Phinally Philly

Kevin once again here on behalf of NittanyWhiteOut and Examiner with your local college football round up!

After coming through with their first victory in Ann Arbor since Seinfeld was still on the air last week, Penn State looks to avoid a let-down this week. On the road for a second straight week Penn State takes on Northwestern in Big Ten competition.

Quarterback Daryll Clark threw four touchdown passes last week and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. With Northwestern giving up over an average of 220 passing yards per game this season, it could be another big day for the Penn State quarterback, who is starting to close in the school record for touchdown passes in a season as well as season passing yards.

A win by Penn State, which is very likely, would set up an important game next week at Beaver Stadium as the Ohio State Buckeyes come to town. The Big Ten championship could still be within grasp for the winner, although Iowa still has a strong hold on that. But a BCS bid is not out of the possibility if Penn State can manage to run the table the rest of the way.

TEMPLE

The Owls, believe it or not, are one win away from clinching bowl eligibility for the first time since the early 1990′s. this week Temple rides a five game winning streak into a non-conference match-up against Navy. The Midshipmen will host the Owls, who have started to receive some attention. For Temple to leave Annapolis with a well-deserved victory they will need to find a way to slow down the Navy running game, which is averaging over 280 yards per game. Running the ball has long been a strength of the Navy program and it has helped them build a record of 6-2 this season.

Temple will also be looking for revenge. Last year the Owls let a victory slip away from them as Navy stunned Temple for a 33-27 win in overtime. Navy outscored Temple in the fourth quarter 20-0 to tie the game.

Good luck to Temple as they attempt to clinch bowl eligibility. This really is a big deal for this program!

VILLANOVA, PENN

#4 Villanova is off this week but next week should be a great one. The Wildcats head to Richmond, who is currently the top team in the country.

Meanwhile in the Ivy League Penn looks to extend their four game winning streak by one more by winning at Brown University. Penn enters the weekend tied for first in the Ivy League at 3-0 with Harvard. Brown is right behind both at 2-1 in the conference.

Quick! Name the most famous Brown football player of all time!

Give up?

Joe Paterno, who still owns a couple school records from his days playing as a quarterback and cornerback.

Kevin from Nittany White Out and Exmainer stops by for the weekly preview of college football with a local twist.

1998 – Michigan 27, Penn State 0
2000 – Michigan 33, Penn State 11
2005 – Michigan 27, Penn State 25
2007 – Michigan 14, Penn state 9
2009 – ?

To say that Penn State has had some less than cherished memories in Michigan Stadium would be an understatement, although it is certainly not impossible. On Saturday the Nittany Lions will look for a rare win in Ann Arbor that could propel them to a run at the Big Ten title and possibly a BCS berth.

Penn State will have the advantage on the field with more experienced players in most positions and better talent from top to bottom. But Michigan will have a chance to take control of the game early if their speedy defensive line can break through and put on the pressure on quarterback Daryll Clark. Clark has already thrown more interceptions this season (seven) than he did all of last season (six) and has shown a trend in coming up somewhat small in the big games of the season. As much as Michigan needs this game to stay in the long shot category of winning the Big Ten, Clark needs this one more in order to back up the idea that he can lead Penn State to the promise land.

Penn State’s flashy running back Stephfon Green will be out this week so Evan Royster will be backed up by Brandon Beachum and Brent Carter. Sean Lee will likely see more plays at linebacker than he did last week in a soggy game against Minnesota.

TEMPLE

The Owls continue their dominance in the MAC and their hard work is not going unnoticed. ESPN’s College Game Day pre-game show will run a brief feature on Temple Saturday morning, so be sure to tune in! Temple is coming off a big win over Army and finds themselves two wins away from becoming bowl eligible. The Owls take to the road to take on Toledo. Already with a MAC record of 3-0 the Owls are tied for first place in the MAC East with Ohio (Temple plays Ohio in the last week of the regular season) and Toledo enters in second place in the MAC West.

A win for the Owls would be huge for the program.

