TAKE THAT Spartans, now we’ve officially avenged our losses to the Illini and Spartans in football this year.

11,159 fans witnessed a landmark in Nittany Lion basketball yesterday night as the underdog Penn State carrying a 6 game losing streak beat the leading torch bearer of the Big Ten, Michigan State. The significance? The last home win against any team ranked in the top-25 was in 2001. Thats 7 years since the Lions last beat #6 Illinois on their home court. Thats 7 years of ranked AND unranked teams marching into Bryce Jordan Center and stomping all over the Nitts. 7 years since the student section even had the opportunity to rush the court so there was no doubting the emotion that erupted on the court after last nights win.
And I was fortunate enough to actually see this one in person.

I’d have to admit, the real reason why I was actually in attendance was because all the student ticket sales were being donated to THON and who doesn’t support curing cancer. You might as well admit you hate America right now if you don’t want to cure cancer. But I was treated to something much better.

Our group never even made it to the game by tipoff, having pre-gamed in the parking lot until we were 10 minutes late and then made our way into Bryce Jordan Center. By then the Lions were leading 17-15 marking the start of a surprising night for the Lion faithful. More stunning was when we walked over to Portal 30 (where the student section has to walk into), the usher told us the section is actually full and we need to head over to Portal 8 and fill up the student section in the upper deck. Wow, honestly? The student section is ‘full’? I’ve been randomly attending basketball games for the last 4 years and I have never heard the word ‘full’ and ‘basketball’ used in the same sentence.

Although, in that 4 year span, the only basketball victory I was in attendance for was against an equally lowly Northwestern squad. Unfortunately there are some of us who aren’t too thrilled with heights. There really isn’t a bad seat in Bryce Jordan Center but you really are looking straight down causing a little height anxiety. But right before halftime, Penn State hit back to back 3s and made defensive stops on the other end sending the majority of the 11,000 in attendance into a frenzy. I have not heard a roar like that since the THON finale last year.

Who could have expected the Lions to be leading the #7 Spartans at halftime. Not everyone was overly excited though, it was 3 days ago when Penn State was tied with the Buckeyes at halftime before being blown out down the stretch.

In a very un-Nittany Lion like fashion, the basketball team came roaring out of the gates and extended the lead to 10, winning 53-43 with 16 minutes to go. As if following the same Hollywood script, the Spartans chipped away at the 10 point lead and retook the lead by 2, deflating the palpable emotion that swirled inside the BJC.

But who knew, the Lions just kept fighting back point after point, and with clutch free throw shooting to end the game, the Lions did the unthinkable. They upset the conference leaders in a Spartan upset.

What a game. Boy I haven’t been this excited at a basketball game since watching the George Mason upset 2 years ago in the NCAA tournament. Hopefully they can take this momentum on the road against an equally impressive Purdue squad. This young Nittany Lion team needed a game like this to prove to themselves they can win without Claxton and against the odds. Way to go Nittwitts! A well fought win.

Theres the Ohio State upset in 2005 when it comes to football, and now theres the Michigan State upset in 2007 for basketball. If only this Lion squad didn’t give up after the Claxton injury, we could be sitting in the upper echelon of the Big Ten today with this upset.

The crowd was amazing, not only do you have the most faithful and loyal crowd on hand for a game no one expects a win out of, they actually introduced the Spartans to a small degree of home court advantage possibly for the first time at the BJC. Who knew the place could rock when the basketball team moved to the BJC from Rec Hall and endured a decade of futility. With 30 seconds to go, many of the students that were forced into the upper deck student section began to make their way down to the lower concourse lining the walkways anticipating a court rushing. It was a sight watching all the walkways of the lower concourse begin to fill up rather than empty out with fans ready to explode with a fury of emotion.

