I was fortunate enough to be on hand yesterday for Penn State media day on Thursday. Rather than bore you with the same text that you are likely to read everywhere today if you have not already here is a quick recap of the highlights:

• Joe Paterno says he doesn’t know who the starting QB will be
• Kevin Newsome and Matt McGloin don’t know who the starting QB will be
• Jay Paterno doesn’t know who the starting QB will be
• Stephfon Green doesn’t know how many snaps he will get (“They don’t even know who the quarterback is going to be yet!”
• Devon Still received high praise from Paterno and teammate Jack Crawford
• Evan Royster will not be a vocal leader
• Stephon Morris had a concussion but will be ready for the season
• Brandon Ware has academic troubles

There are many topics which I am sure I glossed over here or totally missed but if you are concerned about them then I am positive you already know about them.

Here is a transcript of Joe Paterno’s roughly half hour press conference. I’m working on the video but given the size of the file it may be a little more time until it is ready to upload.

Below are videos of Matt McGloin, Kevin Newsome, Jack Crawford, and Stephon Morris (here is raw Evan Royster video, which will be edited later) from yesterday’s media day.

| Linebacker-U.com | WFY |

Big Ten: Who wants in?

1. Big Ten expansion talk is heating back up, with word coming out of an “accelerated timetable.”  We’ll split this question three ways:
a) What should the Big Ten do?

It would seem to me that at this stage of the game the best move for the conference is to go ahead and expand. In doing so they should make a priority out of moving eastward, whether it be to the New York market or a little south toward the nation’s capital. Establishing a presence in New York or D.c. would be beneficial for the TV money of course, but playing in the back yard of the Big East and ACC would be an added bonus, at least in terms of football.

b) What do you want the Big Ten to do?

I want to see the Big Ten become the Big 14, but it sure would be interesting to see the aftermath in college athletics if the conference increased to 16. In my ideal Penn State expansion scenario a Big 14 would consist of Notre Dame, Maryland and Pitt. In my mind an ideal Big 16 would add Syracuse and Nebraska to the previously mentioned schools.

c) What will the Big Ten do?

At the very least one team is going to be added, if that is the case I just hope that it is not Rutgers or Connecticut. Just about any other team mentioned in hypothetical scenarios would make more sense and be more rewarding for the conference. But I really do lean toward the idea that the Big Ten will increase to 14 teams, in which case I think Notre Dame and Rutgers are in. Then take your pick between Missouri, Nebraska, and Pittsburgh. I honestly do not think Syracuse would make the jump out of the Big East.

Make no mistake about it; Kevin Newsome (12) is this year's starting quarterback.

Make no mistake about it; Kevin Newsome (12) is this year's starting quarterback.

2. Back to Penn State: Though Joe Paterno has continued to insist that there is a quarterback competition this spring, in your eyes is there any chance that it isn’t Kevin Newsome under center against Youngstown State next August?

Of course there is, but it will take an injury to make it happen. Newsome was thought to be the starting quarterback against Youngstwon State as early as last season’s game against Akron. I do think though that if Matt McGloin puts on a good showing in the Blue White game that the coaches could start to think about a dual quarterback offense, at least in the beginning of the season.

3. What do you make of Penn State’s current recruiting situation, with no commits as of this Monday before the Blue/White Game while a team like Ohio State already has 9?

I would not get too concerned about so many commitments declaring for elsewhere yet. With a number of recruits set to be on hand Saturday I would expect that a few more verbal commits are added to the total quickly.

4. Aside from the QB situation, what is one aspect of the team you’re going to be looking at closely during the scrimmage this Saturday?

I guess there is reason to monitor the linebackers. With Sean Lee, Navorro Bowman, and Josh Hull all gone there are some big shoes to fill in the middle of the defense. I am also anxious to see how much playing time a guy like Pete Massaro will get coming off a torn ACL in last year’s game.

Lightning Round:
1. Will you be watching the Blue/White Game in person, or on ESPN2? Yes, but I’m recording it so I can watch it when I come home from vacation. Sad? Nah. I call it research.
2. Who will be starting at linebacker come the Youngstown State game? I’m going with Gerald Hodges, Mike Mauti and Nate Stupar for now.
3. Which game will be selected as this year’s night game/White Out, or will there be none? Honestly, no game on the schedule this season is worthy of such hype, but I’m sure it will be the Michigan game.
4. What round will the Penn State players be selected in this year’s draft? Jared Odrick will go in round one, Navorro Bowman and Sean Lee in round two, Dennis Landolt and Daryll Clark in the sixth round. I think Josh Hull has a chance to go late, and Andrew Quarless could find some team willing to take a chance with him as early as the fifth round. A.J. Wallace is seventh round at best.