VILLANOVA, PENN

Villanova picked up an important rebound win last week, shutting out James Madison. the Dukes are having a bit of a down year but nothing should be taken away from Villanova for their performance. Villanova has now outscored their opponents 214-96. This week Villanova finds themselves in a bit of a trap game situation. Taking on lowly Rhode Island is the only thing standing between Villanova and undefeated, and top ranked Richmond. Look for a big Villanova victory this week before the big road game next week.

The Quakers are riding a three game winning streak into this weekend’s game against Yale. Yale has a high scoring offense, for the Ivy League, and has allowed fewer points than Penn. The Bulldogs are also undefeated on the road. Look for the Qaukers to try and control the tempo of the game on the ground. Quarterback Keiffer Garton has thrown for 297 yards and two touchdowns.

Hello Phinally Philly readers. Kevin from Nittany White Out here once again. Today I hope to get you caught up to speed on what is going on in the local college football scene this weekend. What is nice is that the Phillies will take a day off in order to let college football take center stage for a day. Penn state, Temple, Villanova and Penn are all in action this weekend.

PENN STATE

It’s Homecoming time at Penn State but this weekend it will look more like a wintery wonderland. With State College already receiving more than four inches of snow, more of the white stuff is expected Friday night into Saturday, which is already causing havoc on Homecoming tailgating plans for more than 80,000 fans. Regardless of happens with the abundance of fans who will be packing the shuttle busses in a fashion reminiscent of how Philadelphia fans jammed Septa last October 31 to see the Phillies’ World Series parade, the Nittany Lions have a big test on the football field when Minnesota comes to town.

Minnesota brings one of the top wide receivers in the Big Ten to Happy Valley in Eric Decker. The Gophers will hope that th snowy field conditions do not deter from Decker’s brilliance too much as they hope to pull a big upset in the Big Ten. Quarterback Adam Weber has the skills to make a difference, but he has also made some poor decisions with the ball in his time as a starting quarterback.

Penn State linebacker Sean Lee was listed as possible for this weekend’s game but with the playing conditions looking to be less than ideal, I would think his playing time, if he sees any, will be very limited at best.

TEMPLE

The Owls are turning some heads in the MAC. After starting the season with a pair of losses to in-state rivals Villanova and Penn State, Temple has jumped to 3-0 in the MAC. This weekend the Owls look to be a favorite as they welcome Army to the Linc for their homecoming game. Quarterback Vaughn Charlton has passed for five touchdowns and freshman running back Bernard Pierce has recorded five touchdowns on the ground.

A win would be huge for Temple as they head on the road for their next two games. Temple is now four wins away from clinching bowl eligibility.

VILLANOVA, PENN

In the FCS ranks Villanova will look to get back on track after taking their first loss of the season last week in New Hampshire. The Wildcats lost to conference foe New Hampshire and saw a weakness exploited in the passing game. New Hampshire threw for nearly 300 yards and shut down Villanova in the fourth quarter to narrowly beat the previously unbeaten Wildcats. This week Villanova continues to take their show on the road at James Madison. The Dukes are 0-2 in the CAA right now but they are always a tough team.

The Quakers return to Ivy League action with a game at Columbia. Both teams are 1-0 in the Ivy and 2-2 overall. Penn enters riding a two game winning streak after beating Bucknell last week by a 21-3 tune in Franklin Field. Penn will have to find a way to keep Columbia from racking up the points. Columbia enters with 112 points scored, 38 of which came in a shutout of Princeton.

So that is a glimpse at what will be happening on the college football fields this weekend for the teams of local interest. On the national spotlight will be a pair of rivalry games. Notre Dame hosts USC in what should be another futile effort by the Irish, and Oklahoma and Texas square off in the Red River Shootout. Texas should be the favorite but Sam Bradford and Oklahoma could cause a stir in the upcoming BCS standings with a victory.

If you are looking for exciting college football this weekend, say away form State College on Saturday. Kevin from Nittany White Out and Examiner checking in with your update on what is going on in local college football this weekend.

PENN STATE

This week has a bye week feeling for Penn State fans but there is still a game to be played. The Nittany Lions found their running game last week on the road. Penn State literally ran away with a 35-17 Big Ten victory against Illinois using the legs of Stephfon Green and Evan Royster. Both running backs rushed for over 100 yards on the ground and quarterback Daryll Clark joined the party with a pair of touchdown runs of his own.

