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November 5, 2011

River City Trophy LiveBlog

Filed under: Football,liveblog — Chas @ 9:00 am

I’m at the game today. Might be the last game I make this season if my work schedule continues to be a convoluted mess. That might explain why I left a wife with a sinus infection and a son that vomited in the bed last night. The other explanation is I just didn’t want to deal with that sort of thing, but that would make me seem like a selfish ass.

The lovely and talented Luke will be moderating the liveblog tonight for your pleasure. I’ll be offering livetweets throughout the game, and depending on my battery life, the nature of the game, and getting the app to work correctly — I might try to check into the liveblog at halftime.

It’s supposed to be a sunny day, leading to a crisp evening. Should be a great day for tailgating. The game is at 7pm on ESPNU.

I do not know what to expect from this game. I don’t know what the offense will do. I don’t know if the defense is going to keep playing outstanding,

I don’t know what Cinci will be like in this game. They struggled to beat USF on the road. Handled Lousiville at home — at least in the second half. They have a 6-1 record, but it’s about as impressive as Penn State’s 8-1 record. They boast quality talent at the skill positions on offense, but have struggled against decent to good defenses.

As you know, this is a moderated chat. Luke has the authority, trust and knows what to do. The liveblog is supposed to be a chance for us to gather and share thoughts on the game, hopefully share in the joy/relief of a win. Commiserate if need be, perhaps a little venting. Not every comment gets through. Especially duplicative, trolls, overly vulgar, personal attacks, or general stupidity as defined by me (like porn, I know it when I see it) — well in tonight’s case, Luke.

As usual, if you need to break the liveblog out from the site, Click Here.

Otherwise, just a little lower.





@ TX Panther

How does forfeting games help the victims of this act?

Again, we should take our football fan hat off and look at this for what it is…a criminal act.

Football at this point is irrelevant. This has nothing to do with the Pitt/PSU rivalry.

This is about children whose lives have been changed forever because of these acts.

This goes beyond football…

DaveD

Comment by DaveD 11.08.11 @ 3:38 pm

The other question is….what exactly did the Second Mile organization do when PSU told them of the 2002 incident? Recall PSU’s response was to forbid Sandusky from bringing the children on campus to molest and to inform Second Mile (his employer at that time). How did Second Mile not go to authorities?

Comment by FG 11.08.11 @ 3:46 pm

Talk about a smooth move!!!!!!! LMAO!!!

Kinda forgot myself with everything going on, and on the radio and net.

Just happened to search ‘conference realignment’, for the first time in a week…………..

SEC officially welcomes Missouri to the SEC!!!!

Brilliant!!!! Few stories, few people paying attention, no noise from the Big12 people, no noise from those that wanted them to stay etc. etc. etc.

A month from now, will see Missouri listed as one of the 14 SEC members, and say, “hey, when did that happen?”

SEC and Missouri’s conversation….”let’s pull the trigger now”, “Absolutely, talk to ya later”!!

Gotta hand it to them, cover provided courtesy of PSU!!!

Comment by Dan 11.08.11 @ 4:59 pm

The culture at Penn State and the surrounding community is very different than here in Pittsburgh. Last summer when there were “off the field” incidents involving Pitt players in the South Side, it was in the news and in the newspapers. There is little doubt that the run-ins with the police contributed greatly to Dave Wannstedt’s dismissal. In Happly Valley a lot of things don’t make the papers. Also if you look at Morgantown and West Virginia, when the governor’s daughter got her MBA without all the necessary class work , it was the Pittsburgh papers that covered it. The West Virginia papers were afraid to say anything. Joe PA and the university up until now called the shots in State College. I’m sure a lot of thing there were typically swept under the rug. The problem here is that they were more concerned about the damage to their image than they were about the safety of the kids. They allowed this lowlife to continue to molest the kids in his program.

Comment by Justinian 11.08.11 @ 5:05 pm

Ok, SEC-Missouri announced on Sunday. Maybe they didn’t announce because of this. I was just thinking with all the conference talk, but, thinking about it, they’re not hiding from anything. So, disregard above post, I believe I’m wrong.

However, it does say, they are starting next summer! So, that means that the Big12 is back at 9 until the WVU/Big East is settled.

