e-n-n-s-t-sucks.takin a page out of the pitt fight song for this one.You're better off taking a page out of the pitt fight song rather than their playbook. When was the last time they competed for the NC? When was the last time they won the mighty Big East title?(Can't wait for some pitt homer to say, "We beat Penn State, 12 - 0, last time we played." Then I can respond, "48 - 14!"Keep up the energy level, Zips fans!

Well, not to disparage Mr. McDonald's skills or prior contributions, but he is a fifth-year senior who has already been passed on the depth chart by underclassmen. Here is the PSU WR depth chart as of the end of spring practice:Derek Moye 3A.J. Price 0Patrick Mauti 0Brett Brackett 14James McDonald 6J.D. Mason 0Graham Zug 12Chaz Powell 2Ryan Scherer 0Looks like James is the #5 WR. Could he contribute? Absolutely. Barring tons of injuries, was he apt to make a huge difference on the field? Doesn't appear so.Some of you Zips are not reading your own thread. There has been some good discussion about Akron and Penn STATE's respective strengths/weaknesses. (BTW, is there an Akron State? Is that why you guys keep getting confused between the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State)? I, too, think you guys have a good chance against Penn. Against Penn State -- not so much . . . . )Less than 7 weeks until kick-off! Keep that enthusiasm level cranked up -- I am getting excited to see your offense test our new secondary. Should be a good test and building block for the rest of the season.Lions_84

I read that on the horribly designed Pennlive.com forums and they seemed pretty certain that he would be gone. Maybe it was just speculation, but some of the posters were pretty mad about it.Kid, the most up-to-date article on PennLive seems to be this one from 10 July. Says nothing about a one-game suspension. Would be interested in seeing a link to the story you mentioned. Thanks!http://blog.pennlive.com/bobflounders/2009...ge_timmons.htmlNot a story, but the message boards there. Here's the post istelf. http://www.pennlive.com/forums/psufootball...t?artid=1290050 It was in reply to something else, but the board is so terrible that I can't figure out to link the whole thread.YIKES! You are right, Kid -- one ugly site to try to navigate in. Obviously some of us will keep checking other sources, to see what we can find out. Thanks for the heads-up.

I read that on the horribly designed Pennlive.com forums and they seemed pretty certain that he would be gone. Maybe it was just speculation, but some of the posters were pretty mad about it.Kid, the most up-to-date article on PennLive seems to be this one from 10 July. Says nothing about a one-game suspension. Would be interested in seeing a link to the story you mentioned. Thanks!http://blog.pennlive.com/bobflounders/2009...ge_timmons.html

That's funny, UA Fan! Right now, without the forfeits, JoePa is up on Bobby by one game. Even if you guys beat us, I think Penn State will recover enough to win more games than FSU for the rest of 2009. FSU owes Jimbo $5M if he is not coach "by" 2010 (not sure if "by" 2010 means 1 Jan or beginning of spring training or . . . . ). I don't know if FSU will part with that kind of cash just so BB can linger. Joe sure doesn't talk about retiring, and Penn State has not anointed a head coach in waiting. (My pick would be Larry Johnson.)Don't all you Zip fans run up all the prices on the scalped tix. This is my 25th anniversary of my grad year -- I am getting the urge to walk the auld sod again, but don't want to spend my sons' tuition to do so.Am enjoying the conversation with you guys -- looking forward to it heating up as we get closer to 5 Sep.Lions_84 (using the "Lions" part to avoid confusion with JohnnyZip84 -- great minds think alike!)Thanks Lions-84 I'm not sure there will be enough Akron ticket demand to affect the going rate, but you never know I suppose. That's some interesting speculation on the Bowden/Paterno battle. From what I've read it sounds like Bobby will be leaving after this season regardless. So my money's on Joe. Thinking about Joe's eventual successor lead me to another thought. Will Penn State ever deviate from those awful "practice" uniforms down the road? Hey, I understand that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and I also appreciate the power of "tradition" but I've never been a big fan of the plain blue and white. My HS in Pittsburgh used to use the same unis back in the day, but they've moved onto a much more elaborate design since I graduated. I have to figure that the vast majority of PSU fans would prefer to keep the unis as is, but I wonder what you guys here think.awful "practice" uniforms Johnny, I am in pretty good health, but I have to admit: Reading that part about the uniforms almost brought on a stroke!!!!!!!!!!!! Change the Blue-and-White?!?!?! What's next? Instant replay in CFB? A 40-second clock? How can you even suggest changing one of the most recognizable icons in the history of sports? :blink: I think my daydreaming at my desk is now a nightmare!Seriously, I am one of those beholders you mentioned. I can't imagine seeing/supporting the unis to be changed. It was bad enough when they had numbers on the helmets, for crying out loud. I even like the black shoes!Good thing our department is having a picnic this afternoon . . . I think I am mentally stunned for the rest of the day. Enjoy the weekend, Zips fans. One more closer to 5 September!!Hey, I've passed a milestone with you'all: My posts aren't being pre-screened by a moderator anymore. When do I get promoted to the next level of Zip-dom?

