Penn State Football: Tailgate Excels, Nittany Lions Not So Much in 24-0 Shutout

It’s hard not to be cynical about September non-conference games.  It’s a near fact of Beaver Stadium economics that Penn State will continue to schedule teams that are willing to get beat up in exchange for a healthy paycheck so that the Nittany Lions can get a seventh home game. 

Penn State's not the only school that does this. Look around at the non-conference schedules of any Big Ten or other major FBS team and you will see a “cupcake” opponent scheduled in September.

Such was the case yesterday with Kent State, a MAC team that many view really doesn’t belong at Beaver Stadium. 

Or at least that’s what people believe about such games.  The reality yesterday wasn’t exactly so. 

I didn’t envy Kent State coming into Happy Valley yesterday.  After all, Penn State might have been a bit frustrated after losing to No. 1 Alabama the week before, and decided to take out its vengeance on an under-manned team. 

Fortunately for the Golden Flashes, the game didn’t exactly go that way.

Tailgating Excels at Fantasy Football Camp Tailgate

There is one thing to be said for games like Kent State.  If you want to plan a tailgate and get people to join you, it’s easy to get tickets to the game for your guests. 

All they have to do is show up and look around the parking lot at the available tickets.  Heck, they could even call the Penn State ticket office and get some for this game!

It was a picture perfect and sunny 76 degrees on Saturday.  Not too hot, like in Alabama the week before, but not too cold as it will be later in the season.  Perfect for a tailgate!

After the game, we were invited to a Fantasy Football Camp Reunion Tailgate.  This tailgate was sponsored by Global Football Inc., which runs both the men’s fantasy football camp and the NEW ladies’ X’s and O’s football camp.  It was conveniently located only two rows away from our car.

We were asked to invite friends, especially those who might be interested in next year’s football camp. My husband Terry and I brought three friends, which made for a great time!

For those reading this who might be interested in a phenomenal football experience, there are tentative dates set for next year’s camps:  For women, two sessions will be held on June 6 and 7, with a third session on June 8 if there’s enough interest. Each one-day event accommodates 60 women and costs $490, with $100 donated to Breast Cancer Research.

Most of us from this year’s inaugural ladies’ camp plan to return to play each other again! So if you’re interested, plan to sign up early.

For men, the popular men’s fantasy camp that provides a much more intense experience, is June 8-12 and will cost $4490.

The dates are tentative and might change due to a construction conflict at Beaver Stadium.  To get on the email list for further announcements about these camps and to learn how to register, contact Patrick Steenberge at [e-mail]

Game Recap

The Nittany Lions didn’t exactly overwhelm Kent State.  This game was not really decided until Collin Wagner kicked a 27-yard field goal with 1:11 left in the third quarter to make the score 17-0.

Until then it was possible for the Golden Flashes to score two touchdowns or more, especially when Penn State’s offense was kind enough to hand our opponent the ball in great field position through fumbles, interceptions, or a missed field goal in the third quarter.

My husband Terry, who gets a bit hyperactive about Penn State’s mistakes, kept declaring in the third quarter, “We could mess around and lose this game.” 

I wasn’t too worried, as Kent State’s score was still a goose egg.  But I knew what he meant. 

The Lions weren't playing well, and you can’t just hand a team – any team – the ball and not expect them to score eventually.

Fortunately the offense settled down and the defense secured the shutout.

Credit the defense for two key interceptions that stopped Kent State’s drives, and also for their consistenly keeping them out of the red zone. 

The Golden Flashes' only scoring opportunity came on a 47-yard field goal attempt that they missed.

The defense did step it up a bit.  Overall there were ten tackles for losses, for a total of 29 yards. 

Stephon Morris (9), Michael Mauti (7), and Chris Colasanti (7) were the tackle leaders for this game.  Jack Crawford and Devon Still each recorded a sack. D’Anton Lynn and Derrick Thomas each achieved an interception.

Penn State’s rushing game remains a concern.  Senior Evan Royster had only 11 carries for 38 yards with one fumble. Yet, he achieved a milestone of 3000 career yards, one of only six Penn State running backs to do so.  He’s got 371 yards to go to beat Curt Warner’s all-time rushing record of 3,398.

But so far this season Royster has not been tremendously impressive. Perhaps it’s because he’s not carrying the ball enough to get into some sort of rhythm.

In fact, it almost seems as though Coach Paterno is equally favoring Stephfon Green, who also had 11 carries for 59 yards.

True freshman quarterback Rob Bolden continues to impress, even with some freshman mistakes (two interceptions).  He passed for 217 yards and one touchdown, completing 17 of 27 passing attempts.

He has an arm and can make a quick strike deep pass to favorite receiver Derek Moye or to up and coming receiver Devon Smith.  He also spreads his passes around, as numerous players caught at least one pass.

Most importantly Bolden doesn’t seem to get rattled easily.  Terry and I keep talking about how much fun it will be to watch him develop over the next 3-4 years.  Assuming he doesn’t get injured or decide to leave early!

Bolden also showed some running ability, although Coach Paterno didn’t seem too happy about that! However, he only took out when the field was wide open.  Coach Paterno didn’t seem too concerned about injuries, stating in his post-game comments that Bolden is a tough kid.

Overall, a 24-0 shutout should be satisfying. But it wasn’t. It felt more like an ugly win.  I suppose it’s partly a matter of expectations: we expected the Nittany Lions to blowout a MAC team and it didn’t happen! 

The game was mostly disappointing because there were too many mistakes made, which would have been much more costly against a different opponent.

Now on to Temple next week – a dangerous team that is 3-0 for the season after a great win at Connecticut.  

The Owls might be tougher than anyone expects! 

Perhaps with a 3:30 p.m. start, the student section will finally show up and give us some noise in the first quarter!

We'll need it next week.

This article also appears on View From the Stands - Penn State Football