Go Bruins!!!

Hard to believe that Penn State played its last regular season game 2 weeks ago. Normally, I wouldn't have anything to look forward to, as PSU hasn't gone to a meaningful bowl game in about 8 years. This year is a tad bit different. If, by some small, slim chance, Texas or USC stumbles, guess who's in the Rose Bowl?? Evidently the oddsmakers don't see either of these teams stumbling, as both are 20+ point favorites. But, this is college football, and stranger things have happened.

PSU basketball is in for a rough year--both men and women. The men's team got trounced by a mediocre Clemson team, and the women got decimated by ODU. The women's team is a normal fixture in the NCAAs at the end of the year, but not this year. Going to be a long winter/spring. When's the Blue/White game??

Sen. Arlen Specter thinks that the Eagles are treating T.O. unfairly. Explain to me why one of the most powerful men in the senate is wasting his time on this? Last time I checked there are other things representatives of we the people should be focusing on.

Oh, and isn't T.O. still getting paid?

You know, one of the grand pleasures of a non-native Washington area resident is the reaction after a Redskins loss. Painful losses are even better. Delicious. Philadelphia fans have long been graced with the top of the line radio commentators. Merril Reese, Harry Kalas, Gene Hart...none better. Here in DC, we get the pleasure of listening to the inane ramblings of Sam Huff and Sonny Jurgenson. It's like sticking a flaming Q-tip in your ear repeatedly while having your eyebrows plucked one by one. These guys are awful. I expect a team's broadcast team to be partial to their franchise (I mean, they are employed by them), but these guys go too far. An example:

Larry Michael (play by play): 1st and 10, Brunell goes back, fires over the middle. Complete to Santana Moss all the way to the 47. What a nice throw and catch.
Sam Huff: Best catch ever made by a human.
Sonny: The receiver got held, facemasked,chop blocked, and illegally blocked...stupid refs.
Larry: I agree. Ok, 2nd and 9 now....

Ok, so that's an exaggeration...but not my much.

BIG TEN CHAMPS!!

A Perfect Fall for the Nittany Lions
Today finished a perfect Fall 2005 season for the Penn State Athletic Department. With a 31-22 win over Michigan State, the football team earned a share of the Big Ten crown (its first since 1994). The football team's title is the 5th Big Ten championship this fall for Penn State. Women's Volleyball, Women's Soccer, Field Hockey, and Men's Soccer all won conference titles. This is unprecedented.

More tomorrow...

Big Ten Finale

What a long, strange, glorious ride this season has been. 6-5 was expected, 7-4 would have been nice, and 8-3 was downright unthinkable. Now, the Nits are a win away from going 10-1. 10-1. Wow. I think I'll take that!

But, can't get ahead of ourselves yet, can we? Michigan State is a dangerous opponent fighting for bowl eligibility. Just like last year. Seems these games are a lopsided affair, with the home team winning decisively. Would be nice to see a reversal of that trend. Read something nice the other day that said the visiting team has won only 3 times in the last 12 meetings...Penn State was the winner all 3 times.

Keys to the game:
- Weather: Supposed to be cold and rainy. Could mean that PSU keeps it on the ground (as MRob is not the most accurate of passers--55% completion rate). This could be good, as Minnesota gashed the Spartan's D for 300+ yards on the ground last week. Could also mean a tough day for Drew Stanton, though I think this guy could throw during a tornado.
- Turnovers: In their lone loss, PSU lost the turnover battle. Two weeks ago, against Wisconsin, they looked a little careless. The D does well after a turnover (allowing few points), but an early turnover could give the Spartans confidence.
- Motivation: Have the Spartans really quit? If so, an early TD by the Lions could slam the door quick.
- Focus: The team has been preaching the "one game at a time" mantra the whole season. Are they looking ahead to the BCS? Hope not.

Should be an interesting game. Like I was for each of the last 10 games, I'm scared to death of this one. Prediction will follow later.

As for the other games...gotta love rivalry week!
Auburn 23, Alabama 16: Tide D can't bail out the O every week (see last year's PSU team).
Va Tech 47, UVa 10: Someone's still angry over the prime time loss to the 'Canes.
S. Carolina 27, Clemson 26: SEC has a new badboy in the conference...no, it's not Steve Taneyhill.
Michigan 23, Ohio State 21: Will go down as a classic in the rivalry with a game winning special teams play in the final quarter.

and, finally...
PENN STATE 40, Sparty 17--Lions have too much talent, depth, and drive to let this one get away.

For the Glory...

Tamba Hali

Check out this video compilation from the Penn State Sports Info folks. Hali's monster game vs Wisconsin is just awesome.

NFL Programming Genius...

Nice one o'clock games in the greater DC area today...on CBS we have the Ravens/Jags (the venerable Don Criqui and Steve Beurlein calling), and on Fox we have the Vikes/Giants. Maybe Sundays are for bowling, as suggested by ESPN...is Dick Weber still around?

As usual, my fantasy team is in trouble. After losing last week by a mere .5 points (thanks Peyton Manning...big foreheaded loser), I am in danger of scoring fewer points than the Texans. I mean, seriously, I'm relegated to starting Brandon Jacobs as my #2 RB. Shudder.

