Down the stretch they come.
The Penn State football team thumped Temple, 31-0, on Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field for its eighth win of the season.
In this week’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a look back at the victory over the Owls, look ahead to the season finale with Michigan State, have a little women’s basketball and our weekly non-rev roundup.
There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get to it!
(Rodney Kinlaw had a huge afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field.
Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated)
Looking Back: Temple
The Nittany Lions moved to 8-3 with a 31-point win at Temple on Saturday. There weren’t many highlights to speak of. Most expected a blowout, and that’s exactly what they got.
Derrick Williams and Rodney Kinlaw had big games for the Nittany Lions, but there was some bad news to come out of the Linc. Just when we thought Anthony Morelli was over his woes, he goes out and fumbles (at the 1-yard line) and gets intercepted.
Running back Evan Royster, who has looked so good in the past few weeks, left the game with a leg injury. His status for the finale with Michigan State is uncertain.
Rather than taking a look at the top three stars of the game (as we normally do), let’s look instead at the top three stories from Saturday.
1. Beer here! — Yes, there was beer flowing at the Linc on Saturday.
We were under the impression that was a no-no at collegiate sporting events. But, hey, it’s Philadelphia, so I guess all bets are off.
Many of the PSU alums in attendance appeared to be happier than pigs in-you-know-what. Apparently, the beer flowing from the taps made the 31-0 work of art a little easier to take.
2. Fashion Sense — It’s becoming clear that Penn State coach Joe Paterno has no fashion sense.
At the Blue-White Game back in April, Paterno showed up in a denim blazer, circa 1977. On Saturday, he arrived at the Linc in a blue winter coat. Now, I’m not even sure how to describe it. It looks like something a 4-year-old wears to one of those department store photo shoots.
Someone needs to tell Joe that a simple Nittany Lion winter jacket will do the trick. They’re available at bookstores all over State College.
3. Temple is Bad — Let me preface this by saying that former Nittany Lion Al Golden has the Owls headed in the right direction, but it’s an uphill battle.
The good news: The Owls have slick uniforms and they play in a great stadium.
The bad news: They will continue to lose out on the best talent in the state to Penn State and Pitt.
But do I think Penn State should keep playing them? Absolutely. A shutout looks great in the results every season.
Looking Ahead: Michigan State
The Nittany Lions will face Michigan State in the season finale on Saturday. The Lions have won the last three games with the Spartans.
Coach Mark Dantonio is certainly an upgrade from John L. Smith, but his squad has been up and down this season.
Penn State needs a win to secure a berth in a New Year’s Day bowl. If it loses, anything can happen.
Lions haven’t played well on the road, that’s for sure. But we’ll take the Nits against our better judgment.
Gantdaily.com prediction: Penn State 21, Michigan State 17.
(Coquese Washington began her collegiate coaching career 3-0.
Photo courtes of Blue White Illustrated)
Washington’s Debut
What a weekend it was for the Penn State Lady Lions.
In three days, the Lady Lions won three games. They started with an
87-78 win over Arizona on Friday night and followed that with a 73-67 win over UNC-Charlotte on Saturday.
But the highlight truly came on Sunday afternoon.
The Lady Lions pushed their record to 3-0 and captured the WBCA/Basketball Travelers Classic with a stunning 80-74 upset of No.
20 Pittsburgh at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The start of the Coquese Washington Era couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. In the end, the Lady Lions (3-0) were exhausted, but there were smiles all around.
“It feels good, it feels good,” Washington said. “We’ve worked hard and we’ve talked about this weekend a lot. I thought they played hard and they played with a lot of energy.”
Sunday’s win was the cherry on top of the sundae for Washington and her staff. After talking about the tournament for weeks, even months, her Lady Lions went out and made the most of the opportunity in their own building.
None of the wins were easy.
Pitt (2-1) battled all afternoon before finally running out of time.
The Lady Lions led for much of the second half, but a three-pointer by Mallorie Winn with under a minute to play pulled Pitt to within 77-74.
But that would be all the scoring for the Panthers and the Lady Lions hit their foul shots to salt away the win.
Penn State was led by Tyra Grant, who scored 19. Mashea Williams (16), Kam Gissendanner (16), Janessa Wolff (14) and Brianne O’Rourke (10) also hit double figures in the win.
O’Rourke was named as the tournament’s MVP, averaging 14.7 points and 6.3 assists per game. Williams and Grant were also named to the all-tournament team.
Now, the Lady Lions will get a few days of rest before heading on the road to face Xavier.
“This gives us a lot of confidence,” Washington said. “Now we have to go on the road and figure out how to win on the road. But this is a great start.”
Non-rev roundup: Women’s Soccer
Another first-year head coach, Erica Walsh (women’s soccer) is having a heck of a debut as well.
Walsh guided the No. 7 Lions to their 10th straight championship following a 1-0 win at Ohio State on Nov. 2.
The remarkable title string is the longest current streak in Division I-A women’s soccer and the second longest in Big Ten history behind only the Michigan men’s swimming and diving program, which won 12 titles from 1987 to 1998.
“Our first goal has been achieved,” said Walsh. “Our next goal is to win the Big Ten Tournament and our next goal is to win the NCAA tournament. I’m not one to make rah-rah speeches. They have put the work in every game and know what to do from here.”
With the title on the line, Penn State battled the Buckeyes to a 0-0 tie through 77 minutes before sophomore Katie Schoepfer broke free on a rough play following a collision with goalkeeper Lauren Robertson.
Fellow sophomore Melissa Hayes fed the ball to Schoepfer who was then met by a charging Robertson and a Buckeye defender. Schoepfer came out of the collision with possession of the ball and dribbled it into a relatively open net in the 78th minute. Schoepfer, who arrived at Penn State as the all-time leading scorer in Connecticut state history with 157 goals, brought her season and career tallies to 12 and 20, respectively, while finishing the regular season ranked first in the conference in goals, shots and shots per game.
“Katie is just so unpredictable,” said Walsh. “Every time the ball comes into her you believe something dangerous will happen. She’s impossible to mark. Big, strong, powerful. But the big piece is she’s so fun to play with. She celebrates every goal like it’s her first.”
In addition to writing for gantnews.com, Chris Morelli is the editor of Blue White Illustrated, a sports publication devoted to Penn State sports. He is also a regular on “Front and Center,” which airs on ESPN Radio in State College and Altoona. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com.