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Neil Rudel's Commentary

Lions can’t play down to Wildcats

By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com Some nitpicking as the Nittany Lions hit the road to Northwestern: n Talk about going from the best atmosphere in the Big Ten to the worst. Penn State enjoyed the White Out last week, drawing 110,830, nearly setting a Beaver Stadium attendance record and creating a spectacle that is admired throughout not only college football but in all of sports. The Lions responded accordingly by treating their fans to a 31-0 domination of Iowa. It will be a total comedown today (noon, BTN) at Ryan Field, which seats 47,000 and will be lucky to have ...

PSU point-counter: Special teams falling short (Neil Rudel)

What position needs the most improvement? To me, it’s special teams. They haven’t been so special. They haven’t led to a loss or been bad enough to taint an otherwise impressive 4-0 start, but their performance has not consistently met the standard of a championship team. And since the theme of this point-counterpoint — and really this season — is measuring every aspect of Penn State vs. the chance to beat Ohio State and Michigan, closer scrutiny is warranted. It’s highly likely the Nittany Lions will need a big special teams play against the Buckeyes or Wolverines to ...

Lions beat Iowa at its own game

UNIVERSITY PARK — The irony shouldn’t be lost on the Nittany Nation. As Penn State’s defense was keeping its hands around Iowa’s throat during what would eventually become a 31-0 victory Saturday night at Beaver Stadium, Ohio State and Notre Dame were locked in a similar low-scoring tooth pull in South Bend. Ohio State led the Fighting Irish 3-0 at halftime. Penn State led Iowa 10-0 at halftime. The Buckeyes finally emerged with a 17-14 win, clinched on the game’s final play, and as this season now starts to bloom – with OSU, Penn State and Michigan having further ...

PSU fans should enjoy Iowa series

By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com James Franklin snuck in a dig at the Big Ten office earlier this week when he noted how often the Nittany Lions play Iowa, “maybe the best team in the West (division) over our time here. We love that ... I know it’s random.” I like Franklin, ...

Defense forced to carry Lions

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A not-so-funny thing happened on the Nittany Lions’ way to a 3-0 start Saturday at Memorial Stadium. They suddenly did not look like the No. 7 team in the country. People scanning the scores and seeing Penn State 30, Illinois 13 probably didn’t do a double-take, but ...

Nits’ top priority is to stop Illini run game

Some nitpicking as the Nittany Lions hit the road: n The strategy Illinois is likely to employ today against Penn State (noon, FOX) shouldn’t be a mystery. Bret Bielema has made his reputation by developing a strong run game behind a big offensive line, first at Wisconsin and now at Illinois. He’s 3-3 in his career vs. the Lions, 2-3 with the Badgers and 1-1 while guiding the Illini. Two years ago, facing seemingly no chance at Beaver Stadium, the Illini came in as 24-point underdogs and shocked Penn State, winning 20-18 in an unwatchable nine overtimes. It marked the ...