PSU Lands No.9 Class

The Nittany Lions landed the No.9 recruiting class as signing day wrapped up yesterday. Included in the class are the top LB in the nation, as well as a Top 10 QB and DT. PSU's Big 10 competition were further down the list, with Michigan coming in at No.12 and Ohio State at No.20. Losers

From Scout.com:

Anyone that doesn't follow recruiting religiously that has gotten a chance to see Scout's play, typically has the same comment, "Makes sense that kid is going to Linebacker U". Hull has size, speed, instincts and the drive to succeed that make him the top linebacker in the country this year. Making life easier for Hull will be Scout's #5 defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (6-4/300). Jones can occupy a double team or take the glory himself with his quick step into the backfield. The Nittany Lions are also bringing in a pair of highly ranked quarterbacks in 5-Star run/pass threat Paul Jones (6-3/225) and conventional dropback passer Robert Bolden (6-4/205 ranked #8 nationally).



Good Stuff.


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Lions and Tigers

Penn State (10-2) heads into the Capital One Bowl against LSU (9-3) with (from what I can tell) a distinct advantage over the Tigers.  Offensively, PSU leads LSU in every major category, outgaining them in the air by almost 50 yards per game (238.9 to 180.1), and on the ground by over 40 (173.6 to 129.6). On the defensive side of the ball, PSU is ranked 10^th nationally against the run (93.9 ypg), 8^th overall (277.1) and allows the 4^th fewest points per game (11.8). These stats are no doubt a product of the cupcake schedule the Lions endured, but impressive nonetheless.  Conversely, LSU ranks a paltry 108^th in total offense (309.7 ypg) giving PSU fans hope that a bowl win could be in the cards.  I don’t claim to be an expert – just look at my DWDW record in college football – but all signs seem to point towards a PSU victory in this one. 

Penn State is 1-3 in the Capital One Bowl, while LSU is 1-1, losing 30-25 in 2005 on a last-second touchdown pass in Nick Saban's final game as coach.

The last time these two teams met was a 16-9 Nittany Lions win in the 1974 Orange bowl, capping Joe Pa’s third of five unbeaten seasons.

Let’s go State!

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Penn State Game Notes

Game Notes:

Penn State (3-0)
vs.
Iowa (3-0)

When: Saturday, September 26, 2009
Where: Beaver Stadium (107,282)

Kickoff: 8:12 p.m.
Attendance: 109,000-plus (sold out)

Series Record: Penn State leads, 11-10

Penn State Captains:
No. 17 Daryll Clark, Sr., QB
No. 45 Sean Lee, Sr., LB

TELEVISION: The contest will be televised
by ABC to national audience with Brent
Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit and Lisa Salters
calling the action.

The Nittany Lions are appearing on television
for the 181st time in their last 183 games.

RADIO: Penn State Sports Network (60 stations)
Radio Team (10th year)
Play-by-Play: Steve Jones; Analysis: Jack Ham
Web stream: www.GoPSUsports.com

Hawkeye Radio Network (Gary Dolphin, play-byplay;
Ed Podolak, analysis; Rob Brooks, sideline).
Westwood One (Chuck Cooperstein, play-by-play;
Eddie George, analyst).

COACHES:
Joe Paterno
Penn State Record . .386-127-3 (75.0), 44th Year
Overall Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Same
vs. Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11-9
60th year on Penn State staff...all-time leader in
career wins among FBS (1-A) coaches...300 wins
faster than any coach in NCAA history...College
Football Hall of Fame inductee in 2007.

Kirk Ferentz
Iowa Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73-53, 11th Year
Overall Record . . . . . . . . . . . .85-74, 14th Year
vs. Penn State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-2

THE SERIES: The Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes are meeting for the 22nd time. Penn
State owns an 11-10 series advantage. The visiting team has won 13 of the 21
series games. Penn State won the last meeting in Beaver Stadium, 27-7, in 2007, but the Hawkeyes won, 24-23, last year in Iowa City.





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Lee could miss Iowa Game

Penn State OLB Sean Lee has an injured left knee and could miss Saturday's Prime Time game against Iowa. The fifth year Sr. Co-Captain limped off the field in the Fourth Quarter, Saturday against Temple.

Lee was honored earlier in the day as the Big Ten Conference's defensive player of the week after posting 12 tackles and a sack in the 31-6 win against Temple. Lee missed the entire 2008 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. With Lee and counterpart Navorro Bowman also Questionable, Penn State's Defense could be undermanned in their first game outside Philadelphia's Catholic League.