Notable Quotes:

“It’s just one of those feelings that you can talk about forever. When you are done playing the game and everyone storms the court and are holding people up.” - Talor Battle

“We have had some crazy things happen and our kids hung in there and fought and made some plays tonight and made some free throws when we had to. Hopefully we got a little confidence back and you know, it was great for our fans and for our students. The students were tremendous. People came out even though we lost a bunch in a row. Our kids laid it on the line and we were able to win a game. So, I am very happy for our players and the fans.” - Ed DeChellis

“Really, when I get home there will be a lot of blame for Michigan State, but the credit should go to Penn State, what they did, how they played, and the energy they played with.” - Tom Izzo

This is it! If the legend himself can’t close the deal, then the hell with it, he really wasn’t really considering the Nittany Lions anyways. But all the talk about Joe Paterno being too sickly, old, [insert your complaint], to visit top recruits better be prepared because the legend himself is going to meet face to face with one of the most highly touted recruit out of Pennsylvania in a long time.

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno is expected to travel to Jeannette, Pa. tomorrow to visit Terrelle Pryor, the nation’s No. 1 overall high school recruit, according to a team source.

The 81-year-old icon will be joined by defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, who has recruited Pryor since he was in the ninth grade. A 6-foot-6, 235-pound quarterback, Pryor has pared his choices down to four schools: Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Oregon.

Bloggers, readers and my fellow Nittany Lions,

Over the last 8 years since the turn of the century, we have endured 4 losing seasons, 2 futile quarterbacks at the helm, and have not tasted victory against our hated rivals up north. Yet we are still here today standing side by side, resolute and determined.

We faced adversity only to rebound with 3 straight bowl wins in the last 3 years, 1 BCS victory over an equally tradition-rich rival in the Seminoles and 1 Big Ten title. This year, in our inaugural State of the State address we also must be aware of the decisive months that lie ahead.

You and I serve our Penn State program in a time of great consequence. We not only have the duty to ensure opponents take a second look just to find out if they are playing in dreaded Happy Valley when facing the Lions, but have the opportunity to save State from the same fate that has befallen our traditional rivals Nebraska, Alabama and Syracuse.

We will do our part in maintaining State’s fiscal security, and we will answer every danger and rival that threatens Penn State’s recruiting class. The coming months and years will be hard, but we will remain resolute.

During the last three years we have seen what we can do together. Introducing ‘Zombie Nation’ to the Nittany Nation has in return put fear in our enemies’ eyes, trembled the very earth our troops battle on, and returned Beaver Stadium into the top 5 venues opponents fear most.

To protect our claim on ingenuity, we reformed the old unused concept of the ‘White Out’ into the ‘Penn State White Out’ marking a new era of prime time college football television with color coordinated fans.

To not only maintain fiscal security for our Nation, but to ensure it will never be threatened by enemies local or regional, we delivered the largest infusion of donations making State the 13th most valuable college football programs headed into 2008.

To most, this might indicate a good record. I call it a good start.

Tonight I ask my fellow Nittany Nation to join me in the next bold steps to serve our good program.

Our first goal is obvious: We must be able to haul in recruiting classes that ensures a stream of quality athletes that fit our program. After the Mills debacle of 2003 and 2004, the inability to win the Big Ten since our inaugural year, our program has rebounded with an Orange Bowl win over the Seminoles and a #3 ranking, the program has shown signs of life once again, and it is recovering. Yet it is not recovering fast enough, or strong enough.

With parity rising, our program needs more elite athletes to carry on our vision, more boosters to invest in our flat lining program and for the offense to show any sign of life against an enemy with a heartbeat. Programs are resurrected with new blood; a stagnant coaching staff breeds still water and still water kills all signs of life. The best and fairest way to make sure Nittany Nation have any sort future is not to allow this program to fall into obscurity.

I am proposing that Joe Paterno announce his intentions for the coming year or years if he plans on coaching any further. There are those among us who believe this is sacrilegious and will only aid to embolden our enemies.

Under my plan, Joe Paterno will be able to decide when to retire, but the key point is that he will have to decide when to retire. A year by year scenario breeds insecurity among the staff, coaches, players and future recruits and insecurity leads to defections. We have already weathered the loss of assistant coaches Fran, and Norwood, and it is time we circle the wagons and protect our home turf.

Our second goal is to reverse the exodus of home grown talent to our enemies.

Pennsylvania is a state of skill, talent and innovation, with enough athletes to satisfy any powerhouse program. Yet for Penn State, these athletes spurn the program for greener pastures across state lines, and many don’t bother considering the program at all.

