Archive: August, 2012
Joe Juliano
In this video by the Inquirer's Emily Kaplan, Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien rallies the crowd at Beaver Stadium on Friday in anticipation of Saturday's matchup against Ohio State.
Joe Juliano
Penn State will observe a moment of silence prior to Saturday’s season-opening game against Ohio at Beaver Stadium but apparently has no plans to mention the late Joe Paterno.
In a brief statement, the athletic department said, “We plan to allow for a moment of silent reflection for our fans to consider all victims of child sexual abuse and those who have endured suffering and loss.”
Saturday will mark the first football game at Beaver Stadium since Paterno’s death on Jan. 22.
Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin talks about the Nittany Lions' season-opening game against Ohio on Saturday. (Video by Emily Kaplan/The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Joe Juliano
Penn State coach Bill O’Brien gave a few more clues on what fans can expect when he begins his tenure Saturday against Ohio at Beaver Stadium, particularly before the game.
Speaking for the first time Thursday night on his weekly radio show, O’Brien said he planned to run out on the field with the team before kickoff.
“My wife told me if I decide to do that, don’t trip,” he joked.
He also said the buses would arrive at Beaver Stadium between 9:15 and 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, more than an hour earlier than the schedule under Joe Paterno, so fans “will have to get their mimosas a little earlier,” he said.
O’Brien will name captains for every game, and he said the identities of the captains for the opener will be revealed when they accompany him off the first bus at the stadium.
Just before the Lions take the field, O’Brien said his message to his team “won’t be a lot of rah-rah.
Thursday lunch hours just began at the Tavern, the classic homestyle restaurant in the heart of downtown State College, when owner Pat Daugherty received a call from Borough Manager Tom Fountaine.
"Pat," Fountaine said. "Did you know there's a brick with Jerry Sandusky's name on it outside your restaurant?"
"No," responded Daugherty, who has owned the property for 32 years. "I had no idea."
Joe Juliano
Video: Penn State's football team finally begins the post-Joe Paterno era with Saturday's game against Ohio at Beaver Stadium. The Inquirer's Joe Juliano talks with Cinesport's Noah Coslov about the atmosphere in State College ahead of kickoff.
Joe Posnanski's new biography on Joe Paterno is everywhere on Penn State's campus.
It's sold in the student bookstore and it's on display in the window of the CVS on West College Avenue. On Wednesday afternoon, a male student sat on a bench not far from Old Main as he leafed through the book, which was released last week.
Well, according to ESPN's Darren Rovell, the people of State College aren't the only ones who have interest in Posnanski's book. "Paterno" will debut at No. 1 on the New York Times hardcover non-fiction best-seller list this week, Rovell reported on Wednesday.
Every day, before and after practice, secondary coach John Butler meets with his group and reads them snippets of what the media has been saying about them.
Most of the clips have been negative. And that’s perfectly fine for senior cornerback Stephon Morris.
"They can have their own opinions, we haven't shown them anything yet,” Morris said in a conference call on Wednesday. “But they should just relax. We're going to be OK.”
Gerald Hodges smiled when he heard the question. His eyes twinkled just a bit and he leaned forward in his seat in the front of the Beaver Stadium press room.
It barely took him three seconds to gush out his answer. It was like he was waiting for the question – did you ever even consider leaving Penn State after the NCAA sanctions? – and he knew exactly what he wanted to say.
"No," the former Paulsboro High School star said. "Not at all."
This season is Joe's fourth season on the paper's Penn State beat. He previously covered the Nittany Lions for United Press International from 1976 to 1984.
Emily Kaplan is the Inquirer’s fall intern covering the Nittany Lions. She is a senior at Penn State and has covered a variety of sports for the university’s student-run paper, The Daily Collegian. Over the last two years, she has reported for The Associated Press from State College.
A Montclair, N.J. native, she has also interned at MLB Network, NHL.com and covered the 2012 Olympics in London. Follow her on Twitter here @EKaplan24.
