Wrestling Wreport: the inaugural 2009 edition

We interrupt our normally intense football coverage (ha!) to bring you a quick look at wrestling. The 2009-10 dual meet season starts tonight when the good guys from PSU travel to take on long time wrestling wrival Lehigh. For the record here is Penn State's "official" lineup:

#14 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Wt. Name
125 #8 Brad Pataky
133 Tyler Saltsman OR Bryan Pearsall
141 Colby Pisani OR Adam Lynch
149 #6 (@ 141) Frank Molinaro
157 #5 Cyler Sanderson
165 #9 Dan Vallimont
174 David Erwin OR Justin Ortega
184 J.R. Brown
197 Clay Steadman
285 #20 Cameron Wade

Quite a few "OR's" in there and I doubt we will have a lineup set in stone at all this season. Head coach Cael Sanderson has decided to redshirt pretty much all of his young talent in setting up for a title run starting next season (at least that's the plan). So with all the shiny new toys safely locked away for a year Penn State's lineup will be more of a hodgepodge. Fans will have to be patient as we transition into the Sanderson era, and it's going to be difficult because anticipation is at an all time high for this program.

Over 2,000 season tickets have been sold as Penn State prepares for the season-opening weekend. Last season, Penn State sold a respectable 1,058 season tickets.

So all those throngs of hungry fans will just have to wait until Sanderson gets his guys in the program but that doesn't mean this is a throw-away year by any means.

What we know

For Cyler Sanderson, Vallimont, and Erwin it's their last chance as all three will run out of eligibility at the end of the season. Sanderson seems to be Penn State's best chance at a national champion but if the wrestlers end up ranked where they are now we would be looking at three All-Americans.

The intense Sanderson stare

Vallimont has a tough road, his weight class is ridiculously stacked. Pataky just missed out last season and although Molinaro has moved up to 149, he's certified at 141 and I wouldn't rule out the chance that he wrestles himself back to that weight before the season ends. I will say this much about Frank after seeing him wrestle in the Intrasquad match last week, he's definitely hit the weight room in the offseason. Cameron Wade came on late in the season last year and hopefully with the tutelage of Sanderson he will at the least make it out of the Big Ten's and qualify for nationals.

What we don't know

Sanderson preaches an up tempo aggressive style of wrestling, how long will it take for the "old guys" or the guys that have been around Sunderland's system to adapt to it, or for that matter will they adjust to it? The holes in the lineup are obvious, 133, 141, 184, and 197 are going to be brutal at times this season but will we see improvement?

What to expect

Sanderson has the hand he was dealt, can he get the best out of them. The main thing that I'm looking for from this unit is steady improvement. This isn't going to be a national champion team but do they improve over the course of the season. If Sanderson can have this team peaking around the Big Ten championships in March, I'll consider it a very successful season. Penn State should have no less than four guys in the nationals with six a distinct possibility. Any more than that and I'll be shocked.

An obligatory look at Indiana

About the University

Indiana's state government in Corydon founded Indiana University in 1820 as the State Seminary." It was originally located at what is now called Seminary Square Park near the intersection of Second Street and College Avenue….The hiring of Andrew Wylie, its first president, in 1829 signified the school's growing professionalism. The General Assembly changed the school's name to "Indiana College" in the same year. In 1838 the legislature changed the school's name for a final time to Indiana University.

Cool Fact

In 1999, the Indiana University School of Informatics was established as an environment for research professors and students to develop new uses for information technology in order to solve specific problems in areas as diverse as biology, fine arts, and economics. Informatics is also interested in "how people transform technology, and how technology transforms us."

The School is one of a handful which offer degrees in Human-Computer Interaction. The School is the only one in the country to offer a formal degree which combines Human-Computer Interaction and Computer Security.

Ok then, I have no idea what that means.

Football related datum

Current Record: 4 – 6
Last year's Record: 3 – 9

The scary side of things

Indiana QB Ben Chappell has completed more passes and thrown for more yards than Daryll Clark. He has 2377 yards on the season good enough for 4^th best in the conference. Indiana is the best team in the conference when it comes to giving up sacks, so Penn State may need to bring more than their front four to get pressure (which you know they won't). Indiana is second in the conference in turnover margin and in the dreaded kickoff returns (but you know the coaches will have that whole special teams debacle fixed by Saturday. Right.) Indiana has played it very close to a lot of conference foes. Three of the Hoosiers' five conference losses have been by three points or fewer.

