Morelli OnLion: Penn State breaks through
September 22, 2012 at 10:30 AM by Chris Morelli · Leave a Comment
UNIVERSITY PARK — Sometimes the things a football team doesn’t do in a game contribute as much to a win as the things it actually does. That was the case for Penn State in its first win of the season, 34-7, over Navy on Saturday. The Nittany Lions certainly had many successes on both sides of the ball and some breakout performances against the Midshipmen. The offense sprinted out to a 20-point...
Read More...Morelli OnLion: O’Brien faces tough decision
September 14, 2012 at 1:00 PM by Chris Morelli · Leave a Comment
UNIVERSITY PARK — Since Bill O’Brien took over as head coach of the Penn State football team, he’s had to make a ton of tough decisions. Some have been related to football, others not. Just two weeks into the 2012 season, he’s got to make his toughest decision yet: What in the world does he do with the kicking game? Look, when it comes to sports, I call them like I see them. Sam...
Read More...Morelli OnLion: New era begins with a thud
September 7, 2012 at 6:18 AM by Chris Morelli · 1 Comment
UNIVERSITY PARK — When it comes to sportswriting, I try to avoid cliches. However, when breaking down Penn State’s 24-14 upset loss to Ohio on Saturday at Beaver Stadium, a cliché works extremely well. It was a tale of two halves. In the first half, things couldn’t have gone much better for the Nittany Lions. They came out of the tunnel for the first time in 2012 with new head coach...
Read More...Morelli OnLion: Season Opener Ushers in New Era at PSU
August 31, 2012 at 5:51 AM by Chris Morelli · Leave a Comment
The last time the Penn State Nittany Lions took the field at Beaver Stadium was Nov. 12. That seems like a long time ago, doesn’t it? For the record, the Nittany Lions lost that day, a close 17-14 defeat at the hands of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I was in the stands for that game and I can tell you that it was more than a football game. It was an emotional experience. Now, here we are, 10 months...
Read More...Morelli OnLion: NCAA punishments were fair
August 6, 2012 at 5:55 AM by Chris Morelli · Leave a Comment
Just when it appeared that things couldn’t get any worse for Penn State, they did. In July, the NCAA handed down its sanctions against the school. As expected, the NCAA brought the hammer down on the once-proud institution. The NCAA didn’t give the Nittany Lions the “death penalty,” but what it did may have been worse. Here are the details: An unprecedented $60 million fine, the equivalent...
Read More...Morelli OnLion: O’Brien’s decision a no-brainer
June 21, 2012 at 5:54 AM by Chris Morelli · Leave a Comment
UNIVERSITY PARK — The soap opera is over. First-year head coach Bill O’Brien put an end to any off-season drama when he named senior Matt McGloin the starting quarterback for the 2012 season. The announcement came during the Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Tournament, which was held recently at the Penn State Golf Courses. McGloin beat out Paul Jones and Rob Bolden. While the announcement shouldn’t...
Read More...Morelli OnLion: Raiders take liking to PSU
May 21, 2012 at 6:03 AM by Chris Morelli · Leave a Comment
If you’re a Penn State fan who has no allegiance to an NFL team, you may finally have a team to cheer for. The Oakland Raiders. As a lifelong fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, it pains me to write this column. But there are now four former Penn Staters playing for the Raiders. Truth be told, all four are pretty good guys. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the four Nittany Lions...
Read More...Morelli OnLion: QB battle down to two
April 26, 2012 at 11:56 AM by Chris Morelli · Leave a Comment
UNIVERSITY PARK — The annual Blue-White Game looked a little different this year. First-year coach Bill O’Brien changed things up for his first spring scrimmage. Instead of dividing the team into two squads, it was simply offense versus defense. The scoring system was revamped, which made the 77-65 final look more like an Arena Football League contest instead of a spring football game. It didn’t...
Read More...Morelli OnLion: Making progress
April 2, 2012 at 6:11 AM by Chris Morelli · Leave a Comment
Joe Battista is just like a kid at Christmas. Nestled away in his office at the Bryce Jordan Center, Battista grins from ear-to-ear as he talks about the progress at the site where the $88 million state of the art ice hockey arena is being built. “Every day there’s more and more tangible evidence that something big is coming,” Battista said. “I find myself going over there at least once...
Read More...MorelliOnLion: Back to Back
March 8, 2012 at 5:55 AM by Chris Morelli · Leave a Comment
It’s March … let the madness begin. While the madness will probably be short-lived for the Penn State men’s basketball team, the run may be longer for the Lady Lions. In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a closer look at their chances this month. Let’s start with the wrestling squad. Back to Back The Penn State wrestling squad bounced back from a rough Saturday...
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