That's funny, UA Fan! Right now, without the forfeits, JoePa is up on Bobby by one game. Even if you guys beat us, I think Penn State will recover enough to win more games than FSU for the rest of 2009. FSU owes Jimbo $5M if he is not coach "by" 2010 (not sure if "by" 2010 means 1 Jan or beginning of spring training or . . . . ). I don't know if FSU will part with that kind of cash just so BB can linger. Joe sure doesn't talk about retiring, and Penn State has not anointed a head coach in waiting. (My pick would be Larry Johnson.)Don't all you Zip fans run up all the prices on the scalped tix. This is my 25th anniversary of my grad year -- I am getting the urge to walk the auld sod again, but don't want to spend my sons' tuition to do so.Am enjoying the conversation with you guys -- looking forward to it heating up as we get closer to 5 Sep.Lions_84 (using the "Lions" part to avoid confusion with JohnnyZip84 -- great minds think alike!)Thanks Lions-84 I'm not sure there will be enough Akron ticket demand to affect the going rate, but you never know I suppose. That's some interesting speculation on the Bowden/Paterno battle. From what I've read it sounds like Bobby will be leaving after this season regardless. So my money's on Joe. Thinking about Joe's eventual successor lead me to another thought. Will Penn State ever deviate from those awful "practice" uniforms down the road? Hey, I understand that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and I also appreciate the power of "tradition" but I've never been a big fan of the plain blue and white. My HS in Pittsburgh used to use the same unis back in the day, but they've moved onto a much more elaborate design since I graduated. I have to figure that the vast majority of PSU fans would prefer to keep the unis as is, but I wonder what you guys here think.awful "practice" uniforms Johnny, I am in pretty good health, but I have to admit: Reading that part about the uniforms almost brought on a stroke!!!!!!!!!!!! Change the Blue-and-White?!?!?! What's next? Instant replay in CFB? A 40-second clock? How can you even suggest changing one of the most recognizable icons in the history of sports? :blink: I think my daydreaming at my desk is now a nightmare!Seriously, I am one of those beholders you mentioned. I can't imagine seeing/supporting the unis to be changed. It was bad enough when they had numbers on the helmets, for crying out loud. I even like the black shoes!Good thing our department is having a picnic this afternoon . . . I think I am mentally stunned for the rest of the day. Enjoy the weekend, Zips fans. One more closer to 5 September!!

That's funny, UA Fan! Right now, without the forfeits, JoePa is up on Bobby by one game. Even if you guys beat us, I think Penn State will recover enough to win more games than FSU for the rest of 2009. FSU owes Jimbo $5M if he is not coach "by" 2010 (not sure if "by" 2010 means 1 Jan or beginning of spring training or . . . . ). I don't know if FSU will part with that kind of cash just so BB can linger. Joe sure doesn't talk about retiring, and Penn State has not anointed a head coach in waiting. (My pick would be Larry Johnson.)Don't all you Zip fans run up all the prices on the scalped tix. This is my 25th anniversary of my grad year -- I am getting the urge to walk the auld sod again, but don't want to spend my sons' tuition to do so.Am enjoying the conversation with you guys -- looking forward to it heating up as we get closer to 5 Sep.Lions_84 (using the "Lions" part to avoid confusion with JohnnyZip84 -- great minds think alike!)

Thanks for the input, PSU1. I was going to post on the CBSSports site -- somebody probably knows the exact number . . . .

DReal, it's probably not really my place to lecture you since I am a guest on your site, but I would like to respond to your post if I may. Part of the answer to your rant may be that folks such as JohnnyZip and me may have enough age/miles on us that we realize, as you pointed out, football is not a gentleman's sport, but it is a SPORT. There are many other things in life that are much more serious. I buried my 82-year-old Dad -- he and my Mom had celebrated 60 years of marriage in November -- on 4 Jan of this year; do you think I really cared about the Rose Bowl at that point?Following the Army schools I just outlined, I went on to attend and graduate from the Special Forces Qualification Course (some people better recognize Special Forces by our headgear -- the Green Beret) and then spent three years on active duty A-teams. Later I was in a Special Forces National Guard unit for Desert Storm I. Worked in Iraq for fifteen months from March 2006 - May 2007 as an analyst with the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. My trailer in Baghdad was in the Riverside camp -- so called because it abutted the river. I could lie in my cot and hear the car bombs going off in other parts of Baghdad. After awhile, I found myself holding my breath after the first one -- the bad guys would set one off, then wait until people rushed to help before setting off a second, more powerful one.If I was guilty of asking any Zip fan to temper his/her enthusiasm or apologize for supporting his/her team, I apologize. To be more succinct: Can Akron beat Penn State? Sure. WILL it happen? Personally, I don't think you will get good odds on that scenario. Still, I wish the Zips all the best. I have been dismissive of Penn State's OOC schedule this year; the more I read about the Zips, the better I feel they will give the Lions a good game.Good day to you.P.S. Johnny, not sure what the payout to Akron is; will try to find out and post here or on the CBS site.

Hey JohnnyZip84! Yep, guilty as charged -- 1984 is my graduation year from Penn State. Probably have you by a couple years as I served in the Army for four years prior to attending State. Matter of fact, I was Army basic training, followed by Infantry School, then went to the Basic Airborne Course during the 1976 CFB season, so I thankfully missed Dorsett and Pitt running rampant.Here's how I see Akron pulling off the upset: Given the inexperience of our defensive secondary and the power of the Zip passing game, the Zips should come out throwing some intermediate passes -- we tend to play a Cover 2, and our DBs give receivers an 8 - 10 yard cushion. If successful, that may force the Lion LB's to drop off to provide some additional pass coverage. That in turn might open up the Akron running game. The right mix of running and passing should move the ball, scoring points AND keeping the PSU offense off the field.On defense (and I have seen reports Akron uses a 3-3 or a 3-4), the Zips will probably have to gamble somewhat. Lots of stunts, blitzes, etc. to confuse the Lions' inexperienced offensive line. I don't think Clark will get rattled, but he might could be forced to rely more on his own legs -- the Zip defense could dial in on him. That could hold down the Lions' offensive movement/scoring.Can't argue with your evaluation of the Big10(11) vis-a-vis other conferences. Wish it were stronger, but things tend to run in cycles. I hope by the time the Big10(11) returns as the premiere CFB conference that Penn State will continue to be at or near the top of it.A pleasure talking with you, sir!84

Hi, Akron fans! I appreciate being able to read and comment on your site. I try not to be a homer, but present realistic facts and figures to back up my opinions. I have followed CFB in general and the Nittany Lions in particular since 1968, so have a little knowledge of their program.My goal is to discuss, not mock or disparage. I appreciate the same courtesy. If you feel I have crossed the line, let's discuss rationally. Deal?First, let me stress that I admire your enthusiasm. As one of you wrote, if you go to a game thinking you will be beat, odds are great that will happen. Keep rooting for your team, with confidence and flair!Second, tho, let me add that I think Akron COULD probably beat Penn. Although the Quakers are 28 - 22 since the 2004 season, the level of competition in the Ivy League is way down from the glory years of the early 20th century.Oh, wait a second: You guys were talking about beating Penn STATE? Hmmm . . . . I think you will find that somewhat more problematic. The Lions are 40 - 10 over the last four seasons, and play in a conference that, while not to SEC standards, is still probably the second or third toughest D-1 conference. Yes, Penn STATE lost its defensive secondary, a large part of the offensive line, etc., etc. from last season, but there are many indicators they have reloaded at most positions. For example, Aaron Maybin is gone (did you know he started the 2008 season as the THIRD-string DE?); Jack Crawford appears to be ready to step in and succeed at that position. Yes, the three best receivers in the school's history are also gone; however, some of the current players -- Zug, Brackett, Powell, Moye -- have significant playing experience. And, Clark has a full year of experience in running the team.Back to the defensive side: Again, most of Penn State's secondary is gone. If you read more of Penn State background at CBSSports and other places, you will have seen that many fans see this year's secondary as "addition by subtraction", as many of us felt the DBs were the weakest part of the D. There are some players with game experience -- Astorino and Wallace come to mind -- and the "new" players are by-and-large bigger than those who left. Their additional size and skill may make up for game experience.Given the Lions' rebuilt offensive line and out of respect for what appears to be a high-powered Zip offense, I fully expect Penn State's offensive scheme to be pretty vanilla. Lots of Royster and Green coming out of the backfield, looking to exploit the 3-3-5 defense. They have the speed and skill to break loose some long runs, esp. on the outside.Finally, let's not forget the bench depth. Both teams play in the same geographic area -- early September in Happy Valley is obviously not like playing in the Swamp. But, given that is the first game of the season, I expect to see Penn State play a lot of kids, if for no other reason than to keep legs fresh. Not sure Akron has the bench to offset that apparent Penn State advantage.Someone quoted the 2000 Toledo-PSU game. Fair enough to mention that game, but probably also fair to mention that (1) Akron is 1 - 18 all-time against the Big10(11). (2) They are 12 - 21 on the road. (3) Two of those losses came against Penn State, by a combined score of 82 - 26.As I mentioned in the CBSSports thread cited above, the Zip offense is probably the kind of O that can beat Penn State, so I am not suggesting the Zips have no chance to win. As a Penn State fan, I obviously believe Akron will not gain the victory, altho I fully expect this to be a good game.Again, many thanks for letting me drop in. The BigTen Network obviously believes this game will be exciting, as they have already announced they will carry it. Good luck in this game and in your entire season!84