The not-so-scary side of things

Ok, it's Indiana. They're averaging a paltry 116 yards per game on the ground and they're dead last in the conference in pass efficiency defense, total defense and pass defense. They also give up over 28 points per game. If Penn State can't move the ball in this game they better pack it up for the rest of the season. While Chappell's passing numbers are fairly impressive he has thrown 12 picks this season. Indiana's "signature" win came against Illinois, outside of that they've beat Directional Kentucky, Directional Michigan and Akron.

Game Outlook

Indiana has an outside shot at a bowl game if they pull off the upset and then beat Purdue, but I don't think that's going to happen. Expect Penn State to have a hangover and play poorly, particularly early in the contest, but the defense will keep the Lions in it until the offense decides to wake up. I expect Indiana to move the ball on Penn State but not get it in the endzone too often. Hopefully Penn State comes out pissed off after getting their asses handed to them on a shiny plate, but I'm not holding my breath.

TNL's Prediction

Penn State 27
Indiana 10

Former Foes

Time to take a weekly look back at Penn State's past competition. So how bad is Akron anyway?

Akron (2-7)

BEAT Kent State 28-20

Holly crap, Akron won a game! And they did it with an offensive explosion that saw the Zips score a TD in every quarter. Patrick "throws the ball" Nicely had a good game completing 19 of his 34 passes for 261 yards and 2 TD's as Akron rolled up 429 yards of offense. Problem was they gave up 415 as Golden Flashes QB Spencer Keith completed 30 of his 59!!! attempts for 377 yards. But Keith's big day wasn't quite enough as the Zips beat Kent State for the ninth time in ten tries.

Next up: That juggernaut from the east - Temple (7-2, bitches)

Syracuse (3-6)

Got demolished by Shitsburgh 37-10

Pitt's Greg Williams returned a 51-yard interception for a TD with 1:20 left in the first half to start the Panthers rout, a play that blew open a slim 6-3 lead. Pitt woke up and scored 24 unanswered points in the second half mostly on the back of freshman RB Dion Lewis who ran for 110 yards and a TD, his sixth 100 yard game. 'Cuse QB Greg Paulus was ineffective throwing for only 120 yards with 2 picks. It didn't help that Syracuse was without their best receiver Mike Williams, who quit the team on Monday after averaging 106.6 yards receiving per game. The Orange came into the game with the 106^th ranked offense in the nation.

Next up: Equally unimpressive Louisville (3-6)

Temple (7-2)

Beat Miami (of the Ohio variety) 34-32

Matt Hayes had this to say in his Big Ten Conference call yesterday:

Penn State: Go down the schedule and find a marquee win for the Nittany Lions this fall. The best so far: Northwestern. Yet somehow, this team will win 10 games.

Ok, his brutal honesty aside (he is absolutely right, PSU has beat no one of any substance), I would argue that Penn State's best victory is Temple. They've won seven in a row, are undefeated in the MAC in first place in their conference and get Akron and Kent State, whom Akron just beat, before the final showdown with Ohio. Temple is going to be 9-2 going into the Ohio game and will most certainly be bowling this year. What an improvement for Coach Al Golden.

As for the game it wasn't easy, Temple blew a 31-13 fourth quarter lead when they gave up three unanswered TD's to the RedHawks to fall behind 32-31, but Brandon McManus kicked an 18-yard field goal with 3 seconds left to give the Owls the lead for good. RB Bernard Pierce ran for 178 yards and three touchdowns as Temple outgained Miami 224-52 on the ground. Let's put this all in perspective here people: Temple hasn't had a winning streak like this since they won 8 straight way back in 1973… the year I was born. They won seven games total from 2002-05. Winning is contagious and I'll let Coach Golden say it best:

"Three years ago, our team couldn't win these games, and if they did it was an anomaly," coach Al Golden said. "Now the team has some toughness, some mental toughness and character."

Temple is actually thinking MAC championship. Amazing.

Next up: Akron (2-7)

Iowa (9-1)

Lost to Northwestern 17-10

All the close victories, all the fourth quarter comebacks, all the Stanzi-ball miracles all came crumbling down on Iowa. Stanzi was knocked out of the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury and Iowa could not recover. After Stanzi went down, Freshman James Vandenberg took over and could not muster a single point the rest of the game. Northwestern scored two TD's in the second quarter off of two Iowa turnovers: a recovered fumble in the endzone on the play where Stanzi was hurt and a 4 yard TD pass after an interception on Vandenberg's first pass attempt. It was finally too much of a hole for Iowa to climb out of. Stanzi's injury is most likely a severe sprain after X-ray's came back negative but he'll probably be out of the big showdown next week at the Shoe. With all the injuries mounting, the showdown for the Big Ten title against Ohio State, who is playing the best ball of their season, looks like a one-sided romp.

