Erie Times-News sports reporter Duane Rankin takes you right up to the moment Penn State entered Beaver Stadium with its first-year coach Bill O’Brien for the 2012 season opener.
Check out ESPN reporter Mark Schwartz filming it. Penn State wound up losing to Ohio, 24-14, Saturday afternoon.
Erie Times-News sports reporter Duane Rankin caught up with Penn State legend and NFL Hall of Famer Franco Harris before the Nittany Lions played their 2012 season opener against Ohio at Beaver Stadium.
The Bobcats beat the Nittany Lions, 24-14.
Erie Times-News sports reporter Duane Rankin visited Penn State for today’s media day at Beaver Stadium.
Check out Penn State senior quarterback Matt McGloin talking about the players who left the school following the NCAA sanctions, his “similarity” to Tom Brady and grasping the offense.
Erie Times-News sports reporter Duane Rankin traveled to Penn State for the football team’s media day today at Beaver Stadium. Here’s first-year Penn State head football coach Bill O’Brien addressing the media.
O’Brien commented on Fairview High School graduate Jordan Kerner, a redshirt freshman defensive end who will likely not play this season due to injury.
Chad Noce/SRU
In a continuing series of Q&As with local players who are playing area college football, Duane Rankin caught up with Slippery Rock senior tight end Chad Noce to talk about several topics.
Noce and the No. 24-ranked Rock (8-2, 6-1 PSAC West) are preparing for Saturday’s PSAC title game at Kutztown against the No. 8 Golden Bears (9-1, 6-1 PSAC East). Noce, who played defense his year at Slippery Rock in 2008, is known for his run blocking ability at tight end.
A McDowell High graduate, Noce has just two career catches for 10 yards. Both grabs came last season against Gannon, which ironically upset the Rock last week, 33-27, in Erie. With the Rock trying to rebound from that loss, Rankin caught up with Noce to talk about their playoff hopes and the chance to win a championship.
You’re coming off a tough loss, but can make amends in the PSAC championship game. How are you guys feeling right now heading into that game? We’re feeling good. We know we made a mistake. I feel like we overlooked Gannon a little bit. I feel like we were looking toward the next week. We had the Gannon game. We knew we were in the PSAC championship already so I think that played a little part in that loss. Underestimating them a little bit, we’re feeling good. We should be ready to go.”
Mike McQueary./AP Photo
Penn State released a statement tonight regarding assistant Mike McQueary, who testified he saw former Penn State assistant Jerry Sandusky engaged in a sex act with a 10-year-old boy in 2002.
“Due to multiple threats made against Assistant Coach Mike McQueary, the University has decided it would be in the best interest of all for Assistant Coach McQueary not to be in attendance at Saturday’s Nebraska game.”
Penn State (8-1) plays Nebraska on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
McQueary, who was a 28-year old graduate assistant at the time, told Paterno about the incident. Paterno relayed the message to athletic director Tim Curley.
With Sandusky recently being indicted on charges of sexually abusing eight boys over 15 years, Penn State fired Paterno and university president Graham Spanier on Wednesday.
McQueary has been under growing scrutiny regarding this situation, thus leading Penn State to decide it was best for him not to coach Saturday.
This came after Penn State interim coach Tom Bradley said earlier today that McQueary was going to coach, but didn’t know from where that would be.
– Duane Rankin
Drew Astorino
Today, Penn State senior safety Drew Astorino, an General McLane graduate, had a media conference call and talked about Joe Paterno resigning today.
Paterno had a team meeting with the players at 11 a.m. today to tell them he’s resigning at the end of the season.
“He just told us he put in a letter of resignation,” Astorino said. “He thinks that would be best for Penn State, best for his family and best for everybody else. He doesn’t want to put Penn State or anyone else through a war, fight or media war against anybody. He said he’s (been there) for Penn State more than anything for the past 61 years and he’s just always wants us to remember that this team will always be a team and always be together. Not just for the next so many games. Not just next year. We’ll be a team for the rest of our lives and he wants us to never forget that.”
This comes on the heels of former Penn State assistant Jerry Sandusky having been indicted on charges of sexually abusing eight boys over 15 years.
Coming out of the meeting, Astorino also said he got the impression Paterno is going to coach the rest of the season. The Nittany Lions (8-1) play their final home game of the 2011 season Saturday against Nebraska.
First-year Lock Haven head coach John Allen/LHU
Seeing is believing.
It’s easy to judge a team by its record, especially when it’s winless like Lock Haven (0-8, 0-6 PSAC West) is.
Add the fact Lock Haven lost its 40th consecutive game today at Edinboro by 35 points, 42-7, and it’s even easier to think the Bald Eagles are a joke of a program.
The Eagles have the NCAA’s longest active losing skid regardless of division and set a PSAC record for most consecutive losses.
However, I can say with conviction after watching Lock Haven play today in person that it’s not nearly as bad as all losing suggests.
First off, the Eagles have a very good tailback in sophomore Brandon Brader, who rushed for a career-high 168 yards against Edinboro, which by the way has a defense ranked second in the nation in total defense.
The guy runs hard, always keeps his legs going, has some shake in his game as well and is a player a team can build around.
Junior reserve nickel back Maleek Toran, far left, is part of a talented Edinboro secondary featuring cornerbacks Branden Williams (22) and James Jackson (11)./ETN file photo
In a continuing series of Q&As with local players who are playing area college football, Duane Rankin caught up with Edinboro junior nickel back Maleek Toran to talk about several topics.
A Central Tech graduate, the 5-foot, 8-inch, 170-pound Toran is part of a very talented secondary that features cornerbacks Branden Williams and James Jackson. A reserve who excels on special teams, Toran will look to help Edinboro (6-2, 3-2 PSAC West) get past winless Lock Haven (0-7, 0-5) Saturday at Sox Harrison Stadium.
The Bald Eagles have the nation’s longest active losing skid at 39 consecutive defeats, which ties a PSAC record for consecutive losses. Talking to Toran this week at Edinboro, Rankin and him about facing Lock Haven, playing on special teams and the state of the athletic program at his high school alma mater, Central Tech.
In a continuing series of Q&As with local players who are playing area college football, Duane Rankin caught up with Indiana (Pa.) senior strong safety Andre Henderson to talk about several topics.
A Strong Vincent graduate, Henderson has returned from a serious right arm injury that cost him the 2010 season and is having a big senior year for IUP (4-2, 3-1), which faces Gannon (3-4, 2-2) in a 1 p.m. PSAC West game at George P. Miller Stadium in Indiana.
The 6-foot, 200-pound Henderson returned a blocked field goal 83 yards for a touchdown in IUP’s 38-7 win against Clarion last week. This season, Henderson has 34 total tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. Talking to Henderson on the phone this week, Rankin asked the playmaking safety about his 83-yard return, coming back from injury and new IUP coach Curt Cignetti
When was the last time you ran 83 yards for a touchdown? Ah man. I had to have been in a uniform playing for Strong Vincent. Against Thomas Jefferson in the Western finals. It’s been that long. Back in 2005.”
