Sorting through the blue and white mailbag while hoping you’ll make a contribution this season:
Neil:
You couldn’t see, hear and feel this in the press box at WVU.
Penn State fans celebrating a big win might want to take a moment to feel something lost at Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday. Lost?
Section 134 offered one of the least expensive ticket purchase options for the WVU-PSU game. Thus a wide cross-section of purchasers from both schools were side-by-side in the section.
The emotional feeling of a true rivalry game.
Example 1: Seated beside me was a 20-something sporting WVU team apparel including face paint, his girlfriend similarly bedecked by his side.
He was relaying his background as a Shade-Central City grad (prefaced by “I’m from a small town you’ve never heard of”) when a PSU alum seated one row away interrupted to announce he was a Berlin graduate.
The friendly give and take began instantly.
Example 2: Over my right shoulder three generations of a Westmoreland County family, dad in PSU blue and white, one son similarly dressed, another son and grandson in blue and gold. It was clear in discussion that only college allegiances separated this clan.
Example 3: Two guys in front, one who left the stadium with a smile the other a bit less jubilant grew up two miles apart and both played football in Cumberland County. (Mechanicsburg and Cumberland Valley). Both rooting for their team but sharing notes on high school coaches, teachers and students that were part of their newly known shared life as seatmates in 134. I don’t believe any of the manufactured “rivalries” — like the LandGrant Trophy etc. — can top what was on display in Section 134 on Saturday. Family and friends bonded by history and geography but divided by intense college football loyalty communing side by side once a year at a big game. Penn State fans are the loser here.
PENN STATE MAILBAG GAME FACTS
Rudel vs. the oddsmakers
Line: Penn State is a 34.5-point favorite.
Inside the line: Lions are 15-4-1 vs. spot in their last 20 games … State is also 5-0 vs. spot
5-1 against it in their last six on road … Over-under is 49.5 … Over has hit in the Falcons’ last
Prediction: Penn State 50, Bowling Green 10
Prediction record: 1-0
PSU vs. line: 1-0
Prediction record vs. line: 0-1
A true rivalry.
Elsewhere, rivalries endure, including in the Big Ten — Purdue-Indiana, Ohio State-Michigan and in the SEC — ’Bama-Auburn and now Texas-Texas A&M. Central Pennsylvanians are the odd man out in new-look college football.
Perhaps you had to be in the blazing hot stands to not just hear and see but to feel the emotion and the connectedness in the moment.
Checking the PSU schedule looks like that is lost.
Greg Guise Ferguson Township
Greg:
This is so good that I let you exceed the word count.
Neil:
Different year, close to the same results.
Definitely a different look at obtaining the results. Excited to see especially the offense continue to evolve.
One obvious question to me is: What’s up with Fleming and Clifford? Thankfully, Wallace stepped up as expected but obviously we need more than one guy to go to.
John Pifer Middlebury Center
John:
Actually, Allar had chemistry with Wallace last year before Wallace was injured.
The guys you’re mentioning are more likely third and fourth options behind Wallace and Tyler Warren.
Neil:
A good win in a tough place to play.
Overall, I thought both Allar and Pribula had good games, but I’m not in favor of the package when they are on the field together.
We are fortunate on the Pribula fumble that he was ruled down and why a 2-point conversion so early in the game?
Kickoffs and punts were solid, but field goals are a problem. Sahaydak missed badly on his only attempt and had the same problem in last year’s WVU game. It appears he cannot perform on the big stage but does well in practice.
There will be a game we will need the three points to win. I believe PSU brought in a portal kicker. It is time for him to play.
Bill Obert Bedford
Bill:
We had a nice round of golf at Bedford Elks last weekend.
Neil:
Great start to the season.
It seemed like WVU had a lot of injuries compared to the Lions. I only recall seeing one downed Lion during the game.
One nitpick is the number of times a Lion player had their helmet come off. Seemed odd.
John Finegan Sacramento
John:
You’re taking copious notes.
Neil:
We should get credit for two wins (day-night doubleheader). I’m very encouraged.
Singleton got his burst back, and Kaytron is Kaytron.
Warren will be targeted more, I’m sure.
The D-backs were physical, which was great to see.
Tom Allen was much more animated than I expected, also great to see.
Allar had couple of nice, tough runs and Beau made nice pass.
Mitchell Naimark Severna Park, Md. Mitchell:
This is your version of my highslows.
Neil:
Paterno always said that the most improvement is between games one and two, but I don’t know if we’ll learn much from the next few games.
I think your question regarding the kicker today at the press conference was very relevant. I don’t have a lot of faith in him at this point.
Let’s keep the legs warm on a couple other kickers they have.
I like your new set for the NitWits … It’s always fun to watch.
Kirk Gadebusch
Atlanta
Kirk:
Thanks. WTAJ did a nice job with it.
Neil Rudel will respond to brief questions and comments in Gameday. You can email him at nrudel@altoonamirror.com and follow him on Twitter/X @ neilrudel.
BOWLING GREEN (1-0) AT PENN STATE (1-0)
KICKOFF: Noon, Saturday
WHERE: Beaver Stadium, University Park
RANKINGS: Penn State is ranked 8th in both the AP Top 25 and US LBM Coaches Poll. Bowling Green is not ranked in either poll.
COACHES: James Franklin is 89-39 in his 11th season at Penn State and 113-54 in 14 seasons overall. Scot
season at Bowling Green. The Falcons were bowl eligible each of the past two seasons, losing in the Quick Lane Bowl both times.
SERIES HISTORY:
The Nittany Lions hold a 2-0 all-time record against the Falcons, with wins in 1987 (45-19) and 1998 (48-3). Penn State is 30-3 all-time against schools from the Mountain Athletic Conference (MAC).
