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For openers, a chance to restore confidence

By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com There are no must-wins in Week 1, especially for a coach just a few months removed from a contract extension through 2031. But tonight, at Purdue (8 p.m., Fox), is a big game for James Franklin. Public confidence in him is not high. His body of work since taking over at Penn State in 2014 — overall — still gets a good grade. He led Penn State to the Big Ten championship in 2016 and followed that up with strong seasons in 2017 and 2018, featuring outstanding offensive players, riding the great Trace McSorley and winning the Fiesta ...

Should the Big Ten have league games in Week 1? Rudel-Giger point-counterpoint

Sure -- it provides immediate urgency By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com I have no problem with opening the season against a Big Ten team. In fact, I kind of like it –- even if it’s on the road, where Penn State has started the conference schedule seven straight times and 12 of the last 13 seasons. (This is one of James Franklin’s new themes, dating back to the Big Ten media days last month. New athletic director Pat Kraft also doesn’t like it and plans to address the matter with the conference.) The advantage of playing a league game right from the outset is it ...

No clear favorite for NASCAR playoffs

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It took 26 races, plus a long, waterlogged weekend in Daytona and millions of dollars in crashed cars to finally determine NASCAR’s 16-driver playoff field. Austin Dillon stole the final playoff spot with his last-gasp victory at Daytona, which was scheduled for Saturday night then rained out until Sunday morning and halted for more than three hours shortly after Dillon had taken the lead. When the race resumed, he held on for his first victory of the year and the final spot in the playoffs. It was a sloppy close to the regular season: Only five of the 37 cars ...

PGA taking steps to combat LIV

Earlier this week, the PGA Tour announced a major overhaul to its schedule with additional changes to how its will be compensating the players going forward. One of the biggest changes announced is a new policy that will designate 20 players each year as “top golfers.” These chosen golfers will be eligible to play in 12 “elevated” events offering dramatically increased purses, and the select group will be determined by a newly defined “Player Impact Program” that will likely take into account a player’s popularity (as well as their performance). Without a doubt, the ...

’Burg rises to meet the moment

Tonight Who: Hollidaysburg vs. Pearland, Texas When: 7 p.m. TV: ESPN At stake: Winner plays Thursday night against today’s Tennessee-Hawaii loser. By Neil Rudel nrudel@altoonamirror.com WILLIAMSPORT — We already know Hollidaysburg has made history by becoming the first team ...

Spotting is just the start: Plenty of prep is needed before successful hunts

From the time I began archery hunting for deer in the 1960’s, the advice from writers and hunting pros and assorted experts has always been the same — do a lot of preseason scouting and start in late August. Defining preseason scouting is a varied exercise, to be sure. To some, it means ...