2008 Penn State Additional Information

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

Additional Information

Coaching Staff

Head Coach:
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Official School Bio - Joe Paterno

Assistant Coaches:
Official School Bios - Assistant Coaches
Dick Anderson - Asst. Coach, OL/Guards & Centers
Tom Bradley - Asst. Coach, Defense/Cornerbacks
Kermit Buggs - Asst. Coach, Safeties
Galen Hall - Asst. Coach, Offense/Running Backs
Larry Johnson - Asst. Coach, Defensive Line
Bill Kenney - Asst. Coach, Off. Tackles/Tight Ends
Mike McQueary - Asst. Coach, WR/Recruiting Coordinator
Jay Paterno - Asst. Coach, Quarterbacks
John Thomas - Strength and Conditioning Coach
Ron Vanderlinden - Asst. Coach, Linebackers

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Recruiting

Starters Returning: 17 (Offense 8, Defense 7, Special Teams 2)
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Letterman Returning: 35 (Offense 16, Defense 17, Special Teams 2)
Notable Returners:
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WR Deon Butler, T Gerald Cadogan, T Dennis Landolt, G Mike Lucian, G Rich Ohrnberger, TE Andrew Quarless, C A.Q. Shipley, WR Derrick Williams, S Tony Davis, DE Maurice Evans, DE Josh Gaines, LB Sean Lee, LB Tyrell Sales, S Anthony Scirrotto, CB A.J. Wallace, P Jeremy Boone, PK Kevin Kelly

Starters Lost: 7 (Offense 3, Defense 4, Special Teams 0)Letterman Lost: 23 (Offense 12, Defense 10, Special Teams 1)
Notable Losses:
WR Terrell Golden, TB Rodney Kinlaw, QB Anthony Morelli, DT Chris Baker, LB Dan Connor, CB Justin King, DT Phil Taylor

Incoming Recruits:

2009 Verbals:
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Mark Arcidiacono OL 6-4 289 Philadelphia, PA
Nate Cadogan OL 6-6 265 Portsmouth, OH
Glenn Carson LB 6-3 220 Manahawkin, NJ
Curtis Drake QB 6-0 175 Philadelphia, PA
Curtis Dukes RB 6-2 225 Philadelphia, NY
Brandon Felder WR 6-2 167 Oxon Hill, MD
Frank Figueroa OL 6-4 282 Alexandria, VA
Darrell Givens DB 6-0 170 Indian Head, MD
Adam Gress OL 6-7 294 West Mifflin, PA
Ty Howle OL 6-2 290 Bunn, NC
Christian Kuntz WR 6-4 195 Camp Hill, PA
Stephon Morris DB 5-8 172 Greenbelt, MD
Stephen Obeng-Agyapong DB 5-10 Bronx, NY
Eric Shrive OL 6-7 285 Scranton, PA
Devon Smith ATH 5-7 140 Waldorf, MD
Sean Stanley DE 6-2 250 Gaithersburg, MD
Derrick Thomas DB 6-0 176 Greenbelt, MD
Malcolm Willis DB 5-11 201 Indian Head, MD

Class of 2008:

Brandon Beachum LB 5-11 216 Youngstown, OH
Jack Crawford DE 6-6 255 Richland, NJ
Mike Farrell OL 6-5 285 Pittsburgh, PA
D'Anton Lynn DB 6-1 177 Celina, TX
Pete Massaro DE 6-4 240 Newtown Square, PA
Michael Mauti LB 6-2 215 Mandeville, LA
Deon'tae Pannell OL 6-5 300 Birmingham, MI
A.J. Price WR 6-4 175 Reston, VA
Matt Stankiewitch OL 6-4 295 Schuylkill Haven, PA
James Terry DT 6-3 310 Brandywine, DE
Brandon Ware DT 6-4 358 Harrisburg, PA
Mark Wedderburn TE 6-6 235 Springfield, PA
Mike Yancich LB 6-1 216 Washington , PA
Mike Zordich LB 6-1 220 Youngstown, OH

Class of 2007:

Drew Astorino ATH 5-11 185 Edinboro, PA
Quinn Barham OL 6-3 272 Durham, NC
Ryan Breen K 6-2 205 Clarkston, MI
Chris Colasanti LB 6-2 209 Lakeville, MI
Andrew Dailey LB 6-2 209 Massillon, OH
Jon Ditto WR 6-3 221 Monroeville, PA
Stephfon Green DB 5-10 184 Bronx, NY
Kevion Latham DE 6-3 233 Greensboro, NC
[strike]Josh Marks OL 6-5 300 Catawissa, PA [/strike]
Nerraw McCormack OL 6-5 290 Garden City, NY
Derek Moye WR 6-4 182 Rochester, PA
Chimaeze Okoli DT 6-5 275 Virginia Beach, VA
Ako Poti OL 6-5 300 San Francisco, CA
Chaz Powell DB 6-1 184 New Freedom, PA
Devon Still DE 6-6 251 Wilmington, DE
Nathan Stupar LB 6-2 220 State College, PA
Joe Suhey WR 6-2 190 Wilmette, IL
Nick Sukay DB 6-3 200 Greensburg, PA
Andrew Szczerba TE 6-6 265 Wilmington, DE
J.B. Walton OL 6-3 282 New Berlin, NY
Stefen Wisniewski OL 6-3 275 Pittsburgh, PA

Class of 2006:

[strike]Chris Bell WR 6-3 205 Norfolk, VA [/strike]
Navorro Bowman LB 6-0 218 Suitland, MD
Brett Brackett QB 6-6 232 Lawrenceville, NJ
Brent Carter RB 6-3 205 Pottstown, PA
Pat Devlin QB 6-3 200 Exton, PA
Lou Eliades OL 6-4 286 Ocean, NJ
Maurice Evans DE 6-3 245 Middle Village, NY
Bani Gbadyu LB 6-1 205 Gaithersburg, MD
Cedric Jeffries WR 6-1 185 Egg Harbor , NJ
Doug Klopacz OL 6-2 249 Montvale, NJ
Abe Koroma DT 6-3 280 Takoma Park, PA
Eric Latimore DE 6-5 240 Middletown, DE
[strike]Antonio Logan-El OL 6-4 307 Forestville, MD [/strike]
Aaron Maybin DE 6-3 211 Ellicot City, MD
[strike]Travis McBride RB 6-0 188 McKeesport, PA [/strike]
Tom McEowen DT 6-4 279 Feasterville, PA
Jared Odrick DT 6-5 303 Lebanon, PA
Ollie Ogbu DT 6-3 320 Milford, NY
Andrew Quarless TE 6-4 222 Uniondale, NY
Evan Royster RB 6-0 190 Chantilly, VA
[strike]Phillip Taylor DT 6-3 346 Clinton, MD [/strike]
Johnnie Troutman DE 6-4 289 Browns Mills, NJ
A.J. Wallace DB 6-1 195 Pomfret, MD
[strike]J.B. Walton OL 6-3 275 Indian Head, MD[/strike]

Class of 2005:

[strike]Chris Baker DT 6-3 290 Windsor, CT [/strike]
Darryl Clark QB 6-2 195 Kiski Prep, PA
[strike]Francis Claude TE 6-5 246 Vancouver, Que. [/strike]
[strike]Brennan Coakley TE 6-5 235 Sandy Hook, CT [/strike]
Kevin Cousins WR 6-3 189 Richmond, VA
Devin Fentress DB 5-10 164 Chesapeake, VA
Willie Harriott DB 5-10 180 New Haven, CT
Jerome Hayes LB 6-2 225 Bayonne, NJ
Kevin Kelly K 5-9 175 Langhorne, PA
[strike]Justin King DB 6-0 183 Pittsburgh, PA [/strike]
Dennis Landolt OL 6-5 268 Delran, NJ
Sean Lee LB 6-3 215 Pittsburgh, PA
[strike]Matthew Lowry OL 6-6 300 Springfield, PA [/strike]
James McDonald WR 6-2 176 Washington, D.C.
Lydell Sargeant ATH 5-10 172 Lompoc , CA
Anthony Scirrotto DB 6-1 185 West Deptford, NJ
Mickey Shuler TE 6-4 218 East Pennboro, PA
Knowledge Timmons ATH 5-10 175 York, PA
Derrick Williams ATH 6-0 189 Greenbelt, MD

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Behind the Numbers

This just in: Beano Cook was wrong.

