Hey, how about this revolutionary idea from Minnesota coach Tim Brewster: Scheduling tough non-conference opponents helps your recruiting.

     Whoa! Why don't more football coaches in the Big Ten feel that way?

     I know what you're thinking. Highly skilled high school recruits pick Penn State because of Joe Paterno, or Ohio State because of the tradition there, not because of the schedule. Minnesota is cold and snowy and the Golden Gophers haven't been to the Rose Bowl since 1961.

     But the Gophers could be a rising power in the Big Ten in future years if Brewster's idea works. Minnesota opened this season at Syracuse, where a new coach, a new quarterback and a sellout crowd awaited, then hosted Air Force and its fine rushing attack, and nationally ranked California.

    The Golden Gophers have a home-and-home series with Southern California in 2010 and 2011, then have two games with Texas in 2015 and 2016.

     "My philosophy is this: what we want to do, first and foremost, is we want to play a schedule that appeals to recruits," Brewster said. "Recruits call me all the time and they talk about our non-conference scheduling, and they're really excited about the fact that we're playing a team like USC, that we're playing a team like the University of Texas. To be quite honest, that's what it comes down to.

     "Number one for me is recruiting. No. 2, our fan base is extremely excited about the non-conference scheduling that we have in place. It helps prepare our football team. We're a fairly well battle-tested football team because of the schedule we've played to this point. I've just got to think that it's helped us and it'll serve us well in the Big Ten."

     Let's see if it helps the Gophers on Saturday.

     I'm dreamin' of a white ... Homecoming??

     The National Weather Service in State College reported the earliest snowfall in recorded history, measuring four-tenths of an inch of snow shortly after noon today. But that's just the preliminary.

     The weather service said two storms -- one tonight, and one tomorrow night into Saturday -- will send rain and snow into Centre County. By Saturday morning, snow accumulations will range from two inches in the valleys to six inches along the ridges to 10 inches at the highest elevations.

     For Saturday's game between Penn State and Minnesota, temperatures should be in the mid 30s with rain and snow showers, not exactly the ideal way to celebrate Homecoming. Just think, only 71 days until Christmas.

   Judging from their post-game comments, Joe Paterno and Bob Spoo really hit it off today. Maybe they were just happy to coach against someone from roughly the same generation.

   The 82-year-old Penn State coach and his 71-year-old Eastern Illinois counterpart met near midfield while their players were working out prior to the game. During their short conversation, there was plenty of moments when one coach put his hand on the shoulder of the other coach.

   After the game, they met again to shake hands.

   "I wished him good luck with the rest of the season and he did the same for me," Spoo said in his post-game interview. "I wished him continued good health and he mentioned something about hoping that at some point and time that we could spend a little more time together. That was it. He's a good man."

   Paterno said he told Spoo before the game "that they play the kind of game a coach likes to see." He seemed to feel kind of sorry for Spoo and his team after it drove to the Penn State 8 late in the first half, only to fumble and see Penn State's Navorro Bowman recover and run 91 yards for a touchdown.

   "The Eastern Illinois coach is a great guy and their kids played hard," Paterno said. "I never like to see a team do that. They're about ready to go in and get at least three points out of it. They'd been struggling to get down the field and their kids are working hard to get it in the end zone, and then they put it on the ground and -- boom -- we get seven points.

   "I'm glad for Bowman. I'm glad our defefnse is starting to make some things happen. But they're good people, the people we played. I'm glad I had the opportunity to get to know him."

    Gee, we thought Penn State's non-conference schedule would never end.

    But now that Eastern Illinois is heading home with a $450,000 check after being hammered 52-3, Penn State and its fans can finally look forward to the second half of the season -- six tough but winnable Big Ten games.

    The toughest part of the first half of the season has been trying to figure out just how good the Nittany Lions are. After sweeping through their first three non-conference opponents -- Akron, Syracuse and Temple -- they laid an egg in their conference opener, losing to Iowa, and at home yet.