I apologize in advance for the choppy video quality. You would not believe what I had to go through just to get this together. Transfer video from camcorder to Windows to use Movie Maker to create a video file, followed by converting the file to a readable file on a Mac using some third party web site (which is where the video quality diminishes) and finally editing on the Mac.

This would be a whole lot easier if I had a camcorder that was recognized by Apple. But hey, it’s better than nothing, right?

Charlie came to us with three quick questions and with Big Ten expansion talk a hot topic this football off-season that was naturally a good starting point. I will take the liberty of starting things off with my thoughts on the subject and in time we will see if Devon or Charlie follow up with their take.

Feel free to agree or disagree with anything I say down below with a comment.

Who will join the Big Ten?

1) Expansion talk.  Instead of dividing up the pie 11 ways, expansion would increase that to 12 or more. Would it even be in the Big Ten’s best interest to even consider expansion if the incoming team(s) won’t increase current members’ financial share?

That is a good point which has not fairly been evaluated in many of the Big Ten expansion scenarios I have seen or written. I think in the grand scheme of things an expansion to 12 or 14 teams would benefit the conference in the long run enough to warrant the move. With expansion will come a Big Ten championship game which will bring in advertising and television money not available before. Growing the Big Ten into new territory will bring new TV deals to carry the Big Ten Network, and with that will come additional advertising revenue.

Imagine if expansion added Syracuse to the Big Ten. Sure, on the football field that would be small potatoes, but on the basketball court that would elevate Big Ten basketball to a new level. You can defend Big Ten basketball all you want, and there is some great history there, but to take a powerhouse basketball program from the top basketball conference would be monumental. That would be huge for Big Ten basketball on television.

2) Most likely candidate to be Big Ten’s eventual 12th member. Team you would most like to see in the Big Ten regardless of geographical and academic limitations.

If the Big Ten is going to expand to just 12 teams, throwing out the dream scenario of 14, then I would venture to say the most likely candidate is unfortunately Rutgers. The only benefit of Rutgers is access to the New York City market but the ONLY piece of evidence backing that is that ONE prime time game in which Rutgers upset Louisville. It was one of the best nights of college football I ever watched on TV, that was not a Penn State game, and the memories and images of that night should rightfully be remembered by Rutgers fans. But it was one stinking night.

The Big Ten would be a fool not to expand into the New York market, but it would just seem as though the Big Ten is using Rutgers for that possibility.

Unless they expand to 14 teams.

In my dream Big Ten expansion scenario the conference would invite Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Rutgers. This would push the conference to 14 teams and the division layout would somewhat reach the goal set out by Joe Paterno many moons ago with an all-eastern football conference. Yes, Maryland and Boston College (and Temple) would still be out of the mix, but combined with Ohio State and possibly Michigan, would that not be one of the coolest divisions in college football to watch?

If geographical and academic limitations were set aside, I would hope to see Virginia. As if you need an excuse to visit the campus, right?

3) Rumor has it that a current scholarship player on the basketball team will be leaving. Coach DeChellis hitting the recruiting trail only validates the rumor. Your call on the player is leaving the team?

Penn State has a basketball team?

I find it somewhat humorous that DeChillis still has a job as the Penn State head coach. That NIT championship was fun and all, but when you have a career winning percentage of .436 it seems pretty clear to me that you are not the right man for the job. For Penn State to have built the Bryce Jordan Center and have a lackluster basketball program is embarrassing. I know the BJC packs crowds for concerts ad other events, but shouldn’t Tim Curley realize at some point that a quality basketball program would be pretty sweet too.

Imagine a BJC crowd packed to the roof with fans eager to see a decent basketball team welcome a quality opponent like Villanova, UConn, Syracuse, Maryland etc.

Sorry. I know I don’t follow the basketball program as closely as some of you, but perhaps the striving for mediocrity is why.

As today is National Signing Day for college football I figured we should start an open-thread type for the day that is already unfolding. I’ll try to keep this commitment board up to date as the letters of intent come in for the Nittany Lions.

Players highlighted in green are already enrolled and therefore do not need to submit a letter of intent. Players in blue have submitted their LOI, fulfilling their commitment to the Penn State program.

UPDATE (3:45 PM) – All verbal commitments to Penn State are now officially signed, with Vinh Vuong coming to the Nittany Lions as a preferred walk-on. Stay tuned for continuing coverage of the Class of 2010.