Next Up: Ohio State (8-2)

Illinois (3-6)

Beat Minnesota 35-32

Juice Williams' nightmare senior season continues as he sprained his ankle after starting the game on fire completing all five of his passes, one for a TD. His replacement, Jacob Charest, came in and threw for 185 yards and a touchdown as the Fighting Zookers used a furious pass rush and some bad decisions by Gophers QB Adam Webber for the victory. Webber, after throwing for 415 yards against Sparty, threw a pick six, fumbled, missed open wide receivers, and held the ball too long on his way to dreadful first half. Webber completed just 5 of 17 passes for 174 yards in the opening two quarters and finished just 14 of 31 for 221 yards.

Next Up: Northwestern (6-4)

Eastern Illinois (7-2)

BYE

Next Up: UT Martin (4-5)

Minnesota (5-5)

Lost to Illinois 35-32

Next up: South Dakota State (7-2)

Michigan (5-5)

Lost to Purdue 38-36

Talk about your teams going in different directions, after starting 4-0 Michigan is looking at 5-7 with games against Wisconsin and Ohio State while Purdue, after starting 1-5, could squeak into a bowl if the beat Michigan State and Indiana. Purdue QB Joey Elliott threw for a career-high 367 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another. Purdue overcame a 24-10 halftime deficit when they scored on the aforementioned Joey Elliott TD run with 10:28 to play to take a 38-30 lead. Michigan answered with a Brandon Minor TD run, who finished with 154 yards and 3 touchdowns, but Michigan's two point conversion was no good and Purdue recovered the onside kick. It was a game of offense as the two teams combined for 921 yards of total offense. Michigan's defense has been a total wreck lately, in the past three games, the Wolverines have been outscored 75-12 in the second half by Purdue, Illinois and Penn State.

Next up: Wisconsin(7-2)

Northwestern(6-4)

Beat Iowa 17-10

Next up: Illinois (3-6)

Blogpoll Draft: A Whole Lot Of Meh Going On

Another ugly week of upsets makes for another ugly poll. No one is separating themselves from the pack, which leaves us with a huddled mass of blah. I painted myself into a corner with Oregon, USC, Ohio State and Penn State so it was settled with the transitive property. I know, I see Utah there, but they'll stick around another week and we'll see how that TCU game shakes out. Iowa finally gave in after spending the season being poisoned, shot, beaten, castrated, tied up and thrown into an icy river. The loss of Stanzi couldn't come at a worse time, he's got the mystical powers they need heading into Columbus. I have a bad feeling that a collapse might be imminent and that's unfortunate to see after the season they've had. Oregon State, on the other hand, might be getting itself in shape at the right time to deliver a rematch of USC and Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, thanks in part to Penn State's non-appearance and Stanford's gotcha game. It's a mess, have at it. Corrections, suggestions and objections are always welcome.

Games Watched: Virginia Tech/East Carolina, Louisiana Tech/Boise State, Ohio State/Penn State, Florida State/Clemson and UConn/Cincinnati.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida
2	Texas	1
3	Alabama	1
4	Cincinnati	1
5	TCU	1
6	Boise State	1
7	Georgia Tech	2
8	Iowa	6
9	Miami (Florida)	3
10	Houston	3
11	Utah	3
12	LSU	2
13	Oregon	5
14	Southern Cal	1
15	Ohio State	1
16	Penn State	5
17	Wisconsin
18	Pittsburgh
19	Oklahoma State
20	Arizona
21	Virginia Tech	1
22	Oregon State
23	Auburn	1
24	Clemson
25	Brigham Young
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Notre Dame (#21), California (#23), Oklahoma (#25).

The Breakdown:

1. Florida
9/5 – Charleston Southern 62-3 (624/323)
9/12 – Troy 56-6 (663/139)
9/19 – Tennessee 23-13 (323/210)
9/26 – at Kentucky 41-7 (495/179)
10/10 – at LSU 13-3 (327/162)
10/17 – Arkansas 23-20 (391/357)
10/24 – at Mississippi St. 29-19 (376/237)
10/31 – Georgia 41-17 (374/286)
11/7 – Vanderbilt 27-3 (375/199)
11/14 – at South Carolina
11/21 – Florida International
11/27 – Florida St.

