Penn State Survives The First Storm Surge

Penn State University was rocked by the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal followed by the strict sanctions against their football program.  As you probably know three of the biggest penalties brought against the Nittany Lions were a 4 year bowl ban, 20% scholarship reduction, and current players on the roster can transfer anywhere and can play immediately for another school.

Ten players opted to leave prior to the 2012 season.  Three of Penn State's biggest impact players, Silas Redd, Justin Brown, and Anthony Fera were among those leaving the program.  Can you blame them? Winning and success did not seem like very likely for the next few years for the men dressed in blue and white. 

Knowing the pride of Penn State it was not surprising to see the other players who stayed band together and fight like they have never fought before.  Two players who lead this band of brothers were Michael Mauti and Michael Zordich. Though the 2012 team was tight-knit and playing with a chip on it's shoulder they were still not expected to compete well in the Big Ten Conference.

The season began and it seemed the doubters were going to be right.  Penn State stated with a disappointing loss to Ohio University at home in Beaver Stadium.  They followed up the opening loss with another frustrating loss to the University of Virginia.

After just 2 games the Lions already sat at 0-2 and it seemed like it was going to be a long bumpy road for Penn State in the 2012 campaign.  Against Ohio University the lack of Silas Redd was evident as the Lions only rushed for a total of 92 yards.  The rushing attack didn't get much better against Virginia when they tallied 121 yards on the ground.  The absence of Anthony Fera was evident in the game against Virginia when Sam Ficken missed 4 field goals and the Lions only lost by 1 point.

After such a dismal start nobody would have predicted Penn State would win 8 out of their remaining 10 games to finish at 8-4 on the season.  That type of result makes you wonder how good this team might have been if Redd, Brown, and Fera had stayed.

Now that the regular season is over it makes you wonder how those 3 impact players feel about their choice to transfer.

Silas Redd (Running Back) transferred to USC and many thought USC could be a BCS Championship contender in 2012 with his addition.  Some may have thought his chances to be a Heisman Trophy candidate were in the near future.   Now that the regular season is over most people would be surprised to learn that Penn State finished with a better record than the Trojans as USC finished 7-5.  Another surprise is Zach Zwinak ran for 1000 yards and had 177 yards receiving for the Nittany Lions.  Why are those stats surprising?   First off Zwinak didn't really play in the first 3 games of the season.  The other reason it is surprising that Zach had success in 2012 is he had a total of 7 yards rushing in 2011 and he was on nobody's radar for the 2012 season.  Silas Redd in contrast rushed for 817 yards and had 99 yards receiving.  Silas went from Penn State's star and probably their best player to USC's most productive running back but was definitely not thought of as their best player.  817 rushing yards was down from over 1200 yards he rushed for in 2011 for the Nittany Lions. 

Anthony Fera (Kicker) transferred to play for the Texas Longhorrns.  Fera had a less productive year for Texas because of an injury.  His replacement at Penn State was Sam Ficken.  Sam was a disappointment early in the season, but started to gain confidence and accuracy as the season wore on.  Fera can be happy that his Texas Longhorns went 8-3 with only Kansas State left to play and then most likely on to a very good bowl game to finish the 2012 season.

Justin Brown (Wide Receiver) transferred to play for the Oklahoma Sooners.  The Sooners are 9-2 with only TCU left on their schedule then most likely off to a very good bowl game.  Justin ranked 2nd among Sooner receivers in 2012 with 795 yards and 4 Touchdowns with 1 game remaining on the schedule.   His replacement was a big surprise at Penn State.  Allen Robinson only had 29 yards receiving in 2011.  2012 Robinson took the Big Ten by storm racking up 1018 yards receiving and 11 Touchdowns.  Brown has done well for the Sooners but it makes you wonder how well he might have done in Penn State's new offensive scheme directed and designed by Bill O'Brien (PSU's new head coach).  Robinson was not the only player to benefit from the new offensive attack.  Quarterback Matthew McGloin threw for over 3200 yards and 24 touchdowns on the season.  Imagine how dangerous the Lions could have been with Brown on one side of the formation with Robinson on the other wing.

Some may say these three transfers made the right decision for their futures in the NFL, but with the stats above you have to wonder if that is really the case.  There are still a handful of Nittany Lion players who are going to have no problems getting to play at the next level such as:  Jordan Hill, Gerald Hodges, Michael Mauti, Michael Zordich, Kyle Carter, and Allen Robinson.

Needless to say Penn State will continue to be competitive even in the next few years while they are under sanctions.  It will be most interesting to see how successful they will be once the sanctions are over.  Penn State should be congratulated on a fantastic 2012 campaign especially after losing these 3 impact players. 