In today’s age we have a great number of ways to follow our favorite teams from across the globe at any time. With Twitter booming and blogs becoming daily reading and streaming video reaching new heights, there is no telling where it will end.

So please share with me how you follow Penn State football in the digital age. What blogs do you follow, in addition to this fantastic site right here? Who do you follow on Twitter? What podcasts are on your iPod? What other websites do you check routinely? All of this information will be compiled and shared at a later point in time.

Last night Musselman, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, posted a blurb about how Penn state lost a recruit, Adrian Coxson [link];

Adrian Coxson

Penn State lost a prospective football recruit today when wide receiver Adrian Coxson from Maryland decommitted from the school.

That reduces the Nittany Lions’ 2010 recruiting class to 18, but seven of those already are enrolled in spring semester classes.

“He is leaning toward Georgia or Florida,” Baltimore City College High School coach George Petrides told the Baltimore Sun.

Rated a five-star player and the No. 9 receiver in the country by Scout.com, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Coxson had given the Lions a verbal commitment in April.

He also tweeted the link to this story on Twitter;

If it's on Twitter it must be true!

Reporting that Coxson has de-committed from Penn State is fine and dandy, but please try to supply the reader with all of the information. In Musselman’s article from yesterday about the early enrollees already on campus, he closes with this blurb about Coxson [link];

Meanwhile, wide receiver Adrian Coxson from Maryland (Baltimore City College) initially made a verbal commitment to Penn State and is listed among their 2010 recruits. But he has been waffling on his choice since visiting Florida and Georgia and might not end up signing with the Lions next month.

Now, if he had dug a litttle deeper, or checked out Nittany White Out, he may have learned a couple things. The most important piece of information would be that Penn State is the one who lost interest in Coxson, not the other way around.

It is usually the mainstream media who will rip on bloggers, forum members, Twitter users and the like for spreading bad, inaccurate, false, exaggerated or misleading information. But this time it seems that it is Musselman who has not completed his homework. To make matters worse, The Sporting News picked up the Musselman report and added their own photo to pair with their version of the story.

But there is one question I would like to see answered definiteively. Who lost interest first, Coxson or Penn State? Right now it seems like a classic example of the chicken or egg debate.

Which came first?

I have been absent from contributing to the CBS Blog Poll in the last weeks of the season, so to start 2010 off I am here to provide my final ballot for the CBS Blog Poll Top 25.

Let us break down my Top 25 one section at a time…

I have no problem rewarding Boise State with high accolades. The bottom line is they finished with 14 wins. I know Texas fans will say that the Longhorns should not have been passed over by the Broncos because Colt McCoy was knocked out of the game. Yes, Texas had to change their scheme with Garrett Gilbert in taking snaps, but Texas blew their chances to win right in the first quarter when they could not capitalize on two costly Alabama miscues on the first two possessions.

Despite losing their head coach to Notre Dame before the Sugar Bowl I feel that Cincinnati showed me nothing to warrant staying above two loss Iowa and Penn State. Both Iowa and Penn State demonstrated what a top defense can do to win a game in their bowl games. Still, I could not justify dropping TCU below either Big Ten team.

I will have to spend some time checking out exactly what Nebraska and Pittsburgh bring back in 2010, but I can see both making a run for the BCS next season. The Huskers look to have some momentum going on inside the program, especially on defense, and the Panthers have some young talent that can take charge in games. Playing in the Big East helps.

Here is a look at the rest of my top 25.

So that’s my final ballot. Let me know what you like and what you do not like down below.

If Penn State was supposed to have trouble with the SEC speed of LSU, they can thank Mother Nature for pouring rain on a field that was hosting its second bowl game in four days for creating a surface that would slow down the Tigers. Penn State jumped out to a 13-3 lead at the half and needed a field goal in the final minute to knock off the LSU Tigers in the 2010 Capital One Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Nobody was more determined to deliver a win to Penn State than embattled quarterback Daryll Clark. Entering the bowl game Clark was well aware of the pressure he was facing to come away with a big win over a good team. With a record of 0-4 in “big games” Clark’s legacy was doomed to be in line with guys who have a reputation for performing well against most teams but coming up small in games against the top opponents. With the calendars flipping to 2010 perhaps Clark said out with the old and in with the new as he orchestrated a game winning drive against an LSU team that had taken control of the game in the second half.