    Yes, they won their first road game the following week but Illinois appears at this point to be a contender for the Big Ten basement. That was followed by today's easy win, and questions going into next week's Homecoming contest against Minnesota.

    Penn State's offensive line is making progress, and the running game has thrived as a result. The wide receivers are getting a little more confident. Speaking of them, they may be some of the best blocking wideouts seen at Penn State in some time.

    Naturally, a lot rides on the decisions and the right arm of Daryll Clark, who looked cool and confident today but must carry those same two qualities against the much more challenging opposition that lies ahead. No bad passes, as he did on his one interception of today, and no happy feet.

    Moving to the defense, the Lions' front seven is as good as they come. Regardless of the opposition, defensive tackle Jared Odrick always looks like the best defensive player on the field. linebacker Navorro Bowman has come back strong from a groin injury although he was leaking some serious oil on his 91-yard run with a recovered fumble.

    The unit will get even better once linebacker Sean Lee returns from a sprained knee. Joe Paterno said it was still a question mark and that more may be known Monday to see how much Lee can practice.

    Paterno likes the strides that have been made in the secondary, although defensive coordinator Tom Bradley feels there is still much work to do.

   "We've blown a couple (of coverages) and they just haven't found the guy," Bradley said after today's game. "There was one today that was not good. The communication wasn't good. So there's so much for us to work on."

   So what will it be like for the Lions in the second half? Other than Ohio State, which will be coming into Beaver Stadium, they appear to have a chance to win every game. The game at Michigan in two weeks should be a spirited one but you'd have to think Bradley will design ways to stop sensational Wolverine freshman Tate Forcier.

   Whatever happens, it's sure to be more exciting than one, two, three, or four weeks of non-conference play. Bring it on!

   Maybe you could call Saturday's game between Penn State and Eastern Illinois the "Metamucil Bowl."

   On one sideline of Beaver Stadium will be the Nittany Lion himself, 82-year-old Joe Paterno. On the other sideline will be the youngster, 71-year-old Bob Spoo of the visiting Panthers.

   By my count, Spoo is one of eight Division I head coaches (both FBS and FCS) hired in 1987 or earlier who are still at their respective school. Paterno leads the list, of course, having become head coach at Penn State in 1966.

   During a teleconference Monday with reporters on the Penn State beat, Spoo, whose previous job was assistant coach at Purdue, sounded rather excited to be matching up with Paterno.

   "I'm just amazed and have great respect for coach Paterno," Spoo said. "He's a great role model for all coaches. He'll continue to be the winningest Division I coach in college football and it's an honor and a privilege to coach against him."

    Spoo said he met Paterno in the mid 1980s when he was still at Purdue.

    "At that time, we had some pretty good quarterbacks in Mark Herrman and Jim Everett, and we were in the shotgun a lot," he said. "Coach knew I was from Purdue and he said, 'You're the guys that line up in the shotgun?' I don't think coach Paterno was very fond of it at that time but he's adapted."

    Paterno said he didn't know Spoo well but respected his work.

    "Everybody speaks nothing but the best about him," he said. "His teams play well and they execute. They do a great job of coaching. I think it's going to be a real good, tough football game. They play the game the way I like to see our kids play -- no shenanigans, all business. They execute. They don't beat themselves. I think that's all a credit to Bob and his staff. Hopefully we'll have a good football game on Saturday."

    Like Paterno, who received a new three-year contract after last season, Spoo has been the target of critics who think he should step down. He was in danger of losing his job in 1994 after his team got off to a slow start, but the Panthers rallied and he stuck around.

    Spoo said he wants to continue coaching "as long as we win and I feel good about our program and we're competitive." Speaking for himself and Paterno, he added, "It's been our life for so many years. Why leave if you don't have to? I give credit to Penn State for keeping a man who's truly respected and admired."

