PSU point-counter: Lack of talent at WR derail PSU hopes (Giger)

November 16, 2023

It is darn near impossible to believe that Penn State’s wide receiver situation is this bad. So bad that it killed the program’s chances for greatness this year. I’ve only covered PSU since 2006, and this is by far the worst group of wide receivers the program has had in my 18 years. The 2004 group (Gerald Smith, Mark Rubin, etc.) was worse — running back Tony Hunt led that team in receptions with 39 — but Penn State was lousy that year, so there were no real expectations. This year’s team had huge expectations. The coaches had known for a couple of years that they had Drew ...

Frustration continues vs the big boys

November 13, 2023

UNIVERSITY PARK ­— This was an eerily-similar rerun of the Ohio State game. The Nittany Lions mustered almost nothing offensively against the Buckeyes, and that was exactly the case on an otherwise glorious football Saturday as they lost to Michigan, 24-15, at Beaver Stadium. So Penn ...

Michigan fiasco: Simply a sign of the times

November 11, 2023

By Paul Newberry The Associated Press Those absurd signs they hold up on the sidelines — displaying everything from emojis to superheroes to Bluto from “Animal House” — show just how far college football is behind the times. Which makes the signal-stealing scandal at Michigan seem downright quaint. And so unnecessary. College football, which rakes in billions and billions of dollars like an insatiable Pac-Man (also coming to a sideline sign near you, we presume), should simply follow the NFL’s longstanding method of sending in plays. If the quarterback and a ...

Watch for deer while driving

November 11, 2023

If you have done much driving around the rural areas of our region in recent weeks, you have likely noticed the increased presence of road-killed deer along the highways. Insurance industry statistics indicate that Pennsylvania is usually one of the top states for deer-vehicle collisions each year, so a dead deer on the roadside is a common sight any time of year. The top month for deer-vehicle collisions, however, is November for several reasons. Overall deer numbers are the highest of the year now as this spring’s fawn crop are approaching six months old and a significant part of ...

Blaney enhances Ohio family legacy

November 7, 2023

AVONDALE, Ariz. — The Blaney name has long been renowned in motorsports throughout the Midwest, where the Ohio-based family won in sprint cars, won on dirt tracks and racked up championships for three generations. It began with George Blaney, a lumber operator who also owned a race team. His son, Lou, won 600 sprint feature races, drove for his father’s three-car team, was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, and owned and operated Sharon Speedway in Hartford, just shy of the Pennsylvania state line. Lou had two sons, Dave and Dale. Both wanted to be racers, ...

Nittany Lions pass their pre-Michigan test

November 6, 2023

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Penn State standout offensive tackle Olu Fashanu didn’t think it was a coincidence that the Nittany Lions played their best offensive game of the season Saturday in destroying Maryland, 51-15. “November is the month of champions,” Fashanu said. “This game is a ...