2007 Penn State Nittany Lions Additional Information

[3yardsandacloud]

Additional Information




Coaching Staff

Head Coach:
Official School Bio - Joe Paterno


Assistant Coaches:
Official School Bios - Assistant Coaches
Dick Anderson - Asst. Coach, OL/Guards & Centers
Tom Bradley - Asst. Coach, Defense/Cornerbacks
Galen Hall - Asst. Coach, Offense/Running Backs
Larry Johnson - Asst. Coach, Defensive Line
Bill Kenney - Asst. Coach, Off. Tackles/Tight Ends
Mike McQueary - Asst. Coach, WR/Recruiting Coordinator
Brian Norwood - Asst. Coach, Safeties
Jay Paterno - Asst. Coach, Quarterbacks
Ron Vanderlinden - Asst. Coach, Linebackers​

Recruiting

Starters Returning: 15 (Offense 8, Defense 6, Special Teams 1)
Letterman Returning: 33 (Offense 16, Defense 16, Special Teams 1)
Notable Returners:
C A.Q. Shipley, RG Rich Ohrnberger, RT John Shaw, TE Andrew Quarless, FL Deon Butler, SE Derrick Williams, FB Matt Hahn, QB Anthony Morelli, RE Josh Gaines, OLB Sean Lee, OLB Dan Connor, LCB Tony Davis, RCB Justin King, SS Anthony Scirrotto, K Kevin Kelly

Starters Lost: 9 (Offense 3, Defense 5, Special Teams 1)
Letterman Lost: 23 (Offense 8, Defense 12, Special Teams 3)
Notable Losses:
LT Levi Brown, LG Robert Price, TB Tony Hunt, LE Tim Shaw, LT Jay Alford, RT Ed Johnson, MLB Paul Posluszny, FS Donnie Johnson, P Jeremy Kapinos

Incoming Recruits:

Penn State Nittany Lions Past Recruiting Classes

2004 Recruiting Class
QB Anthony Morelli (Penn Hills SHS) Pittsburgh, PA 6-4/216
TE Jordan Lyons (Woodward Academy) College Park, GA 6-5/225
**DT Elijah Robinson (Woodrow Wilson HS) Camden, NJ 6-3/290
WR Jordan Norwood (State College Area HS) State College, PA 5-8.5/143
QB Paul Cianciolo (Dorchester Academy) St. George, SC 6-5/228
QB Kevin Suhey (State College Area HS) State College, PA 6-1/195
LB Tyrell Sales (Butler Area SHS) Butler, PA 6-3/243
OL Gerald Cadogan (Portsmouth HS) Portsmouth, OH 6-7/310
LB Dan Connor (Strath Haven HS) Wallingford, PA 6-3/215
TE Josh Gaines (Northrop HS) Fort Wayne, IN 6-3/253
OL Rich Ohrnberger (East Meadow HS) East Meadow, NY 6-3.5/282
**OL Trent Varva (Lake Orion Community HS) Lake Orion, MI 6-3/310
OL Austin Hinton (Secaucus HS) Secaucus, NJ 6-4/285
WR Mark Rubin (Amherst Central HS) Amherst, NY 6-3/205
RB Dan Lawlor (Cumberland Valley HS) Mechanicsburg, PA 6-2.5/235
DT A.Q. Shipley (Moon SHS) Coraopolis, PA 6-2/285
TE Mike Lucian (Linganore HS) Frederick, MD 6-3/255
TE Jed Hill (Struthers HS) Struthers, OH 6-4/247
**S Spencer Ridenhour (White Plains SHS) White Plains, NY 6-0/212
CB Tony Davis (Howland HS) Warren, OH 5-11.5/180
LB Dontey Brown (McKeesport Area SHS) McKeesport, PA 6-3/252
**OL Greg Harrison (Shenandoah Valley JSHS) Shenandoah, PA 6-5/299
**OL Wyatt Bowman (Cumberland Valley HS) Mechanicsburg, PA 6-6/314
RB Matt Hahn (St. Anthony's HS) Melville, NY 6-1/215

**No longer with team

Fun Facts:
The 2004 Penn St. recruiting class was ranked 12th in the nation by Scout.com and 14th by Rivals.com. Both sites tabbed the class as the 3rd best in the Big-10 (behind Michigan and Ohio St.) ...

The class was headlined by 5-star prospects Anthony Morelli (Scout.com's #3 QB), Dan Connor (#2 LB), and Greg Harrison (#4 OL), as well as 4-stars Tyrell Sales (#16 LB) and A.Q. Shipley (#14 DT) ...

Jordan Norwood's father Brian is the secondary coach for Penn St. Jordan's older brother Brian was on the George Mason basketball team that advanced to the Final-4 in 2006 ...

Kevin Suhey's grandfather (Steve), father (Paul), and uncles (Matt and Larry) all lettered for Penn St. in football. His uncle Matt was a FB for the Chicago Bears during their Super Bowl win in 1985 ...

Anthony Morelli, Tyrell Sales, A.Q. Shipley, and Dan Connor all played in the 2004 U.S. Army All-American Game ...

Dan Connor's brother Jim played football at Boston College and his other brother Mike played at Lehigh ...

