The Lion's Den http://www.nittanyfootball.com/index.php/site/index/ en psudoc@verizon.net Copyright 2009 2009-01-04T20:12:01-05:00 Secondary Education http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/lionsden/~3/lp8A4_l0Qvc/ I have been doing this blog for like 5 years now, and writing on the web about Penn State football since 1999.  During the course of that time, I usually spend the days after losses searching for reasons why we didn’t win.  Some games really can come down to one or two plays that depending on the outcome, can affect the final score.  As such, it does not take a huge leap of faith to then blame the loss on a coaching call, a bad call by the referee, the weather, the quality of… LionsDen I have been doing this blog for like 5 years now, and writing on the web about Penn State football since 1999.  During the course of that time, I usually spend the days after losses searching for reasons why we didn’t win.  Some games really can come down to one or two plays that depending on the outcome, can affect the final score.  As such, it does not take a huge leap of faith to then blame the loss on a coaching call, a bad call by the referee, the weather, the quality of…

]]> 2009-01-04T19:12:01-05:00 http://www.nittanyfootball.com/articles/lionsden/secondary_education/ Seniors Have Their Day http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/lionsden/~3/S97y51_VP3U/ I don’t know what the record is for the coldest game at Beaver Stadium, but the temperature was in the low to mid-20’s and was one of the coldest games I can remember.  But unlike Iowa, the weather had no effect on the Penn State players this time.  And the coldest part of the stadium appeared to be the small wedge of green in the Northeast corner of the stadium. After three games of rather anemic offensive production, the Lions returned to early season form, generating… LionsDen I don’t know what the record is for the coldest game at Beaver Stadium, but the temperature was in the low to mid-20’s and was one of the coldest games I can remember.  But unlike Iowa, the weather had no effect on the Penn State players this time.  And the coldest part of the stadium appeared to be the small wedge of green in the Northeast corner of the stadium.

After three games of rather anemic offensive production, the Lions returned to early season form, generating…

]]> 2008-11-24T00:09:01-05:00 http://www.nittanyfootball.com/articles/lionsden/seniors_have_their_day/ Confidence Limits http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/lionsden/~3/97fuMHjMJUQ/ What happened on the way back from Madison?  We didn’t realize it at the time, but the team—and in particular, Daryll Clark—peaked.  Since then, both the team and QB have struggled at times, and in particular, Daryll Clark has not looked like the same confident quarterback that led this team into Camp Randall. Obviously, the concussion at Ohio State is contributory, but even prior to that, Clark was having some issues.  He fumbled in the first quarter against THEM and… LionsDen Notice: Only variables should be assigned by reference in /nfs/c01/h09/mnt/3553/domains/nittanyfootball.com/html/NFadmin/plugins/Filter_HTML/HTMLFilter.php on line 737

What happened on the way back from Madison?  We didn’t realize it at the time, but the team—and in particular, Daryll Clark—peaked.  Since then, both the team and QB have struggled at times, and in particular, Daryll Clark has not looked like the same confident quarterback that led this team into Camp Randall.
Obviously, the concussion at Ohio State is contributory, but even prior to that, Clark was having some issues.  He fumbled in the first quarter against THEM and…

]]> 2008-11-17T00:15:01-05:00 http://www.nittanyfootball.com/articles/lionsden/confidence_limits/ Why Oh, Why-owa? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/lionsden/~3/F96A2SxRpMw/ Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross broke grieving down into a continuum of phases: • Shock stage: Initial paralysis at hearing the bad news. • Denial stage: Trying to avoid the inevitable. • Anger stage: Frustrated outpouring of bottled-up emotion. • Bargaining stage: Seeking in vain for a way out. • Depression stage: Final realization of the inevitable. • Testing stage: Seeking realistic solutions. • Acceptance stage: Finally finding the… LionsDen Notice: Only variables should be assigned by reference in /nfs/c01/h09/mnt/3553/domains/nittanyfootball.com/html/NFadmin/plugins/Filter_HTML/HTMLFilter.php on line 737