2. Texas
9/5 – Louisiana-Monroe 59-20 (562/298)
9/12- at Wyoming 41-10 (544/273)
9/19 – Texas Tech 34-24 (340/414)
9/26 – UTEP 64-7 (639/53)
10/10 – Colorado 38-14 (313/127)
10/17 – Oklahoma 16-13 (269/311)
10/24 – at Missouri 41-7 (400/173)
10/31 – at Oklahoma St. 41-14 (275/277)
11/7 – UCF 35-3 (537/151)
11/14 – at Baylor
11/21 – Kansas
11/26 – at Texas A&M

3. Alabama
9/5 – Virginia Tech (in Atlanta, GA) 34-24 (498/155)
9/12 – Florida International 40-14 (516/214)
9/19 – North Texas 53-7 (523/126)
9/26 – Arkansas 35-7 (425/254)
10/3 – at Kentucky 38-20 (352/301)
10/10 – at Ole Miss 22-3 (354/212)
10/17 – South Carolina 20-6 (356/278)
10/24 – Tennessee 12-10 (256/341)
11/7 – LSU 24-15 (452/253)
11/14 – at Mississippi St.
11/21 – Chattanooga
11/27 – at Auburn

4. Cincinnati
9/7 – at Rutgers 47-15 (564/293)
9/12 – Southeast Missouri St. 70-3 (578/176)
9/19 – at Oregon St. 28-18 (408/344)
9/26 – Fresno St. 28-20 (357/443)
10/3 – at Miami(OH) 37-13 (434/316)
10/15 – at South Florida 34-17 (401/376)
10/24 – Louisville 41-10 (468/275)
10/31 – at Syracuse 28-7 (422-283)
11/7 – UConn 47-45 (711/462)
11/13 – West Virginia
11/27 – Illinois
12/5 – at Pittsburgh

5. TCU
9/12 – at Virginia 30-14 (380/177)
9/19 – Texas St. 56-21 (508/249)
9/26 – at Clemson 14-10 (388/309)
10/3 – at SMU 39-14 (418/224)
10/10 – at Air Force 20-17 (393/287)
10/17 – Colorado St. 44-6 (499/182)
10/24 – at BYU 38-7 (412/298)
10/31 – UNLV 41-0 (578/160)
11/7 – at San Diego St. 55-12 (551/279)
11/14 – Utah
11/21 – at Wyoming
11/28 – New Mexico

6. Boise St.
9/3 – Oregon 19-8 (361/152)
9/12 – Miami(OH) 48-0 (441/194)
9/18 – at Fresno St. 51-34 (480/507)
9/26 – at Bowling Green 49-14 (529/282)
10/3 – UC Davis 34-16 (386/234)
10/14 – at Tulsa 28-21 (380/295)
10/24 – at Hawaii 54-9 (472/307)
10/31 – San Jose St. 45-7 (430/223)
11/6 – Louisiana Tech 45-35 (507/250)
11/14 – Idaho
11/20 – at Utah St.
11/27 – Nevada
12/5 – New Mexico St.

7. Georgia Tech
9/5 – Jacksonville St. 37-17 (497/291)
9/10 – Clemson 30-27 (418/386)
917 – at Miami 17-33 (228/454)
9/26 – North Carolina 24-7 (406/154)
10/3 – at Mississippi St. 42-31 (479/487)
10/10 – at Florida St.49-44 (532/539)
10/17 – Virginia Tech 28-23 (360/334)
10/24 – at Virginia 34-9 (447/198)
10/31 – at Vanderbilt 56-31 (597/397)
11/7 – Wake Forest 30-27 (463/291)
11/14 – at Duke
11/28 – Georgia

8. Iowa
9/5 – Northern Iowa 17-16 (329/354)
9/12 – at Iowa St. 35-3 (426/303)
9/19- Arizona 27-17 (338/253)
9/26 – at Penn St. 21-10 (298/307)
10/3 – Arkansas St. 24-21 (420/296)
10/10 – Michigan 30-28 (367/319)
10/17 – at Wisconsin 20-10 (283/230)
10/24 – at Michigan St. 15-13 (276/310)
10/31 – Indiana 42-24 (480/306)
11/7 – Northwestern 10-17 (281/239)
11/14 – at Ohio St.
11/21 – Minnesota

9. Miami
9/7 – at Florida St. 38-34 (476/404)
9/17 – Georgia Tech 33-17 (454/228)
9/26 – at Virginia Tech 7-31 (209/370)
10/3 – Oklahoma 21-20 (342/341)
10/10 – Florida A&M 48-16 (470/262)
10/17 – at UCF 27-7 (363/229)
10/24 – Clemson 37-40 OT (433/410)
10/31 – at Wake Forest 28-27 (356/555)
11/7 – Virginia 52-17 (515/149)
11/14 – at North Carolina
11/21 – Duke
11/28 – at South Florida