After the game Clark was overwhelmed with emotion that he fell to his knees as tears trickled down his face on the sideline. The realization that he leaves Penn State as one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in program history and had a bowl victory to boost certainly meant a lot to the fifth year senior and team captain. But what made it so dramatic for him was the way he arrived at the moment.

After each team failed to move the football much in the first few possessions it was Clark who opened up the scoring with a 37 yard pass to a wide open Derek Moye for a touchdown in the first quarter. LSU started the second quarter with a field goal of their own and the Tiger defense was credited with getting the team to halftime down just ten points. Penn State could not convert on first and goal and two drives before the end of the first half. LSU’s defense stuffed the running game after Penn State seemed to be moving the ball with little trouble into the red zone. Not scoring a touchdown in either of their last two scoring possessions gave a feeling that something would come back to haunt them.

After halftime both teams battled back and forth with good defense. Penn State scored a field goal off the leg of Collin Wagner with 2:27 remaining in the third quarter to give Penn State a 16-3 lead and it looked as though the Nittany Lions were on cruise control. But a good kickoff return by LSU gave the Tigers a short field. A 24 yard pass from LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson to Brandon LaFell, who had some key dropped passes throughout the game, brought the Tigers to within one score of Penn State just before the end of the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter LSU took their first lead of the game on a one yard rush by Steven Ridley. The score put LSU up 17-16 but Penn State had plenty of time to pick up a field goal. But the offense appeared loss against the LSU defense for much of the quarter.

With time running out it was up to Clark to drive his team to victory. With 6:54 remaining in the game and starting their own 31 yard line Clark made some clutch passes to extend the drive and move the Nittany Lions into field goal position. A touchdown would have been nice but penalties stalled the offense down near the end-zone on the 65 yard drive. Instead Clark would have to stand on the sideline as Wagner attempted a poor angle field goal near the end-zone to give Penn State the lead. Clark, with the pressure mounting could not watch as he kept his back to the field goal attempt in the choppy field. Wagner’s kick was good to give Penn State the 19-17 lead and leaving LSU with just over a minute to score their own field goal. But the Tigers had no timeouts remaining so they would need to move quickly.

As has been a problem for Les Miles and the Tigers at times earlier this season, LSU did not show the clock management needed to win late in the game, and a critical personal foul on the Tigers took away thoughts of a field goal on a second and six from the Penn State 45 yard line. The foul was for pulling Penn State linebacker Navorro Bowman off from his tackle too aggressively after the whistle. LSU was trying to get the ball set as quickly as possible, but their exuberance went a little too far in trying to rip Bowman off the ball carrier on the ground. Bowman did not appear to be stalling, in fact he was not given enough time to try and delay the carrier from getting off the ground. The costly penalty placed the ball back at the LSU 40 yard line and the Tigers had just two plays left. After an incomplete pass on 2nd and 21 the Tigers completed a pass on the final play of the game but they had to reach the end-zone. The Penn State defense was determined to not let that happen, and they recovered a fumble to end the game as the Tigers tried lateraling to keep the play alive.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

For Penn State the decade ends with another bowl victory against an SEC team. After a rough start to the decade Penn State finished off the first decade of the 2000′s by winning a pair of Big Ten titles and going 4-1 in bowl games. While the Big Ten continues to be a conference with a bad reputation in big games (although New Year’s Day treated the conference well) the Nittant Lions are doing what they can to uphold the Big Ten’s image. The loss to USC a year ago in the Rose Bowl hurt but Penn State has defeated two SEC teams in SEC country and a Big XII team in their home state, as well as a PAC 10 contender last season. No Big Ten team can claim to have done the same over the last five seasons.

Daryll Clark leaves Penn State on a high note

It would be hard to go with anyone but the Penn State quarterback on this day. With everything going through his mind and the mounting pressure to deliver a big win, Clark found himself leading the team down field when they needed him the most.

It was not a best performance of the year for the fifth year quarterback, going 18-for-35, but his 216 yards and one touchdown pass were needed just as much as his ability to set up the game winning field goal late in the game.

WHAT’S NEXT?

For Penn State it is time to focus on the recruiting class of 2010. Now is the time to brag about a bowl victory on New Year’s Day against an SEC team in hopes of luring in and securing their verbal commitments. It is also a time to say good-bye to the seniors who will move on. Many will try their luck in the NFL like Sean Lee, while others will go another way. Also keep an eye on some juniors, like Bowman and Evan Royster. A decision to leave for the NFL a year early would not be out of the question and with the likely possibility of rookie pay rates coming to the NFL, it would be a wise move to jump to the pros now if they feel comfortable with their stock.