Fox was equal to dramatic IU-PSU conclusion
TV/Radio commentary
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A competitive game that was determined thanks to a toe-tap touchdown provided a compelling, emotional storyline, and Fox Sports rose to the challenge during the Indiana-Penn State game last Saturday.
Sure, play-by-play man Gus Johnson can be hyperbolic, but he's at his best during matchups with high stakes and late-game drama.
Plus, because he enjoys bestowing nicknames as well as honing his approach as a wordsmith, he was ready with quips and summaries -- framing Penn State "as trying to exorcise the demons of a disastrous season" when it led late in the game.
That said, declaring IU quarterback Fernando Mendoza as the Heisman Trophy winner based on the end-of-game touchdown pass to Omari Cooper Jr. (the toe tapper) seemed a little over the top.
It was clearly a signature play for Mendoza, but such a declaration seemed premature -- although that would never stop Johnson.
Fox also deserves credit for timely graphics, including one that showed Penn State's Nicholas Singleton was two touchdowns off the school's record held by Saquon Barkley.
Also, sideline reporter Jenny Taft offered timely reports, including one about a "euphoric" Penn State sideline when the team was winning.
Mindful moment
Big Ten Network host and analyst Dave Revsine took his turn to summarize the IU-Penn State game, and he did it well.
He correctly and dutifully mentioned Penn State had lost six in a row, including five games by just one score.
He added that Indiana remained undefeated and earned its first victory at Beaver Stadium in a meaningful way, saying "that drive will live a long time in the minds of Hoosier fans."
Of course, it will live for a while in the minds of Penn State fans as well.
Overall, Revsine capably summarized things for Penn State, pointing to a "woulda, coulda, shoulda season."
Danielson on call
Penn State's third game of the season on CBS comes at Michigan State, and it's probably the last time longtime college football analyst Gary Danielson will work a game involving the Nittany Lions.
Danielson, 74, the No. 1 game analyst for CBS Sports, opened his 36th and final season with Penn State's romp over Nevada at Beaver Stadium. He and play-by-play partner Brad Nessler also worked the game at UCLA that started Penn State's season-defining slide.
Danielson was better in the latter game. It was some of his best work of the season.
Not surprisingly, after more than four decades around the sport of football, Danielson's strengths include end-of-game strategy and situational analysis. He was spot-on about those topics at the end of that game.
Still, it's probably the right time for Danielson to retire.
He wanted to stay with CBS through its transition from covering the Southeastern Conference to the Big Ten, and he's done that.
He's probably ready for a little more time on the golf course, but there's no doubt he's earned the success he's had -- working at CBS since 2006 and before that with ABC/ESPN (1997-2005).
After a standout career as a quarterback at Purdue and 13 years in the NFL, Danielson moved into the broadcast booth, and he's always been strong as a TV analyst.
It's not clear to me that his selected successor, Charles Davis, will be better or worse. He'll just be different.
Regarding revenue
According to some national media reports, the Big Ten Conference might enter a $2 billion private equity deal even if Michigan and USC do not agree to the plan.
So, it's less about conference consensus and more about making money.
Of course, that's always the case -- and it's the reason calls for the NCAA to rein in what's happening in the big-money and high-stakes world of college football will never happen. If member institutions cannot police themselves and cannot work together, then there's little chance a governing body will be any better at making reform (or even restraint) happen.
It's just another step to full activation of college football as NFL 2.0.
Notable
– College GameDay, fronted by Pat McAfee, a Pittsburgh native (OK, Plum), returns for a Pitt game Saturday for the first time in 20 years. The three-hour pregame show will be set up outside Acrisure Stadium. It's a big game with No. 9 Notre Dame visiting No. 23 Pitt. The last time Pitt hosted GameDay was Sept. 3, 2005, which also coincided with an Irish visit to the Steel City. It will be interesting to see how the Pitt crowd welcomes McAfee, who proudly played at WVU. Then again, there will be a large Notre Dame continent in town, too.
– It's interesting to me that Penn State play-by-play man and program champion Steve Jones, who invariably frames success or failure as positively as possible, does not play along with the NCAA's terminology of the "two-minute timeout." For all the things to be off-brand about, that one just seems weird as he instead uses the NFL's preferred terminology: "two-minute warning."
– Maybe it will happen by the time you read this. Maybe it will never happen. Still, it seems like Virginia Tech is a good landing spot for James Franklin. It's a situation and community like Penn State (not that he ever seemed strongly community minded here), and a little success there could go a long way early and lead to more. Additionally, the Atlantic Coast Conference offers a viable path to the College Football Playoff, perhaps with fewer big challenges. Best of all, there should be a little less noise than at some SEC program, and Franklin struggles with noise. Honestly, his biggest concern at Tech would be whether the ACC would remain viable a few seasons from now.
Sampsell covers the broadcast end of Penn State football for Gameday. He can be reached at stevesampsell@gmail.com