Notice: Only variables should be assigned by reference in /nfs/c01/h09/mnt/3553/domains/nittanyfootball.com/html/NFadmin/plugins/Filter_HTML/HTMLFilter.php on line 737

Notice: Only variables should be assigned by reference in /nfs/c01/h09/mnt/3553/domains/nittanyfootball.com/html/NFadmin/plugins/Filter_HTML/HTMLFilter.php on line 737

Notice: Only variables should be assigned by reference in /nfs/c01/h09/mnt/3553/domains/nittanyfootball.com/html/NFadmin/plugins/Filter_HTML/HTMLFilter.php on line 737

Notice: Only variables should be assigned by reference in /nfs/c01/h09/mnt/3553/domains/nittanyfootball.com/html/NFadmin/plugins/Filter_HTML/HTMLFilter.php on line 737

Notice: Only variables should be assigned by reference in /nfs/c01/h09/mnt/3553/domains/nittanyfootball.com/html/NFadmin/plugins/Filter_HTML/HTMLFilter.php on line 737

Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross broke grieving down into a continuum of phases:

• Shock stage: Initial paralysis at hearing the bad news.
• Denial stage: Trying to avoid the inevitable.
• Anger stage: Frustrated outpouring of bottled-up emotion.
• Bargaining stage: Seeking in vain for a way out.
• Depression stage: Final realization of the inevitable.
• Testing stage: Seeking realistic solutions.
• Acceptance stage: Finally finding the…

]]> 2008-11-11T01:59:02-05:00 http://www.nittanyfootball.com/articles/lionsden/why_oh_why_owa/ x-H-I-x http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/lionsden/~3/XOYJj9A0XrQ/ You can’t spell Ohio without two O’s, but neither one was able to consistently overcome the defense on the other side of the field Saturday night in what turned out to be a classic Penn State-Ohio State slugfest.  The Prime Time thriller came down to an INT in the end zone on the next to last play of the game, allowing the #3 team in the nation to take a knee, and thank God they were able to win at the ‘Shoe’ for the first time since 1978, and the first time since joining the Big… LionsDen You can’t spell Ohio without two O’s, but neither one was able to consistently overcome the defense on the other side of the field Saturday night in what turned out to be a classic Penn State-Ohio State slugfest.  The Prime Time thriller came down to an INT in the end zone on the next to last play of the game, allowing the #3 team in the nation to take a knee, and thank God they were able to win at the ‘Shoe’ for the first time since 1978, and the first time since joining the Big…

]]> 2008-10-27T00:22:00-05:00 http://www.nittanyfootball.com/articles/lionsden/x_h_i_x/ How Sweet It Is! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/lionsden/~3/L2xT5p_i0tg/ How Sweet It Is! Curses are a strange thing.  They have no scientific basis; they defy rational explanation.  Yet, they are often held in regard by the fans with as much credibility as the Law of Gravity.  If an object is dropped—it falls.  The Cubs will never win the World Series.  Don’t get your picture on the cover of Sports Illustrated.  If a TV announcer makes a comment about how a player never fumbles—he will fumble.  You get the idea. … LionsDen How Sweet It Is!

Curses are a strange thing.  They have no scientific basis; they defy rational explanation.  Yet, they are often held in regard by the fans with as much credibility as the Law of Gravity.  If an object is dropped—it falls.  The Cubs will never win the World Series.  Don’t get your picture on the cover of Sports Illustrated.  If a TV announcer makes a comment about how a player never fumbles—he will fumble.  You get the idea.

…
]]> 2008-10-19T23:51:00-05:00 http://www.nittanyfootball.com/articles/lionsden/how_sweet_it_is/ Un-Bielema-ble! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/lionsden/~3/z36reCc3pWA/ You might wonder if Bret Bielema woke this morning musing whether it was such a good idea in hindsight to play rule games with Joe Paterno a couple of years ago, when he chose to take advantage of a new rule loophole to prevent PSU from getting the ball back after a kick-off. It’s not nice to fool Joe Paterno. And while you can argue about Penn State running up the score or not when Paterno allowed Pat Devlin to come in to relieve Clark in the fourth, I actually disagree with… LionsDen You might wonder if Bret Bielema woke this morning musing whether it was such a good idea in hindsight to play rule games with Joe Paterno a couple of years ago, when he chose to take advantage of a new rule loophole to prevent PSU from getting the ball back after a kick-off.