2005 Recruiting Class
LB Jerome Hayes (Bayonne HS) Bayonne, NJ 6-2/225
TE Mickey Shuler (East Pennsboro Area SHS) Enola, PA 6-4/215
DT Chris Baker (Windsor HS) Windsor, CT 6-3/295
**OL Matt Lowry (Cardinal O'Hara HS) Springfield, PA 6-6/305
CB Knowledge Timmons (William Penn SHS) York, PA 5-10/175
WR Derrick Williams (Eleanor Roosevelt HS) Greenbelt, MD 6-0/193
S Anthony Scirrotto (West Deptford HS) Westville, NJ 6-1/185
LB Sean Lee (Upper Saint Clair HS) Pittsburgh, PA 6-3/215
CB Willie Harriott (Hyde Leadership School) Hamden, CT 5-8/175
QB Daryll Clark (The Kiskiminetas Springs School) Saltsburg, PA 6-4/220
WR James McDonald (Dunbar HS) Washington, DC 6-2/185
OL Dennis Landolt (Holy Cross HS) Delran, NJ 6-5/275
RB Lydell Sargeant (Cabrillo SHS) Lompoc, CA 5-10/185
CB Justin King (Gateway SHS) Monroeville, PA 6-0/180
TE Francis Claude (Champlain Prep) Beauport, QC 6-5/252
TE Brennan Coakley (Newtown HS) Sandy Hook, CT 6-5/240
K Kevin Kelly (Neshaminy HS) Langhorne, PA 5-8/175
CB Devin Fentress (Western Branch HS) Chesapeake, VA 5-11/170
WR Kevin Cousins (Huguenot HS) Richmond, VA 6-4/190

Fun Facts:
The Penn St. class of 2005 was ranked 28th by Scout.com and 25th by Rivals.com. Scout's ranking was good for 5th in the Big-10 while Rivals ranked it 4th in conference ...

The class was headlined by 5-star prospects Derrick Williams and Justin King, and 4-star prospect Jerome Hayes. Williams was Rivals.com's top-rated player in the country, and Scout.com rated King as the #2 CB in the country ...

Mickey Shuler's father, Mickey, Sr., was a TE for Penn St. in the 1970's and played in the NFL for 13 years with the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles ...

Derrick Williams, Justin King, and Jerome Hayes played in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Bowl ...

Sean Lee's brother Conor was a kicker for Pittsburgh ...

2006 Recruiting Class
RB Brent Carter (Pottsgrove SHS) Pottstown, PA 6-2/200
**OL Antonio Logan-El (Forestville HS) Forestville, MD 6-6/310
DT Phillip Taylor (Gwynn Park HS) Brandywine, MD 6-4/340
QB Pat Devlin (Downingtown West HS) Downingtown, PA 6-4/200
RB Evan Royster (Westfield HS) Chantilly, VA 6-0/190
TE Andrew Quarless (Uniondale HS) Uniondale, NY 6-4/225
DE Maurice Evans (Christ The King Regional) Middle Village, NY 6-3/252
CB A.J. Wallace (Maurice J McDonough HS) Pomfret, MD 6-1/195
OL Lou Eliades (Ocean Twp HS) Oakhurst, NJ 6-4/283
S Cedric Jeffries (Egg Harbor Twp HS) Egg Harbor Twp, NJ 6-3/195
DT Jared Odrick (Lebanon SHS) Lebanon, PA 6-6/285
LB Bani Gbadyu (Quince Orchard HS) Gaithersburg, MD 6-1/210
**S Travis McBride (McKeesport Area SHS) McKeesport, PA 6-1/195
LB Navorro Bowman (Suitland HS) Forestville, MD 6-1/218
WR Chris Bell (Granby HS) Norfolk, VA 6-3/205
DE Aaron Maybin (Mt. Hebron HS) Ellicott City, MD 6-3/220
OL Doug Klopacz (St. Joseph Regional HS) Montvale, NJ 6-3/260
DT Abe Koroma (Milton Hershey School) Hershey, PA 6-2/270
DT Tom McEowen (Neshaminy HS) Langhorne, PA 6-4/280
DT Ollie Ogbu (Milford Academy) New Berlin, NY 6-2/300
QB Brett Brackett (Lawrence HS) Lawrenceville, NJ 6-6/235
OL Johnnie Troutman (Pemberton Twp HS) Brown Mills, NJ 6-4/311

Fun Facts:
The Penn St. class of 2006 was ranked 6th in the country by both Rivlas.com and Scout.com. Both sites rated the class as tops in the Big-10 ...

The class was headlined by 5-star prospects Antonio Logan-El (#5 OL by Scout.com) and Chris Bell (#5 WR), and 4-star prospects Pat Devlin (#4 QB), A.J. Wallace (#8 CB), Jared Odrick (#8 DT), and Maurice Evans (#6 DE) ...

Maurice Evans, Chris Bell, Jared Odrick and A.J. Wallace played in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl ...

Bani Gbadyu was originally an LSU commit, but switched to Penn St. after Hurricane Katrina ...