TV: Big Ten Network (Chris Vosters, Matt Millen, Dannie Rodgers)
RADIO: Steve Jones and Jack Ham handle call, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The game is carried locally on WRKY-FM (104.9), WBUS-FM
WLUI-FM (92.9), WZBF-FM
WKSB-FM (102.7), STAR-FM (100.9), and WAYC-AM
be streamed free on The Varsity Network mobile app.
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Neil Rudel
MIRROR GAME BREAKDOWN
Chris Masse analyzes the matchups vs. Bowling Green
PENN STATE BOWLING GREEN
the norm or an exception. It was refreshing, though, seeing a coach
Bazelak helps. So does having Terion Stewart run wild like he did
Punter Riley Thompson looked good in the opener. Kicker Sander is defensively as is par for the course in the Big 12. Safeties Jaylen
country’s lead in turnovers forced last season. The main strength
er John Henderson’s stat line was nearly identical to Thompson’s a point try.
Michigan’s undefeated 1997 national championship season. He has
Prediction: The weather could make things interesting if the predicted rain holds. Still, Penn State should have way too Penn State 31, Bowling Green 10
Brian Carson County Observer Editor Penn State 38, Bowling Green 7
SENTINEL STAFF PREDICTIONS
The Falcons come into Happy Valley to pick up a nice fat check, get pounded, and go back to Ohio and the Mid-American Conference schedule. The Nittany Lions are coming off an impressive win over WVU and have won the last 12 meetings against the MAC. Easy win for Penn State.
Williams Sentinel Reporter Penn State 42, Bowling Green 10
The weather just delayed Penn State’s whipping of West Viriginia in its season opener. The Nittany Lions won’t spare Bowling Green of the same fate in front of 107,000 strong at Beaver Stadium.
(MASSE’S 2023 RECORD: 12-1; 2024 RECORD: 1-0)
Chris Masse is a sports writer for the Williamsport Sun-Gazette, a sister paper of the Mirror and part of Ogden Newspapers.
Varner Sentinel Correspondent Penn State 20, Bowling Green 7
With game one in the books, the Nittany Lions cannot look past Bowling Green as it has its home opener Saturday at Noon in Happy Valley. The defense shined against West Virginia and will do so again Saturday. With its offense looking better than it did the entire last season, it means trouble for Bowling Green. If even uglier than the 40-7 contest I predicted.
Replay review process has kinks to work out
Man, replay and the review process remains a mess in college football.
Mostly it’s inconsistent and slow, not so much clarifying and correcting things as making them more confusing and cumbersome — and that’s just what was obvious through the first full week of the season, with examples across conferences.
It’s a shame technology with so much promise, that has been in use for years, remains a mess. Plus, there’s a level of silliness to it all.
For example, with the Big Ten Conference moving to a centralized review process, there’s really no need for game officials to wander over to the sideline and watch a small monitor themselves.
They’re getting a decision relayed to them from a control center in the Chicago suburbs, so they could just await the decision and make the call.
Additionally, reviewed calls can either “stand,” be “confirmed” or be “overturned,” with the second of those two options meaning there was clear visual evidence for the confirmation.
Too often, what seems obvious to viewers gets revealed as a call that “stands,” prompting confusion about the standard of evidence needed and, again, not really clarifying much.
Working out bugs
It’s a good idea, and at some point it might be a good show as well.
After its first week, though, the Penn State pre-game show that
Steve Sampsell
streams online and features former players Jason Cabinda and Christian Hackenberg has some planning and production hurdles to overcome.
It’s not a talent thing, Cabinda and Hackenberg did what was expected, as did Brian Tripp, who handles sideline duties covering Penn State football. Still, there were sound issues throughout the debut show, and the setup itself remains most perplexing. If you’re going to have a pregame show, it just seems the guys hosting the show would be on site.
Instead, Cabinda and Hackenberg were at Beaver Stadium. That might work for home games but for a road game, and the season opener, it just seemed like a short-sighted or silly production decision.
It’s hard to believe Penn State could not afford to conduct the production on site, and it’s also hard to believe WVU would deny the couple additional credentials necessary for those involved to be on site.
It’s a simple production with one camera focused on the set, with some pre-produced segments and a camera shot from the game site.
Again, it will probably look different and work better as Penn State plays its next four games at home, but it was clunky during its debut.
TV/RADIO COMMENTARY
Worth watching
Texas at Michigan
Iowa State at Iowa
Colorado at Nebraska
Tennessee at North Carolina State
Then it needs to be better for the next road game, when Penn State travels to USC on Oct. 12. The pre-produced videos were sharp and well done, which made the single-camera segments with the hosts look even lower quality. The show has the potential to be a good addition in terms of serving fans. It could be the kind of high-quality, in-house effort that’s worthy of an elite program. That’s the rub, though. It needs to prove itself as such — just like the program — and that will come when some expected start-up kinks get ironed out and the hosts are on site at the game itself.
Stadium stuff
When thousands of people pour into Beaver Stadium for the home opener Saturday, they will find some significant changes and some things that remain incomplete.
Athletic director Pat Kraft told listeners to the Penn State Coaches Show last week that it could be until the homecoming game against Illinois on Sept. 28 that some things are complete and operational.
Noon Saturday Fox
3:30 p.m. Saturday CBS
7:30 p.m. Saturday NBC
7:30 p.m. Saturday ABC
In addition, all the ribbon board and scoreboard additions and updates might not be fully functional until even later in the season — perhaps not until the White Out against Washington in early November. What will be most interesting will be how Penn State uses the potential information spaces for fans.
Advertisers and corporate partners will necessarily get preference over stats and information, but you’d hope to see some things that benefit fans.
