Will the Hawkeye Still Stand Tall?

We have a tradition in our household.  We have been collecting the stuffed mascots of Penn State's opposing teams since we joined the Big Ten in 1993.

In fact, the first Big Ten mascot we ever acquired was Herky the Iowa Hawkeye.

We line up all our mascots on our fireplace mantle each season.  Although I must confess that I never acquired a Youngstown State Penguin.  So I'm using a stuffed Opus penguin - close enough of a substitute for our purpose here!

At the beginning of the season, all the mascots stand.  Then as we play the game, we reflect wins and losses.  If the mascot's team loses, the mascot lies down.  If the mascot's team wins, they continue to stand.

So for now our mantlepiece looks like this:

 The Penguin, the Golden Flash, and the Owl are lying down.  Big Al the Elephant is standing.
So is Herky the Hawkeye, for now.  As are the rest of the mascots on our Big Ten schedule.


Frankly it's been a bit tiresome having Herky the Hawkeye standing all season during the last couple of years.  Nothing would give us more pleasure than to see him join the Owl on his back!

Royster, Wagner Shine in Tight Win

When running back Evan Royster started the Penn State-Temple game with a 50-yard run from scrimmage, I yelled "break out game!"

I came to regret those words as Temple scored two touchdowns over our two field goals and my husband Terry kept yelling, "Break out game??? What, for Temple?"

Penn State Football: Tailgate Excels, The Nittany Lions Not So Much in 24-0 Shutout

It’s hard not to be cynical about September non-conference games.  It’s an ever-present fact of Beaver Stadium economics that Penn State will continue to schedule teams that are willing to get beat up in exchange for a healthy paycheck so that Penn State can get a 7^th home game. 

And it’s not just Penn State that does this.  Look around at the non-conference schedules of any Big Ten or other major FBS team and you will see some sort of “cupcake” scheduled for a September game.

Such was the case yesterday with Kent State, a MAC team that many view really doesn’t belong on the same field as a Penn State team. 

Or at least that’s what people believe about such games.  The reality yesterday wasn’t exactly so.  

Penn State Football: Despite Loss, Alabama Trip Did Not Disappoint

It is a bit excessive to leave Wednesday night for a Saturday night game, especially when you're flying, not driving.   Terry complained all day Tuesday and on Wednesday morning as we were packing for the trip.

I had to remind him that the reason we were on a tour was that it was the only way we could get tickets to the game, and that when I booked the tour, I really wanted this to be a special trip and was especially looking forward to a tour of the Alabama campus and the Bear Bryant Museum.

Terry grumbled anyhow.  He is only interested in the game. The rest of the tour to him was a necessary nuisance. 

We're used to traveling commercial flights for most Penn State games, but for this tour, a charter plane flew direct from Harrisburg, PA. to Birmingham, AL. on Thursday at 9 a.m. 

So it was a long wait until Saturday night's game.  A very long wait!

An EmBOLDENed Penn State Offense Earns a Decisive Win

Larry, who sits in front of us, showed up this year with a new T-shirt expressing his feelings about Penn State's new parking fees for day-of-game parking.   Evidently a lot of his friends hadn't gotten the message that day of game parking would be $40 as opposed to $15 if ordered ahead of time. 

Add to that Larry's belief that the STEP program is greedy and will drive a lot of people out of the stadium.  He truly believes he could sell some of his P$U T-shirts on e-Bay.  He has even applied for a trademark on the shirt design he has created.

But, Larry is among Penn State fans who are in fact renewing for 2011 and beyond. Despite his grumbling.

Divisions Okay With Me...Robert Bolden Surprises

In my view it was important to preserve Ohio State as an annual border rivalry and the closest B10 rival geographically.  Wisconsin is also a good opponent and always a fun atmosphere to visit - my favorite Big Ten away game venue - but Thanksgiving weekend every other year in Madison?  Sounds cold.