10. Houston
9/5 – Northwestern St. 55-7 (538/263)
9/12 – at Oklahoma St. 45-35 (512/434)
9/26 – Texas Tech 29-28 (579/484)
10/3 – at UTEP 41-58 (664/581)
10/10 – at Mississippi St. 31-24 (553/490)
10/17 – at Tulane 44-16 (516/437)
10/24 – SMU 38-15 (394/397)
10/31 – Southern Miss 50-43 (750/608)
11/7 – at Tulsa 46-45 (695/534)
11/14 – at UCF
11/21 – Memphis
11/28 – Rice

11. Utah
9/3 – Utah St. 35-17 (519/342)
9/12 – at San Jose St. 24-14 (499/264)
9/19 – at Oregon 24-31 (297/312)
9/26 – Louisville 30-14 (416/261)
10/10 – at Colorado St. 24/17 (457/334)
10/17 – at UNLV 35-15 (327/327)
10/24 – Air Force 23-16 OT (267/318)
10/31 – Wyoming 22-10 (363/202)
11/7 – New Mexico 45-14 (557/334)
11/14 – at TCU
11/21 – San Diego St.
11/28 – at BYU

12. LSU
9/5 – at Washington 31-23 (321/478)
9/12 – Vanderbilt 23-9 (326/210)
9/19 – Louisiana-Lafayette 31-3 (330/272)
9/26 – at Mississippi St. 30-26 (263/374)
10/3 – at Georgia 20-13 (368/274)
10/10 – Florida 3-13 (162/327)
10/24 – Auburn 31-10 (376/193)
10/31 – Tulane 42-0 (455/216)
11/7 – at Alabama 15-24 (253/454)
11/14 – Louisiana Tech
11/21 – at Mississippi
11/28 - Arkansas

13. Oregon
9/3 – at Boise St. 8-19 (152/361)
9/12 – Purdue 38-36 (356/451)
9/19 – Utah 31-24 (312/297)
9/26 – Cal 42-3 (524/207)
10/3 – Washington St. 52-6 (514/158)
10/10 – at UCLA 24-10 (303/211)
10/24 – at Washington 43-19 (416/395)
10/31 – USC 47-20 (613/327)
11/7 – at Stanford 42-51 (570/505)
11/14 – Arizona St.
11/21 – at Arizona
12/3 – Oregon St.

14. USC
9/5 – San Jose St. 56-3 (620/121)
9/12 – at Ohio St. 18-15 (313/265)
9/19 – at Washington 13-16 (360/293)
9/29 – Washington St. 27-6 (403/229)
10/3 – at Cal 30-3 (457/285)
10/17 – at Notre Dame 34-27 (501/367)
10/24 – Oregon St. 42-36 (429/482)
10/31 – at Oregon 20-47 (327/613)
11/7 – at Arizona St. 14-9 (258/347)
11/14 – Stanford
11/28 – UCLA
12/5 – Arizona

15. Ohio St.
9/5 – Navy 31-27 (363/342)
9/12 – USC 15-18 (265/313)
9/19 – at Toledo 38-0 (522/210)
9/26 – Illinois 30-0 (318/170)
10/3 – at Indiana 33-14 (378/228)
10/10 – Wisconsin 31-13 (184/368)
10/17 – at Purdue 18-26 (287/361)
10/24 – Minnesota 38-7 (509/286)
10/31 – New Mexico St. 45-0 (559/62)
11/7 – at Penn St. 24-7 (353/201)
11/14 – Iowa
11/21 – at Michigan

16. Penn St.
9/5 – Akron 31-7 (515/186)
9/12 – Syracuse 28-7 (318/200)
9/19 – Temple 31-6 (359/251)
9/26 – Iowa 10-21 (307/298)
10/3 – at Illinois 35-17 (513/393)
10/10 – Eastern Illinois 52-3 (553/206)
10/17 – Minnesota 20-0 (464/138)
10/24 – at Michigan 35-10 (396/250)
10/31 – at Northwestern 34-13 (437/371)
11/7 – Ohio State 7-24 (201/353)
11/14 – Indiana
11/21 – at Michigan St.

