It's About To Go Down

Yinzers,

I have two words for you: "WHITE HOUSE" There are few things in sports today that can capture the true meaning of fanhood and strike fear into the hearts of those who set foot into this foreign land in the center of Pennsylvania. When interviewed by Tunch Ilkin, former Michigan Wolverine Lamaar Woodley said that his least favorite game was every game at Beaver Stadium. Walking through the tunnel, under the lights, 110,000 loud and proud is pretty intimidating. If you have not experienced a Penn State White House, put it on your bucket list.

College Gameday has picked Happy Valley for their broadcast this weekend. They made the right decision. This week, your Nittany Lions square off against the Iowa Hawkeyes...the team that tarnished an otherwise perfect record for Nittany Nation one year ago. Let's leave history in the past, shall we? What's going on this year?

This year's Iowa Hawkeyes are not the team they were a year ago, but that is no reason to take them lightly. Iowa has beaten Penn State seemingly every time the two have played in the past decade, normally ending in Iowa ruining an otherwise amazing season for the Nittany Lions. There are some things different this year, however. This year, Iowa is without the lightning bolt known as Shonne Green. I am not saying he was the reason they beat Penn State last year, but it helps to have a running back that can run through the o-line's legs with 4.3 speed. As always, the Hawkeyes have a home-grown, corn-boy o-line that is pretty hefty. Their key to victory will be giving QB Ricky Stanzi enough time to find holes in the Penn State zone coverage. If they can secure such a treasure, it could put a lot of pressure on Darryl Clark and the Penn State offense.

All eyes are on Nittany Nation this week. Penn State comes in ranked at #5 with the best record in the Big-10. This will be their first big test this season due to a pancake non-conference schedule. As discussed prior, the offensive and defensive lines will be the tell-tale signs of this game. The o-line needs to protect Darryl Clark, who was rushed or hit far too many times in the first three games. If you want him to be the efficient QB from a year ago, he needs time to make decisions. As for the d-line...get the man! Get the quarterback! If Ricky Stanzi has time to find holes in the zone, he will be successful. Sean Lee is hopeful this week with a knee sprain and Navarrow Bowman's status is not being discussed (I'm hopeful). Getcha popcorn ready, it's gonna be a good one to watch.


Oh, and by the way...the colony of Paternoville is growing at an exponential rate. I, unfortunately, could not convince enough of my fellow students (where's your fanhood, guys?) to participate with me, so I'm sitting this one out. However, field reporter Pearce Roemer, a fellow Penn Stater who hails from Crested Butte, CO, states that hundreds of students were out and ready to strike ground at 5:00 am on Monday, September 21. Paternoville is not legally allowed to start until Tuesday at 12:00 am. Who has the best student secion? You decide.

I remember dancin' in September and so does the Blue Band.
This week's halftime show, under the lights, includes Earth, Wind, and Fire's "In the Stone" and Chicago's "Make Me Smile" and "25 or 6 to 4." Rockin' the night away in Happy Valley...WeOOOOO!

Game time is 8:00 pm


For the Glory of Old State,

B Brog