Plus, with on-field ads allowed, it will be interesting to see if Penn State found a taker for that prime real estate, or if there are additional and different sponsors at spot throughout the stadium. On-field ads seemed rare at other places the first week of the season, though, so that big change might be a surprise if it happens.
Notable
ö Last week’s Big Noon Kickoff before Penn State-West Virginia was a good look for the pregame show. The energetic WVU fans made the show seem exciting and special. While it’s harder for me to engage
with that show and trust its analyst than the proven College GameDay on ESPN, Fox has made some strides in terms of attention and respect beyond basically being a defacto Buckeye Noon Kickoff as the result of regular visits to Ohio State and the role of former Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer as an analyst for the
ö ESPN made an overdue move a couple weeks ago, unveiling an app and a spot on ESPN.com called “Where to Watch.” Fans can search for where games they want will be broadcast — no matter the network. It’s helpful for those who need it, and a big change for ESPN, which champions a “Serve Fans Anywhere” mentality but consistently did not note on its website or TV shows when games were appearing on a different network.
ö SEC Network and ESPN Radio host Paul Finebaum agreed to a contract extension before the season started. Finebaum provides SEC and national commentary well and generally serves viewers so it’s good for college football fans in general that he’ll be around a bit longer.
ö College football on ESPN/ ABC certainly has a WWE feel, or vice versa, with both Pat McAfee of College GameDay and Joe Tessitore, who handles Southeastern Conference play by play, working for the wresting troupe in on-air roles.
ö Penn State plays host to BTN Tailgate, the Big Ten Network’s on-site pregame show, this week for the Bowling Green game.
Sampsell covers the broadcast end of Penn State football for Gameday. He can be reached at stevesampsell@ gmail.com
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2024 PENN STATE ROSTER
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
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29 Audavion Collins CB 5-11 178 R-Soph. Covington, Ga. Newton
84 Peter Gonzalez WR 6-2 203 Fr. Mars, Pa. Pittsburgh Central Catholic
85 Luke Reynolds TE 6-4 241 Fr. Westford, Mass. Cheshire Academy (Conn.)
86 Jason Estrella WR 6-2 193 R-Jr.
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Big Ten goes 17-1 with new coaches, QBs
By Michael Marot
The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — The Big Ten kicked off its season with four new teams, schools featuring new starting quarterbacks. It was a smashing success. With no league contestsMiller Moss’ dramatic last-minute touchdown
ning his Big Ten debut. “I team, I like our defense, I like our coaches. I like our this team. There’s a long, glad I’m coaching these Similar sentimentswhere from the Atlantic stretching across the Pacif-
WEEK 2 SCHEDULE
FRIDAY
MIDWEST
W. Illinois at Indiana, 7 p.m.
Duke at Northwestern, 9 p.m.
SOUTHWEST
BYU at SMU (2-0), 7 p.m.
SATURDAY
SATURDAY
EAST
Georgetown at Marist, Noon
Georgia Tech at Syracuse, Noon
Akron at Rutgers, Noon
Merrimack at Uconn, Noon
Lafayette at Monmouth (NJ), Noon
Wagner at Lehigh, Noon
St. Anselm at Sacred Heart, 1 p.m.
New Hampshire at Holy Cross, 2 p.m.
Temple at Navy, 3:30 p.m.
Michigan St. at Maryland, 3:30 p.m.
Duquesne at Boston College, 3:30 p.m.
Stonehill at Stony Brook, 3:30 p.m.
Franklin Pierce at Bryant, 4 p.m.
Morgan St. at Towson, 6 p.m.
Edinboro at Robert Morris, 6 p.m.
Fordham at CCSU, 6 p.m.
Albany (NY) at West Virginia, 6 p.m.
Villanova at Colgate, 6 p.m.
Mercyhurst at Howard, 7 p.m. SOUTH
Troy at Memphis, Noon
Army at FAU, Noon
Kansas St. at Tulane, Noon
SC State at The Citadel, Noon
Campbell at W. Carolina, 1 p.m.
Bucknell at VMI, 1:30 p.m.
Tennessee Tech at Georgia, 2 p.m.
Mercer at Bethune-Cookman, 3 p.m.
Wofford at Richmond, 3:30 p.m.
South Carolina at Kentucky, 3:30 p.m.
Charlotte at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m.
California at Auburn, 3:30 p.m.
Jacksonville St. at Louisville, 3:30 p.m.
Butler at Murray St., 7 p.m.
Lane at Jackson St., 7 p.m.
Illinois St. at North Alabama (0-2), 7 p.m.
Kentucky St. at Alabama A&M, 7 p.m.
Alcorn St. at Vanderbilt, 7:30 p.m.
Nicholls at LSU, 7:30 p.m.
NC State vs. Tennessee at Charlotte, N.C., 7:30 p.m.
Appalachian St. at Clemson, 8 p.m. MIDWEST
Texas at Michigan, Noon
Rhode Island at Minnesota, Noon
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, Noon
Missouri St. at Ball St., 2 p.m.
N. Iowa at St. Thomas (Minn.), 2 p.m.
Valparaiso at Youngstown St., 2 p.m.
Saint Francis at Kent St., 2:30 p.m.
Tennessee St. at N. Dakota St., 3:30 p.m.
Umass at Toledo, 3:30 p.m.
South Dakota at Wisconsin, 3:30 p.m.
N. Illinois at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.
Iowa St. at Iowa, 3:30 p.m.
South Alabama at Ohio, 6 p.m.
Cent. Arkansas at Lindenwood (Mo.), 7 p.m.
Kansas at Illinois, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Missouri, 7 p.m.
UT Martin at SE Missouri (1-1), 7 p.m.
