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Moral victory doesn’t overshadow PSU’s poor play

Far be it for me or anybody else to tell you how to be a fan. You fan the way you want to fan. Be happy about whatever it is that makes you happy. Get upset about whatever it is that makes you upset. It doesn’t matter what other people think about your team. What YOU think about your team — win, lose, draw or blowout — is all that matters. Just be consistent, I guess, is the only thing I can add. Have some reason for how you feel about your fandom, and be consistent in your line of thinking. Having said all that, let’s talk about moral victories. Specifically, let’s ...

MLB ignores grassroots in plan

Baseball is already struggling to attract new fans — especially younger ones. So, what brilliant idea have the powers-that-be come up with to expand the popularity of the national pastime? Contraction, of course. With its eyes firmly on the bottom line and not the future of the game, Major League Baseball is pushing a proposal to whack 42 minor league teams — and several entire leagues — from its vast network of affiliates that bring the game to every corner of country. While MLB might be able to justify weeding out some of the weaker franchises in the minors — I mean, do ...

Gallant effort starts with backup Levis

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Penn State left its heart on the Ohio Stadium turf Saturday, gamely fighting back from a three-touchdown deficit, and at the heart of that fight was its backup quarterback. Will Levis was outstanding. In fact, it’s difficult to remember a Penn State quarterback coming off the bench in a more hostile environment and doing more to put the underdog Nittany Lions in position to beat one of the nation’s best teams than what Levis did here. Yes, Penn State lost, 28-17, but not because of Levis. The 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman entered after an injury to starter ...

OSU a glimpse of PSU’s present, future

Penn State’s 2020 season starts today. OK, maybe that’s a stretch. Maybe the Nittany Lions shock the world and, as a 19-point underdog, stun Ohio State at the Horseshoe. And, obviously, if that happens, all of a sudden Penn State lands in the Big Ten championship game – probably against Minnesota or Wisconsin – and has a great chance to get to the College Football Playoff. So you could say there’s a lot left to play for in 2019. But regardless of today’s outcome, Penn State will finish the regular season after next week’s scrimmage with Rutgers no worse than ...

Lions must maintain a ball-control offense

The question reminds me of the late 1970s, my very early days at the Mirror. At that time, there were three outstanding area small-school scholastic football teams that stood out — Southern Huntingdon, Bellwood-Antis and Juniata Valley. Each was coached by an old-school, run-first, tough guy — Ted Nypaver at Southern, Jim Gardner at Bellwood and Bill Clouse at Juniata Valley. Nypaver recently was inducted into the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, while Gardner and Clouse were nearly as distinguished and equally respected. The season boiled ...

PSU defense must find ways to pressure OSU QB Fields

Penn State’s defense is not as good as everyone thought it was just a few weeks ago, which has been proven the past two games with the Nittany Lions looking inept at times against the pass. If PSU doesn’t fix that Saturday, it is going to get pounded by Ohio State. A painful reminder: The last time the Lions visited The Horseshoe, JT Barrett completed 16 passes in a row to lead the Buckeyes back from a big fourth-quarter deficit to stun PSU, 39-38. Barrett’s now gone after what seemed like a nine-year college career, and the guy who replaced him, Justin Fields, is an even better ...