This week Penn State returns home for their final non-conference game of the season. The unenviable opponent will be Eastern Illinois in the first meeting between the two schools. The Panthers are lead by head coach Bob Spoo who has been roaming the sidelines for over 20 years, which is still only about half of Joe Paterno’s tenure as head coach. The Panthers are a top 25 team from the FCS and are coming off the first loss of their season. They bring a pretty balanced offense and the defense has been solid so far but when they match-up with Penn State on Saturday there should be no comparison. Penn State should cruise to a victory, hand Eastern Illinois a nice paycheck and send them back home.

Eastern Illinois is most notable as the former school of one Tony Romo. No word on if he was fumbling and throwing interceptions in big games back then though…

Needless to say, we at NittanyWhiteOut are expecting a Penn State victory this weekend.

TEMPLE

The Owls have a chance to really set themselves up as the team to beat in the MAC this weekend. Temple welcomes last year’s Cinderella story, Ball State, to Lincoln Financial Field. Temple finds themselves sitting in first place in the MAC East and a win against last year’s MAC West champion could be a catapult to the MAC championship game for Temple.

After a rough start to the season with losses to in-state rivals Villanova and Penn State the Owls have responded well. They have already defeated last year’s conference champion (Buffalo) and picked up a road wi at Eastern Michigan. Maybe Al Golden does know what he is doing after all.

VILLANOVA, PENN

The Villanova Wildcats, ranked #2 in the country in the FCS ranks has a big task on hand this weekend. Villanova takes to the road for their first real road game (previous “road” games were at Temple and Penn) of the season to conference powerhouse New Hampshire. New Hampshire, like Villanova, is undefeated (4-0, ‘Nova is 5-0) and they are the only undefeated team in the CAA North division. A win for Villanova would be huge, but New Hampshire is a tough place to win.

Meanwhile Penn welcomes Bucknell to Franklin Field for a non-conference match-up. The Quakers are coming off their first win of the season, on the road at Dartmouth. Bucknell enters the game at 3-2 but have given up 20 more points on defense then they have scored on offense this season.

I am predicting a 3-1 record for the local teams this weekend (sorry Villanova fans). How do you see this weekend playing out?

Hello once again Phinally Philly readers and fans! Kevin from Nittany White Out and Examiner checking in with your update on what is going on in local college football this weekend.

PENN STATE

After being removed form the position of BCS Championship dark horse last week with a loss to Iowa, the Penn State Nittany Lions take to the road for their first contest away from Beaver Stadium this season. The destination? Illinois.

What makes this particular Big Ten match-up intriguing is the way both teams will respond to losing last week. While Penn State went down in somewhat dominating fashion to the Hawkeyes at home, Illinois came up blank on the road at Ohio State, losing 30-0. To say both teams have holes would be an understatement. The Penn State offensive line has shown that they are far from being regarded as one of the top units in the country. Illinois, you would think, should have the upper hand on the line when Daryll Clark is taking snaps, but the Illinois defense is one of the worst in the conference at pressuring opposing quarterbacks. The Illini, historically sound defensively, are struggling to record sacks and break up passes. They rank toward the bottom of the Big Ten in most related categories.

This weekend we will see what kind of character both of these teams are made of. Penn State enters the game as the more talented team form top to bottom, but Illinois has one of the top wide receivers in the league in Arrelious Benn. Benn is a little banged up but even at 75% Benn is better than most wide receivers in the country at 100%. Injuries are not new to Penn State, as top linebacker Sean Lee will once again not play this weekend.

Is Penn State’s season over? If you ask us over at Nittany White Out, we certainly are not ready to throw in the towel. Personally, I believe Penn State fans can learn a few lessons from the Phillies, the most important is to be patient for the big reward.

TEMPLE

The Owls had a big win last week in their MAC opener, routing the defending MAC champion Buffalo Bulls at Lincoln Financial Field. After starting the season off with losses in state to Villanova and Penn State maybe Temple had determined that the Buffalo game would re-start their season. Now Temple takes to the road to play Eastern Michigan. The Owls should be the favorites this weekend and could be 2-0 in MAC play next week when they host last year’s Cinderella story, Ball State.