These problems will not be solved by modifying our conference affiliations that many among us have attributed to this increasing exodus. Instead, we must work toward a system in which all high school coaches in Pennsylvania not want to send their best talent to Happy Valley, but feel an obligation as Pennsylvanians to do so. We must renew our commitment for a strong State by providing Pennsylvanians with a sense of civic duty, and pride that has not been seen for too long. Ohio and Michigan can no longer be viewed as just neighbors but a warring rival states. Pennsylvanian parents whose children choose to spurn their Keystone brethren for the despicable and lowly people of our rivals should feel a sense of shame. Fellow Pennsylvanians should react with disgust at people like Chad Henne’s parents. At the supermarket, the movies or a restaurant, children and citizens of all ages should feel obligated to gawk simply at the sight of such traitorous people. Within years, a new commitment to protecting our home will be established and our neighboring enemies will no longer be able to count on bleeding our proud state dry of talent. Only when we feel secure within our own borders can we reach from coast to coast bleeding other states of their talent stockpiling what we already have at home. This not only ensures our future, but will determine its growth.

Tonight I’m proposing a two-year ‘Protect the Keystone’ initiative that will outline the exact steps we as Nittany Nation must do to ensure the success of our state. I call upon the Lion faithful to participate and entrench this state that has provided us with so much over the years. Those of Nittany Nation are a resolute people, who have risen to every test of our time. Adversity has revealed the character of our state, to our enemies, and to ourselves. The state of the State is weak, but we will strengthen it.

A direct spoof of the State of the Union speech given in 2003.

Another week, and another Penn State loss, this time to the Purdue Boilermakers and Iowa Hawkeyes:

Officials: Ted Hillary, JD Collins, Lamar SimpsonTechnical fouls: Purdue-None. Penn State-None.Attendance: 6287Score by Periods                1st  2nd   TotalPurdue……………………   39   25  -   64Penn State………………..   18   24  -   42

And the worse part? The losses no longer phase me. You could have easily said the Penn State’s fencing team lost their match to the Boilermakers and that would have raised a couple more eyebrows. But thats not all, with football done for a while and only basketball available, this is becoming a tough stretch for a Penn State blogger.

But it could be worse, yet ANOTHER USC violation, this time with OJ Mayo and the basketball program. Is the NCAA in recess or something this time of year? First, Reggie Bush CLEARLY violated NCAA regulations and he can be solely attributed to several USC victories during their championship season, then now OJ Mayo?

But before we move on to the ranting, its time for week 4’s Big Ten Basketball Power Poll.

	Team	Record (Conference)	Alpha (last week)	Explanation
1	Michigan State	18-2 (6-1)	NC (1)	Michigan State remains in the poll position over undefeated Indiana only because they have managed not to lose even to their rival Michigan even if the Wolverines would struggle beating a high school squad right now.
2	Indiana	17-2 (6-0)	NC (2)	The top 3 remains unchanged. But Indiana’s home loss to a not so great Big East team at home as well puts them at #2.
3	Wisconsin	16-3 (6-1)	NC (3)	Their loss to the Boilermakers are nothing to get all worked up about. The Boilermakers are good, they’re young, but good. To have to struggle against the Wolverines however, may cause a few sweat beads down Badger fans’ foreheads, but if Bo Ryan can continue to grind out wins, they will be dancing come March.
4	Purdue	15-5 (6-1)	NC (4)	Purdue has done it again with an “not-so-upset” win over the Badgers. Almost everyone called that upset, so is it really an upset? Sort of like everyone knew LSU would trounce the Buckeyes, but because they are ranked #2, was it really an upset?
5	Ohio State	13-6 (5-2)	NC (5)	Ohio State picked up 2 key wins this week against Illinois and Minnesota. In this league, a win means absolutely everything when upsets happen like its their business. Considering the Big Ten may be a 4 bid team this year for the Big Dance, Ohio State might be fighting Purdue for the last spot on the gravy train.
6	Iowa	9-10 (2-4)	+3 (9)	The biggest mover was Iowa in Week 4. Though they really only beat Penn State (#8) which is not that great a feat any longer, they just seem to be between decent and horribly bad which are the only two all Big Ten teams fall into this season.
7	Minnesota	12-6 (2-4)	-1 (6)	The Gophers drop below Iowa not because of their 16 point loss at Ohio State, but because Iowa managed to actually win a game while the Gophers only played once this week. They will have ample time to move back up the Power Poll.
8	Penn State	10-9 (2-5)	-1 (7)	Last week I fumed at the people leaping off the Penn State bandwagon and this week I have sore ribs from doing the exact same thing. This team is clearly not a a decent team or even a competitor with the loss of Claxton. They have not lost by single digits since the loss of their senior leader and things can get only worse from here with Ohio State headed to the Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State is offering a ‘Target 10′ campaign. If they can get 10,000 students for the Ohio State ESPN game, they will donate all the ticket earnings from the Michigan State game to THON. Its a worthy cause, but I fear with the way the Nitts are playing, they will have trouble getting 10,000 people to watch the game.
9	Illinois	10-11 (2-6)	-1 (8)	The Illini managed to pick up a win this week. The bad news is, its against Northwestern so it means absolutely nothing.
10	Michigan	5-15 (1-7)	NC (10)	Losses against Wisconsin and Michigan State is nothing to be ashamed of in the Big Ten. Problem is, they have wins against nobody so yes, the Wolverines are ashamed.
11	Northwestern	6-11 (0-7)	NC (11)	Once again, horribly pathetic. But I fear the Nittany Lions are about to compete for this very spot.