2007 Recruiting Class
DT Chimaeze Okoli (Salem HS) Virginia Beach, VA 6-5/275
CB Drew Astorino (General Mclane HS) Edinboro, PA 5-11/175
WR Derek Moye (Rochester Area HS) Rochester, PA 6-5/178
DT Devon Still (Howard HS of Tech) Wilmington, DE 6-5/250
OL Nerraw McCormack (Nassau JC) Garden City, NY 6-5/290
OL Ako Poti (CC of San Francisco) San Francisco, CA 6-5/300
S Joe Suhey (Loyola Academy) Wilmette, IL 6-2/190
OL Stefen Wisniewski (Central Catholic HS) Pittsburgh, PA 6-3.5/275
TE Andrew Szczerba (Salesianum School) Wilmington, DE 6-6/250
OL Quinn Barham (Hillside HS) Durham, NC 6-4/265
LB Andrew Dailey (Washington HS) Massillon, OH 6-3/215
CB Stephfon Green (JFK HS) Bronx, NY 5-11/185
DE Kevion Latham (Page HS) Greensboro, NC 6-3/240
S Nick Sukay (Greensburg Central Catholic) Greensburg, PA 6-3/205
CB Chaz Powell (Susquehannock HS) Glen Rock, PA 6-2/185
P Ryan Breen (Clarkston HS) Clarkston, MI 6-2/205
TE Jon Ditto (Gateway HS) Monroeville, PA 6-4/221
LB Nathan Stupar (State College Area HS) State College, PA 6-2/220
OL Josh Marks (Southern Columbia Area HS) Catawissa, PA 6-4/285
LB Chris Colasanti (Brother Rice HS) Bloomfield, MI 6-2/235
OL J.B. Walton (Milford Academy) New Berlin, NY 6-3/275

Fun Facts:
The 2007 Penn St. recruiting class was ranked 19th in the nation by Scout.com and 24th by Rivals.com. Scout ranked the class as the 3rd best in the Big-10 while Rivals rated it 4th in the conference ...

The class was headlined 4-star prospects Chris Colasanti (#4 MLB by Scout.com), Jon Ditto (#6 TE), Stefen Wisniewski (#5 OG), Andrew Dailey (#7 WLB), and Nick Sukay (#10 S) ...

Stefen Wisniewski's father Steve played at Penn St. and was an All-Pro OL for the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders ...

Joe Suhey is the cousin of current Nittany Lion Kevin Suhey. Joe's father is Matt Suhey, who played FB for the Chicago Bears ...​

Behind the Numbers

The Big One

This season has been utterly bizarre for most teams in college football, and has gone according to chalk for Ohio State. Every week there have been aberrations and upsets. Every week Ohio State has taken care of business.

Everyone said that the Buckeyes would be 8-0 heading to Penn State; and here we are. Then most people, in the pre-season anyway, said that OSU would lose at Happy Valley. Here is where the chalk gets erased.

Yes, this does figure to be Ohio State's toughest game of the season as everyone predicted. But every method of analysis suggests that the Buckeyes are up to the task.


No Straight Transitive Analysis

Fortunately there are no common opponents between Ohio State and Penn State. The Nits have played 5 Big Ten opponents, but not one of them is among the 4 Big Ten teams that Ohio State has played. Between them, the Buckeyes and Lions have played every other team in the conference.

With no common opponents to look at, we are relegated to our old-friend DSA to analyze this match-up.


Differential Statistical Analysis (DSA)

Let's start out with the prediction that we get from DSA. The explanation is exactly the same as last week, so those of you familiar with how DSA is used to develop a prediction for a game's outcome can skip immediately to the results.

DSA compares a team's statistical results to the average results posted vs. the teams they've played. Let's look at an example for scoring offense and scoring defense and then dig into the numbers.

Note: As with previous years, games against lower division teams are factored out.

Example:

• Ohio State's points per game (I-A only): 33.71
• PSU allows teams 68% as many points as they average against other I-A competition. We'll call this a Differential Defense of 0.68.
• Expectation for OSU's points is 33.71 x 0.68 = 22.89

Alternatively:

• PSU typically allows 15.00 ppg
• Ohio State typically scores 12% more points than their opponents typically give up to other I-A teams. This is a Differential Offense of 1.12
• Expectation for OSU's points is 15.00 x 1.12 = 16.79

The same method was used to predict the scoring production for PSU and the yardage production for both teams.


DSA Results

OHIO STATE: 17-23 points, 277-346 yards
Penn STATE: 9-11 points, 203-233 yards


Preliminary Conclusion
When you factor in Happy Valley's jumbo-sized Home-Field-Advantage, it appears that the 3.5 point difference that the oddsmakers see in this game may not be that far off. Could it be that this Penn State team is really that big a step up in competition? In a word: yes.


Underrated offense
Penn State is actually much better on offense than most people think. In fact, it is arguable that they are better than the Buckeyes on offense.

SCORING OFFENSE (I-AA games thrown out)

• OSU scores 33.714 ppg, ranked 31st in the country
• PSU scores 33.125 ppg, ranked 36th in the country

While this raw data makes it looks like the Buckeyes are a shade better, the differential numbers are not so kind:

DIFFERENTIAL SCORING OFFENSE (I-AA games thrown out)

• OSU scores 11.9% more than opponents usually give up (40th in the NCAA)
• PSU scores 34.4% more than opponents usually give up (17th in the NCAA)

That is not a typo. While PSU has scored a little less than OSU, they have done it against better defenses.

