Things are starting to slow down at University Park. With finals week over and the spring sports season winding down, there’s little news to report.
In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll talk about Penn State’s need for a rival, take a look at the latest Penn State wrestling news and highlight another member of the Class of 2009.
Let’s start, as always, with football.
As long as JoePa is coach, Penn State and Pitt won’t meet on the gridiron.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Wanted: A True Rival
The most recent edition of the Sporting News has a special feature called “50 States, 50 Rivalries.” In it, the SN staff goes through every state and highlights the biggest rivalry in the state. Some are obvious. For example, Alabama’s biggest rivalry is Auburn-Alabama football. New York’s is Yankees-Mets. New Jersey’s is Giants-Jets. You get the idea.
So as I worked my way through the rivalries, I quickly flipped toward Pennsylvania, wondering what the SN staff picked. Steelers-Eagles? Nope. Penguins-Flyers? Nope again. The staff picked Big Five Basketball. Yep, that’s the best they could come up with — LaSalle, Penn, St. Joseph’s, Temple and Villanova.
Give me a break, I thought.
Then, I started to think that one couldn’t really blame the SN staff. There’s really not much to choose from, after all. However, I think we all know what really should appear in that spot.
It’s Pitt-Penn State football, of course.
This is a game that needs to be played. Heck, it has to be played.
Let’s talk rivalries for a moment, shall we?
Think about the 2009 Penn State football schedule. Now try to think of a classic rivalry game.
Well, it’s definitely none of the first three non-conference games. Let’s face it — Akron, Syracuse and Temple are on the schedule for just a couple of reasons.
A) Those games are easy wins.
B) Those games are easy money.
OK, so maybe we can find a rivalry game somewhere in the Big Ten schedule. As one skims the Big Ten slate, the closest thing to a rivalry game is probably Ohio State. The Buckeyes and Lions have staged some classic games since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993. Since Ohio neighbors Pennsylvania, this is probably the most natural fit when it comes to a rivalry.
Still, it feels a bit manufactured, doesn’t it?
Michigan works to an extent. There have been some good battles between the Lions and the Wolverines through the years, that’s certain. Along with the Bucks, this is the closest thing we have to a rivalry game.
But let’s face it — Ohio State and Michigan are rivals themselves. When it comes down to the final weekend of Big Ten play, that’s the game. By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, the Buckeyes and the Wolverines have forgotten all about the Nittany Lions.
And who do the Lions finish with? Michigan State. The Battle for the Land Grant Trophy. Talk about a manufactured rival. Playing Michigan State in the season finale is like getting all dressed up for a night out at Burger King.
The Lions desperately need a “natural” rival.
Pitt is it.
I have a unique perspective on this because I grew up in the Steel City and spent many Saturday afternoons at the long-gone Pitt Stadium. As a youngster, I cheered for both teams. I was a fan of Dan Marino and Hugh Green, Todd Blackledge and D.J. Dozier.
Cheering for both Pitt and Penn State? Most people said it wasn’t possible. I said it was. When it came time to choose a university, it came down to Pitt and Penn State. I can still hear my mother saying, “If it’s Pitt, you’re living at home.”
So off to Happy Valley I went.
Think back to many of the classic games in the series. There was Penn State’s 15-13 contest in the snow at Pittsburgh in 1977. The 24-24 tie in 1983. And of course, the 48-14 Nittany Lions’ win against the then-No. 1 Panthers, considered by many to be the greatest win in PSU history.
In case you forgot, the last game in the series came in 2000, a 12-0 Nittany Lion loss at Three Rivers Stadium.
The problem is that we’ve forgotten how good that rivalry was. And how good it could be again.
Penn State linebacker Sean Lee knows how important it is.
“Everybody from Pittsburgh understands the rivalry. Everybody outside, at this point, doesn’t get it,” the senior linebacker said recently. “I remember I did this Second Mile thing with coach (Jerry) Sandusky and I asked him, ‘what was your biggest rivalry?’ He said, ‘Pitt. That was our biggest rivalry.’ He didn’t need any time to answer. He just said Pitt. I wish we did (play). I know a lot of the kids and I played against them. It would be fun.”
Most Penn State fans will tell you the Lions don’t need Pitt on the schedule. I disagree. The Lions do need them — now more than ever.
Add Pitt to the schedule and you have the biggest game of the year — in September! Although it would feel weird to see the Panthers in September, it would be a good thing. It would certainly help recruiting. Imagine bringing recruits to Penn State for a game with the Panthers instead of the Zips,
Orange or Owls.
Wannstedt has gone on the record and said that he would like to play Penn State.
The big factor, as always, is money. Temple came to University Park twice and the Lions had to visit Lincoln Financial Field once. The classic 2-for-1.
There’s the hangup.
Pitt and Penn State will probably not play again in the Paterno Era. But this series needs to resume. It means too much to Pittsburgh. Too much to State College. Too much to the state of Pennsylvania. Fans loved this game and will learn to love it again.
It’s unclear if and when Paterno will retire. But when he does, the first act of the new head coach should be calling Pitt and doing whatever it takes to get the Panthers back on the schedule.
In the meantime, enjoy the Zips.
Wrestling Lands Two
The Cael Sanderson Era got off to a flying start when the new Penn State wrestling coach landed Andrew and Dylan Alton from Central Mountain High School in Mill Hall, Pa., on April 24.
The two are the No. 1-rated 140- and 145-pounders in the country as juniors. With Sanderson now in the fold, many wrestling fans are hopeful that this is a sign of things to come.
In just three years at Central Mountain, the two have a combined record of 264-13 with 160 falls and 10 tech falls. The two have combined to capture three PIAA championships and have placed no lower than seventh every year.
Obviously, this is a big get for Sanderson and Co.
“They’re both obviously happy with the way this thing went down,” said Neil Alton, father of the twins. “It’s like a fairy tale. It’s almost too good to be true.” 
Gary Gilliam was Penn State’s 20th verbal last year.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Class of 2009: Garry Gilliam
Sometimes, getting an offer takes a while.
Milton Hershey jumbo athlete Garry Gilliam was always noted as a physical specimen, but his recruitment really didn’t take off until he hit the summer camp circuit in June.
Virginia, Connecticut and Pittsburgh all extended scholarship offers, and after personally working with Gilliam at the second camp session of the summer, Larry Johnson, Sr. extended an offer of his own.
It took nearly five months, but the 6-foot-6, 260-pound former basketball recruit finally accepted in November, as he became the Nittany Lions’ 20th verbal commitment.
His decision came down to the four aforementioned schools.
“(Gilliam decided) after my visit to Pitt, I didn’t want to make a decision before I actually visited my four top schools,” he said. “So I visited there, and reevaluated things, and at Penn State, I don’t know, I felt more comfortable there and it just felt right.”
Gilliam also got the blessing of his mother before making his decision, which, in his case, was a necessity.
“She went with me to most of the visits, and for the most part, we really got the same vibe for most of the colleges,” he said. “She was really happy. She liked Penn State when she was up there. She said that she thought they would take care of me up there.”
Gilliam finished his senior year with 18 catches for 360 yards. He also recorded 56 tackles, eight sacks and three interceptions.
He was selected as a second team All-American by USA Today, and first team all-state. He also made first team all-conference as a tight end and defensive end and was a member of the Harrisburg Patriot-News’ Platinum 33. He was selected to play in the Big 33 game next month.
Chris Morelli is the award-winning editor of Blue White Illustrated, a weekly publication devoted to Penn State athletics. He is also a regular on “Sports Central,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com. This column does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of BWI’s writers or publisher.