Thoughts From the Valley

The Hangover

How I am feeling: Nostalgic. Yes, already. Even though Your Editor literally just returned from Happy Valley (Penn State beat Syracuse 28-7, and Your Editor and Your Editor's Family tailgated like champions), I am already nostalgic for the events of the weekend. What a weekend it was. More on that in just a bit.

What I am drinking: Dogfish Head Raison D'Etre. Autumn is here. Which means the time for "big beers" has arrived. But it's not quite full-on Victory Storm King season yet, folks. So we're gonna ease into the season with something a little more approachable; this ale from Delaware's Dogfish Head fits the bill. As described on the label, it is "a deep mahogany ale brewed with Belgian beer, sugars, green raisins and a sense of purpose." Sounds tasty. Is tasty.

What I am listening to: Mountain Stage, the most wonderful live music radio show on the planet. It airs each week here in Philly at 6 p.m. Sunday. I tune in whenever I can. And I suggest you do the same. Find out when your local National Public Radio affiliate airs the show by clicking here.

My thoughts on the weekend: If you read Friday's edition (thanks, by the way, for all of the kind words about that one, folks), then you know that this weekend was a big one in The World of Your Editor.

Not only was it a college football weekend.

Not only was I attending a Penn State game.

I was attending a Penn State weekend with my parents. And tailgating with them, too.

It was to be their first tailgate. That's an important one. You only get one first tailgate, folks. Better make it a good one.

Well, I'm happy to report: It went well.

Very well.

I won't give you a rundown of everything that happened during our all-too-brief stay together at the wonderful Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, but I will say this: It was a fantastic weekend. A really fantastic weekend.

We ate well and we drank well.

We talked (about college football, and life). We laughed.

We entertained the kids. They entertained us.

We had a few drinks down at The Legends bar.

Then a few more.

We tailgated bright and early In The Shadow of Mount Nittany: Martinis. Mimosas. Beck's beer (in a can, as per Penn State regulations). Slovenian sausage. Other stuff.

We saw the Penn State Blue Band play their pregame show at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Ever-Demanding Anna enjoyed this immensely. Which is saying something.

We went to the game. Ah, the game.

We watched Daryll Clark dominate the Syracuse secondary. We decided he is our best quarterback since Kerry Collins.

We grumbled about the offensive line. We wished we had put up more points. We started worrying about the rest of the season. Iowa, specifically. And Michigan. And Ohio State.

We grumbled some more about only winning by 21 points.

Then we decided, in the end, that "a win is a win." So we decided we'd take it.

We hiked back to the hotel.

We hit Legends again. We marveled at the beer selection. And their proficiency at pouring Manhattans.

We watched Michigan-Notre Dame. We cheered for Michigan. We did, really. And then we realized Tate Forcier is going to be a problem for years to come.

Then we had dinner, got cleaned up, watched a little bit of that Ohio State-USC game, battled the kids (they don't like sleeping, folks) and called it a night.

Then it was Sunday morning. And it was time to go home.

Now, I won't lie to you, folks.

I was a little bit sad as we drove out of Happy Valley.

Sad that it will be at least another year before Your Editor gets to tailgate with Your Editor's Parents. Sad that weekends are only two days, and not three. Sad that it's six whole says until the next college football Saturday.

And, most of all, sad that a weekend I had looked forward to for so long had ended so suddenly—ended, really, before I could even begin to truly appreciate it for what it was.

One of the best weekends I'll ever have.

Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust

Three ...: To everyone out there who claims that the Big Ten is a "two-team race" between Ohio State and Penn State. Well, think again. Because Michigan is a legit Big Ten contender. I have seen Tate Forcier at his best. And I am sold. There's a reason every school in the country wanted this kid, folks. You saw why on Saturday.

Two ...: Oklahoma State's collapse against Houston is not the least bit surprising. Because as we know, Okie State = Michigan State = Clemson. The Cowboys cannot be trusted. And let's be honest: Did you really think that was a Top 5 team? Yeah, that's what I thought. Oh, and speaking of Clemson ... I must say, that was a very non-Clemson-like performance Thursday night in Atlanta. Down 24-0 in the first half, the Tigers could have easily given up. And in years past, that's exactly what they would have done. But this time, they didn't play like Clemson. They played like grown-ups. Unfazed by the early deficit, they came all the way back and were one or two plays way from beating the Yellow Jackets. That's a testament to coach Dabo Swinney, who besides having an awesome Southern name also appears to be a heck of a football coach. The lesson of the day? Clemson may well be on their way to becoming non-Clemson.

One ...: Time for my weekly thoughts about the Penn State Nittany Lions. We'll start with the good: Daryll Clark is a really fantastic quarterback; Sean Lee is a really fantastic linebacker; Jared Odrick might be the best defensive tackle we've had in the past 20 years. Now the bad (and there's just one item here, folks; besides, we're 2-0 and ranked No. 5 in the country): The offensive cannot run block. They pass-protect beautifully. Really, they do. But they get no push on the running plays. This is a problem. I mean, it's a real problem. Clark can't do it all by himself. Jay Paterno and gang have got to figure this out. Because if they don't, a team that many folks have pegged as going 11-1 might easily go 9-3. Especially now that the Michigan game isn't the gimme everyone thought it was going to be.

Touchdown ...: Yes, I picked Ohio State to beat USC. And yes, I believed Ohio State could beat USC. Yes, I really did. So don't take what I'm about to write here as a slam on the Buckeyes. Because it's not. With that disclaimer out of the way, I proceed thusly: I think Toledo has a legitimate shot at beating Ohio State this weekened. The Rockets are coming off a 54-38 pasting of Colorado, and the game wasn't even that close. Toledo flat-out dominated. And while I know the Rockets opened their season with a loss against Purdue, well, turns out Purdue is actually pretty good (they were a two-point conversion away from taking Oregon to overtime ... at Autzen Stadium). The Buckeyes are going to be suffering from a major post-USC hangover and, no matter what The Senator says, aren't likely to take Toledo all that seriously. Keep an eye on this one, folks. It could be interesting. Just sayin'.