Footballing For @PhillySportsDaily

I wrote a feature on PSU-Bama for Philly Sports Daily.

Check it out below or on the site:

Penn State's Focus On Alabama

Fact: The attention of the Nittany Lions faithful has been on Tuscaloosa since the end of last season.

Sure, Joe Paterno may have told the media that Youngstown State was the primary focus for the Lions before a convincing 44–14 drubbing, led by true freshman quarterback Robert Bolden. But everyone from West Halls in Happy Valley to Philadelphia knew the Penguins didn’t stand a chance.

With Paterno’s selection of Bolden at quarterback – the first freshman in JoePa’s 45-year tenure to start a season opener at Penn State – hopes are relatively high as the No. 18-ranked Nittany Lions head south to face the defending national champion and top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.

With Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram still on the shelf after recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery and highly touted defensive end Marcell Dareus still serving his two-game NCAA suspension for improper agent benefits, the Nittany Lions may have a slightly easier road to travel.

With that said, the Lions are still playing a Nick Saban-coached Alabama squad hungry for another championship.

Also, take into account that Alabama beat up on San Jose State 48-3 as Penn State stumbled cautiously out of the gate. The Nittany Lions coaching staff babied Bolden into throwing tons of check-downs and screen passes during most of the first half until Youngstown State went on top of the Lions 7-3 midway through the second quarter. That’s when Bolden started flinging the ball around and looking like he belonged under center.

The Nittany Lions are going to have to step it up in the run game as well. Senior running back Evan Royster ran for only 40 yards on 11 carries thanks to pathetic line play.

Now that the Nittany Lions and Bolden have seen some game time, albeit against an FCS team, the attention of everyone within the bubble town that is State College, Pa., has the chance to say: Our focus is on Tuscaloosa.

If the Lions lose, well, who didn’t see that coming?

If the Lions win: Hello, 2008 victory over Ohio State in the Horseshoe, and hello riots in Beaver Canyon.

As a senior at Penn State, I know who the police are going to be rooting for. And as a senior at Penn State I hope I get one, if not three or four more chances to celebrate by watching a man in a chicken suit climb a streetlight.