The Nittany Turkey

Primarily about Penn State football, this is a tale told by idiots, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

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The Role of Spoilers

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Land Grant Trophy
Land Grant Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the formerly annual Michigan State vs. Penn State football game.

Michigan State (hereinafter referred to as Moo U.) have long relished the role of spoiler when it doesn’t have what it takes to go to the big bowls or the playoffs. In this all-important competition for the vaunted Land Grant Trophy (right), the #24 Moo U. Spartans (6-2, 4-1 B1G), presently tied for second in the Big Ten East, host the #7 Penn State Nittany Lions (7-1, 4-1).

Moo U. is coming off a dramatic triple-overtime loss to Northwestern, 37-31, whereas Penn State suffered its first defeat of the season last week in Columbus to a well rested bunch of Buckeyes, 39-38. [Read more…]

Moo U. in the Way for Penn State, Maybe, Perhaps

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Saturday Excitement or Anticlimax — Take Your Pick

Land Grant Trophy - Michigan State vs. Penn State
Oy, vey! The abominable Land Grant Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the formerly annual Michigan State vs. Penn State football game.

By kickoff time of Saturday’s game pitting the #8 Penn State Nittany Lions (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten) against the abysmally performing Michigan State Spartans (3-8, 1-7 Big Ten), we’ll know whether it is to be just another game or the last hurdle in the path of Penn State’s surprising drive toward the Big Ten Championship game.

Unless you’ve been sleeping through the past few weeks, you know that two things stand in the way of a berth in the bigass game in Indianapolis. The first is the Michigan vs. Ohio State game; the second is the Michigan State vs. Penn State game. Should Ohio State win its game at 12:00 noon, the stage is set for the biggest game for the Nittany Lions in I don’t know how long, already. If not, then Penn State and Moo U. play for the Land Grant Trophy, which no one wants.

Kickoff time in St Joe Memorial Stadium at Beaver is 3:30 PM. Unless UM vs. tOSU goes into overtime at the Horseshoe, we’ll know what Moo U. represents. The Nittany Lions will want to win in either case, whether it is to get to the championship game or to impress the bowl committees (and win a crappy trophy).  [Read more…]

Way to end the season!

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This will be brief due to the hour, but I wanted to express my delight that the Nittany Lions made me look like an idiot. Yeah, I predicted that they would lose, as I had given up any hope of special teams competence, and I still wasn’t comfortable with both the offensive line and the defensive secondary. While special teams still suck, they were able to minimize one aspect of the suckage: they committed no turnovers, after that debacle last week. Collin Wagner still managed to go 0-2, missing from 39 and 51 yards. They still can’t return punts worth a shit, but Stephfon Green did a decent job returning kickoffs. So, in a rip-roaring 515 total yard offensive performance, Penn State beat Moo U. 42-14 on the victims’ home turf, and that makes this Turkey very happy.

The Land Grant trophy will remain in the trophy case at the Penn State All Sports Museum. You should pay a special visit just to see the coveted and revered agglomeration close-up.

More later.