17. Wisconsin
9/5 – Northern Illinois 28-20 (433/274)
9/12 – Fresno St. 34-31 OT (413/468)
9/19 – Wofford 44-14 (430/259)
9/26 – Michigan St. 38-30 (436/486)
10/3 – at Minnesota 31-28 (454/328)
10/10 – at Ohio St. 13-34 (368/184)
10/17 – Iowa 10-20 (230/283)
10/31 – Purdue 37-0 (381/141)
11/7 – at Indiana 31-28 (488/386)
11/14 – Michigan
11/21 – at Northwestern
12/5 – at Hawaii

18. Pittsburgh
9/5 – Youngstown St. 38-3 (390/159)
9/12 – at Buffalo 54-27 (381/500)
9/19 – Navy 27-14 (369/218)
9/26 – at NC State 31-38 (300/530)
10/2 – at Louisville 35-10 (404/305)
10/10 – UConn 24-21 (489/303)
10/16 – at Rutgers 24-17 (376/286)
10/24 – South Florida 41-14 (486/212)
11/7 – Syracuse 37-10 (481/285)
11/14 – Notre Dame
11/27 – at West Virginia
12/5 – Cincinnati

19. Oklahoma State
9/5 – Georgia 24-10 (307/257)
9/12 – Houston 35-45 (434/512)
9/19 – Rice 41-24 (351/377)
9/26 – Grambling St. 56-6 (587/260)
10/10 – at Texas A&M 36-31 (448/382)
10/17 – Missouri 33-17 (351/393)
10/24 – Baylor 34-7 (445/284)
10/31 – Texas 14-41 (277/275)
11/7 – at Iowa St. 34-8 (473/242)
11/14 – Texas Tech
11/19 – Colorado
11/28 – at Oklahoma

20. Arizona
9/5 – Central Michigan 19-6 (448/182)
9/12 – Northern Arizona 34-17 (559/226)
9/19 – at Iowa 17-27 (253/338)
9/26 – at Oregon St. 37-32 (388/407)
10/10 – at Washington 33-36 (461/256)
10/17 – Stanford 43-38 (553/584)
10/24 – UCLA 27-13 (456/211)
11/7 – Washington St. 48-7 (471/185)
11/14 – at Cal
11/21 – Oregon
11/28 – at Arizona St.
12/5 – at USC

21. Virginia Tech
9/5 – Alabama (in Atlanta, GA) 24-34 (155/498)
9/12 – Marshall 52-10 (605/252)
9/19 – Nebraska 16-15 (278/343)
9/26 – Miami 31-7 (370/209)
10/3 – at Duke 34-26 (477/397)
10/10 – Boston College 48-14 (441/163)
10/17 – at Georgia Tech 23-28 (334/360)
10/29 – North Carolina 17-20 (256/312)
11/5 – at East Carolina 16-3 (379/277)
11/14 – at Maryland
11/21 – NC State
11/28 – at Virginia

22. Oregon St.
9/5 – Portland St. 34-7 (433/351)
9/12 – at UNLV 23-21 (382/310)
9/19 – Cincinnati 18-28 (344/408)
9/26 – Arizona 32-37 (407/388)
10/3 – at Arizona St. 28-17 (295/406)
10/10 – Stanford 38-28 (463/375)
10/24 – at USC 36-42 (482/429)
10/31 – UCLA 26-19 (463/374)
11/7 – at Cal 31-14 (436/239)
11/14 – Washington
11/21 – at Washington St.
12/3 – at Oregon

23. Auburn
9/5 – Louisiana Tech 37-13 (556/245)
9/12 – Mississippi St. 49-24 (589/297)
9/19 – West Virginia 41-30 (400/509)
9/26 – Ball St. 54-30 (560/260)
10/3 – at Tennessee 26-22 (449/410)
10/10 – at Arkansas 23-44 (375/495)
10/17 – Kentucky 14-21(315/357)
10/24 – at LSU 10-31 (193/376)
10/31 – Mississippi 33-20 (401/394)
11/7 – Furman 63-31 (655/266)
11/14 – at Georgia
11/27 - Alabama

24. Clemson
9/5 – Middle Tennessee St. 37-14 (361/299)
9/10 – at Georgia Tech 27-30 (386/418)
9/19 – Boston College 25-7 (253/54)
9/26 – TCU 10-14 (309/388)
10/3 – at Maryland 21-24 (274/284)
10/17 – Wake Forest 38-3 (382/178)
10/24 – at Miami 40-37 OT (410/433)
10/31 – Coastal Carolina 49-3 (400/170)
11/7 – Florida St. 40-24 (483/392)
11/14 – at NC State
11/21 – Virginia
11/28 – at South Carolina

25. BYU
9/5 – Oklahoma (in Arlington, TX) 14-13 (357/265)
9/12 – at Tulane 54-3 (527/162)
9/19 – Florida St. 28-54 (473/512)
9/26 – Colorado St. 42-23 (373/438)
10/2 – Utah St. 35-17 (431/322)
10/10 – at UNLV 59-21 (611/337)
10/17 – at San Diego St. 38-28 (512/342)
10/24 – TCU 7-38 (298/412)
11/7 – at Wyoming 52-0 (543/225)
11/14 – at New Mexico
11/21 – Air Force
11/28 – Utah