No, we're not playing Notre Dame. Sure, most of Beano's erroneous predictions have been a variety of takes on over-rating the Irish. But the prediction in question was that Joe Paterno would take the Big Ten over; that he would "own it".

Somehow they still trot this guy out as an "expert" on college football.

Ohio State is not the only team that has had their way with the Lions more often than not, but few teams have done it as convincingly. Jim Tressel's record against JoePa looks like this:

Home: 3-0
Away: 2-2
Overall: 5-2

Average Score Overall: 22.4 - 15.1
Average Score at home: 20.7 - 7.7

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That last number is what many Ohio State fans are pinning their hopes on for the de facto Big Ten Championship game: Ohio State's defense has held the Nittany Lions to just over a touchdown, on average, in games at the Horseshoe. But as you know, this year's Penn State is very different from what Ohio State has faced thus far this century.

avg. PSU scoring offense, 2001-2007: 25.86 pts
average national rank: 62.14

avg. OSU scoring defense, 2001-2007: 15.58 pts
average national rank: 9.71


PSU scoring offense, 2008: 45.38 pts
national rank: 7

OSU scoring offense, 2008: 13.38 pts
national rank: 12

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Because of the change in the clock rules, perhaps the fairest way of looking at these numbers is to observe that Penn State offense is ranked 55.14 places higher than their 21st century average, while the Ohio State defense is ranked 2.29 places lower than their average of the last seven years. While the Ohio State defense is not much different than what they've been, on average; this Penn State team has moved from below average to near the top.

This story is repeated throughout the 17 common stats that the NCAA posts for every Division I football team. Penn State's average rank in these 17 categories is 28.6 places higher than their average of the previous 7 years. Conversely, the Buckeye's average in these metrics is 12.0 places lower than their average during the Tressel years.

While some Buckeye fans point to the encouraging numbers that came from Ohio State's impressive performance in East Lansing; the numbers above cannot be ignored. One way or another, Saturday Night in the 'Shoe will NOT be business as usual. Here's hoping the crowd, not to mention the Buckeyes, are in rare form that night.

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The Lighter Side

Finally! Ohio State finally took it to a team. I must admit, when Thomas muffed the opening kick my first thought was, "Ah, great... one of those days." Likewise, I was not overflowing with confidence when Beanie plunged for a yard on first down. But then Pryor popped off a nice 32 yard run. The drive would end in a punt, but soon the flood gates opened and the Buckeyes cruised to an easy 45 to 7 victory over a ranked opponent. No doubt the voters would take notice of such a score, even if two of the TDs came from the defense. And notice they did. There were two teams rated in front of Ohio State last week which lost, BYU and Missouri and Ohio State managed to move in front of both of them. Quite shocking indeed. Sure the Buckeyes didn't jump any teams who won, but then this win isn't quite the same as a USC bye week, so who could have expected such a move?
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Let's go back in time for a few moments. There was a time, approximately 10 years ago, where college football fans were tired of the polls. Among the several complaints about the system then in place was that the polls were far to easily subject to voter biases and the pollsters always gave deference to "traditional powers." To combat these human problems, the powers that be turned to technology. Computers don't know Ohio State has lost the last two National Championship games. Computers don't care if the Georgia Bulldogs were the "Hot" team at the end of 2007. No sir, for the computer polls, one thing matters - data from the current season. Never mind that we only use polls that resemble what the voters think (and God forbid the computers pick two teams that the voters had rated 2nd and 3rd), I think we can agree that using multiple computer polls limits programming biases which may be present.