Interesting, but, I digress, back to PSU!

Comment by Dan 11.08.11 @ 5:08 pm

The forfeiting is part of the punishment and beginning of the healing process. How can anyone go on that field or inside that stadium after all this. Well…you cannot. Until all the coaches and administrators are wiped clean, you cannot play another game or it will be a mockery. You continue playing games means you put football and money above what is right. That’s how I view it. You are free to disagree.

Comment by TX Panther 11.08.11 @ 5:11 pm

While obviously deepest sympathies go to the vicitims and their families, you also have to feel for the current PSU players.

I don’t believe I am speaking from purely from a Pitt fan’s viewpoint, but if I’m a parent of a PSU player, I’m strongly considering pulling my kid out of school and petitioning the NCAA for a transfer where he does not have to sit out a year.

Comment by wbb 11.08.11 @ 5:22 pm

Too often in college sports the wrong people get paid and the wrong people get punished.

The student athletes are the “product” that the consumers are buying, yet they get paid very little in comparison to what they bring in.

When the coaches and administrations break the rules, they leave with their big pay checks and go somewhere else. The players can’t transfer without sitting our for a year and they are the ones left without the ability to go to bowls if they stay.

In this case, Sandusky is mostly responsible. The Penn State leadership had an obligation to do more to stop him. Schultz and Curley had a legal obligation. Joe, Mike and Graham had a moral and leadership responsibility to deal with a bad situation. Clearly they all failed. And they will all face the consequences. Joe already has, his reputation and legacy are forever ruined.

But why punish the football team by forefieting? Why punish the fans? They had no role in any of this. Punish the right people.

Comment by boubacar aw 11.08.11 @ 6:03 pm

The players should be allowed to transfer without penalty. The fans? That’s what they get for worshipping a false idol. The fans are part of that culture and the culture is the problem. If Poopy Pants wasn’t loved so much by Nitters, he would have never amassed the power he did. Power corrupts.

Comment by TX Panther 11.08.11 @ 6:12 pm

It’s sad. I just texted my friend asking about the mood at Penn State right now. His response (student’s perspective): “Besides the occasional fuck who thinks JoePa is in the wrong, most people support him. The other f****** can all go to hell. We’ve got a football game to win on Saturday. -main mental approach to the whole thing.” Wow.

Comment by Timmeh 11.08.11 @ 6:23 pm

All they care about is their football program. For as much as our football program has let us down, as much shit as we give Tino, as many times as we’ve referred to Graham asall talk, as much as we want Steve Pederson out, I can at least say we have done it the right way, and this would not fly under The University of Pittsburgh. I am proud to say that and hopefully can continue to say that in the future.

Comment by Timmeh 11.08.11 @ 6:28 pm

National news says Joe has a pristine reputation. Ha, all Pitt fans know he’s an egotistical, hyprocrit.

Comment by alcofan 11.08.11 @ 7:40 pm

Flip2Script,

You do understand that Pitt football has been more or less irrelevant for the last 30 years. Or, in other words, at least 8 years before most undergraduates at the university were born. While I hate trying to justify the actions of these fans, the fact remains that Pitt football disappoints year after year.

Comment by PatMac 11.08.11 @ 7:52 pm

link to post-gazette.com

300 students show up on JoePa’s lawn for support.

“I don’t feel like there was any wrongdoing on his part,” said Katz, one of the early ones to arrive. “He’s getting blamed, which isn’t right at all.He reported it. Other people aren’t being accountable.”

Katz said Spanier deserves the bulk of the blame. He would like to see Paterno coach in the game against Nebraska Saturday and for the remainder of the season.

“I feel like they’re using JoePa,” he continued.”They want him to fall. They shouldn’t tarnish his reputation.”

Another freshman student, Stefano DiPietro of Norristown, blamed athletic director Tim Curley, who has taken a leave of absence to deal with his legal issues.

“Joe did what he was supposed to do,” he said. “It wasn’t his job to do anything further. Once he reported it to the athletic director the athletic director should have done an investigation. JoePa did the right thing. It should have been investigated.”

Wow. Could you imagine Nordenberg handling this scandal this way? I can’t.

