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Neil Rudel's Commentary

Should the Big Ten eliminate its two-division format after expansion?

No: Current structure best serves PSU, league By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com I’d like to see the Big Ten keep its East and West Division, especially now that USC and UCLA will be joining. There’s no question the East has been stronger and even more so lately with Michigan matching Ohio State in terms of overall dominance. That’s created a distinct imbalance of power when the conference championship is settled with the West Division representative often being a two-touchdown underdog. You would have to think the presence of Southern Cal, and maybe an improving ...

Nittany Lions make Maryland a pushover

UNIVERSITY PARK — In one of the most comical sideline scenes in Beaver Stadium history, James Franklin could be seen doing 15 pushups after being flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the first half Saturday. Except he wasn’t laughing. Franklin’s momentary loss of poise was about the only thing that went wrong during the Nittany Lions’ 30-0 rout of Maryland. “I was embarrassed by it,” he said afterward, adding it’s his first unsportsmanlike penalty in 12 years as a head coach. “So I did my pushups. Everybody’s held accountable around here.” Franklin ...

Highs & Lows

By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com UNIVERSITY PARK -— Following are the highlights and lowlights from Penn State’s 30-0 victory over Maryland on Saturday at Beaver Stadium: Play of the game: On fourth-and-1, Nick Singleton exploded through a hole, shed a couple tacklers and raced 27 yards for a touchdown that upped the Nits’ lead to 21-0 with 7:46 left in the second quarter. Offensive player of the game: Singleton rushed for 122 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. Defensive player of the game: Freshman linebacker Abdul Carter led the Lions with seven tackles, ...

Penn State’s depth on O-line will be tested

By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com Some nitpicking as the Nittany Lions welcome Maryland: n Penn State’s offensive line has shown improvement this season. Other than the game at Michigan, when they were dominated up front on both sides, the Lions have run the ball effectively and protected their quarterback(s) reasonably well. Consequently, O-line coach Phil Trautwein has gotten some kudos. The unit’s depth will be tested today against the visiting Terps (3:30 p.m., FOX). Based on reports from the portion of Wednesday’s practice open to the media, possible ...

What constitutes a successful season for the Nittany Lions?

Lions need to run table and finish with 11-2 mark By Neil Rudel I think it’s pretty simple. Win out to finish 11-2 and serve notice this could be a team to be reckoned with for the Big Ten championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff next year. On one hand, you can say it’s been a bounce-back year from the 11-11 mess of the last two seasons, but those were in no way the Penn State standard. Sweeping November would get the Lions to 10-2, but they don’t have a win to really brag about, and none remain on the remaining schedule. The Nits can’t afford to stub ...

Lions do it their way vs Indiana

There have been plenty of Penn State teams – some good, some not — that have gone to Indiana and struggled. In 24 games against the Hoosiers, Penn State has a victory margin of 21.3 points at Beaver Stadium and is 12-0, but in Bloomington, the Nittany Lions are 9-2 but with a victory margin of 7.3. That includes a 3-2 record in the last five trips and a victory margin of 0.8 points. Turns out the venue didn’t matter this time as the Lions left no doubt, running off 38 unanswered points and breezing to a 45-14 win at atmosphere-less Memorial Stadium. “I’m happy with ...