So, what would our Buckeyes be rated if it was just up to the computers, who don't care that they lost to Florida in 2006, or that they lost to Illinois and LSU in 2007? What would the computers think about USC losing to unranked Oregon State? Would they be wowed by this week's opponent, Penn State, beating up on the likes of Temple and Syracuse? Well, here's your top 10... you decide:

1. Texas
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2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma State
4. Oklahoma
5. Ohio State
6. Georgia
7. Penn State
8. Utah
9. Boise State
10. USC
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Texas is number one in each of the polls and 'Bama 2. These ratings seem fair across the board and one would be hard pressed to make a serious argument that either doesn't deserve the position. But, then, it gets interesting. Oklahoma State, not Penn State, looks like the number 3 team in the nation according to the silicon chips. Pollsters have them at 7th and 8th. Why? Well, it's simple. Oklahoma State wasn't rated to begin the season. While Oklahoma's rating is consistent, we find another switch-a-roo as between Ohio State and USC.

I suppose this one is harder to digest considering the results of the head to head competition between the Trojans and the Buckeyes. None the less, the computers seem to see the Buckeyes as 5 spots better than USC, while the voters continue to slobber all over the Trojans even in the face of embarassing losses to also-rans (and not coming in National Championship games, I might add) and the traditional cake-walk through the weak Pac 10. If that's not sound evidence of voter bias, I don't know what is.

Don't get me wrong, computers alone aren't the answer to the question. But, they do provide valuable insight in to human nature. For example, do you see what's missing above? Why, it's none other than human #5 Florida. The computers put the Gators 12th. Want to know why? It's because the computers see the loss to Ole Miss and don't forget it just because the Gators turn around and hand it to LSU - who, incidentally, is now tied for 19th in the computer polls - the coaches and AP pollsters have them 11th. Also missing is Texas Tech and their laughable schedule.

What have we learned? Simple - the Computers don't care that the SEC is supposedly the greatest conference of all time in the entire universe. Computers don't think losing to a lousy Oregon State team is excusable. Computers don't punish a team like Oklahoma State for not being ranked correctly in the pre-season. Computers don't think Penn State's "Spread HD" (whatever the hell that's supposed to be) is all that impressive when you consider the caliber of teams they've been crushing.

Which, of course, brings us full circle to this week's opponent - the Penn State Nittany Lions. There are so many directions this piece could go from here as PSU provides a constant stream of things to rip on. From "the Rail" to meatheads posting assualts on You Tube, to inane signage about which states are "real" and which are not, to machete wielding cafeteria-goers, Penn State is nothing but a large target to go at... and that's doesn't even include the topic of a head coach that isn't even sure what year it is. Instead, let's examine the HD Spead offense (in case you didn't know, HD means "Highly Diversive") as compared to the HS defenses they've played (Where HS means "Highly Suspect" and not "High School" though, it's hard to tell the difference). While we're at it, we might as well look at how the PSU Defense is fairing against the HS offenses they've faced (You can choose if HS means High School or Hopelessly Sad)

Gm..Team.............Record.....D Rank......O Rank
1...Coastal Carolina..(4-4).....(Non-D-IA)..(Non-D-IA)
2...Oregon State......(4-3).....(27)........(22)
3...Syracuse..........(1-6).....(107).......(109)
4...Temple............(2-5).....(70)........(115)
5...Illinois..........(4-3).....(60)........(9)
6...Purdue............(2-5).....(97)........(56)
7...Wisconsin.........(3-4).....(44)........(47)
8...Michigan..........(2-5).....(71)........(108)
.............Averages.(2.7-4.3).(68)........(59)
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Aren't you impressed? We've got two teams with winning records, both of whom are 4-3. The lone ranked opponent was Illinois which, as has since been established, was enjoying the human bias bump mentioned above when this season began. Only three offenses and two defenses faced are in the top 50, with Wisconsin's O barely making the cut. When you look at the top of the statistical leaders listings, keep the above information in mind.

Can Penn State beat Ohio State? Sure they can. Even as much as the data leads one to conclude the Nits are enjoying favroable human bias in the polls and are playing a schedule that would make former KSU headman Bill Snyder wonder how it could get any easier, Penn State is better than most people thought they'd be. If nothing else, PSU believes they are good and a lot of times that can be enough. But, Ohio State was picked to be the cream of the crop in the Big Ten for a reason. Despite all the hype the following week will generate, I'd expect to see the Buckeyes standing victorious come Saturday, and I'd expect it to be easier than we thought going in.