The difference in the schedules is mostly at the beginning of each team's conference slate. Ohio State started out with NU and Minnesota, the two worst defenses in the league. Penn State started out with Michigan, Illinois and Iowa; the three best defenses in the league not named Buckeyes or Nittany Lions.

The practical result of playing all of the better (not best, yet) defenses in the Big Ten up front is that they are rated 4th in the Big Ten in Scoring Offense (when you DON'T eliminate games vs. I-AA teams), but in Differential Scoring they are the best offense in the Big Ten. Let me repeat that:

• Penn State is #1 in the Big Ten in Differential Offense!

But how can that be? Wasn't MSU #1? What about Purdue, weren't they leading the conference in every offensive category when we played them? To the last two questions, the answers are yes and yes.

This will be the third time this year Ohio State has played the "best offense in the Big Ten". It's not our fault that they don't stay #1 after they play us. Well, OK, yeah it is our fault. And it looks like it will happen again.


Ohio State Defense vs. Morelli

While Penn State has an underrated, underappreciated offense. Ohio State's defense appears to be a bad match-up for them. The reason this is so is illuminated by the Lion's game vs. the Wolverines. When Penn State faced Michigan, a team ranked 30th in the country in pass efficiency defense; they managed 9 points. Why did a good but not great pass defense make such a difference?

The answer can be found by observing Anthony Morelli's play throughout the season. His reputation is that when he gets pressured he makes mistakes. By itself, this reputation is undeserved. If he has somewhere to go with the ball, he stays cool for the most part. But when Morelli is challenged by a defense that can both rush and cover, he gets flustered. It isn't just the rush that bothers him; it is getting rushed while not seeing anyone open. Under these conditions he panicks.

Start panicking now Anthony. You're screwed. OSU is #1 in the country in pass efficiency defense.
But before you think this is just a Buckeye Homer talking ... Well, OK I am a Buckeye Homer, but there is another side worth considering here:


Penn State Defense vs. Boeckman

Todd Boeckman wasn't at his best when pressured last week. Most first year starting quarterbacks have such games, so it may not be cause for significant concern.

The problem is that Penn State leads the nation in sacks. Considering that they are also 7th in the nation in differential rushing defense, they may just be a good match-up for the Buckeyes.

If Penn State's defense and the Happy Valley crowd are at the top of their game, this game could be a low scoring slug-fest.


Good Defense vs. Ohio State Defense

... And low scoring slug-fests are usually won by the best defense. Yes, the Happy Valley environment is certain to effect our offense. Yes, the Penn State pass rush is certain to effect Todd Boeckman.

But Ohio State's defense is certain to control the game. While Kirk Barton and the offensive line try to redeem themselves in the stadium where Kirk was injured just 2 years ago; the defense will just keep rolling along.

While the PSU defense leads the nation in sacks, they don't get to the QB every time. When they don't get there, they rank 81st in the nation in differential pass defense. Let me repeat that:

• Penn State, while ranked 27th in the nation in Pass Defense (I-AA competition thrown-out), is ranked 81st in the nation in differential pass defense.

Though most people in the nation believe that Penn State has the 2nd best team in the Big Ten, Michigan actually has better differentials than the Nittany Lions across the board, and the Wolverine defense is far more balanced. While strong, the Penn State defense is not without vulnerability. When they fail to get to Todd Boeckman in time, he is likely to hurt them through the air.

Ohio State's defense has no such weakness. They rank:

• #1 in Scoring Defense
• #1 in Differential Scoring Defense
• #1 in Total Defense
• #1 in Differential Total Defense
• #2 in Rushing Defense
• #1 in Differential Rushing Defense
• #2 in Pass Defense
• #2 in Differential Pass Defense
• #1 in Pass Efficiency Defense

While Todd Boeckman and company face a good but flawed defense, Anthony Morelli and the Nittany Lions are facing a defense that Patton himself could not attack successfully.

This White-Out might look like the last one. But by the middle of the 4th quarter it will sound very, very different.​

The Lighter Side

So, I'm watching Indiana against Penn State and the color guy makes the following remark regarding what was then the upcoming tilt between Ohio State and Michigan State, "Remember two names, Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick. Michigan State will beat Ohio State." The matter of fact tone in which the prediction was made left little wonder, it was obvious to this guy that Michigan State was the superior team. Analysis? Who needs it. In case you've forgotten already, the names you are to remember (Ringer and Caulcrick) did the following: Ringer - 18 carries for 49 yards with a long of 10, 1 reception for 5 yards. Caulcrick - 4 carries for 9 yards, with a long of 5. Ohio State 24, Michigan State 17. Aside from possibly the worst minute in Ohio State football history, the Buckeyes simply dominated the Spartans as Beanie Wells topped 200 yards for the first time in his career.