Incarnate Word at S. Dakota St., 7 p.m.
Indiana St. at E. Illinois, 7 p.m.
Montana at North Dakota, 7 p.m.
W. Michigan at Ohio St., 7:30 p.m.
Colorado at Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. SOUTHWEST
Arkansas at Oklahoma St., Noon
McNeese St. (1-1) at Texas A&M, 12:45 p.m.
UTSA at Texas State, 4 p.m.
Texas Southern at Rice, 7 p.m.
Tarleton St. (1-1) at Houston Christian, 7 p.m.
ments.
good Big Ten football to-
interim coach Seth Wallace
- Freshman quarterback his All-American father’s
And while Big Ten schools weren’t breaking scoring records, like theone to celebrate. - Quarterbacks Will Rogtheir starting debuts at Washington and Michigan,Jedd Fisch and Sherrone being named head coachesback Dillon Gabriel, the transfer from Oklahoma,at Indiana, Jonathan Smith at Michigan State and DeMcNamara threw three
No. 2 Ohio State, throwing showings of familiar names and faces in differ-ard, the Kansas State transIt makes it more engagingand now it’s business as
See Big Ten/Page 12
Virginia St. at Norfolk St. (0-2), 4 p.m.
Middle Tennessee at Mississippi, 4:15 p.m.
Marshall at Virginia Tech, 4:30 p.m.
Virginia-Wise at ETSU, 5:30 p.m.
Kentucky Christian at Morehead St., 6 p.m.
Virginia Union at Hampton, 6 p.m.
East Carolina at Old Dominion, 6 p.m.
Elon at NC Central, 6 p.m.
Gardner-Webb at James Madison, 6 p.m.
Florida A&M (2-0) at Miami, 6 p.m.
Cent. Michigan at FIU, 6 p.m.
Charleston Southern at Furman, 6 p.m.
Warner University at Stetson, 6 p.m.
Miles at Alabama St., 6 p.m.
Sam Houston St. at UCF, 6:30 p.m.
William & Mary at Coastal Carolina, 7 p.m.
E. Kentucky at W. Kentucky, 7 p.m.
Louisiana-Lafayette at Kennesaw St., 7 p.m.
Samford at Florida, 7 p.m.
South Florida at Alabama, 7 p.m.
S. Illinois at Austin Peay, 7 p.m.
Winston-Salem at NC A&T, 7 p.m.
Catawba at Davidson, 7 p.m.
SE Louisiana at Southern Miss., 7 p.m.
Virginia at Wake Forest, 7 p.m.
Tuskegee at Grambling St., 7 p.m.
Presbyterian at Erskine, 7 p.m.
Prairie View at Northwestern St., 7 p.m.
UAB at Louisiana-Monroe, 7 p.m.
Savannah St. at Southern U., 7 p.m.
Chattanooga at Georgia St., 7 p.m.
MVSU at Lamar, 7 p.m.
Tulsa at Arkansas St., 7 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin at North Texas, 7:30 p.m.
Houston at Oklahoma, 7:45 p.m.
LIU Brooklyn at TCU, 8 p.m.
Arkansas Baptist at Ark.-Pine Bluff, 8 p.m.
West Georgia at Abilene Christian, 8 p.m.
S. Utah at UTEP, 9 p.m. FAR WEST
Utah Tech at UNLV, 3 p.m.
Baylor at Utah, 3:30 p.m.
E. Michigan at Washington, 3:30 p.m.
Idaho at Wyoming, 3:30 p.m.
Cent. Washington at San Diego, 4 p.m.
W. Oregon at Idaho St., 6 p.m.
Drake at E. Washington, 7 p.m.
San Jose St. at Air Force, 7 p.m.
Cal Poly at Stanford, 7 p.m.
N. Colorado at Colorado St., 7 p.m.
Georgia Southern at Nevada (1-1), 7 p.m.
Maine at Montana St. (2-0), 8 p.m.
Portland St. at Weber St., 8 p.m.
Texas A&M Commerce at UC Davis, 10 p.m.
Boise St. at Oregon, 10 p.m.
Sacramento St. at Fresno St., 10 p.m.
Breaking down Week 1 rivalries, blowouts
Highlighted by a notable selection of intrastate matchups, Rivalry Week has long held a place of distinction on the college football calendar in November.
However, considering the sizeable number of intra-state pairings during the early weeks of the season, maybe one of those weeks should be designated “State Pride Week.”
Based on this year’s schedule, Week 1 would be an appropriate pick, as 27 games featured opponents from the same state. The contest with the biggest national profile was Miami (Fla.) at Florida.
In Week 2, 12 games will feature intra-state matchups, including Iowa State at Iowa.
During the final week of the regular season, which spans November 26-30, the schedule will include 21 games featuring in-state rivals. That lineup will include the likes of Georgia Tech at Georgia, Texas at Texas A&M and Auburn at
Alabama.
Week 1 wreckage
Among the 13 shutouts in Week 1 was
Little surprise here
Arkansas’ 70-0 domination of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. While scoring touchdowns on their first three drives in the first quarter, the Razorbacks totaled 166 yards of offense. For the game, Arkansas-Pine Bluff totaled 130 yards of offense.
The point differential in 12 games was greater than 50 points. Three teams (Arkansas, Ole Miss and Auburn) won by 70 or more points. Louisville, Alabama and Tennessee posted point differentials of 62, 63 and 66 points, respectively.
With the benefit of some light scheduling in the early going, the Big 12, Big Ten and SEC have combined to win 46 of 52 games played to date. Florida, Texas A&M and LSU of the SEC lost to nationally ranked Miami (Fla.), Notre Dame and USC, respectively. In the Big Ten, Minnesota was beaten by North Carolina. In the Big 12, Houston and West Virginia lost to UNLV and Penn State, respectively.