And, sure.. beating the #3 team in the nation won't be enough to wow voters in to moving Ohio State ahead of any team which doesn't lose on Saturday, but Ohio State does get the ever impressive Bye Week on November 1 so we can expect a decent jump then. Well, assuming a Bye Week in Columbus is at least half as impressive as an LA Bye Week..... that may be assuming too much.

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Traditions & Opponent Perspective

One would think a lion would stand so proud that traditions would be dripping off their mane. However, when talking with the Nittany Lion fans one thing was apparent, if they have rituals and traditions they aren't willing to share. Correction, they are willing to say they have traditions, just not willing to expound on what these "secretive" traditions entail. For instance:

• "The Creamery" ?
• "Old Main" Again, ?
• "Cowbell Guy" Yet another, ?
• "Mellon Bank Blue Buttons" Huh?

When pressed for more details I was met with mere silence. Therefore, those must be the "Secret Traditions."




Now, for the more public traditions:

• Blue and white, plain and simple, have been the trademark of PSU since 1890 although Black and Pink were their original colors.
• Penn States athletic symbol, chosen by the student body in 1906, is the mountain lion which once roamed central Pennsylvania. Penn State is believed to be the first college to adopt the lion as a mascot.
• Since Penn State is located in the Nittany Valley at the foot of Mount Nittany, the lion was designated as a Nittany Lion. In regional folklore, Nittany was a valorous Indian princess in whose honor the Great Spirit caused Mount Nittany to be formed. A later namesake, daughter of chief O-Ko-Cho, who lived near the mouth of Penn's Creek, fell in love with Malachi Boyer, a trader. The tearful maiden and her lost lover became legend and her name was given the the stately mountain.
• With Beaver stadium and Mt. Nittany looming in the background, "Paternoville" takes life. The students gather, set up tents and camp-out sometimes as far out as 6 days before their weekend game, all to reveice a good spot in line to purchase tickets. HIPPIES!
• The team rides in blue and white buses to the stadium, and walks through fans lined up on either sides of the walkway to enter.
• The starting QB rides in the front of the bus with Paterno and gets off the bus to the stadium first.
• JoePa coughs before he leads the team in running out onto the field (this sounds a bit more like mojo as opposed to tradition to me.)
• The band plays the "Hail to the Lion" fanfare to the four corners of the stadium and the Drum Major does a flip.
• Similar to our "O-H" "I-O" you will hear "We are" with "Penn State" as the response.
• A recent tradition started in the last several years at Beaver Stadium has the student section hopping and singing in unison to the thumping dance number "Zombie Nation."
• During home games, late in the 3rd or early 4th quarter the band plays, "Hey Baby" as the crowd sings along.
• The Lion mascot does pushups for each point PSU scored throughout the game.
• If Penn State is victorious, the victory bell is rung.
• Lest any of us forget the tradition of the Lion roar.

And now, the most confusing tradition stumbled across, "The drumline coming out to a tap then playing the 'juckita, juckita, diggi, diggi, juckita, juckita, diggi, diggi, juckita, juckita, diggi, diggi' while the band runs out yelling 'Ohhhhh, ohhhhhhhhhh, ohhhhhhhhhhh LET'S GO STATE.'"
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Historical Data

Pennsylvania State University (University Park, PA) Founded in 1855

Football 1st Season: 1887
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Stadium: Beaver Stadium (Renovated 2001)
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Constructed: 1960
Seating Capacity: 107,282
Playing Surface: Natural Grass
Conference: Big Ten Conference since 1993 (Independent all previous years)
Colors: Blue & White
Mascot: Nittany Lion
College Classification: D-IA (or equivalent) since 1937 (first year of NCAA classification)
Conference Championships: 2 Big Ten Titles: 1994, 2005* (* = Co-Champions)
Consensus All-Americans: 37 (34 different players as of 2007)
College Hall-of-Famers: 21
Pro Hall-of-Famers: 5 (Jack Ham, Franco Harris, Mike Michalske, Lenny Moore, Mike Munchak)
Award Winners: 1 Chic Harley Award, 1 Biletnikoff, 2 Butkus, 2 Butkus Silver Anniv., 4 Bednarik, 2 O'Brien, 1 Doak Walker, 1 Heisman, 1 Lombardi, 7 Maxwell, 1 Outland, 1 Sammy Baugh, 2 Walter Camp POY, 5 AFCA COY, 3 Robinson COY, 3 Bryant COY, 3 Munger COY, 3 Walter Camp COY, 2 Dodd COY, 1 Home Depot COY
National Championships: 15 non-Recognized Championships, 2 Recognized Championships (1982 & 1986 both AP & UPI/Coaches)
Number of AP/Coaches final rankings: AP-38 years, Coaches-39 years
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Records

All Time: 797-347-42 (.690)
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Bowl Games: 26-12-2 (.675) Most recently a 24-17 win over Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl (2007)
All Time vs the BigTen: 89-64-2 (.581), 73-42-0 (.608) since joining the conference
All Time vs the Ohio State Buckeyes: 12-11-0 (.522) Most recently a 37-17 loss in State College (2007).
Coach?s Reord: Joe Paterno, 1966-current, 380-125-3 (.751), since joining the BigTen (1993-current) 125-58-0 (.683)

2007 Season: 9-4-0 (.692)
Sep 1 - W vs. Florida Intl, 59-0
Sep 8 - W vs. Notre Dame, 31-10
Sep 15 - W vs. Buffalo, 45-24
Sep 22 - L at Michigan, 9-14
Sep 29 - L at Illinois, 20-27
Oct 6 - W vs. Iowa, 27-7
Oct 13 - W vs. Wisconsin, 38-7
Oct 20 - W at Indiana, 36-31
Oct 27 - L vs. Ohio State, 17-37
Nov 3 - W vs. Purdue, 26-19
Nov 10 - W at Temple, 31-0
Nov 17 - L at Michigan State, 31-35
Dec 29 - W at Texas A&M, 24-17

2008 Schedule
Aug 30 - W vs. Coastal Carolina, 66-10
Sep 6 - W vs. Oregon State, 45-14
Sep 13 - W at Syracuse, 55-13
Sep 20 - W vs. Temple, 45-3
Sep 27 - W vs. Illinois, 38-24
Oct 4 - W at Purdue, 20-6
Oct 11 - W at Wisconsin, 48-7
Oct 18 - W vs. Michigan, 46-17
Oct 25 - at Ohio State, 8:00 PM
Nov 1 - Open
Nov 8 - at Iowa, TBA
Nov 15 - vs. Indiana, TBA
Nov 22 - vs. Michigan State, TBA

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Links

Official Sites:
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Official School Site - Pennsylvania State University
Official Alumni Site - Penn State Alumni Association
Student Newspaper - The Digital Collegian
Official Athletic Site - Go PSU Sports
Official Conference Site - Big Ten Conference

Message Boards & Team Pages:
Message Boards - Fight On State (Scout)
Message Boards - Blue & White Illustrated (Rivals)
Message Boards - LaschOut (Independent)
Message Boards - John's Penn State Football (Independent)
Message Boards - Nittany Football (Independent)
Message Boards - Penn State (Sports-Boards)

Team Page - NCAA
Team Page - ESPN
Team Page - USA Today
Team Page - Fox Sports
Team Page - CNN/SI
Team Page - CFN
Team Page - CBS Sportsline
Team Page - Yahoo Sports
Team Page - Sporting News
Team Page - AOL
Team Page - CSTV
Team Page - ATSH2H
Team Page - Covers

Blog - Black Shoes Diary
Blog - We Are Penn State
Blog - Inside PA Sports (PennLive)
Blog - 50-Yard Lion (PennLive)
Blog - Back In Happy Valley (CentreDaily)
Blog - Bleed Blue 'N White
Blog - The Nittany Turkey
Blog - 2 The Lion
Blog - Nittany Notebook (MVN)
Blog - There is no Name on My Jersey
Blog - The Nittany Line
Blog - Run Up the Score
Blog - Penn State Fan Letter
Blog - Nittany Lines
Blog - Fight On State Blog (Scout)
Blog - Sports Stunner
Blog - Penn State Fan House (AOL)
Blog - Zombie Nation
Blog - Tangled up in White & Blue
Blog - Nittany Football

Local News Sources:
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Local News
Centre Daily Times - Local News
Pittsburgh Live - Pittsburgh Tribune Review - Local News
Penn Live - Local News
PhillyBurbs - Local News
Times Leader - Local News

Team Previews and Breakdowns:
Game Notes (PDF) - Ohio State Buckeyes
Game Notes (PDF) - Go PSU Sports
2008 Roster - Go PSU Sports
2008 Schedule - Go PSU Sports
2008 News - Go PSU Sports

2008 Stats - Go PSU Sports
2007 Stats (PDF) - Big Ten
2007 Stats - Conf Only (PDF) - Big Ten
Team Breakdown (PDF) - Big Ten
2008 Spring Prospectus (PDF) - Big Ten
2008 Spring Game - Big Ten
2008 Preview - BigTen

2008 PSU Nittany Lions Football Preview - CFN
2008 PSU Nittany Lions Football Preview - Offense - CFN
2008 PSU Nittany Lions Football Preview - Defense - CFN
2008 PSU Nittany Lions Football Preview - Depth Chart - CFN
2007 PSU Nittany Lions Football Preview - CFN
2006 PSU Nittany Lions Football Preview - CFN
2008 PSU LIONS PREVIEW - OZone
2008 PSU LIONS PREVIEW - College Football Poll
2008 PSU LIONS PREVIEW - BigTen-Fans
2008 PSU LIONS PREVIEW - Athlon
2008 PSU LIONS PREVIEW - B/R
2008 PSU LIONS PREVIEW - National Champs
2008 PSU LIONS PREVIEW - The Sports Network
2008 PSU LIONS PREVIEW - Red Zone Report
Game Preview - Big Ten Network

Travel:
2008 Transportation & Parking Guide - Ohio State Buckeyes
2008 ADA Guide - Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio Stadium Guide (Detailed Info) - OSU
Campus Visitor's Guide - OSU
Tickets & Merchandise - Hang On Sloopy
2008 Travel Guide - Ohio State Buckeyes
Visitor's Bureau - Experience Columbus

Big Ten:
2008 BigTen Prospectus (PDF) - BigTen
2008 BigTen Team Breakdowns (PDF) - BigTen
2008 BigTen Media Info(PDF) - BigTen
2008 BigTen Composite Schedule (PDF) - BigTen
2007 BigTen Season in Review (PDF) - BigTen
2007 BigTen Overall Stats (PDF) - BigTen
2007 BigTen Conference Stats (PDF) - BigTen
2008 CFN Big Ten Preview - CFN
2008 CFN Preseason All-Big Ten Team - CFN
2008 CFN B10 Schedules & Predictions - CFN
2008 CFN B10 Team Capsules - CFN
2008 CFN B10 Unit Rankings - CFN
2007 CFN B10 Season WrapUp - CFN
2008 BigTen Football Preview - CNN/SI
2008 BigTen Football Preview - CollegeSports-Fans
2008 BigTen Football Preview - College Football Poll
2008 BigTen Football Preview - MSNBC
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Preseason Rankings

10 - Phil Steele
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11 - Sure Fire Scouting
11 - CFN
11 - Jim Fiest
16 - Game Plan
16 - NBC
18 - Southern College Sports
19 - Vegas Insider
20 - National Champs
20 - ESPN Power Ranking
20 - Southern Pigskin
20 - SI - Stewart Mandel
21 - College Football Poll
21 - Sports Illustrated
22 - AP
22 - USA Today Coaches
22 - Rivals
23 - Athlon
23 - Atlanta Journal Constitution
24 - ESPN Mark Schlabach
24 - Dallas Star Telegram
32 - Playboy
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Preseason Watch Lists