Its that time again. Our vote is not to reflect the presumed standings at the end of the season, but their relative strengths compared to their Big Ten brethren. That being said, I know Michigan State lost to mediocre Iowa last week. But no one has stepped up more on their game than the Spartans and they take the top spot especially because of the way they were able to rebound to the Hawkeye loss against a good Buckeye and Gopher team. Indiana can also make their case as a team playing well especially since they are undefeated in the Big Ten, BUT their inability to dominate a Claxton-depleted Penn State team especially in the friendly confines of Assembly Hall squeezes them out of the top spot followed closely by the Badgers who are also undefeated in conference play. That will soon be resolved when the Badgers meet the Hoosiers. So without further ado, here is NittanyWhiteOut’s Big 10 Power Poll for Week 3:

	Team	Record (Conference)	Alpha (last week)	Explanation
1	Michigan State	16-2 (4-1)	+2 (3)	It was hard awarding the top 3 spots in the power poll this week. The Spartans, Hoosiers and Badgers all have a good case for top dog in the Big 10. BUT, that being said, Michigan State has been most impressive simply of the way they rebounded from an upset loss to the lowly Hawkeyes last week. And they did it not against other lowly competition, but against a quality Minnesota team (away) and Ohio State team thats #5 in the power poll. So as the best team in week 3, the Spartans gets to carry the crown.
2	Indiana	16-1 (5-0)	-1 (1)	Indiana is a quality team. There is no doubting that. But their inability to squash a Penn State (#7) team who is without their top scorer and rebounder until the final 10 minutes in Assembly Hall is quite a wake-up call. But they get the bump over the Badgers by beating an improved Minnesota (#6) team at the Barn.
3	Wisconsin	15-2 (5-0)	-1 (2)	The Badgers are only #3 because they are still undefeated. They proved nothing this past week beating Penn State (#7) and Northwestern (#11), teams that draw bigger crowds for wrestling matches than basketball games. The scheduling is however not their fault, so they sit at #3 above the Boilermakers and Buckeyes.
4	Purdue	13-5 (4-1)	NC (4)	Purdue is making noise again in the Big 10 having beat the Hawkeyes and Illini, but they are #4 only because the Badgers are undefeated. Should the Badgers lose, Purdue gets to join the top 3.
5	Ohio State	12-6 (3-2)	+1 (6)	The Buckeyes loses to the Spartans (#1) and then falter once again against the SEC losing to Tennessee. They however can still very much beat the Gophers so they are above them.
6	Minnesota	12-5 (2-3)	-1 (5)	The Gophers are improved, but it seems just not enough to put them in the upper echelon of the Big Ten teams. After an impressive start, they lose to the Spartans (#1) and Indiana (#2), though it is nothing to be ashamed of. As the lower ranked team, they ARE expected to lose aren’t they?
7	Penn State	10-7 (2-3)	NC (7)	Everyone’s so quick in jumping off the Penn State bandwagon, its almost fashionable. Its easy to see that Penn State has suddenly lost its two games after losing G. Claxton, but who to? Ranked Wisconsin and ranked Indiana at Bloomington (where they were neck and neck till the final 10 minutes). Sure they might not be the beast that could possibly contend for the post season, but don’t write them off so soon. Their week is not going to get any easier. They face a Purdue team I put as fourth in the Power Poll and at Iowa where they upset a ranked Michigan State team. But this team will be fine.
8	Illinois	9-10 (1-5)	+1 (9)	The Illini have faced a tough slate of early games which may explain their losing conference record. With losses against the Boilermakers (#4), @Wisconsin (#3), and @Indiana (#2) it may seem the Orange Krush aren’t all that excited this year. But if I may be so bold as to be optimistic for this team, having played all those tough early games, only means they are out of the way and this team can still climb back to an even record. A win against an even more pathetic Wolverine sqad is a step in the right direction.
9	Iowa	9-10 (2-4)	-1 (8)	Iowa is bad, but not Wolverine or Wildcat bad, so by default they sit at #9. Their Spartan upset was great, but that alone does not make them a great team. They did however beat up on the Wolverines, but it seems as if everyone in the league may do that at least once this year except for the Wildcats.
10	Michigan	5-13 (1-5)	NC (10)	This team is in the shitter. With 1 win over a worse Wildcat team, they were beat this past week by the Hawkeyes (#9) and Illini (#8). This leaves very little room to move up the power poll seeing as the two teams just above it beat them, but theres no time to fret, they face the Badgers (#3) and Spartans (#1) this week.
11	Northwestern	6-9 (0-5)	NC (11)	Horribly pathetic. The Dolphins of the Big Ten, just without the tradition.