As predicted, the South Florida Bulls folded under the pressure of a lofty ranking, and the media reminded us regularly that Ohio State isn't truly worthy of the number one ranking. Now 8-0, the Buckeyes are gaining little respect as the media try and convince us that LSU is the best shot to make it to the BCS Championship, even in spite of their stunning loss to Kentucky and near misses against Auburn and Florida. Now, some times when a team gets to 8 - 0, the boys in Bristol trip all over themselves in declaring that team "the Greatest Team of All Time." Take for example, the 2003 Oklahoma Sooners. You remember those Sooners, right? When they stood 8 - 0 in 2003, they had beaten (Records are team records through Oklahoma's 8th game 10/25/03):


North Texas..........5-3
Alabama..............3-5
Fresno State.........4-4
UCLA.................6-2
Iowa State...........2-6
Texas................6-2
Missouri.............6-2
Colorado.............3-5
Total:.............35-29 (.547)


Now, it's true that OU's 2003 opponents were faring slightly better than Ohio State's 2007 opponents (who are a combined 30-32 at this point). And it's true that OU was winning these games by an average of 29 points per contest. Ohio State, however, is only winning their games by 26 per contest. I don't know, maybe I'm splitting hairs here, but it seems to me if all things were equal over in Bristol, Ohio State 2007 might be getting some discussion of perhaps being among the greatest teams of all time. I mean, while those Sooners were scoring all kinds of points, the Buckeyes are scoring at a pretty good clip, and the 2007 Buckeyes have the superior defense as between the 03 Sooners and the 07 Bucks. Reasonable minds might disagree, but it seems close enough to merit a fake news conference or something, doesn't it?

Consider also USC 2005, who was also dubbed the Greatest Team of All Time, only two short years after the 2003 Sooners dropped their final two games (and yet somehow managed to finish #3 in the nation, 1 spot ahead of Ohio State (11-2) who dismantled the very same KSU team which had handed it to the Sooners for their first loss of the year). The 2005 Trojans had gone 8 - 0 against the following (records reflect records at the point of the Trojan's 8th game (10/29/05):


Hawaii.................3-4
Arkansas...............2-5
Oregon.................7-1
Arizona State..........4-4
Arizona................2-6
Notre Dame.............5-2
Washington.............1-7
Washington State.......3-5
Total:...............27-34 (.443)


The 2005 Trojans "Greatest Team of All Time" actually had gone up against a schedule worse than Ohio State's 2007 schedule. As noted above, Trojan opponents were a combined 27-34, whereas Ohio States 2007 opponents are currently 30-32. True, the Trojans were outscoring their opponents 50 - 20, and Ohio State is only managing to outscore their 2007 opponents 34-8. But, once again, the margin of victory is comparable, at 30 for USC and 26 for the Buckeyes. What's clear is the Buckeyes have a MUCH better defense than did the Trojans. Indeed, if it was just defensive points given up at issue, Ohio State would be giving up only 5 points per contest - which would make the M.O.V. 29. And, of course, we're not talking about the "Greatest Offenses of All Time" we're talking about Greatest Teams. Again, I don't mean to split hairs, but given the measuring sticks, I'm hard pressed to understand how the 8 - 0 Buckeyes aren't in the conversation. Incidentally, the 2004 Auburn team, the greatest team of all time to get "jobbed" out of a title chance, beat teams with a combined final record of 73 - 69, including D-IAA Citadel (3-7). Hardly a gauntlet.

Of course, truth is it's best that the 2007 Buckeyes remain out of the conversation. For one thing is always true of teams dubbed the Greatest of All Time before the season in question is even over. Those teams lose. Sometimes twice. No doubt, we surely don't want that to happen to the Buckeyes. So, while it's fun to note the hypocrisy, I'd just as soon leave the 2007 Buckeyes "disrespected" and playing like they have something to prove. If they end up 13-0 National Champions, well, then maybe we should start looking for their All Time ranking. One thing's for sure, if ESPN has anything to say about it, these Buckeyes won't crack the top 50.

Speaking of 2005, that's the last time the Buckeyes lost a conference game. It's also the last time the Buckeyes played in Happy Valley. It was the first time that the Buckeyes had ever faced a "color out," which of course, has since become so trite and uninspiring it's laughable (and likely to re-appear this weekend). Likewise, it was also the first time Penn State beat a team with a loss (The Buckeyes had lost to eventual National Champion Texas, leaving Happy Valley 3 - 2) and Nittany fans went on to make an incredibly stupid memorial declaring the game one of the "greatest upset in Penn State History" and one which, "like the fall of the Berlin Wall," apparently has ushered in "the rise of a new rule." You know it as "The Rail". Apparently the new rule includes a road raging 80 year old Coach who nearly soils himself at the sight of a Heisman winning Quarterback, continual losing to Michigan, and so many off the field issues that the entire team is made to clean the stadium as punishment.

