Blogs

It looked like a worst-case scenario when Michael Mauti had to be carted off the Beaver Stadium field with a left knee injury last Saturday. It appears to be just that even though coach Bill O’Brien declined to talk about the extent of Mauti’s injury Tuesday out of respect for the senior outside linebacker and [...]

If Bill O’Brien left Penn State after this season it would have Donovan Smith-sized ramifications on the football program. It is not inconceivable that Penn State would experience a fall as precipitous as SMU did after the NCAA gave the latter the death penalty in the 1980s – and that it might take as long [...]

Bill O’Brien chose his words carefully. He was also vague when asked about officiating at his weekly news conference, so as not to incur the wrath of the Big Ten. But O’Brien made it clear that he will be seeking answers about some of the calls that have been made in his first season as [...]

Ron Vanderlinden has coached his share of standout linebacking corps since he has been at Penn State, and he indicated that this year’s group is as good as any he’d had. “Athletically, I think they ran right near the top of the list,” Vanderlinden said Thursday during a conference call. “They’re all unique in their [...]

Bill O’Brien coach of the year? No doubt. The notion that Penn State wouldn’t field a competitive team after the NCAA hit the football team with severe sanctions? Absurd. The difference between the two teams that will meet Saturday in the unofficial Probation Bowl? Penn State’s players had nothing to do with why the NCAA [...]

Zach Zwinak has rushed for at least 100 yards in back-to-back games, but there is a reason why the redshirt sophomore is No. 2 on Penn State’s depth chart: the Nittany Lions have no plans to ditch the committee approach they have been using at running back. “I like to rotate guys in and it’s [...]

Illinois coach Tim Beckman has one regret when it comes to the recruitment of Penn State players after the NCAA and President Culture allowed them to transfer without penalty. But it has nothing to do with what stirred a considerable amount of anger and disgust among Bill O’Brien and Nittany Lions players such as Michael [...]

Matt McGloin leads the Big Ten with eight touchdown passes, against just one interception, and he is fourth in the conference with 229.3 passing yards per game. The senior, much maligned in past seasons, may also be Exhibit A as to juggling quarterbacks isn’t that much better of an idea than juggling knives. “I haven’t [...]

Bill O’Brien is candid — particularly for someone who considers the ultra-secretive Bill Belichick a mentor — when it comes to his philosophy on punting. Simply put, he doesn’t place a premium on playing for field position, something that makes the first-year Penn State coach Joe Paterno’s polar opposite in that regard. “Once we get [...]

A team that only throws when it has to may not seem like a get-well opponent for Penn State’s secondary, but that is exactly how senior cornerback Stephon Morris is viewing Navy. “This Navy game is going to be a big confidence boost for us, especially if we get up on them early,” Morris said. [...]