VILLANOVA

This is a big weekend for the Wildcats. Ranked #2 in the nation, Villanova will play host to conference rival and the #5 team in the FCS level, William & Mary. the best part is the game will be televised nationally on Versus (3:30pm – same time as Penn State). Villanova has shown that they have both offense and defense, but the Tribe may be the biggest test yet, aside form Temple. buw8in2ftg

PENN

Not to be outdone by their Big 5 rivals, the Penn Quakers will also be appearing on national television this weekend, also on Versus. Penn is playing the network’s Ivy League Game of the Week and will take on Dartmouth up in New Hampshire at noon on Saturday. Both teams enter with identical 0-2 records, but the Quakers have played tough in both of their games. After losing to Villanova to start their season, Penn lost at Lafayette last weekend in overtime. Penn is a favorite by many in the Ivy League this season, so a win could help propel Penn to a division crown.

Penn State fans have been waiting for this one for a long time now.

Iowa is coming to town and revenge will be on the mind of 107,000+ Saturday night, under the lights on national television. “The Greatest Show on Earth” will be rocking from start to finish if things go well and the Nittany Lions are ready to make a statement.

With Mississippi losing Thursday night Penn State looks to avoid the upset bug and pick up another spot in the rankings. To do that they will need to knock off a team that has given the Nits the fits over the past decade, including an upset loss last season that essentially ended the BCS championship talk in State College.

Iowa brings a very tough defense as they lead the Big Ten in team interceptions. Ten months ago the Hawkeyes rattled Daryl Clark and forced him to make some bad passes, including the killer interception over the head of Derrick Williams, driving well within field goal range. Clark has taken the bulk of the blame for that loss and is ready to make up for it this weekend.

This is the big game in the Big Ten. Can Penn State pick up the win and prove themselves worthy of being in the championship discussion? Obviously week four is far too early to book your tickets for Pasadena, but it would sure set up the rest of the season well for Penn State if they beat Iowa Saturday night.

Over at Nittany White Out we went more in depth with the upcoming Iowa match-up in our weekly round table discussion amongst fellow Penn State bloggers. It would seem that the Penn State fans are ready for this one, as they should be.

You may also want to start thinking about setting your DVR devices and VCR’s. At the time I write this, the earliest possible time the Phillies can clinch the NL East division title would come during the Penn State game. Plan accordingly.

TEMPLE

Meanwhile back closer to home, the Temple Owls are looking for revenge of their own. This weekend the Owls welcome defending MAC East champion Buffalo to town for the MAC opener between the two schools. If you remember, Buffalo stole a victory from Temple last season with a last second Hail Mary touchdown pass.

Last second losses was the theme of the 2008 season for Temple, as three of them kept them from clinching bowl eligibility for the first time since 1991. After losing to Villanova and Penn State to start the year, the time is now for Temple to get their act together and prove that they can win.

VILLANOVA, PENN

Do not forget about the Wildcats. Entering the weekend as the #2 team in the country in the FCS ranks, Villanova will host conference foe Northeastern in what will be Villanova’a first CAA game of the season.

If you are a college football junkie and want to kill some time before the big Penn State game that night, the Villanova game will be televised by the Comcast Network at 3:30pm.

Also, the Penn Quakers will head up north to play Lafayette from the Patriot League. The Quakers are coming off a loss in their first game of the season. Penn lost to Villanova 14-3.

It could be a long day for Temple football as they travel to Penn State for the fifth installment of the current eight game series. The game will take place at Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley at noon on Saturday and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

It does not take a genius to realize that these two programs are light years apart. Penn State has been to two BCS games in the past four seasons and has won two Big Ten titles. In each of those season they were mere seconds away from having a legitimate argument to be playing for a national championship. Temple has made stride but has been kicked out of the Big East, played as a lonely independent and started to find themselves in the MAC this decade. Try as they might, the Owls continue to struggle finding answers against Penn State The Nittany Lions have not allowed the Owls to score a touchdown in their previous three meetings.

Is there anything that makes you think that will change this weekend?