Comment by Jason 11.08.11 @ 8:58 pm

Can anyone who is a PA football fan remember a worse 4 day period in PA Football. ? I cannot and I have been a Pitt/Steeler fan for 49 years.

For Pitt to again look as lost and pathetic in the 3rd and 4th quarter,WVU to get upset at home…then the Steeler debacle Sunday night followed by this horrid Penn State Story…I cannot remember a worse few days. While I may hate PSU as a fan, my dad, his brother, my grandad and his grandad were all PSU Grads. I was drilled on the sanctity of Penn State football from birth until I was so sick of it, I went to Pitt. Some one said it earlier….this is the worst scandel in the history of football, college, pro or highschool and if even 20% of it is true (and I think 115% is true and we haven’t heard the half of it)it shows the worst of man’s inhumanity to man….Matt Millen quoted the same today in his rant (he also sits on the board of Second Mile and was coached up by Sandusky). My prayers to all involved. One hour ago the 9th victim reported to the Harrisburg Police. Cannot imagine how my children’s lives were ruined while JoPa, Spanier, Curly (who is a great guy) et al…twiddled their thumbs.

Spent the afternoon on the phone with a good friend who lives in State College and sits on the board there…let’s all keep in mind as we pontificate on PSU’s problems…there is sin and darkness in each one of us. The good Rev could help with this but there is a Bible passage we could all do to remember…”let he who is without sin, cast the first stone”! Let’s all be careful in our postings.

Comment by Dan 72 11.08.11 @ 9:08 pm

the most poignant statement today was from the mother of one of the victims saying that Spanier choosing to throw all of his support for the ones charged instead of the vicitims are just making them victims once again.

I know aPSU alum who is so enraged that he is emailing all of his PSU friends and begging to stop any future support of the university due to Spanier’s decision to supprt Curley and Schulz ..

Comment by wbb 11.08.11 @ 9:36 pm

I am a sinful man and will be the first to admit I don’t deserve Christ’s love, but I know myself better than anyone and I would have stopped evil in its tracks. JoePa didn’t because he loved himself more than God. He did not do nearly enough and the Devil danced. He had a moral obligation to settle this matter and chose to protect his reputation at the expense of a child’s innocence. That to me is despicable and worthy of a ticket straight to Hell. Anyone who had a hand in this coverup needs to go. JoePa owes every parent a sincere mea culpa and his supporters better take a long look in the mirror. You are the product of all the decisions you make in life. JoePa’s decision to sweep this under the rug has made him into a monster. All the good he has done cannot make up for that. Maybe I’m a bit sensitive because I have a ten year old boy myself. Maybe those students supporting him will understand when they have kids. Penn State’s culture has to change or these horrors will be repeated. I truly wish Penn State the best as the healing process begins and the truth is told. Kids need to be protected above all including one’s legacy. Peace out.

Comment by TX Panther 11.08.11 @ 10:36 pm

As I lay awake Sunday evening until 3AM in the morning wondering how on earth a Steeler defensive player could let somene behind him and how on earth Tino Sunseri could just fall apart as he did, I asked myself what was the worst feeling I ever had after a game and had an easy answer, it was in 1975, the Pitt-Penn State 7-6 loss at Three Rivers Stadium. We beat Penn State all over the field that day and missed 3 FG’s and 1 extra point. I was in my twentys then and stood on what is now the Clemente bridge and cried for about 10 minutes. It was freezing cold and I wondered how I/we/Pitt/fans would ever survive that loss. Well we did, as will we again after Saturday and as we Steeler fans will after
Sunday.

The tragic events of PSU have again reminded all of us passionate football fans…IT’S JUST A GAME!

Comment by Dan 72 11.08.11 @ 10:37 pm

Sandusky went from being a presumed head-coach-in-waiting and highly successful Defensive Co-ordinator in 1998, to suddenly retiring in 1999, during or soon after the police investigation into the incidcent involving an 11 year old boy who alleged he was molested in the shower by Sandusky in 1998.