No time to waste
Only five games were decided by three points or less in Week 1.
UCLA’s Mateen Bhaghani kicked a 32-yard field goal with 56 seconds left to play at Hawaii to make a winner of head coach DeShaun Foster in his head coaching debut, 16-13. Late field goal attempts also
were the difference in North Carolina’s 19-17 victory at Minnesota. Noah Burnette kicked four field goals for the Tar Heels, including the 45-yard gamewinner with 1:44 remaining. Minnesota kicker Dragan Kesich missed a 47-yard attempt wide right as time expired. He also missed from 27 yards in the first quarter.
Nevada captured a 28-26 road win at Troy after the Wolf Pack defense stopped a two-point rushing attempt by quarterback Goose Crowder, who had just completed a 16-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds to go in the game.
In one of two overtime games last weekend, Abilene Christian also lost after a failed twopoint conversion attempt at Texas Tech. After the Wildcats knotted the score at 45-45 on a 21-yard field goal with 5 seconds left in regulation, Texas Tech scored first in overtime
on a touchdown pass and PAT. Abilene Christian answered with Isaiah Johnson’s 1-yard run, his third rushing touchdown of the game, and lined up for the two-point attempt with an empty backfield. Quarterback Maverick McIvor looked briefly to his left for a target, scrambled and was sacked to end the game. McIvor led the nation with 506 passing yards last weekend.
“Holy moly, that’s my statement,” said Texas Tech head coach Joey Maguire after the 52-51 win. “We have a lot of things we have to fix to get better, and we’ve got to do ’em in a hurry.”
Arkansas State defeated Central Arkansas, 34-31, on a 7-yard touchdown pass and PAT with 3 seconds remaining in the game. Arkansas State led 27-10 early in the fourth quarter before Central Arkansas rallied to take a 31-27 lead with
55 seconds on the clock.
Pac-12 stalwarts win openers
Oregon State and Washington State, the lone remaining members of the Pac-12, opened the season with home wins over Idaho State and Portland State, respectively.
Keystone clunkers
With wins over West Virginia and Kent State, respectively, Penn State and Pitt saved the day for football in the Commonwealth last weekend. Lafayette, Duquesne, Temple, Lehigh, Bucknell and Robert Morris all lost their road battles against FBS opponents Buffalo, Toledo, Oklahoma, Army, Navy and Utah State, respectively. In FCS action, Saint Francis (Pa.) lost at Dayton.
Others receiving votes: Texas A&M 97, Boston College 49, Boise St. 47, Iowa St. 32, Memphis 27, Nebraska 27, SMU 23, Washington 20, Liberty 12, Vanderbilt 8, Wisconsin 8, Auburn 8, Tulane 4, North Carolina 4, UTSA 3, Appalachian St. 3, Kentucky 2, West Virginia 2, Arkansas 2, UNLV 1, Colorado 1.
Miami will have to deal with praise
Saban called it ‘rat poison’
By Tim Reynolds
The Associated Press
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami coach Mario Cristobal worked at Alabama under Nick Saban, so he’s fully aware of what his former boss considers to be one of the biggest threats to a good football team.
Saban called it “rat poison” — his term for praise from the outside world, the type that is so highly heaped it can distract a team from doing its job.
And Cristobal knows it’s coming.
Miami (1-0) moved up seven spots to No. 12 in the AP Top 25 on Tuesday, voters obviously having been impressed by the Hurricanes’ 41-17 road romp over Florida in the season opener for both teams this past weekend. That win, combined with Florida State’s 0-2 start that sent the Seminoles from No. 10 to unranked, left the Hurricanes as the only Top 25 team in the Sunshine State after one full week.
“Miami has gotten off to a good start this season,” said Cristobal, who spent four seasons — 2013 through 2016 — on Saban’s staff at Alabama. “We’re 1-0.”
He’d like to keep the narrative that simple. He knows that’s not going to happen, at least not from the outside world.
And to be fair, there’s a ton to like from the Miami perspective. Quarterback Cam Ward, who dazzled with 385 yards — the most by anyone in the country against a Power 4 opponent so far this season — and three touchdown passes in the opener, vaulted deeper into the way-too-early Heisman Trophy conversation. The Hurricanes’ biggest rivals in the state,
Florida State and Florida, are now a combined 0-3. There were recruits at Florida Field making “The U” with their hands as the Hurricanes were walking into the locker room once the 24-point win was in the books.
“We’re nowhere near what we’re capable of,” Miami receiver Xavier Restrepo said Tuesday. “We did have a decent day on Saturday and it just shows you a little bit of how dangerous we are as an offense. But we’re nowhere near where we need to be. … We have a long way to go.”
That’s exactly what Cristobal wants the Hurricanes to be saying, thinking and believing.
It’s just one game, but the Hurricanes haven’t been ranked this highly in the AP poll since reaching No. 9 on Dec. 6, 2020. The trick is staying there: Mi-son ranked 12th or better nationally since 2004.
And on that front, like Restrepo said, there’s a long way to go.
OSU’s Smith may just live up to hype
By miTch sTacy
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Jeremiah Smith showed signs in his debut that he just might be able to live up to all the hype and hyperbole that accompanied him to Ohio State.
The freshman pass-catching prodigy led the team Saturday with six receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns that displayed his uncommon ability to be open even when he doesn’t appear to be open. The No. 2 Buckeyes crushed Akron 52-6.
“They have an extremely athletic, big-time offensive line. Very, very good on the defensive line. Obviously very, very good at some of their skill positions,” said Florida A&M coach James Colzie, whose Rattlers (2-0) will visit the Hurricanes on Saturday in Miami’s home opener. “So, we have our work cut out for us.”
