I know I wrote last week that offensive preparation was the most disappointing aspect of the 2016 season.(Cue the scene from "A Few Good Men" when Jack Nicholson said on the stand, "I recall what I said - I don't have to have it read back to me.")OK, some levity, which seems fitting because I ...

Nineteen of the 22 players who will start for Penn State this week will be back next season -- nine of whom are either freshmen or sophomores -- plus both kickers also will return.That should be exciting to Nittany Lion fans, regardless of what happens the rest of this season.The feeling here ...

UNIVERSITY PARK - James Franklin plans to try out his own "chaos" theory in an attempt to get the Penn State offense to start games faster.In science, chaos theory - or the butterfly effect, as it's often called in popular culture - means that if you change one small component at the beginning, ...

UNIVERSITY PARK - A capsule look at James Franklin's weekly news conference.Opponent: Maryland (4-0)Kickoff: Saturday noon, Beaver StadiumTV: BTNAbout the Terps: They've scored a school-record 173 points through the first four games (43.25 average) and are coming off 50-7 trouncing of Purdue, ...

STATE COLLEGE - Penn State police are trying to identify two men seen on security video entering Beaver Stadium hours before Saturday's football game against the University of Minnesota.Police say the men are believed to be connected to an unspecified threat at the stadium that day. The threat ...

By Cory Gigercgiger@altoonamirror.comPenn State's Joey Julius has become the most famous kicker in college football this season, and Monday he shared a deeply personal aspect of his life that took him away from the game earlier this year.Julius wrote in a lengthy Facebook post about how he has ...

It was expected for more than a week, but Penn State's 2017 football recruiting class is one verbal commitment smaller today.Derrek Pitts, the four-star safety from West Virginia, announced on social media Monday that he no longer was pledged to the Nittany Lions."I would like (to thank) Coach ...

A good win that would have been a bad loss produced a lot of positives and some negatives for Penn State, which gets to ride the emotional high of victory for a week but still has the look of a team that's teetering on a middling season.For starters, let's pinpoint exactly why the Nittany Lions ...

UNIVERSITY PARK - Trace McSorley's moxie and magic brought Penn State back on a day when the running game got stuffed and smothered.Until it mattered most.Then Saquon Barkley went to work to produce a sensational finish.On the Nittany Lions' first offensive play in overtime, Barkley broke free ...

UNIVERSITY PARK - Mike Gesicki was on the sidelines as a recruit for the 2013 four-overtime victory over Michigan, and it sold him on becoming a Nittany Lion.Gesicki remembers Beaver Stadium shaking that night, and he got that same feeling Saturday night when the Nittany Lions stunned ...

Allen finishes with 22 tacklesUNIVERSITY PARK - Marcus Allen came close to one of the longest-standing records in Penn State history Saturday as the safety finished with 22 tackles, two shy of the school record."That's just a blessing from God," Allen said. "I was just playing my game."Greg ...

UNIVERSITY PARK - Following are the highlights and lowlights from Penn State's 29-26 victory over Minnesota on Saturday at Beaver Stadium:Play of the game: With the Nittany Lions down 26-23, Saquon Barkley ran 25 yards for the game-winning touchdown on Penn State's first play of ...

By Cory Gigercgiger@altoonamirror.comFive things to look for as Penn State tries to regroup from last week's blowout at Michigan in what seems to be a must-win game against Minnesota.No. 1: Tackle betterWant proof that the current state of PSU football is far different than what everyone has ...

They showed patience before; why not now?I was glad to see Sandy Barbour, in an interview with the Mirror's Cory Giger earlier this week, dispel a growing notion that James Franklin either is or should be on the hot seat.While Franklin's on-the-field progress has not matched the hopes and ...

Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour made it perfectly clear when asked about coach James Franklin's future."James is not on any hot seat," Barbour said Wednesday.What happens if the Nittany Lions, who are dealing with major injury issues on defense, struggle the rest of the season? Could ...

The obvious answer to this question is the defense, but all the injuries make it impossible to fully fault that group.The running game is the most disappointing aspect from this view because Penn State has a superstar-caliber tailback in Saquon Barkley, yet the entire operation has failed to ...

There have been several, of course, but I'm going with the overall coaching in general and specifically the offensive preparation.Barring the roof falling in the form of second-straight loss to Temple, most thought it was a distinct possibility that the Nittany Lions would limp into October at ...

The Big Ten acknowledged Wednesday that the targeting call on Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith during Saturday's game at Michigan should have been overturned by the replay official."We do not find fault with the flag that was thrown by the on-field officials as they are instructed to ...

UNIVERSITY PARK - A capsule look at James Franklin's weekly news conference.Opponent: Minnesota (3-0)Kickoff: Saturday 3:30, Beaver StadiumTV: BTNAbout the Gophers: Coach Tracy Claeys is in his first full season after taking over late last year for Jerry Kill. Team has scored at least 30 ...

James Franklin apparently knows full well how much unrest there is in the Penn State fan base following a 49-10 loss at Michigan, and the coach did his best to ease some of the anxiety Tuesday.The famous "R-E-L-A-X" comment by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers a couple of years ago ...