Outland Trophy Watch List - OT Gerald Cadogan, C A.Q. Shipley.
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Fred Biletnikoff Watch List - Derrick Williams, Deon Butler
John Mackey Watch List - Andrew Quarless
Bronko Nagurski Watch List - DE Maurice Evans
Rotary Lombardi Watch List - DE Maurice Evans, C A.Q. Shipley
Rimington Watch List - A.Q. Shipley
Maxwell Watch List - WR Derrick Williams
Chuck Bednarik Watch List - DE Maurice Evans
Lou Groza Watch List - Kevin Kelly
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Season Accolades

Navorro Bowman, LB - Phil Steele?s College Football Mid-Season All-American
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Deon Butler, WR - ABC/Chevrolet Player of the Game (9-13)

Daryll Clark, QB - ABC/Chevrolet Player of the Game (9-6)

Aaron Maybin, DE - CBSsports.com Mid-season All-American
CollegeFootballNews.com Mid-season All-American
SI.com Mid-season All-American
Phil Steele's College Football Mid-Season All-American

Evan Royster, TB - Big Ten Network Player of the Game vs. Coastal Carolina

A.Q. Shipley, C - CollegeFootballNews.com Mid-season All-American
SI.com Mid-season All-American
Phil Steele?s College Football Mid-Season All-American

Derrick Williams, WR/KR - CBSsports.com Mid-season All-American
CollegeFootballNews.com Mid-season All-American
SI.com Mid-season All-American
Phil Steele's College Football Mid-Season All-American
ABC/Chevrolet Player of the Game (9-27)
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Big Ten Conference Players of the Week

Week #1 - Aug. 30, 2008
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Offense - QB Juice Williams, Illinois & QB Kellen Lewis, Indiana
Defense - LB Obi Ezeh, Michigan
Special Teams - P Stefan Demos, Northwestern

Week #2 - Sept. 6, 2008
Offense - RB Javon Ringer, Michigan State & QB Adam Weber, Minnesota & RB Evan Royster, Penn State
Defense - DE Karl Klug, Iowa
Special Teams - FB Frank Halliburton, Purdue

Week #3 - Sept. 13, 2008
Offense - RB Javon Ringer, Michigan State
Defense - LB DeAndre Levy, Wisconsin
Special Teams - PR Andy Brodell, Iowa

Week #4 - Sept. 20, 2008
Offense - RB Javon Ringer, Michigan State
Defense - DE Vince Browne, Northwestern & LB Navorro Bowman, Penn State
Special Teams - PK Amado Villarreal, Northwestern

Week #5 - Sept. 27, 2008
Offense - QB - C.J. Bach?r, Northwestern
Defense - DE - Brandon Graham, Michigan
Special Teams - KR - Derrick Williams, Penn State

Week #6 - Oct. 4, 2008
Offense - QB - Juice Williams, Illinois
Defense - LB - Brit Miller, Illinois
Special Teams - K - Brett Swenson, Michigan State & K - Joel Monroe, Minnesota

Week #7 - Oct. 11, 2008
Offense - QB - Daryll Clark, Penn State
Defense - DE - Willie VanDeSteeg, Minnesota & DE - Aaron Maybin, Penn State
Special Teams - K - Brett Swenson, Michigan State

Week #8 - Oct. 18, 2008
Offense - RB - Shonn Greene, Iowa
Defense - LB - Pat Angerer, Iowa
Special Teams - K - Kevin Kelly, Penn State
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Preseason Accolades

BigTen Preseason Media Poll
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1. Ohio State
2. Wisconsin
3. Illinois

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year - Chris "Beanie" Wells - Ohio State

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year - James Laurinaitis - Ohio State

Link to 2008 Penn State Nittany Lions Game Preview​

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Note: Statistical data was complied using a variety of sources, including:
Stassen (Chris Stassen) - Data
College Football Data Warehouse - Data
American College Football-RSFC (Dave Wilson) - Data
D1A Football (Formerly WALJ 10 College Football) - Data
National Champs.net - Data
Hickok Sports - Data