Be sure to keep that last point in mind if you make the 185 hour trip to the middle of nowhere. There's little better, I would think, than watching your Buckeyes avenge their last conference loss amid a sea of drunken, ice cream loving, generic clad, overtly obnoxious Nittany fans than knowing that the nacho cheese you spilled is going to be mopped up by Anthony Morelli or Deon Butler. You might even paint the final score in cheese as a friendly reminder to whichever Nittany happens across it on Sunday. Such a plan may provide some sort of mental sanctuary as you try and keep your wits about you in spite of that god-awful lion roar continually going off for no particular reason. Go Bucks!​

Traditions & Opponent Perspective

One would think a lion would stand so proud that traditions would be dripping off their mane. However, when talking with the Nittany Lion fans one thing was apparent, if they have rituals and traditions they aren't willing to share. Correction, they are willing to say they have traditions, just not willing to expound on what these "secretive" traditions entail. For instance:

• "The Creamery" ?
• "Old Main" Again, ?
• "Cowbell Guy" Yet another, ?
• "Mellon Bank Blue Buttons" Huh?

When pressed for more details I was met with mere silence. Therefore, those must be the "Secret Traditions."

Now, for the more public traditions:

• Blue and white, plain and simple, have been the trademark of PSU since 1890 although Black and Pink were their original colors.
• Penn States athletic symbol, chosen by the student body in 1906, is the mountain lion which once roamed central Pennsylvania. Penn State is believed to be the first college to adopt the lion as a mascot.
• Since Penn State is located in the Nittany Valley at the foot of Mount Nittany, the lion was designated as a Nittany Lion. In regional folklore, Nittany was a valorous Indian princess in whose honor the Great Spirit caused Mount Nittany to be formed. A later namesake, daughter of chief O-Ko-Cho, who lived near the mouth of Penn's Creek, fell in love with Malachi Boyer, a trader. The tearful maiden and her lost lover became legend and her name was given the the stately mountain.
• With Beaver stadium and Mt. Nittany looming in the background, "Paternoville" takes life. The students gather, set up tents and camp-out sometimes as far out as 6 days before their weekend game, all to reveice a good spot in line to purchase tickets. HIPPIES!
• The team rides in blue and white buses to the stadium, and walks through fans lined up on either sides of the walkway to enter.
• The starting QB rides in the front of the bus with Paterno and gets off the bus to the stadium first.
• JoePa coughs before he leads the team in running out onto the field (this sounds a bit more like mojo as opposed to tradition to me.)
• The band plays the "Hail to the Lion" fanfare to the four corners of the stadium and the Drum Major does a flip.
• Similar to our "O-H" "I-O" you will hear "We are" with "Penn State" as the response.
• A recent tradition started in the last several years at Beaver Stadium has the student section hopping and singing in unison to the thumping dance number "Zombie Nation."
• During home games, late in the 3rd or early 4th quarter the band plays, "Hey Baby" as the crowd sings along.
• The Lion mascot does pushups for each point PSU scored throughout the game.
• If Penn State is victorious, the victory bell is rung.
• Lest any of us forget the tradition of the Lion roar.

And now, the most confusing tradition stumbled across, "The drumline coming out to a tap then playing the 'juckita, juckita, diggi, diggi, juckita, juckita, diggi, diggi, juckita, juckita, diggi, diggi' while the band runs out yelling 'Ohhhhh, ohhhhhhhhhh, ohhhhhhhhhhh LET'S GO STATE.'"​

Historical Data

Pennsylvania State University (State College, PA) Founded in 1855

Football 1st Season: 1887
Stadium: Beaver Stadium (Renovated 2001)
Constructed: 1960
Seating Capacity: 107,282
Playing Surface: Natural Grass
Conference: Big Ten Conference since 1993 (Independent all previous years)
Colors: Blue & White
Mascot: Nittany Lion
College Classification: D-IA (or equivalent) since 1937 (first year of NCAA classification)
Conference Championships: 2 Big Ten Titles: 1994, 2005* (* = Co-Champions)
Consensus All-Americans: 34 (32 different players as of 2005)
College Hall-of-Famers: 21
Pro Hall-of-Famers: 5 (Jack Ham, Franco Harris, Mike Michalske, Lenny Moore, Mike Munchak)
Award Winners: 1 Biletnikoff, 2 Butkus, 2 Butkus Silver Anniv., 3 Bednarik, 2 O'Brien, 1 Doak Walker, 1 Heisman, 1 Lombardi, 7 Maxwell, 1 Outland, 1 Sammy Baugh, 2 Walter Camp POY, 5 AFCA COY, 3 Robinson COY, 3 Bryant COY, 3 Munger COY, 2 Dodd COY, 1 Home Depot COY
National Championships: 15 non-Recognized Championships, 2 Recognized Championships (1982 & 1986 both AP & UPI/Coaches)
Number of AP/Coaches final rankings: AP-38 years, Coaches-38 years​

Records

All Time: 781-343-43 (.688)
Bowl Games: 25-12-2 (.667) Most recently a 20-10 win over Tennessee in the Outback Bowl (2007)
All Time vs the BigTen: 85-60-2 (.585)
All Time vs the Ohio State Buckeyes: 11-11-0 (.500) Most recently a 28-6 loss in Columbus (2006).
Coach?s Reord: Joe Paterno, 1966-current, 363-121-3 (.748), since joining the BigTen (1993-current) 116-54-0 (.682)