Saban’s approach and preaching about the perils of rat poison worked won-
ders for him at Alabama. Miami teams haven’t always listened to such talk; Cristobal thinks this year’s group understands what he means when he talks about blocking out such noise.
“You go right at it. You don’t sugarcoat it,” Cristobal said. “The best part about this team is you can look them right in the eye and give it to them, like right between the teeth, man. No holding back and they appreciate that.”
Coach Ryan Day has seen great receivers come and go, but even he couldn’t help but marvel over Smith, who becameman to catch two touchdown passes in a season opener since 1996.
“He’s built different, just the way his approach is,” Day said. “You can see his size (6 foot 3, 215 pounds) and speed, but typically somebody with that type of talent doesn’t have the discipline and focus that he does.
“Sometimes you look at him, and you don’t think he’s quite human, but he is,” Day said. “He’s going to make a few early mistakes but not many.”
to Smith, on Ohio State’s (He said later he was actually relieved to get it out of the way.) He got better from there. Way better.
-
“If he’s pressed, and it’s one on one, put it up and he’ll make it, he’ll make a play. And that’s exactly what he did,” Howard said. “I mean, that’s all I’ve got to do, give him a chance and he’s going to do the rest.”
Smith caught a 9-yard pass in the end zone with cornerback Devonte Golden-Nelson draped all over him. His best might have been a 45-yard catch in the third quarter with a defender’s hand in his face. That set up a 2-yard scoring run by Quinshon Buckeyes player for the Mississippi transfer.
“He lived up to the billing,” Akron coach Joe Moorhead said. They were the kind of catches Buckeyes fans got used to seeing from Marvin Harrison Jr., the Ohio State star selected fourth overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL draft in April.
Now everybody is talking about Smith and what he might be able to do next.
“Pressure? No, I don’t really feel pressure,” he said. “I just want to go out there and play football and win games. I mean, I know all the hype around me was crazy coming in. I just wanted to come in and be a guy (who’s) coming in to work. Just not be about all hype.”
ter, Smith turned around to make a slick catch in the end zone of a 16-yard pass from Kansas State transfer quarterback Will Howard.
Smith
Associated Press photos
Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa (61) and running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (4) celebrate after defeating Florida on Saturday in Gainesville.
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal makes the sign of the U to cheering fans as he leaves the field after defeating Florida.
Texas expected to provide Michigan a tough test
Matchup gives contrast to recent soft schedules
By Larry Lage
The Associated Press
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan has played in many marquee matchups in recent years.
Only the high-stakes games, including three straight trips to the College Football Playoff, did not happen early in the season.
Texas is coming to town this week and it doesn’t get much bigger than that, or better for college football fans.
The fourth-ranked Longhorns will provide a tough test on Saturday for the ninth-ranked Wolverines, who had the luxury of tuning up for Big Ten Conference play with soft schedules the last two years.
the relatively low expectations for a defending national champion were merited or simply underestimated
“It’s exciting for our players, for the program, for the fans,” Moore said Monday. “You want these type of games. You want these atmospheres. You want these building blocks to help you mold your team and really get where you need to be.”
Texas found out how good it was in Week 2 last season when it beat then-No. 3 Alabama and went on to make the College Football Playoff.
Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said 46 current players experienced the victory over the Crimson Tide, showing them what it takes to win away from home.
“You have to have great poise and composure when you are in these type of road environments,” Sarkisian said.
See Test/Page 11
Michigan running back Donovan Edwards scores on a pass reception during the first quarter against Fresno State on Saturday in Ann Arbor.
Florida’s Napier expects criticism after latest galling performance
By Mark Long
The Associated Press
GAINESVILLE, Fla.
— It sure feels like it’s over for Florida coach Billy Napier.
It might not even be close, but the lack of tangible progress in Napier’s third season seems to be more of a head-scratcher than the Gator’s six-game losing streak and a 41-17 shellacking at the hands of Cam Ward and No. 19 Miami in the Swamp.
And the outside noise is deafening.
“You’re going to get criticism when you perform the way we did Saturday in certain parts of our team,” Napier said Monday.
It was merely one, ugly home game. And the Gators insist they have the talent, the time and the conviction to bounce back and turn the season around. They should get a reprieve against lower-division Samford (0-1) on Saturday night.
Then again, that game could be a sign of how far the Florida fan base has swung from enthusiastic to apathetic
during Napier’s tenure.
“I think ultimately a loss early can be a blessing if you don’t waste it,” Napier said. “We got to go to work on the football part. I think we got to become a more consistent team, and we have to execute better.
“If we can focus on those things and not necessarily what some guy in his basement is saying in rural central Florida on social media, then we got a chance to get better. I think that’s the key. Sometimes you deserve criticism. I have no excuses. We got
on both sides of the ball against Miami — which entered the season with a strikingly similar resume under a third-year head coach — and closely resembled Napier’s previous two versions. And that’s the problem.
Undisciplined penalties?
Check. Pushed around on the lines of scrimmage? Check. Inconsistent quarterback play? Check. Throw in Napier’s continued conservativeness — he
twice dialed up runs on thirdand-5 — and there’s an argument to be made that the Gators have actually regressed from Game 1 (a last-second victory against then-No. 7 Utah) to Game 26 (a
lopsided loss to an in-state rival).
Napier is now 11-15 at Florida, including 2-10 against ranked opponents and 1-8 against rivals Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami and Tennessee. There also are those back-to-back, double-digit losses to Kentucky and a 3-11 record in his last 14 games against Power Four teams.
And with seven ranked teams remaining on the schedule, it could get worse.
The Gators are unlikely to
last four Florida coaches sent packing lasted until at least late October. Moving on from Napier could be complicated, too.