Well, I wasn't too far off on my predictions yesterday. Picked all the winners except for the UGA/Auburn game. Too bad I didn't pick the same outcomes for my office pool. So now it seems that PSU has to beat Sparty for no worse than a share of the Big Ten title. The Bucks and the Wolverines are the only others that have a shot at it. Sounds like the type of finale that the Big Ten dreamed of when it accepted Penn State in 1993.

Nice to see Larry Johnson get his turn (no offense, Mr Holmes, and I hope you have a speedy recovery). Would be outstanding to have LJ make people forget about the Thomas', Doziers, and Enis' of the world.

Went to Arlington National Cemetary for the Veteran's Day ceremony. What a powerful place to be. But, on a day of solemn thanks and such, stupid people still emerge from the woodworks. I am still trying to figure out why some folks would think it appropriate to walk through the gravestones, haphazardly kicking rocks, leaves, dirt, etc. On perhaps our nation's most hallowed grounds, people still find a way to be inconsiderate. And, if you must know, I did "correct" a couple of violators, though I'm not sure they thought they were doing anything wrong. Unbelievable.

Big week coming up...

For the Glory.

Been A While...

To my devoted readers, I apologize to both of you for neglecting this blog. Since I can't do this at work, it's hard to energize myself to do it once I get home. No excuses, though.

Since last we talked, there have been some goings-on in the world of sports. Let's recap, shall we?

Penn State is 9-1, 5-1 in the Big Ten. Let me say that again. Penn State is 9-1, 5-1 in the Big Ten. I figure that the more I say it, the more real it will seem. I had hoped for 7-4, but this is ridiculous. How have they done it? Well, they have some guys on the offense that can run, catch and throw...a wild departure from last year. The D is a rabid bunch of lunatics who would hit their own grandmother behind the line of scrimmage on 3rd and 1. Side note: It was great to see that Lavar Arrington has maintained his allegiance to the program. In an article in this week's Washington Post, Arrington said, "Did you see that (in reference to the game vs Wisconsin)? I was so proud to be a Nittany Lion." Believe me, Lavar, we're proud, too.

Bye week this week, then it's on to East Lansing to take on the Mighty Spartans of Michigan State. I don't care what anyone says, this game is hard to predict. Every time these teams play, it seems to be a blowout, with the home team winning. East Lansing brings back bad memories of two, count 'em TWO 200-yard Spartan rushers. Last good memory I have of East Lansing is 1995 when Wally Richardson hit Bobby Engram for a TD as the clock was ticking under :10 to go.

I think the Nits will do whatever it takes to win this game convincingly. Texas and USC don't have a golden path paved before them, so with some witchcraft and trickeration, the Lions could find themselves in the Rose if they handle Sparty like they should.

Need Wisky to recover from their whuppin' last week to lay one on Iowa...we need all of our opponents to win to increase our strength of schedule. That being said, who do I root for in the THEM vs OSU game??

Would be nice to see USF make some noise...every little bit helps.

MRob is being named as a dark horse Heisman candidate by a couple of sources. Check out the link from Fox Sports, comparing MRob to former Iowa QB Brad Banks. CBS Sportsline also has him as an "other."

In other sports news...T.O., well, nothing to say about that.

Flyers have won 5 in a row, and are monsters at home. Particularly appealing was the 8-1 thrashing of the Washington Capitals last week. Doesn't quite make up for the days of Dale Hunter, but I'll take it.

Ugeth Urbina is accused of attempted murder in his home coutry of Venezuela. Thought it was humorous to see in the Inquirer that the Phils seem to be trying really, really hard to resign Billy Wagner. Wow...didn't see that coming.

Penn State basketball has won two straight!! They killed Lock Haven and Edinboro. Don't look now, but Penn State might well be on the way to another solid 7-win season. Ok, I know that Ed DeChellis is probably a really good coach. I know that given some time and talent, he could probably get the team to the NIT on a consistent basis. My problem is this...Penn State has world class facilities, plays in arguably the second best basketball conference in the country, and can't get folks to play there? Why? Because while Pennsylvania is a breeding ground for blue chip football players (Hi Puz!), there is nowhere near the same quantity of talent in basketball. The kids from Philly know they can go anywhere to play...why stay in state and play for a team that can't sell out its arena, or hasn't produced a viable NBA player since John Amaechi in the mid 1990's? Until coaching staff can recruit from Philly, PSU will not be one of the top 5 teams in the state.

Good luck to the Men and Women's soccer teams as they compete at the NCAAs.

Football Weekend
Some predictions and notes for this week's big NCAA games:
LSU 17, Alabama 10: Bama hasn't scored an offensive TD in 13 quarters. That's pretty offensive. Where, o where, is Mike Dubose?
tOSU 31, Northwestern 30: Last team with the ball wins as OSU looks ahead to THEM. I just like saying "Basanez."
South Carolina 27, Florida 21: www.fireurbanmeyer.com takes off.
USC 45, California 17: Highlighted as the toughie for USC...not likely
Georgia 24, Auburn 10: Georgia has too much to play for, and Auburn is from Alabama...?

Let's talk next week?

For the Glory...