The following post is not mine, but was discovered in a Penn State forum written by someone under the title ‘FireJayPa’
I usually refrain from actually posting anything from forums, but the following post had to be the most effective way anyone has ever described the disappointment that is Anthony Morelli. So enjoy:

Tonight’s performance in the East/West shrine game was a pure microcosm of Morelli’s career in the world of College Football. His lackluster performance of 2 complete passes out of 10 attempts for 10 yards with 2 interceptions was nothing new for Morelli.

Clearly tonight showed the nation , what most realistic Penn State fans have realized since Michael Robinson left. Morelli had the arm of Peyton Manning and the brain of the Scarecrow. When big passes were needed from the “unsung hero” of PSU , he came up short throwing behind receivers into double coverage. Late in the fourth quarter; with the game on the line and a 4th and 13 Morelli decided to run and came up a yard short; which is the story of his career…just a bit short.

I actually feel bad for Anthony, at any other program he would have been benched last year in the OSU game and could have began focusing hard on his academics upon realizing his shots of an NFL career were about the same as you or I. He could have focused on academics in relation to his major and looked towards new adventures and challenges; however due to the nepotism at Penn State; where a 3rd string highschool QB is now the guy that calls the passing plays, Morelli could not be benched. You see, because Jay Paterno is the QB coach; failure of Morelli would reflect in a negative light on the QB coach; so benching Morelli was never an option.

In any other program, either Daryl Clark or Pat Devlin would have had a real shot at being the starter this year; but as the story always goes at Penn State; Morelli “waited his turn….” so he gets the starting job by proxy. Just like an injured Zach Mills played over Robinson; Morelli played over Devlin and Clark…..

The last 2 years of Morelli ball were unfortunate; but it was to be expected with Jay Paterno at the helm. A 3rd string quarterback from State High, that never started a single game; yet managed to play at Penn State on the scout team is now coaching NFL capable talent. Jay Paterno, the same person whom would hide inside the Lasch Building during the “dark years”, and then after the orange bowl said the critics could “kiss his bumm” , sat by and never really helped Morelli develop. Never was improvement seen; the game never seemed to slow down; he just ran around aimlessly , folding under the slightest of pressure.

In 4 years at Penn State he threw behind receivers; in front of receivers; into double and triple cover; didn’t check down; didn’t call audibles; and ran like a man in moon boots. He used games against the bottom feeders of division one to pad his stats, all the while struggling against every team in the big 10.

But it’s ok , nepotism will continue to live in happy valley; despite being in the bottom 1/5th in respect to passing numbers since Jay Paterno became the QB coach; there will be no change… because well “it wouldn’t be fair”

Well done FireJayPa, couldn’t have said it better myself.

Fergie is coming to town April 18 for what sponsors are dubbing the ‘Gridiron Bash’.

“The bash, organized by MSL Sports and Entertainment, is a multi-campus event featuring concerts and entertainment at roughly 20 different Division-I universities across the country, according to a press release.

In addition to the concerts, the press release states the events will also feature pep rallies, team introductions, autograph sessions and a fan component that allows fans to win money for their school’s general scholarship fund. The Gridiron Bash will take place simultaneously at all participating schools on April 18.”

In other words, its a money making scheme for Penn State to make even more money from its Blue-White mini-game. There is no official word as to whether they will still hold the annual Blue-White game because of this, but this ‘Gridiron Bash’ is almost the exact same thing.

The mess I left behind at my former job.

Excuse this post if it’s not exactly a winner, but my trip to Mexico with Jessica Simpson is partly to blame.
All the amazing data that were planned for this post has also mysteriously vanished after a visit from new Michigan Head Coach, Rich Rod and the only clue of their whereabouts are the thin strips of paper that are strewn on the floor. We are hard at work with crazy glue and tape to salvage them.

But in a rare self-congratulatory post, we here at NittanyWhiteOut has finally been recognized. No, not by some other blog, but by an actual sports behemoth Sports Illustrated in their Campus Clicks article under “Apology Long Overdue”.

Apology Long Overdue

Remember those two Penn State students who caused a ruckus a few months back by dressing as Virginia Tech shooting victims for Halloween? One has finally come forward and apologized for the tasteless costume.

It just seems with the rantings and the raving, it can sometimes feel as if I am just venting into open space with the occasional visitors. It was just a really refreshing sense of recognition for a starting blogger. I am thankful for whoever brought that post to their attention.

Now if only I can find out how ball hype works and actually get moving up the rankings. I’m pretty sure I post more than 5 times a week and yet I keep hovering at the 100 range with no hype from anyone else whatsoever. So I’ll just keep plugging away and vent until I’m blue in the face. I’m having fun so I guess that’s all that matters.

Officials: Donnee Gray, Terry Wymer, Steve Skiles

Technical fouls: Wisconsin-None. Penn State-None.Attendance: 8600Score by Periods                1st  2nd   TotalWisconsin…………………   40   40  -   80Penn State………………..   24   31  -   55

Final Score: 80-55 (35 point margin for the Badgers)

I was at the Wisconsin game and I can tell you that Penn State should not and probably will not make the tournament and/or NIT. Here are some of the shots I took of the game. If they do make the NIT, they are certainly not a tournament caliber team. The team could not make shots, were inept on defense and were trailing by 30 by the time me and my buddies left the game. By the time we decided to leave, a majority of the fans had already deserted the sinking ship. What a way for Ed DeChellis to thank the fans that have finally begun to make their way into Bryce Jordan Center.

Glaring stat of the game
Wisconsin Free Throw Shooting:

F Throw % 1st Half:  4-5  80.0%   2nd Half:  4-4  100 %   Game: 88.9%    0

Penn State Free Throw Shooting:

F Throw % 1st Half:  5-8  62.5%   2nd Half:  0-3   0.0%   Game: 45.5%

When will Ed DeChellis teach the basic fundamentals to his team. Free Throw Shooting and careful shot selection is high school stuff. The Badgers did not use any fancy footwork or dribbling to win this game, they played a grind-it-out, back door cut, basic type of offense and it worked to perfection. The Badgers are a quality team and might dethrone Indiana for the top spot in the Big Ten poll this coming week.
Once again, Penn State padded its stats with inferior opponents, showed some improvement and fell flat on its face against a quality, ranked team. Hey, this only means another contract extension for DeChellis seeing as his last extension came after two 1-win seasons in the Big Ten. He already double that so job security must be through the roof this season.

Updated