Florida would be on the hook
him during or after this season, with half of that due almost immediately. However, the school could try to use Georgia quarterback Jaden Rashada’s lawsuit against Napier — the one regarding a failed, $14 million name, image and likeness deal — or the related NCAA investigation to mitigate Napier’s buyout.
And is anyone at Florida real-
Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin hired Napier and has preached patience through the rebuild. Plus, Florida is searching for a new school president after Ben Sasse recently resigned to be closer to his wife, who was diagnosed with epilepsy.
Former school president Kent Fuchs agreed to serve as Florida’s interim. Fuchs hired Stricklin and approved the hiring of Napier.
Napier will get chances to silence some of his critics in the coming weeks. The Gators would need to beat No. 20 Texas A&M next week and then Mississippi State and UCF to create some breathing room.
“It’s only Week 1,” running back Montrell Johnson said. “I’d say we still have time. The message to the team has been just to respond. … It’s not the end of the
mistakes. Look back on this as motivation and use it throughout the whole entire season.”
The Associated Press
The Associated Press Florida head coach Billy Napier (right) walks off the field after his team was defeated by Miami, 41-17, Saturday in Gainesville.
What’s new at Beaver Stadium?
Gates A, E, F expansions highlight changes for 2024 season
UNIVERSITY PARK —
With the 2024 Penn State Football season and a return to Beaver Stadium fast approaching, fans will see a variety of game day improvements during their visits this season.
What’s new ?
Gates A and E Upper Concourse Expansion
ö Located in the southeast (Gate A) and northeast (Gate E) corners of Beaver Stadium, the upper concourse expansion of Gates A and E will improve fan circulation. The expansion adds a combined 15,050 square feet of concourse space.
ö Four new escalators, two each at Gates A and E, have been installed for enhanced vertical circulation on the East side of the stadium. The four escalators can transport up to 8,000 people per hour. Please note, the escalators will not be operational until the Illinois game.
ö With expanded upper concourse comes an increase of concession points of sale, grab-andgo options and restrooms available to fans.
Video board improvements
ö The South end video board has been replaced with a new videoboard with improved resolution.
ö The ribbon boards located at the North and South ends have been replaced and have increased in size.
ö An additional ribbon board has been added on the South end fascia to complement the updated, exist-
ing ribbon board and the new super ribbon board.
ö Finally, super ribbon boards have been installed in the South end, flanking the South end video board. Please note, the super ribbon board will not be operational until the Ohio State game.
ö Field-level LED videoboards has also been added to the North end.
Improved WiFi on the Concourses
ö A total of 135 new access points have been installed on the concourses at Beaver Stadium. The access points are part of a new stadium network, “PSU Fan.”
ö The “PSU Fan” network is replacing the previous AT&T fan network.
Other revitalization improvements
ö As part of the first phase of the Beaver Stadium Revitalization project, fans will see 50 new concession points of sale and 80 new walk-up self-service non-alcoholic beverage units.
ö The first phase also winterized Beaver Stadium to allow the venue to host events in colder weather conditions, such as a College Football Playoff game.
Fans will also see improvements to East side restrooms.
Stadium entry
ö Mobile ticketing continues to be the preferred delivery method for Penn State Football tickets for all games in Beaver Stadium. Mobile ticketing allows for improved ticket delivery, management and security.
ö Fans are asked to please make sure to download mobile tickets to your Apple Wallet or Google Pay on your phone in advance
of game day.
ö For step-by-step instructions on how to do this, please visit here.
ö Multiple charging stations are located in and around Beaver Stadium, as well as the external customer relations booths. The kiosks have charging units and adapters for iOS and Android devices.
ö To assist in the gate entry process, mobile ticket scanners and walkthrough metal detectors are at every entry point.
ö Fans are asked to make sure they have the newly updated Penn State Athletics Mobile App downloaded ahead of the home opener. The app was updated in July and requires an update on Apple and a new download for Google Play store. Download the Penn State Nittany Lions App: Apple · Android.
Bag Policy
ö Penn State University’s bag policy remains the same for the 2024 season.
ö Clear tote bags, which can be sized 12” x 6” x 12” or smaller, will be permitted.
ö In addition, a 4” x 6” x 1” small clutch or wristlet will continue to be permissible.
ö Complete information on the University’s bag policy can be found here.
Parking and traffic
ö Game Day Traffic Pattern Remains in Effect
ö Penn State football’s game day traffic pattern will be in place once again this season.
ö Please visit here to get to know your route to Beaver Stadium before you depart for the game.
ö One-way traffic patterns will begin tentatively 2.5 hours prior to kickoff for all games.
ö Fans can stay up to
date on travel restrictions by visiting www.penndot. gov. Motorists can also stay up to date on the latest travel conditions by visiting www.511PA.com.
ö Fans can follow @beaver_stadium on Twitter for traffic and parking updates on game day.
Day of game parking
purchase location
Day of game parking can only be purchased (credit or debit only) at both Lot 25 and Lot 36.
Game day parking sales will begin when lots open until sold out or kickoff, whichever comes first.
General parking purchased in advance is variably priced starting at $50 per game, while day of game parking will also be variably priced starting at $80 per game, pending availability.
Fans are encouraged to purchase parking passes in advance to not only to benefit from the savings, but to assist in smoother traffic and parking operations by displaying the pass as they approach roads to stadium parking.
Fans can purchase up to three advance single-game parking passes per account, per game, pending availability.
Parking Zone colors are as follows this season: West (green), North (blue), East (orange) and South (purple).
More information on parking and traffic can be found at: gopsusports.com/ gameday.