Sad, Torn, Angry, Conflicted, Shocked, over the firing of a Legend

I should be sleeping right now, but instead I have a flood of emotions that keep circling in my head.  I watched the press conference over an hour ago to see that Joe Paterno was fired by Penn State.  Wow, what can I say...... I knew Joe would eventually be done coaching the Nittany Lions, but I always thought he would leave under his own terms or that he would coach until he died.  Here's just a little of what I'm feeling right now:

• I feel sad for Joe Paterno because at this point it doesn't matter that he spent 60 years doing the right things for Penn State University, all that matters is the poor decision he made or didn't make in 2002.  
• I think about what Penn State Football will look like from here forward and I get angry at myself.  I'm angry with myself because I stop and think about the kids who were victims of sexual abuse and I can't believe that I have the nerve to think about football at a time like this.  I have kids of my own and I can't imagine how much hurt this monster of a man (Jerry Sandusky) has caused to those kids and their families. My thoughts and prayers are with them.
• I understand that he has not stood trial yet, but I am so angry at Jerry Sandusky for the horrible crimes that he is being accused of.  I'm angry that the sins of one man can hurt so many people from those young boys who are now young men, to their families, and now to cause people to loose their jobs like Joe Paterno and many more. 
• I feel torn because I realize why people thought that he should be fired immediately for not going to the police about alleged sexual abuse, but I also know that Jesus was the only person to walk this earth without sin.  Joe is certainly not perfect, but I have heard nothing but good things about him for all of the years that I've been alive.  I've heard about all of the educational activities that Joe and his wife Sue have spearheaded at Penn State.  I've always seen the clean-cut image that he expects from his players and coaches.  So, I'm torn because Jerry Sandusky's alleged crimes are horrible without a doubt, but I have a hard time condemning Joe Paterno's 60 years of dedicated service over one instance of poor judgement. 

I'm not saying that I've never wished that Joe would just hang it up and let the next generation of Penn State Football begin, but I certainly didn't picture his departure to look like this.  I'm sure Joe feels hurt that he was fired, but to make matters worse that they fired him over the phone.  I feel badly that he'll not be able to coach his last home game this Saturday and be carried off of the field one last time and the fans could not show their appreciation for the 60 years of great football entertainment and dedicated service to Penn State University.  

Happy Father's Day Dad!

Do you have a great Dad?  I know I do!  Here are just a small number of the reasons why:

1. He has always loved me no matter what.
2. He is a faithful and loving husband to Mom.
3. He is a strong Christian father.
4. He taught me how to play golf when I was 6.
5. He got me golf lessons and took it like a champ when I started beating him consistently.
6. He taught me to love Penn State Football!
7. He took me to a few different Promise Keeper events.
8. He showed me that it is ok to show your feelings.
9. He often played basketball with me.
10. He did everything he could to try to make it to all of my sporting events.
11. He took me to Myrtle Beach for a golfing trip last year.
12. He took me to the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.
13. He took me to Indycar races in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.
14. He taught me what it means to be a hard worker.
15. He taught me to drive the pick-up truck when I was only 8 years old.
16. He taught me to mow grass when I was only 6.  
17. He let me help him build a covered bridge.
18. He and Mom stood by me through the toughest time of my life when I went through my separation and divorce.
19. He prayed for me.
20. He worked hard and was a wonderful provider for our family.
21. He was a stern, but loving disciplinarian.
22. He was a good protector as I always felt safe in our home.
23. He has great rhythm and probably contributed to my drumming ability.
24. He can sing well and always encouraged me in my signing performances.
25. He and Mom supported my band even though they were not really into our style of music.
26. He would ride bikes with me a lot and we would often ride to the tennis courts and play tennis together.  
27. He is an loving grandfather to our two children.
28. He is a very patient teacher and I owe most of my fix-it skills to him. 
29. He and Mom are great buyers for us on eBay and they are great cheerleaders for our business.
30. He is very wise and makes good decisions.
31. He has taken me to lots of sporting events, but my favorites are definitely all of the Penn State Football games we've been to together.
32. We still try to play golf  together at least once a year.

Penn State Victory Roar!!

I'm so proud of my Penn State Nittany Lions Football Team! They played hard and beat a very good LSU football team today in the Capital One Bowl. I was so glad that Daryll Clark and the other seniors went out in style. I think Daryll has been given way too much of the blame for our lack of success against highly ranked teams. If anyone is to blame it is the Penn State coaching staff for the way they game plan for those tough games. We should be cruising into those games with a swagger in our step and a knockout punch in our pocket. Instead we tip toe in and play "not to lose" and of course that is usually what happens. We save any trickery or gadget plays until we are down by 3 touchdowns in the 4th quarter and the other team knows that we're too desperate to run it up the gut. Don't get me wrong..... I love JoePa and the gang of great coaches we have, but sometimes I think Joe Paterno downplays our talent too much. When the players hear these humble messages all week heading into a big game they start to believe what they hear and they get intimidated rather than the desired humbleness that Joe is looking for.
Now I must wait another 8 months for Penn State to once again return to the field. I am sad that the season is over, but I'm proud that my team fought a good fight and made a good showing for the Big Ten Conference! Let's hear that Penn State Victory Roar!!!