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Time right for Diaz’s departure

Maybe this is one of the reasons offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich was fired with two games remaining in the regular season. James Franklin knew it was possible if not likely that he could lose Manny Diaz to a head-coaching opportunity, which was confirmed Thursday when Duke hired the Nittany Lions’ defensive coordinator. Franklin also knew the Lions didn’t need any offensive coaches to put away Rutgers and Michigan State in the final two games. So rather than having to deal with searching for two coordinators simultaneously in what is the busiest month of the year — the ...

National hunting by the numbers

With the firearms deer season wrapping up this weekend, many thousands of Pennsylvania hunters will have bagged one or more deer starting from archery season in late September and the special firearms and muzzleloader seasons in mid-October until now. And for those hunters still desiring to fill a deer tag, they will have the opportunity to do so during the late archery and flintlock seasons that begin the day after Christmas and continue for three weeks into mid-January. We won’t know how well deer hunters did overall until the Pennsylvania Game Commission releases its official deer ...

Kotelnicki gets turn to fix Nits’ offense

Penn State has its new offensive coordinator, Adam Kotelnicki of Kansas, and the social media world is tripping over itself to decide whether it’s a good or bad hire. I have an idea: Let’s wait and see how the offense functions at least into next October before shaping an opinion. There are things about him to like. Kotelnicki has worked beside and been mentored by Lance Leipold, one of the better coaches in the country and certainly among the most underrated, having turned around Kansas after a successful stint at Buffalo (Bulls, not Bills) and being a Division III national ...

Oviedo leaves Pirates with more questions

Notes and observations from Major League Baseball as the MLB winter meetings open next week in Nashville, Tenn: n After the Pittsburgh Pirates made some significant strides toward reaching the .500 mark in 2023 and possibly becoming a National League playoff contender in 2024, they were dealt a severe setback recently when it was announced that right-handed pitcher Johan Oviedo will require Tommy John elbow surgery that will sideline him for all of next season. Entering this offseason, the Pirates’ starting pitching rotation was the team’s biggest question mark, with the ...

PSU’s defense sets its own tone

DETROIT — Give these Michigan State fans credit. They’ve endured a 4-8 season to forget, starting with the September suspension and subsequent firing of their coach, Mel Tucker, after an alleged sexcapade. And yet, here they were at Ford Field, singing karaoke songs Friday night, well into a 42-0 loss to Penn State. Indoor stadiums can get loud so other than the music, it was important not to let the home team create early momentum. The Nittany Lions’ defense took that challenge, quickly setting a tone by rebuffing two of the Spartans’ first-half drives deep into PSU ...

Pribula opens up Lions’ run game

Some nitpicking as the Nittany Lions draw the curtain on the regular season tonight: - Even if Drew Allar is recovered enough to play against Michigan State (7:30, NBC), expect a healthy dose of Beau Pribula, who stepped in last week vs. Rutgers and rushed for 71 yards on eight carries. Actually, it was Pribula’s presence after Allar’s injury in the second half that opened the Lions’ run game in general and for Nick Singleton in particular. - Pribula has gained 311 yards on the ground this season, an average of 6.0 yards on his 52 carries, including five touchdowns. He’s only ...