Overnight lot
Lerch RV will be at all Penn State home football games this season, providing service to those in the Overnight RV Lot, as needed. The ORV lot will open at 6 p.m. on Thursdays before home games.
Texas
during the first half against Colorado
in Austin on Saturday.
TEST: UM’s return trip to Austin set for 2027
The winner in front of more than 110,000 fans in the stands and millions of people watching on TV will get a boost for its bid to win a national championship while the loser still will have hope thanks to the expanded, 12-team playoff.
“Because of the new format, I like this matchup even more,” Sarkisian said.
The victors also will earn some bragging rights for the Southeastern Conference or the Big Ten.
Texas was dominant in its opener, clicking on offense with quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning while swarming on defense in a 52-0 rout of Colorado State.
Michigan, meanwhile, turned a closely contested game into a 30-10 win over Fresno State with an entirely rebuilt offensive line that struggled until late in the game.
A decade go, both schools announced their traditionally powerful programs would have a homeand-home series for the
week and the return trip to Austin is scheduled for Sept. 4, 2027. The Vince Young-led Longhorns beat the Wolverines on Jan. 1, 2005, in their only meeting,
at the Rose Bowl.
In college football history, Michigan is No. 1 in all-time wins with 1,005 and Texas is No. 4 with 949 victories.
ing off in the regular season.
Sarkisian said. “I love college football. To think these two iconic programs, with those iconic uniforms and iconic helmets meetingsome.”
The Wolverines kicked off their 2023 national championship season with mismatches against East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green one year after opening with Colorado State, Hawaii and Connecticut.
to think Michigan is ready for the challenge, making it an underdog by a touchdown, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
The Wolverines, though, say they will be ready.
Bowls, Ohio State games,”son, a preseason All-America cornerback. “Those type of games, I feel like best football.”
The Associated Press
quarterback Quinn Ewers looks to pass
State
Explosive offense helped by O-line
By Andy Stine astine@altoonamirror.com
Step one for PSU football was to come into what coach James Franklin called “a hornet’s nest” in Milan Puskar Stadium in the preseason.
the Lions, and put a feather in the cap for the offensive line, as well.
No. 1 aspect that the offense lacked one season ago, and there was no shortage of them in the season opener last weekend.
It all starts up front where QBs Drew Allar and Beau Pribula both had develop.
“It doesn’t matter who’s back there,” right guard
IN THE TRENCHES
good about
ing Green.
we feel something is going to happen.”
did the start-
front of Drew Shelton, Vega Ioane, Nick
Allar was never known as a QB that could do damage with his legs, but at -
ception as he rushed for 44
“I thought he ran bet-
more comfortable as a QB,” in the pocket, when to roll out, and scramble. Having
lot for him now.”
Pribula added 25 more
CALTAGIRONE: Broncos next for Ducks
(Continued from Page 7)
Notable
Duck and cover
With a closer-than-anticipated 24-14 win over Idaho, Oregon extended the nation’s longest active nonconference home winning streak to 33 games.
offensive linemen also saw action in the game. At right tackle, Donkoh had two false starts, but otherwise -
shirt freshman. Nolan Rucci was supposed to spell Donkoh at right tackle, but Franklin is hoping he will get more reps against Bowl-
Franklin said. “He dropped 10 pounds. I think he’s the weight room becom-
one time resulted in a 19Warren in the fourth quarter.
Penn State brought in new offensive coordina-
quarterback position is im-
a game with his legs, it
“I think he’s that much
were so scarce in previous in large part to a fantastic opening effort from the what Franklin needed.
BIG TEN: Raiolo leads Huskers in rout
(Continued from Page 6)
North Carolina was the weekend, even the winners
“I’m taking full responhappened,” Michigan State
QB Aidan Chiles said after the Spartans’ less-than-stellar offensive performance against Florida Atlantic.
Can the Week 2 sequel be as good as Week 1? Perhaps. -
and I felt like I did that. But I didn’t do what I’m used to -
ing the defending national champion Wolverines, -
sas traveling to Illinois and two longtime rivalries return — Iowa State at Iowa and Colorado at Nebraska
like that, which is rare in like there’s not much else going on right? — this was
that, I know there was a lot of people watching.”
“Different than what we thought it might look like,” said Oregon head coach Dan Lanning. “On the same note, we’ve got to give credit to Idaho. They didn’t give us anything for free. A lot of learning moments for us.”
The Ducks will put their streak on the line tomorrow against Boise State, which outlasted Georgia Southern on the road last weekend, 56-45.
Quotable
“I told our team we could play Ole Miss a hundred times and I’m not sure that much will be different. Our kids held on and fought hard and we will regroup. We won’t see another team this talented the rest of the way.” — Furman head coach Clay Hendrix, after absorbing a 76-0 loss at Ole Miss
“That was some pretty good Big Ten football today.” — USC head coach Lincoln Riley, after his Trojans defeated LSU, 27-20
ö Top-ranked Georgia has won 40 straight regular season games and is 47-2 in its last 49 games. The losses were to Alabama in last year’s SEC Championship Game and to Florida in November 2020.
ö With a 52-0 win over Colorado State, Texas season-opening game since 2004.
ö Michigan set a Big Ten record with its 29th consecutive regular season win last weekend. The previous record of 28 straight wins was shared by Michigan (190103) and Ohio State (200507). The streak will be in jeopardy tomorrow when the Wolverines host Texas in a Top-10 matchup. Texas won the last meeting between the two teams, 38-37, in the 2005 Rose Bowl.
ö Georgia Tech is 2-0 for
The second win was over meeting between the two schools, whose campuses are separated by less than two miles.
Jim Caltagirone, a former member of Penn State’s sports information department, comments on the national scene for Gameday. He can be reached at jimclion4ever@ gmail.com.
