William F. Yurasko

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2006 WWN PENN STATE PREGAME #13

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wfyurasko

Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Tennessee Volunteers

Penn State makes it two new year’s bowl games in row with a date in the Outback Bowl. It is an 11 a.m. kickoff, so wipe the sleep from your eyes, have a glass of water and get in front of the television.

Penn State Gameday Central – Intercollegiate Athletics

LAST GAME

Penn State played down to the competition and barely beat Michigan State, 17-13 on Senior Day. A win is a win is a win. More

THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT: TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

Penn State’s Outback opponent is the Tennessee Volunteers, a team Penn State blew away in two bowls games in the 1990s. Overall, the series is tied at 2-2, with the two UT victories coming in back to back seasons in the 1970s. I’ll admit, I know very little about the Vols. Here is what I do know:

  • The Vols had a tough 2005 season, going 5-6 after starting #3 in the polls. The rebounded pretty well.
  • The fanbase has an unhealthy love for Peyton Manning. They whined when Manning came in second to Charles Woodson for the 1997 Heisman. Some fans cried racism for Manning’s second place finish instead of him never beating Florida. A street was named after the choking dog.
  • Manning’s replacement Tee Martin did win the National Championship but there was controversies over whether he deserved a street named after him. It eventually happened. Also, I recall Martin was also paid off by a Tennessee booster.
  • Head coach Phillip Fulmer is seemingly unloved by all. Some think he orchestrated a coup to take over for Johnny Majors. He also told the NCAA about Alabama’s recruiting violations.
  • The Vols do have a great end zone though — orange and white checkerboard.

    NO RANKING

    Check back in 2007.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

  • Outback Bowl Head Coaches Joint News Conference

    IMPORTANT ARTICLES

    Paterno’s recovery remarkable – Patriot-News
    Paterno has exceeded expectations in his recovery. He might be on the sidelines on Monday.

    Outback Bowl Notebook: Paterno wants to be on sideline – Post-Gazette

    Outback Bowl: PSU’s wants to bring SEC up to speed – Post-Gazette
    UT thinks Penn State is slow. Is it SEC arrogance or is there something to it?

    Lions say they’ve got speed – Patriot-News
    The Lions are sticking up for themselves when it comes to speed.

    Penn State notebook – Tribune-Review

    THE PENN STATE MATCHUP – Patriot-News

    Paterno keeps sunny mood – Tribune-Review
    JoePa is just happy to be there to some degree.

    FINAL BOW – Patriot-News
    This is the best Penn State senior class since 1999.

    DEFENSE

    Cloned Lions – CDT
    Posluszny and Connor are very different off the field, but on it they are so similar. They play their last game together on Monday.

    Posluszny winds down illustrious Penn State career – Tribune-Review
    More the great Pos.

    OFFENSE

    Nittany Lions’ offense has the most to prove – The Inky
    Yup. They have not had a decent win all season.

    Penn State QB Morelli hopes for tidy end to 2006 – AP/CDT
    Morelli needs a good game. When was the last time he had a good game that wasn’t against Temple?

    Outback Bowl Notebook: Morelli’s anti-Gordon rant drew plenty of support – Post-Gazette
    Morelli won’t stop whining about his high school coach. Just shut up an play Anthony.

    More from Patriot-News: Morelli isn’t backing off on his feud

    Lions’ Hunt turns his anger into fuel for success – Post-Gazette
    Who knew Tony Hunt was such an angry young man?

    Heat’s on PSU line – Patriot-News
    Just to be different, the o-line ought to try playing well in the Outback Bowl.

    TENNESSEE

    Vols’ DC in heavy demand – Patriot-News
    The Vols have a good defensive coordinator.

    Outback Bowl: Morelli’s ordeal at Penn State familiar to Volunteers’ Ainge – Post-Gazette
    Though he has not been called dumb by a high school coach, Vols QB Eric Ainge has his critics.

    Vols’ Ainge a new man – Patriot-News
    Ainge has played well this season though.

    BEANO WATCH

    Was already posted this week.

    TELEVISION

    ESPN at 11 a.m.

    MORE COVERAGE

  • Penn State Football Official Site – from the “Kremlin”
  • CDT coverage
  • Patriot-News coverage
  • Post-Gazette coverage
  • Tribune-Review coverage
  • 50 Yard Lion Blog – an Altoona dentist; daily (Patriot-News)
  • PA Sports Blog – mostly recruiting, if that is your thing
  • NittPickers – fans who work for the Patriot-News
  • No Cheering Aloud – sportswriters at the Patriot-News
  • Nittany Lines Blog — sports ed. from The Morning Call
  • Jeff Rice’s blog — PSU football beat writer at the CDT
  • Ask Jeff Q & A (CDT)
  • Monday Morning QB – Steve Smith (CDT)
  • FightOnState.com — free
  • Blue White Illustrated — Phil Grosz, subscription required
  • Black Shoe Diaries
  • Run Up the Score

    PREDICTION

    This is a tough one. Penn State can run the ball better and has a better defense than Tennessee, but Tennessee has a better offense. Rain helps Penn State I think, but there is only a 50-50 chance of it.

    I can’t decide. My gut says the Lions feel slighted by the Vols, but the off-field distractions and general offensive crumminess hurts the cause. The defense/special teams probably need to score a TD to win the game. No one at the Patriot-News thinks Penn State has a chance, but the CDT is predicting victory.

    Reluctantly, I say Vols 20 Lions 16. Penn State has not proven anything to me this year. I want to be wrong.

    GO STATE, BEAT VOLS!

    ©MMX William F. Yurasko