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Neil Rudel

PSU point-counterpoint: What is your biggest reason for optimism with this team? (Rudel)

Allar has already elevated ceiling on Nits’ potential By Neil Rudel It really boils down to Drew Allar. Yes, Penn State has plenty of talent at nearly every position, but to get to the College Football Playoff, you need “The Guy.” Times have clearly changed since the Nittany Lions’ finest hour — beating Miami 14-10 for the national championship in 1986 — and nowadays it takes scoring 40 points to be crowned. And you can’t do that with John Shaffer at quarterback — nothing against Shaffer, who was the consummate winner and leader. You can’t even do it with, though ...

Chance to see backup QBs this afternoon

By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com Some nitpicking as Penn State approaches one of three soft spots on its schedule (Northwestern and UMass are the others): n The NCAA takes its share of flak for terminal lack of oversight — or overreach — but its rule of allowing football players to participate in as many as four games without losing the chance to redshirt is a good thing. And it could come into play for the Nittany Lions’ matchup today with Delaware (noon, Peacock only). Penn State should overpower the Blue Hens pretty quickly, which could trigger a quarterback ...

Young QB Allar lives up to billing

UNIVERSITY PARK — James Franklin approached this season with the idea that he didn’t want first-year starting quarterback Drew Allar to shoulder too much of the load early. So much for the preseason plans. Largely because of Allar, the Nittany Lions controlled their season opener and ...

Nehlen stays close to program at WVU

By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com The last time Penn State played West Virginia was 1992, and the game featured Hall of Fame coaches on both sidelines. One, of course, was Joe Paterno, known as one of the great coaches of all time. The other was Don Nehlen, who gave West Virginia 21 ...

Rudel: Conference realignment can take toll

College football has been built on tradition, and all this conference poaching and realignment is threatening that tradition. The heavyweights, like Penn State, will survive and maybe even thrive. Others may be destroyed. A year after enticing USC and UCLA to the Big Ten, the conference has now added Oregon and Washington, effective with the 2024 season. The move brings the Big Ten to 18 schools, which is not a round number and leaves open the distinct possibility of further expansion. Speculation abounds. Notre Dame has always made geographic and big-brand sense for the Big Ten, ...

Commitment made Lozinak’s dream come true

BY Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com The Lozinak family has sold the Curve, and the only thing left for them to do is take a bow. All the way back to the early 1970s, Bob Lozinak had a vision to bring minor league baseball to his hometown of Altoona, and although his dream was ...