It’s not nice to fool Joe Paterno.

And while you can argue about Penn State running up the score or not when Paterno allowed Pat Devlin to come in to relieve Clark in the fourth, I actually disagree with…

]]> 2008-10-12T23:29:00-05:00 http://www.nittanyfootball.com/articles/lionsden/un_bielema_ble/ Slippery When Wet http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/lionsden/~3/XOAbiaQNrXg/ It was an overall solid performance by the 6th ranked Nittany Lions as they nearly shut out Purdue, winning 20-6.  The fourth quarter touchdown by Purdue was their first offensive touchdown in 11+ quarters and, if I am not mistaken, the first time all season that PSU did not answer an opponents’ score with one of their own. Most of Nittany Nation was anxiously awaiting our top ten offense to shred Purdue’s bottom ten defense, but the blow out never materialized.  Part of… LionsDen It was an overall solid performance by the 6th ranked Nittany Lions as they nearly shut out Purdue, winning 20-6.  The fourth quarter touchdown by Purdue was their first offensive touchdown in 11+ quarters and, if I am not mistaken, the first time all season that PSU did not answer an opponents’ score with one of their own.

Most of Nittany Nation was anxiously awaiting our top ten offense to shred Purdue’s bottom ten defense, but the blow out never materialized.  Part of…

]]> 2008-10-05T23:18:00-05:00 http://www.nittanyfootball.com/articles/lionsden/slippery_when_wet/ EGAD ZOOKS! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/lionsden/~3/xyWQ7ndr04I/ The outcome was not quite the rout I had envisioned, but the win was sweet nonetheless, especially since Florida, USC, Georgia, and Wisconsin lost.  By attrition and leapfrogging BYU and Texas Tech, Penn State now finds itself ranked 6th in the nation at 5-0. The offensive juggernaut stalled on its first possession.  After Williams and Clark rushed for a first down, Royster was stopped for one yard, Clark overthrew Royster in the flat, and then watched Butler uncharacteristically… LionsDen The outcome was not quite the rout I had envisioned, but the win was sweet nonetheless, especially since Florida, USC, Georgia, and Wisconsin lost.  By attrition and leapfrogging BYU and Texas Tech, Penn State now finds itself ranked 6th in the nation at 5-0.

The offensive juggernaut stalled on its first possession.  After Williams and Clark rushed for a first down, Royster was stopped for one yard, Clark overthrew Royster in the flat, and then watched Butler uncharacteristically…

]]> 2008-09-28T23:01:00-05:00 http://www.nittanyfootball.com/articles/lionsden/egad_zooks/ Owl Fouled Up http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/lionsden/~3/11pybJK5sRI/ Although the Lions took exactly one quarter to wake up and play football, a 31 point second quarter shattered any upset hopes the visiting Owls may have entertained.  The final score was 45-3 and who knows how bad it might have been if Penn State had shown up in the first quarter.  Perhaps the biggest storyline of the day was injuries.  The Owls suffered several losses, including QB DiMichele.  Joe Paterno, rumored before the game that he was going to coach from the… LionsDen Although the Lions took exactly one quarter to wake up and play football, a 31 point second quarter shattered any upset hopes the visiting Owls may have entertained.  The final score was 45-3 and who knows how bad it might have been if Penn State had shown up in the first quarter. 

Perhaps the biggest storyline of the day was injuries.  The Owls suffered several losses, including QB DiMichele.  Joe Paterno, rumored before the game that he was going to coach from the…

]]> 2008-09-22T01:01:01-05:00 http://www.nittanyfootball.com/articles/lionsden/owl_fouled_up/