Dropped Out:
21. Notre Dame
9/5 – Nevada 35-0 (510/307)
9/12 – at Michigan 34-38 (490/430)
9/19 – Michigan St. 33-30 (304/354)
9/26 – at Purdue 24-21 (383/363)
10/3 – Washington 37-30 OT (530/457)
10/17 – USC 27-34 (367/501)
10/24 – Boston College 20-16 (352/349)
10/31 – Washington St. 40-14 (592/206)
11/7 – Navy 21-23 (512/404)
11/14 – at Pittsburgh
11/21 – UConn
11/28 – at Stanford

23. Cal
9/5 – Maryland 52-13 (542/303)
9/12 – Eastern Washington 59-7 (507/235)
9/19 – at Minnesota 35-21 (415/270)
9/26 – at Oregon 3-42 (207/524)
10/3 – USC 3-30 (285/457)
10/17 – at UCLA 45-26 (494/448)
10/24 – Washington St. 49-17 (559/440)
10/31 – at Arizona St. 23-21 (351/247)
11/7 – Oregon St. 14-31 (239/436)
11/14 – Arizona
11/21 – at Stanford
12/5 – at Washington

25. Oklahoma
9/5 – BYU (in Arlington, TX) 13-14 (265/357)
9/12 – Idaho St. 64-0 (564/44)
9/19 – Tulsa 45-0 (529/269)
10/3 – at Miami 20-21 (341/342)
10/10 – Baylor 33-7 (592/268)
10/17 – Texas 13-16 (311/269)
10/24 – at Kansas 35-13 (337/305)
10/31 – Kansas St. 42-30 (458/364)
11/7 – at Nebraska 3-10 (325/180)
11/14 – Texas A&M
11/21 – at Texas Tech
11/28 – Oklahoma St.

PSU Review: Ohio State

Allow me to start this rant off by stating for the record that Ohio State deserves all the credit in the world. They outplayed Penn State in every aspect of the game and I don't want to take anything away from that. Having said that, I'm officially done rooting for this team as long as all or part of this coaching staff is still in place. I'm tired of the same conservative play calling on both offense and defense against any team with a pulse. Spread HD? Sure against the likes of Akron and Temple, but against Iowa and OSU: PUCKER. Let me put it to you this way, Paterno likes to say that the people in the media (including bloggers) have no idea what we're talking about. Fine, I'll admit most of us may not but tell me this then, how can someone with such a vacuum of football knowledge predict not only a total breakdown in philosophy but entire series of plays. I won a bet Saturday when I correctly called a three and out on one of Penn State's series. Not a single play mind you, three in a row. It's so fucking obvious what's coming that anybody that has watched more than a handful of football games can see it. If I can successfully predict what the offense is going to do (remember I'm one of them dumb bloggers) what do you think opposing defensive coordinators are going to do? See: Saturday.

Penn State opened up on their first play by not blocking anybody and the coaches went into their play calling shell. Game over before it started. For 10 weeks now we've watched horrible special teams get worse as the season goes on. They put return men back on punts whose job is to fair catch and they don't even do that well, forget about putting someone back there with some athletic ability, just fair catch the ball and get the mash-the-ball-up-the-middle offense on the field. There is absolutely no excuse for the horrid special teams coverage that has cost Penn State time and time again. That, my friends, is coaching (or lack thereof). The defense doesn't get a pass either, there was plenty of whiff tackles and boneheaded breakdowns to make any fan's head explode. (Hey, did you know Terrelle Pryor likes to run? Yeah? Might want to cover that next time, you know… Purdue did).

In the end, give credit to Ohio State for being prepared and executing but know this, this was a complete FAIL by the entire coaching staff. This team wasn't prepared to play, had a remarkably stupid game plan, and executed said retarded game plan horribly. This season Penn State has beat Akron, Syracuse, Temple, Eastern Somebody, and Minnesota at home. The two teams with a pulse beat Penn State badly. All criticism of their schedule is TOTALLY warranted. Let me put it this way: if you purchased two season tickets you dumped roughly a grand for you and a friend to watch that crap. Hope you feel you got your money's worth. Me… I took the $1000 and put it to good use… like beer.

Totally made the right choice.

