This is a big week at Penn State. Fall practice officially began yesterday and media day is slated for Friday. Needless to say, there’s a lot of news circulating around University Park.
In this week’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll feature Part II from Big Ten Media Days in Chicago and have our No. 4 moment of the year.
Next week, look for a full report from Media Day at Penn State.
The Joe Paterno and Joe Tiller Show was a big hit in Chicago.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Joe and Joe Steal The Show
The Joe Paterno and Joe Tiller Show was a big hit in Chicago.
At Big Ten Media Days, which was held in Chicago on July 24-25, it was truly the Joe and Joe Show, as the Purdue and Penn State coaches stole the show.
While Tiller cracked jokes about not wearing a necktie, Paterno cracked jokes about not liking to fish. But at the end of the first session, one thing was certain — these old-school coaches truly admire one another.
When asked about his relationship with coaches in the Big Ten, Tiller didn’t hesitate to pick a favorite.
“I seem to gravitate toward coach Paterno more than anyone else, and maybe it’s because I’m the closest to his age. I don’t know,” Tiller said. “But our wives are close. We’ve enjoyed the camaraderie there. I just wish we could beat him on the field a little bit more.”
Paterno said that Tiller truly changed the way the game is played, especially in the Big Ten.
“Joe came in and he started to open up offenses and he created a lot of problems (for defenses),” Paterno said.
On a personal level, Paterno said that the two are close.
“I’m very, very fond of Joe Tiller and his family. I think he’s been somebody that you like to see in college coaching. I’m sorry to see him leaving. But he knows what he wants to do,” Paterno said.
Tiller, who is entering his 12th season at Purdue, is retiring at the end of the season. Paterno teased the outgoing coach for choosing a hobby like fishing over the game of collegiate football.
“He’s telling me he wants to fish. I said fish? For crying out loud, you catch three of them, you look at one, they all look alike. What the hell do you want to fish for? But he’s a great guy. He did some great things for the Big Ten, did some great things for college football,” Paterno said.
Hobbies aren’t the only things the two think differently about. While Tiller’s successor is waiting in the wings at Purdue, there is no such plan at Penn State.
Tiller will go on his farewell tour this fall. Paterno has pretty much said that he doesn’t want such a tour.
Tiller doesn’t want to see Paterno hang up the khakis and black Nikes, but he knows the day is probably coming.
“He’s not going to coach forever. Somebody is going to have to coach there someday. If I were Tim Curley, I would try to sign him to another long-term contract, maybe another 40 years or so, but that’s probably not going to happen,” Tiller joked. “I think college football, certainly Penn State will miss him when he decides that he’s not going to coach anymore.”
And if you think Paterno is going to follow Tiller’s lead, think again.
“If you think I’m gonna go to some guy who sits on his rear end to fish for advice, you’re crazy. That’s exactly what I would tell him,”
Paterno said, drawing laughter from the media. “Joe’s gotta do it his way, I gotta do it my way.”
Tiller said that he’s excited for his final season, though.
“I’m as excited about this year as I was about (year) number one,”
Tiller said. “I think we have a chance to have a good football team.
We were able to bring the Purdue program from the depths to having a pretty competitive program.”
Tiller has an 83-54 record in 11 seasons at Purdue. The current all-time winningest coach is Jack Mollenkopf, who racked up 84 wins over the span of 14 seasons in West Lafayette. If the name Mollenkopf isn’t familiar, it’s probably because he coached from 1956 to 1969.
As for the succession plan at Purdue, Danny Hope is scheduled to take over after the 2008 season. Hope is Tiller’s associate head coach.
Jordan Norwood and the Nittany Lions came back to win the Alamo Bowl.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Moment No. 4: Lions Rally
Our No. 4 moment of the year is Penn State’s comeback win in Alamo Bowl.
When Texas A&M scored its second touchdown to take a 14-0 first-quarter lead over Penn State in the Alamo Bowl, a Penn State beat writer said out loud, “This thing is over.”
Not so fast my friend.
The Nittany Lions started their comeback with a 30-yard, fourth-down touchdown pass from Anthony Morellli to Deon Butler, who made a spectacular diving catch in the end zone.
On the Aggies’ ensuing possession defensive end Maurice Evans forced a fumble which cornerback A.J. Wallace recovered at the A&M 11-yard line.
On first down, backup quarterback Daryll Clark took the handoff and burst up the middle on a delayed QB draw and covered the 11 yards for the tying touchdown.
A Kevin Kelly 25-yard field goal gave Penn State a 17-14 lead. Running back Evan Royster capped the Nittany Lion scoring with a 38-yard touchdown jaunt with :19 left in the third quarter.
Penn State finished the season with a 9-4 record.
In addition to writing for gantnews.com, Chris Morelli is the editor of Blue White Illustrated, a magazine devoted to Penn State sports. He is also a regular on “Front and Center,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com.