Thoughts From The Valley

The Hangover

How I am feeling: Disappointed. No getting around it, really, folks. I believe in my heart that Penn State had the better team than Michigan this year. But my worst fears came to fruition, once again, on Saturday, when the Penn State coaching staff (or, more specifically, the offensive coaching staff) walked into Ann Arbor with the same old philosophy: "The defense will win this for us. Let's just not screw it up." Remarkably, they screwed it up anyway. If Penn State scores a single touchdown on Saturday, they win. They couldn't even muster that. All due credit to Michigan, however, and especially gutty freshman quarterback Ryan Mallett.

What I am drinking: Smuttynose Brewing Company Pumpkin Ale. Before you judge me, let me speak these two points: 1) Smuttynose (of New Hampshire) is one of the finest craft breweries in the nation; 2) This pumpkin ale is not your standard pumpkin ale. Taking a page from their their Pilgrim forefathers (who utilized the autumn pumpkin crop to extend the brewing season), Smuttynose has crafted a subtle, drinkable and powerful (6.0 percent ABV) brew that is perfect for September sipping. Enjoy, folks.

What I am listening to: Neil Young, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere: Sometime in the fall of 1994, I took a class trip for a freshman-level American history class at Penn State. The trip was to Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright's signature masterpiece. And on that two-hour drive to Fallingwater, I listened to Neil Young's Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere for the first time. Surrounded by the sights of the autumn leaves of central Pennsylvania and the sounds Neil Young's remarkable guitar work, I was extremely happy (also, it should be noted, we had just beaten Ohio State, 63-14, the day before). This remains one of my favorite college football season records.

My thoughts on the weekend:Folks, I cannot mask my disappointment. It is real. It is tangible. Just as Mrs. Your Editor. She is living with it.

But you know what? This afternoon, after spending a few hours watching NFL football (Steelers, Eagles, etc.) with TCFA Friend Scott Burke, Your Editor drove home through Philadelphia's beautiful Fairmount Park, just now turning yellow/orange/red with autumn's arrival, and enjoyed a moment of peace and clarity.

What did this moment tell me? Well, I'll tell you. It told me the following:

1) Things could be worse. My Nits are 3-1. Ranked No. 21 and No. 19 in the respective "polls." There is, in the words of Lee Corso, "a lot of football to be played."

2) Joe Paterno, despite his shortcomings in offensive gameplanning, is right about this (famous JoePa quote to follow): "You are never as good as you think you are when you win, and you are never as bad as you think you are when you lose." Please take a second to let the great, simple wisdom of that quote sink in, folks.

3) I am still a Nittany Lion.

We love our teams, folks, and we love them no matter what.

Somewhere in this great nation, there is a man with a basement bar dedicated to Kentucky football. And for the better part of the past century, this man has suffered. Greatly. But you know what? This season, he is the happiest man on the planet. Because Kentucky just beat Louisville and Arkansas back-to-back.

Today, in that basement bar dedicated to Kentucky, that man is drinking bourbon. He is watching ESPN analysts talk about how great the Wildcats are. And he is thinking this: "There is nothing better than being a Kentucky football fan."

That's how I felt two weeks ago, when Penn State beat Notre Dame (little did I know how bad Notre Dame was). But regardless, I sit here today and realize that my life as a Penn State fan has not been that bad.

And I also realize there are better days ahead.

In fact, there are better days ahead in exactly five days. Saturday awaits.

Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust

Three ...: OK, enough whining about Penn State. The time has come to offer kudos to a Big Ten team that actually took care of business this weekend: And so, now, TCFA offers its hats-off treatment to the Michigan Wolverines, and, more specifically, the remarkable effort of tailback Mike Hart. Hart carried the ball 44 times against Penn State. He took numerous licks from linebackers Dan Connor and Sean Lee. But even though Hart was banged up, and even though he was battling Strep Throat (believe it or not, folks), he kept battling, kept pushing, and never once left the ballgame. Hart is not the fastest back in the country. He is not the biggest. He is not the strongest. But he may well be the best.

Two ...: The text message, sent by TCFA Friend and Georgia alum Brian M. Schleter, arrived on Your Editor's phone approximately five seconds after the game ended--"Richt now 22-3 in SEC road games." Yes, Georgia coach Mark Richt just won another road game in the brutal SEC, this time taking down a rising Alabama squad on their home turf, in overtime, on quarterback Matt Stafford's absolutely perfect game-winning touchdown pass to Mikey Henderson (and if there is a more underappreciated superstar in the country than Henderson, I haven't seen him). Georgia gave up big leads twice, but unlike most other teams in similar spots, the 'Dawgs kept their heads in the game and, more importantly, got the road SEC win (no small task) once again. That focus and effort can be credited to Richt, who despite not having posted much "championship" success, is one of the best and brightest young coaches in the country.

One ...: Surprise, surprise. Ohio State once again appears to be the best team in the Big Ten. Why I am not surprised by that?

Touchdown ...: In the days leading up to Penn State's loss to Michigan, Harrisburg Patriot News writer David Jones practically begged Penn State's offensive braintrust to open up the offense--to, for once, take some chances down the field, utilize quarterback Anthony Morelli's singular asset (his rocket arm) and get the ball to those great wide receivers that the Nittany Lion staff worked so hard to recruit. But what did the coaches do on Saturday? They curled up into a little ball. They ran with our horrible running game. They handed the game to Michigan. As Jones wrote on Sunday, Penn State came out with a game plan that dated to "World War I." And it seems the conservative approach was not lost on Morelli, who, when asked after the game what he thought of the gameplan, offered this: "I don't call the plays. You'll have to ask the coaches about that. I just want to win.'' So the question, now, is this: Where does Penn State go from here? With a trip to Illinois looming, do the leaders step up and get the team back on track? Do the players realize how much there remains to play for? Your Editor believes the talent is there to win out. I really believe that. But whether or not that happens, well, that's up to the players. Or maybe more importantly, it's up to the coaches--who need to realize, finally, that the old "World War I" approach will not cut it.