Penn State Unveils “Doomsday Machine”

(University Park, PA) Scientists around the world are excited by the news coming out of central Pennsylvania yesterday. Coaches designed an offense went so far into a shell it actually collapsed in on itself temporarily creating black holes repeatedly throughout Saturday’s contest against Ohio State. A CERN spokesman was quoted as saying, “we’re left feeling a bit silly actually, we had thought that we needed to build large devices such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to observe such small phenomena, when, it seems, the same results could have been produced on the much smaller scale of an American Football field.”



Asked after the game why there was not a concerted effort to push the ball down the field, even when trailing by more than one score late in the third quarter, Jay Paterno responded, “I think we mesmerized by the scientific breakthroughs we were achieving out there. That’s the kind of thing you work your whole life to see just once and we did it almost every time the offense lined up. The possibilities of what could be uncovered in the future by our discovery are limitless” For his part, Jim Tressel seemed gracious, “I’m jealous, I’ve been on the verge of that achievement so many times and darn it they beat me to it, but I’m really happy for Joe. If I couldn’t do it, I’m glad he’s the one that beat me. I'll just have to settle for a victory in the game this year.”

The crowd seemed less enthused as they began streaming out early in the second half. “I came to watch a football game, not participate in an experiment,” claimed an unnamed spectator, “you’re playing God, I’d prefer not to be witness to Armageddon if they inadvertently end up creating a black hole large enough to consume the solar system. It’s just wrong, you’re messing with powers you don’t fully comprehend.” Early review of the data indicates no such threat exists, but the staff is still awaiting endorsement by the American Physical Society. Regardless, Police are expecting throngs of protesters to flood the area this Saturday for Penn State’s contest against Indiana.

It’s officially Cael’s team

Cael Sanderson's squad took the first step in the 2009-2010 season last night, competing in the Intrasquad Dual in Rec Hall in front of approximately 2400 fans. I can remember regular season dual meets that didn't draw that many fans but I digress. It was great to see Cael roaming the gym floor of Rec Hall and even better to hear his name announced as the coach of the Nittany Lions. There is a serious buzz around Penn State Wrestling, so much so you can almost feel it.

But enough about that, there was actual wrestling to report on even though it was just a glorified scrimmage that may (or may not) determine who wrestles at each weight. Sanderson believes most or all of his incoming freshman class and a couple current wrestlers will redshirt this season. So we got a chance to see a sneak peek at the future and things are looking good. While the future is bright, the present is… not so much. First the results:

174: Justin Ortega dec. David Erwin, 6-2
184: Ed Ruth maj. dec. J.R. Brown, 10-1
Exhib 184: Quentin Wright dec. David Crowell, 8-2
197: Luke Macchiaroli dec. Clay Steadman, 5-3
285: #20 Cameron Wade tech. fall Brendan Herlihy, 15-0 (7:00)
125: #8 Brad Pataky tech. fall Tom Reynolds, 16-1 (3:17)
133: Tyler Saltsman dec. Bryan Pearsall, 6-4 (SV)
141: Adam Lynch inj. def. Colby Pisani, (Pisani cramping)
149: #6 Frank Molinaro maj. dec. James English, 12-4
157: #5 Cyler Sanderson dec. David Taylor, 11-4
165: Jake Kemerer dec. #9 Dan Vallimont, 4-3

Ed Ruth, Luke Macchiaroli, and Jake Kemerer are all incoming freshman expected to redshirt which is unfortunate because they would all be wrestling at their respective weight classes. David Taylor is another of the incoming freshman, he and Quentin Wright are also expected to redshirt. While Taylor didn't win he wrestled extremely well for a true freshman wrestling against the fifth ranked wrestler in the nation. Taylor showed why he was ranked the top recruit in the nation by riding Sanderson out the entire third period. Give him a year to adjust to college wrestling and David Taylor is going to be something special.

As for the guys that remain, Ortega was a big surprise beating out David Erwin and Dan Vallimont needs to step things up. Vallimont has definitely not bought into Sanderson's offensive style of wrestling. Vallimont has always been a defensive wrestler that wins close matches even against far less talented wrestlers and Kemerer showed what happens when you let someone hang around. Jake got the winning takedown with just 5 seconds left.

David Crowell is a transfer from Pitt and won't be eligible until January and when he is he will probably have the spot at 184, until then J.R. Brown is the only option. Expect big gaping holes at 197, 133, and 141. Sanderson has said that the core team of returning ranked wrestlers could still make a run but referring to this team as a "real strong tournament team" as he has in the past is just another way of saying PSU is in bad shape in dual meets because of the holes in the lineup.

It's going to be an interesting year nonetheless, and the Sanderson era has just begun. Great things come to those that wait and for Penn State Wrestling fans, we've been waiting for greatness a long, long time; what's another year or two?