2006 Season: 9-4-0 (.692)
Sep 2 - W vs. Akron, 34-16
Sep 9 - L at Notre Dame, 17-41
Sep 16 - W vs. Youngstown St, 37-3
Sep 23 - L at Ohio State, 6-28
Sep 30 - W vs. Northwestern, 33-7
Oct 7 - W at Minnesota, 28-27 OT
Oct 14 - L vs. Michigan, 10-17
Oct 21 - W vs. Illinois, 26-12
Oct 28 - W at Purdue, 12-0
Nov 4 - L at Wisconsin, 3-13
Nov 11 - W vs. Temple, 47-0
Nov 18 - W vs. Michigan State, 17-13
Jan 1 - W vs. Tennessee, 20-10

2007 Schedule
Sep 1 - W vs. Florida Intl, 59-0
Sep 8 - W vs. Notre Dame, 31-10
Sep 15 - W vs. Buffalo, 45-24
Sep 22 - L at Michigan, 9-14
Sep 29 - L at Illinois, 20-27
Oct 6 - W vs. Iowa, 27-7
Oct 13 - W vs. Wisconsin, 38-7
Oct 20 - W at Indiana, 36-31
Oct 27 - vs. Ohio State, 8:00 PM
Nov 3 - vs. Purdue, TBA
Nov 10 - at Temple, TBA
Nov 17 - at Michigan State, TBA​

Links

Official Sites:
Official School Site - Pennsylvania State University
Official Alumni Site - Penn State Alumni Association
Student Newspaper - The Digital Collegian
Official Athletic Site - Go PSU Sports
Official Conference Site - Big Ten Conference

Message Boards & Team Pages:
Message Boards - Fight On State (Scout)
Message Boards - Blue & White Illustrated (Rivals)
Message Boards - LaschOut (Independent)
Message Boards - John's Penn State Football (Independent)
Message Boards - Nittany Football (Independent)
Message Boards - Penn State (Sports-Boards)

Team Page - NCAA
Team Page - ESPN
Team Page - USA Today
Team Page - Fox Sports
Team Page - CNN/SI
Team Page - CFN
Team Page - CBS Sportsline
Team Page - Yahoo Sports
Team Page - Sporting News
Team Page - AOL
Team Page - CSTV
Team Page - ATSH2H
Team Page - Covers

Blog - Black Shoes Diary
Blog - We Are Penn State
Blog - Inside PA Sports (PennLive)
Blog - 50-Yard Lion (PennLive)
Blog - Back In Happy Valley (CentreDaily)
Blog - Bleed Blue 'N White
Blog - The Nittany Turkey
Blog - 2 The Lion
Blog - Nittany Notebook (MVN)
Blog - There is no Name on My Jersey
Blog - The Nittany Line
Blog - Run Up the Score
Blog - Penn State Fan Letter
Blog - Nittany Lines
Blog - Fight On State Blog (Scout)
Blog - Sports Stunner
Blog - Penn State Fan House (AOL)
Blog - Zombie Nation

Local News Sources:
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Local News
Centre Daily Times - Local News
Pittsburgh Live - Pittsburgh Tribune Review - Local News
Penn Live - Local News
PhillyBurbs - Local News
Times Leader - Local News

Team Previews and Breakdowns:
2007 Team Breakdown (PDF) - Go PSU Sports
2007 Schedule/Results - Go PSU Sports
2007 Spring Roster - Go PSU Sports
2007 Spring Game Results - Go PSU Sports
2006 Overall Stats (PDF) - Go PSU Sports
2006 Conference Stats (PDF) - Go PSU Sports
2007 Roster - Go PSU Sports
News Releases - Go PSU Sports
Historical Information - PSU Sports Archives
Historical Information - Penn State Anthology
Historical Information - PSU Playbook (Archive)

2007 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Preview - CFN
2007 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Preview - Offense - CFN
2007 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Preview - Defense - CFN
2007 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Preview - Depth Chart - CFN
2006 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Preview - CFN
PENN STATE Team Report - CSTV/Sports Xchange (Links to previous reports)
2007 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Preview - Sports Network
2007 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Preview - The Ozone
2007 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Preview - College Football Poll
2007 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Preview - Dispatch/Buckeye Extra
2007 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Preview - Maddux Sports
2007 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Preview - National Champs
2007 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Preview - BigTen Fans.com

B10 Conference Previews and Breakdowns:
2007 BigTen Prospectus (PDF) - BigTen
2007 BigTen Team Breakdowns (PDF) - BigTen
2007 BigTen Media Info(PDF) - BigTen
2007 BigTen Composite Schedule (PDF) - BigTen
2006 BigTen Season in Review (PDF) - BigTen
2006 BigTen Overall Stats (PDF) - BigTen
2006 BigTen Conference Stats (PDF) - BigTen
2007 CFN Big Ten Preview - CFN
2007 CFN Preseason All-Big Ten Team - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Preseason Lookaheads - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Schedules & Predictions - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Team Capsules - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Unit Rankings - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Ultimate Schedule - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Recruiting - What It All Means - CFN
2007 CFN Spring Preview - Analyzing the Big Ten - CFN
2007 CFN Big Ten Spring Lookaheads - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Composite Schedule - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Team-by-Team Schedules - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Spring Games Wrapup - CFN
ASK CFN (6/22) ... The Big Ten Network - CFN
2007 Big Ten - CSTV
2007 All-Big Ten Teams - Athlon
2007 BigTen Inside Slant - USA Today
2007 Big Ten Preview - College Football Poll

