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Neil Rudel's Commentary

Rudel’s Oregon Highs & Lows

INDIANAPOLIS — Following are the highlights and lowlights from Penn State’s 45-37 loss to Oregon on Saturday night in the Big Ten championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium: Play of the game: With 2:00 left on second-and-1 from the Nittany Lions’ 46-yard line, Drew Allar lofted a ball up the right sideline for Trey Wallace, and Oregon’s Nikko Reed intercepted. One first down sealed the game for the Ducks. Offensive player of the game: Oregon receiver Tez Johnson caught 11 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown. Defensive player of the game: Reed made three tackles, broke up two ...

Playing Oregon stirs ‘rosy’ memories for Nittany Lions

The last time Penn State played Oregon — Jan. 1, 1995 — brought the Nittany Lions’ first Rose Bowl victory and started with maybe the most famous run in school history. On the very first play, Ki-Jana Carter busted an 83-yard touchdown, the signature moment of the Lions’ 38-20 ...

Has this been James Franklin’s best coaching job? 2016 championship season still must rank at the top

As Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast, my friend.” I’m going with 2016, at least for now. That could potentially change this year with a win Saturday night in the Big Ten championship game over No. 1 Oregon and if the Nittany Lions advance in the College Football Playoffs. All of that is still on the table for James Franklin. While he’s done a very nice job this year, building on his weaknesses of the past and not allowing a loss to Ohio State to carry over and beat the Lions in consecutive weeks, I’m not ready to put this coaching job in front of the one he did in 2016 ...

Has this been James Franklin’s best coaching job? Franklin looking like a coach you can trust in big games

What we saw at Minnesota a few weeks ago was a coaching clinic by James Franklin, who looked like a genius pulling one correct string after another with a fake punt and other gutsy calls to secure a victory. Given the recency bias, one could harp heavily on that game as a basis for saying this season has been Franklin’s best coaching job at Penn State. But during the Lions’ only loss, Franklin committed coaching malpractice with some of the most pathetic playcalling I’ve ever seen inside the 5-yard line trying to tie against Ohio State. Maybe all that was Andy Kotelnicki’s ...

Lions poised for playoff success

UNIVERSITY PARK — Don’t look now, but Penn State has as much right to think it can win the national championship as anybody. In a year without a true dominating team, the Nittany Lions just keep chugging along and are now the No. 3 ranked team in the country, behind Oregon and ...

TE Warren following in Kwalick’s footsteps

Watching Tyler Warren this season has brought back fond memories for Ted Kwalick. The Nittany Lions’ first great tight end — and arguably its best, to this day — hasn’t seen all the Penn State games from his home in California (San Jose), but he’s seen enough to appreciate Warren’s special talent. “I think he’s a great tight end,” Kwalick said in a phone interview. “I see some of him in me. He’s following in my footsteps.” The similarities include “the way he catches, and I think he’s fast,” Kwalick said. “He doesn’t go down easy.” Kwalick, 77, was ...