Go State
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Penn State vs Temple Notes

Game Notes:

When: Saturday, September 19, 2009
Where: Beaver Stadium (107,282)
Kickoff: 12:00 p.m.
Attendance: 105,000
Series Record: Penn State leads, 34-3-1
Penn State Captains:
No. 17 Daryll Clark, Sr., QB
No. 45 Sean Lee, Sr., LB.

TELEVISION: The contest will be televised by Big Ten Network with Ari Wolfe, Anthony Herron and Kenny Jackson calling the action. The Nittany Lions are appearing on television for the 180th time in their last 182 games.

RADIO: Penn State Sports Network (60 stations) Radio Team (10th year)
Play-by-Play: Steve Jones; Analysis: Jack Ham
Web stream: www.GoPSUsports.com
WPHT Radio (Harry Donahue, play-by-play; Steve Joachim, analysis).

COACHES: Joe Paterno
Penn State Record . .385-127-3 (75.0), 44th Year
Overall Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Same
vs. Temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25-0
60th year on Penn State staff...all-time leader in career wins among FBS (1-A) coaches...300 wins faster than any coach in NCAA history...College Football Hall of Fame inductee in 2007.

Al Golden
Temple Record . . . . . . . . . .10-27, Fourth Year
Overall Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Same
vs. Penn State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0-3

THE SERIES: The Nittany Lions and Owls are meeting for the 39th time, with Penn State owning a 34-3-1 series lead. The teams have met the last three years, with Lions winning, 45-3, in Beaver Stadium in 2008. The intra-state rivals are are scheduled to meet each of the next three seasons.
.
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Kirk Herbrstreit: Temple Will Win it All

Well, not quite. Kirk Herbstreit recently released his 9th Annual Herbie Awards for the upcoming season on ESPN.com, and in case you’re not familiar with the Herbies, they’re basically just a list of players, coaches and teams Herbstreit considers to be the best in the country. It was pretty much what I expected, lots of players from powerhouse schools in the south, but then I got to his picks for Conference Champions. I’ll be damned if Herbie doesn’t have your Temple Owls as his pick to win the much respected MAC East. I was surprised at first, but then took a look at who Al Golden and his boys’ competition is in the Mid Atlantic Conference East: Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Kent State, Miami (OH) and Ohio. Wow. Temple’s schedule consists of one tough game, at Penn State, and other than that it’s a smattering of garbage I’m pretty sure my Thanksgiving Day pickup team could matchup with. In any case, I’ll be rooting for the Owls to do well this season, it’d be nice to see a college football team succeed in Philly, MAC East or not. Temple opens up the 2009 season Thursday night against Villanova at The Linc.

Other notable Herbie winners (notable to Dirty Wudders at least) after the jump:


Top DT: Jared Odrick (4), PSU

Top ILB: Sean Lee (3), PSU

Top OLB: Navorro Bowman (2), PSU

Players Who Don’t Get Enough Respect: Evan Royster (5), PSU

Head Coaches in Waiting: Tom Bradley (4), PSU

Best Student Sections: PSU (1) – Ed. Note: Nice.

Big 10 Conference Champ: PSU

Penn State kicks off the season this Saturday against the Akron Zips, more to come on the Lions later in the week.

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An Old Golf Cart Injury

Former Nittany Lion wide receiver, Bryant Johnson was placed on the Active/Non-Football Injury list. Apparently he is going to miss the start of training camp due to a golf cart accident at his home. "Bryant, unfortunately, had a golf cart accident back in early July,'' Lions coach Jim Schwartz said. "There are no orthopedic issues with it, a lot of superficial wounds, road rash and those kinds of things. We'll take our time ... with him.''


Johnson said: "In the community that I live in, everybody uses golf carts to get around. (The golf car) got out of control and it was on two wheels and it fell over. I was driving, and it fell over on my side. It slid about 10 yards. There was a hill, but it wasn't a steep hill.''

This reminds me of a golf cart accident one of the dirtywudders authors, and PSU Alum, got into in Las Vegas, when a drunken tree jumped out in front of the cart. Yes, you heard me! It was the tree's fault! And that high pitched scream? That came from the passenger seat, occasional DW reader, moose.
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PSU is #2!

Matthew Hayes of Sportingnews.com has Penn State ranked with the second easiest non-conference schedule in the country. 2 Mac Teams, a bad Big East team and a 1AA team (now called FCS), all at home.

This is rather embarassing for Penn State fans. The Big Ten should not bitch about not getting respect from the voters when fattening up their records against Eastern Illinios and Syracuse. Can't they atleast play regional games against Ruters, Pitt, West Virginia and Maryland?
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