Travel:
PSU Gameday Central - Go PSU Sports​

Preseason Rankings

#11 - CSTV (Pre-Spring)
#12 - Surefire Scouting
#13 - Street & Smith
#13 - MSNBC
#14 - CSTV (Post-Spring)
#14 - CNN/SI (Power Ranking - Stewart Mandel)
#14 - Football.com
#15 - The Sporting News
#15 - Rivals.com (Top 50)
#15 - New Orleans Times Picayune (Ted Lewis)
#17 - AP
#17 - Athlon
#17 - ESPN.com (Mark Schlabach)
#17 - National Champs (Season Preview)
#17 - AutumnSpectacle.com
#17 - Jim Feist
#18 - USA Today Coaches Poll
#18 - Rivals.com (Early)
#19 - Chicago tribune (Teddy Greenstein)
#21 - Game Plan
#22 - CBS Sportsline (Magazine)
#24 - CFN
#24 - Fox Sports
#24 - National Champs (Early Bird)
#26 - Playboy
#30 - CCR​

Preseason Watch Lists

Bronko Nagurski - Dan Connor
Chuck Bednarik - Dan Connor
Dick Butkus - Dan Connor
Dave Rimington - A. Q. Shipley
Davey O'Brien - Anthony Morelli
Fred Biletnikoff - Deon Butler
Fred Biletnikoff - Derrick Williams
Jim Thorpe - Justin King
John Mackey - Andrew Quarless
Lott Trophy - Dan Connor
Rotary Lombardi - Dan Connor
Manning Award - Anthony Morelli
Maxwell Award - Deon Butler
Walter Camp - Dan Connor
Ted Hendricks - Maurice Evans​

Big Ten Conference Players of the Week

Sept. 1, 2007 (Week 1)
CO-OFFENSE: RB - Jehuu Caulcrick, Michigan State & QB - Tyler Donovan, Wisconsin
DEFENSE: LB - Sean Lee, Penn State
SPECIAL TEAMS: WR - Dorien Bryant, Purdue

Sept. 8, 2007 (Week 2)
CO-OFFENSE: QB - Adam Weber, Minnesota & QB - Curtis Painter, Purdue
DEFENSE: LB - Dan Connor, Penn State
SPECIAL TEAMS: DE - Kenny Iwebema, Iowa

Sept. 15, 2007 (Week 3)
OFFENSE: QB - Kellen Lewis, Indiana
CO-DEFENSE: DE - Jonal Saint-Dic, Michigan State & LB - James Laurinaitis, Ohio State
SPECIAL TEAMS: PR/KR - David Gilreath, Wisconsin

Sept. 22, 2007 (Week 4)
OFFENSE: RB - Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois
CO-DEFENSE: DE - Will Davis, Illinois & S - Jamar Adams, Michigan
SPECIAL TEAMS: P - Ken DeBauche, Wisconsin

Sept. 29, 2007 (Week 5)
CO-OFFENSE: QB - Kellen Lewis, Indiana & RB - P.J. Hill, Wisconsin
DEFENSE: LB - Shawn Crable, Michigan
SPECIAL TEAMS: KR - Arrelious Benn, Illinois

Oct. 6, 2007 (Week 6)
OFFENSE: QB - C.J. Bacher, Northwestern
DEFENSE: DB - Chimdi Chekwa, Ohio State
SPECIAL TEAMS: K - Austin Starr, Indiana

Oct. 13, 2007 (Week 7)
CO-OFFENSE: RB - Javon Ringer, Michigan State & QB - C.J. Bacher, Northwestern
DEFENSE: LB - Mike Humpal, Iowa
SPECIAL TEAMS: PR - Brian Hartline, Ohio State

Oct. 20, 2007 (Week 8)
CO-OFFENSE: RB - Chris Wells, Ohio State & WR - Dorien Bryant, Purdue
DEFENSE: DE - Maurice Evans, Penn State
SPECIAL TEAMS: P - A.J. Trapasso, Ohio State

Oct. 27, 2007 (Week 9)
CO-OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
CO-SPECIAL TEAMS:

Nov. 3, 2007 (Week 10)
CO-OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
CO-SPECIAL TEAMS:

Nov. 10, 2007 (Week 11)
CO-OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
CO-SPECIAL TEAMS:

Nov. 17, 2007 (Week 12)
CO-OFFENSE:
DEFENSE:
CO-SPECIAL TEAMS:
​

Preseason Accolades

BigTen Preseason Media Poll
1. Michigan
2. Wisconsin
3. Ohio State

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year - Mike Hart - Michigan

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year - James Laurinaitis - Ohio State​

Link to 2007 Penn State Nittany Lions Game Preview​

Note: Statistical data was complied using a variety of sources, including:
Stassen (Chris Stassen) - Data
College Football Data Warehouse - Data
American College Football-RSFC (Dave Wilson) - Data
D1A Football (Formerly WALJ 10 College Football) - Data
National Champs.net - Data
Hickok Sports - Data