    Longest-tenured Division I coaches at the same school (year hired in parentheses):

    Joe Paterno, Penn State (1966)

    Bob Ford, Albany (1973)

    Bobby Bowden, Florida State (1976)

    Chris Ault, Nevada (1976)*

    Jimmye Laycock, William & Mary (1980)

    Andy Talley, Villanova (1985)

    Bob Spoo, Eastern Illinois (1987)

    Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech (1987)

    *-Ault did not coach between 1996 and 2003 to concentrate on his duties as athletic director.

Josh Hull never has lacked confidence, as illustrated by his decision to enroll at Penn State and walk on as a linebacker at a university noted for finding the best linebackers in the country.
When Hull, then just 205 pounds, informed coaches at the lower-classification schools that were recruiting him of his choice, a number were flabbergasted.
“Some coaches thought he was overreaching,” said Martin Tobias, Hull’s coach at Penns Valley High School, 25 miles from State College. “One coach told him, ‘If you go to Penn State, you’ll never see the field in your four years there.’"
Hull, however, believed that work ethic and attitude, combined with ability and, yes, confidence, would take him a long way. He proved to be correct.
The 6-foot-2, 236-pound senior, who received a scholarship before the start of last season and has started 18 consecutive games at middle linebacker, has followed in the school’s “Linebacker U” tradition. He is the team’s leading tackler and its on-field leader.
Hull hasn’t been surprised by anything he has achieved in his Penn State career, and is not surprised by what he has done this season, either.
“Absolutely not,” he said yesterday. “My main goal coming into this season was to start out where I left off last year. I wanted to keep improving every game. Experience is important. I started 13 games last year, and having that experience under my belt has paid large dividends.”
Hull has filled in the leadership gap resulting from a sprained knee that will force all-American Sean Lee to miss his third straight game Saturday. He also has been the glue in an ever-changing lineup amid injuries at linebacker to Lee, Navorro Bowman, and Nathan Stupar.
“We’ve been lacking a vocal leader on the field with Sean out,” Hull said. “So in the last couple of weeks, I’ve been more vocal than I have been. I usually let my play speak for itself, but now I’m trying to keep the defense going and make sure we get better every week.”
Tobias had seen the confidence and self-motivation from the moment Hull entered Penns Valley as a seventh grader. He knew that would put the player on good footing when he got to Penn State, but he had some reservations.
“I wondered what kind of opportunity he’d be given,” Tobias said. “There’s a stigma attached to walk-on. If a kid walks on, that means he’s not as good as the scholarship athletes. I think he was frustrated his first two or three years there.”
But Hull, who redshirted his first year, never backed off from the high expectations he had for himself, including a spot in the starting lineup.
“I set goals each year,” he said. “My first year, I exceeded my goal because I was playing on special teams. After that, each year I ended up in the place that I wanted to be.”
There were rough patches, one of them last season. Hull had just 21 tackles in the first five games. But coach Joe Paterno stuck with him, and he finished the season with 75 stops, second on the team.
This season, Hull has been in on 52 tackles, more than twice the number of the next regular. That has helped the defense of the 14th-ranked Nittany Lions (4-1), which has allowed just five touchdowns and ranks seventh nationally in fewest points allowed and 11th against the rush.
“You’re thrust into the forefront when you’re a linebacker at Penn State,” Hull said. “You have the ability to step into situations and be a leader. The players the coaches recruit to come to Penn State to play linebacker have the right character and the right traits.”
Hull has those same qualities.
He was a walk-on who’s going to be a four-year letter-winner and a two-year starter,” Tobias said. “How many players can say that?”

   The Nittany Lions welcomed another highly touted high school player to the fold when linebacker Khairi Fortt of Stamford (Conn.) High School announced he had made an oral commitment to Penn State. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Fortt is ranked as the No. 2 outside linebacker and No. 30 overall player by Rivals.com.

   Given another chance to stick up for his buddy, Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno decided to punt.

For those of you who are interested in any Penn State opponent, no matter how overmatched they may seem, here are some things you may not know about the Panthers of Eastern Illinois: