Lititzlion

I was going to start a thread but this seems like a good place to respond. You guys should NOT hang your heads. Do you think Oklahoma is going to pack it in for the season? Heck no; they think they can still make the BCS championship and they may. You guys have a lot of football to play and I suspect you will have a lot of cheering to do before the season's in the books.JoePa took his foot off the gas in the second half but he didn't take it all the way off. A lesser opponent would still have been steamrolled. Not Akron. Your team didn't give up and won the second half.Take away the last couple of minutes of the first half and we go into halftime up 17-0. You win the second half and the game's at 17-7. Yeah, it didn't happen that way but who knows?Your defense played well and with a ton of heart. We're proud of our running ability; in fact, some of our fans think we should be known as running back U instead of Linebacker U. We have a long string of very talented RB's as alums. Did you notice that you basically stuffed our running game? Take that and your second-half performance into the rest of the season and the Roos will be just fine.Glad to hear that your fans were treated well at PSU. One thing that always bugs me though is how a lot of our fans boo when the opposing team takes the field. Polite applause would be much classier. Akron's going to do well with the balance of the season and I'll be rooting for you. Hey, the better you guys do, the better it looks for us, right?Good luck the rest of the way!

The theory behind the rule is that the grass lots are also used for intramural activities and broken glass is a hazard. Apparently it's less so on the paved lots which, of course, don't double as a sporting field.It's 5:45AM and I'm getting ready to hit the road; thank God the season is finally here!!

+1 on all you said however I'm betting JoePa runs onto the field. We'll know in 20 hours!

Lititz, the "truth" about our secondary vs. Akron passing offense will fall somewhere btwn the two extremes represented in most posts here. Yes, many of our D-backs are relatively inexperienced, and, yes, Akron's passing O is both veteran and talented. But, the Penn State D's have been facing the Penn State offense -- Clark and those big WRs -- and are some talented athletes themselves. Will Akron burn State on a play or two? I expect that to happen. Will it happen often enough to give Akron more than three scores? Not likely, imho. And note most of the posts are focusing on Akron's passing O vs the Lion secondary. All but the most fervent Zips fans concede that the Akron defense may be facing some huge challenges.But, opinions are just that -- and it's why the games get played even all these posts and writings and analyses.Just under 24 hours to go!!I think your assessment is dead on. Can't wait to hit the road in the morning and head to Happy Valley!

Just wanted to welcome all of you who are coming, especially the first-timers. You'll be treated well. Enjoy your visit and the game-time atmosphere in the Beav. Arrive early if you can. I suggest that, if possible, you wait a couple hours after the game before you try to leave. Traffic is pretty hideous. Post game is a great time to wander the campus and explore downtown. However, if you're hungry for ice cream and want to hit the Creamery right down the road from the stadium, do that before the game. After the game the lines are ridiculous.I'll be in section NH just a couple sections to your right, assuming you're in the visitors section. It's going to be a beautiful day to finally kick off the season!

Don't fall for the rope-a-dope notion that our secondary is a glaring weakness. The truth is that our secondary last year wasn't very good.We have more speed and athleticism this year; it's addition by subtraction. Keep your eyes on #28.I'm not saying Tim Tebow would curl into the fetal position at the prospect of facing them but they're not the liability everyone, it seems, is predicting.

1) Time out. Jacq heads to the sideline for some cotton for his ears.Hey, you guys are our best OOC game this year; it's going to be loud for a while.

We get worried on the rare occasions that JoePa hypes the team. When he thinks they can't play their way out of a paper bag, we take that as good news. It's one of his long-standing motivational tactics.

Just checking in with well-wishes for a great season for you guys. It's good to see your team on the upswing; that's good for all of us. I hope a bunch of you can make it to Happy Valley on the 5th and you have an enjoyable trip and time at the stadium. Arrive early and then stroll around the campus and downtown after the game and let traffic ease up a bit before you try to make it out of the parking lots.I love the enthusiasm on this board although I have to say, Dreal, that calling us your b**ch might be a tad premature!You don't, by any chance, post on a Notre Dame board as BitterD do you?By the way, you have to admit that our girls have nice, sparkly teeth.

Well, I guess I wasn't TOO far off. Can I be gracious without being patronizing? The zips gave us a few worried moments. Your run defense is, ahem, more than adequate. Great game and I hope you guys run the table. Kennedy is a stud and Getsy looks better than Brady Quinn right now.

Heck, I hope I can walk when I'm his age. As far as his remarks about other teams: that's just his Brooklyn sense of humor. He can dish it out and he can take it. Besides, you have to like: (Joe Paterno to Kirk Herbstreit), "It's nice to finally meet somebody from Ohio State that speaks English."

Pep rallies are normally indoors, Rec Hall I believe although it's been a long time since I've been to one. Yes, the field will be tarped. I would guess later today with the tarp being removed as soon as possible tomorrow.The field really is one of the best in the nation, drains well and will be fine.

They're saying locally that the heavy stuff will be gone by game time. There will be showers but no drenching downpours. And since Penn State is very proud of its Turfgrass program, the field will be fine. It drains very well. You can look forward to a great game on Saturday

I think they can pull off the selective enforcement because the place is huge and they don't have to appear to be everywhere at once. They will concentrate their enforcement in the areas to which they are drawn. At least that's my hope.Nothing will stop the drinking and if I remember my college days from the late '70s - early '80s well enough, the students and vagrants will simply drink faster before kickoff. This new rule could have unintended consequences.

It only takes a few idiots throwing trash, keying cars, etc. to ruin it for everybody. The general consensus though is that this will be selectively enforced. If you're having a beer at your RV and not screaming obscenities, most of us think you won't have a problem. We'll see I guess.

Howdy Zips!! Most of us have a lot of ROOspect for the direction in which your team is headed. And while it's fair enough for you to point out the lack of comparison between this time and the last time our teams met, it's also fair for me to point out that the Lions of this year and last are not the Lions of the few years before (I refuse to remember any more detail than that!). During that time the Lions suffered a devastating spinal injury to a well-liked, dare I say loved, member of the team along with the loss of JoePa's brother George.I've been watching my team since '78 and I can tell you that I have NEVER seen a PSU team as down, unprepared and mentally defeated as it was during that time. JoePA totally lost his winning edge and almost acted like he was a grandparent rather than a coach. The lack of discipline and preparation in the Bowl game against Auburn is a prime example.Rest assured those days are over and Joe is back where he was in '99 and previous years.So what does all that mean? Just that this is going to be a great game between two teams on the way up who both believe they can win. It might as well be the first meeting between the Lions and the Zips because the past is dead.My biased prediction? PSU 35 Zips 10 Weather doesn't matter.Good luck Zips. Here's to no injuries and safe travel to those who are visiting Happy Valley.