Penn State’s defense has been a monster through two games. They have not allowed a point to be scored in the first half against Akron or Syracuse so things look to be pretty solid for game three against Temple. If there is a concern for Penn State it continues to be the running game.

As my fellow Nittany White Out contributor pointed out this week, Penn State has been on the heavier side of the scale when it comes to the Temple rivalry, if you want to call it that. Joe Paterno has never lost to Temple, and he is 3-0 against his former player, and current Temple head coach, Al Golden.Temple has dropped 26 straight games to Penn State.

This weekend that streak should increase to 27. At least, that’s what I am predicting.

The much maligned conference that is the Big Ten will be watched closely this weekend with a few important match-ups. Ohio State hosts USC, Michigan hosts Notre Dame, Iowa visits Iowa State and Purdue travels to Oregon. this may be the most important slate of games for a conference looking to redeem themselves. For Penn State, they will welcome Syracuse to Beaver Stadium for the first time in almost two decades.

Once a major rivalry the Penn State-Syracuse game has lost it’s luster. When Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993 they played their final meeting with Syracuse in 1990. Last year the two old rivals met for the first time in a generation with the Nittany Lions blowing the roof off the Carrier Dome, beating Syracuse 55-13.

Quarterback Daryll Clark lead the Penn State offense last week with a career high in passing yards and three touchdowns on his way to Big Ten player of the week honors, despite losing his helmet on one good hit. Wide receiver Derek Moye had a big game receiving and looks to continue that kind of performance against Syracuse, the team he scored his first career touchdown against last season. On the ground look for Evan Royster to have a better outing. Last week the Big Ten’s top running back was limited to under 70 yards and one touchdown behind an offensive line still trying to find their rhythm in run blocking.

Syracuse brings a new attitude to the gridiron in 2009 behind new head coach Doug Marrone and quarterback Greg Paulus, who brings a winning mentality form his days with the Duke basketball program. While the future looks optimistic for the future of the Orange program, they will be humbled with a second straight loss to a Big Ten team to open the season, as Penn State should pace their way to a victory.

Locally the Temple Owls get a much needed week off after last week’s embarrassing loss to Villanova. After losing to an FCS team from the same city brought a negative cloud to float over coach Al Golden, even more so than before. Now they get a week to regroup and try to pick up the pieces and work on a game plan for their next game next weekend, at Penn State.

Temple may be in some trouble with that bowl I predicted for them.

As for the Wildcats, the #3 Villanova team gets right back to football action with their home opener against Lehigh. Lehigh is coming off a close loss to Central Connecticut State and a win at Villanova will be hard to come by. The last time Lehigh beat Villanova came in 2006. The Wildcats have the look of a national championship contender though and I fully expect Villanova to win their home opener under the lights.

Week two of the college football season should be a fun one to watch. How will your favorite team perform on Saturday?

Philadelphia is without a doubt a major league sports city, but there are plenty of us who enjoy watching the college game. So it is my pleasure to bring you a weekly look at the college football scene. My name is Kevin and I cover Penn State football with a small team at Nittany White Out and on a solo adventure at Examiner. I am eager to share my thoughts on the college football scene here at Phinally Philly on a weekly basis during this 2009 season, which starts tonight right here in Philadelphia.

Tonight the Temple Owls will line up against the Villanova Wildcats in the inaugural Mayor’s Cup at Lincoln Financial Field. The Owls are on the rise since head coach Al Golden took the unenviable position. After being booted from the Big East Temple has found a good fit in the MAC and appears on the verge of making a serious run at a division crown and a possible bowl berth.

The Owls suffered the agony of late game heart breaking losses last year and if they can address a couple concerns at some key positions (like quarterback), they should be able to make some noise in the MAC in 2009.

The Villanova Wildcats have high expectations entering 2009. Returning 15 starters from a team that went 10-3 last season can do that for you. Andy Talley’s team from the Main Line enters the season ranked fifth in the nation and a national championship game appearance is not out of the question.

Which leads us to Penn State.

As you can see it should be a pretty good opening week for the teams of local interest. How will your favorite team perform this weekend? Are they worthy of making a run for a conference, or national, championship? Leave your comments on your teams below and we’ll revisit your thoughts in next week’s look at college football.