How can any rational person believe that incident had nothing to do with his sudden retirement? Further, we cannot forget that PSU administrators agreed to allow Sandusky to retain all privileges on campus after his sudden retirement following the molestation accusation in 1998- AND did not report the allegations to the Second Mile organization, essentially making them accessories to child rape.
Comment by Dan35 11.08.11 @ 3:33 pm

That’s exactly right Dan35.
There is NO WAY a 57(or whatever it was) yr old guy (the Pedophile) just resigns in 1999, being one of the best DC’s in college football and the heir apparent to Paterno.
The pedophile was OBVIOUSLY FORCED TO RESIGN from the 1998 incident because that incident was investigated by the University Police and they overheard his telephone call to one of the victim’s mothers, where he didn’t deny anything, he just apologized and said he wished he was dead.

What Paterno did that was most grievous IMO, besides not reporting this pedophile or even trying to get some help for this pervert, was making him ‘assistant coach emeritus’ and allowing him to maintain his football office in the football building. That was ALL DONE AFTER THE 2002 shower incident that McQueary witnessed.

THEY ALL NEED TO GO, WHETHER VOLUNTARILY OR NOT!

AND THEIR RETIREMENT PLANS NEED STOPPED, AFTER THEY’RE GONE !

Comment by EMel 11.08.11 @ 10:53 pm

The forfeiting is part of the punishment and beginning of the healing process. How can anyone go on that field or inside that stadium after all this. Well…you cannot. Until all the coaches and administrators are wiped clean, you cannot play another game or it will be a mockery. You continue playing games means you put football and money above what is right. That’s how I view it. You are free to disagree.

Comment by TX Panther 11.08.11 @ 5:11 pm

The cold hard reality here is: they’re going to fill Beaver Stadium to honor (yes I said honor) Joe Paterno during the last home game of the year for them against Nebraska.
And they WILL BE CHANTING….we are State Penn, in their little white shirts. Well it might be a little cold to do the white thing.

Bottom line, they’re going to act, like nothing has happened at all.

There will be 100,000 3 Wise Monkeys or 3 Mystic Apes if you prefer, at Beaver Stadium on Sat. and ESPN-ABC will be there to witness the grand event.

Comment by EMel 11.08.11 @ 11:04 pm

There are various meanings ascribed to the monkeys and the proverb including associations with being of good mind, speech and action. In the Western world the phrase is often used to refer to those who deal with impropriety by looking the other way, refusing to acknowledge it, or feigning ignorance.

Comment by EMel 11.08.11 @ 11:05 pm

300 students show up on JoePa’s lawn for support.

“I don’t feel like there was any wrongdoing on his part,” said Katz, one of the early ones to arrive. “He’s getting blamed, which isn’t right at all.He reported it. Other people aren’t being accountable.”

These kids are funny, as are most of the alumni.
If Pedophile State was struggling this year, say 3-6 or 4-5, they’d ALL BE CALLING FOR JOE’S HEAD.

People are basically hypocrites. Which is why America is in such a moral and financial mess.

Katz said Spanier deserves the bulk of the blame. He would like to see Paterno coach in the game against Nebraska Saturday and for the remainder of the season.

“I feel like they’re using JoePa,” he continued.”They want him to fall. They shouldn’t tarnish his reputation.”

Comment by EMel 11.08.11 @ 11:22 pm

The Penn State apologists who insist that Joe Paterno did nothing wrong, just don’t get it.

It was wrong that he did nothing.

A lot of people at Penn State are guilty as well. As we are seeing, they did a lot more damage to the school and to the athletic program, than ever would have happened, if they had done the right thing back in 2002.

Comment by Justinian 11.08.11 @ 11:27 pm

Lead Story on Yahoo Sports. One of the most viewed websites.

link to sports.yahoo.com

‘Time for Joe to Go !’

Comment by EMel 11.08.11 @ 11:35 pm

Paterno, who has more victories than any other Division I head football coach and has two national championships on his resume, had a scheduled Tuesday news conference canceled by the school less than an hour before its start depite a throng of national media on campus. The school’s board of trustees has not yet determined when Paterno will step aside, but the discussions regarding how and when he will depart have started.

This coward Paterno didn’t even have the balls to ‘face the music’ today. As they canceled his press conference today. Exactly as he handled the pedophile, his buddy and longtime right hand man.

He did nothing, and hoped it would ALL just go
away. Some legend.

Comment by EMel 11.08.11 @ 11:41 pm

Chugh said there even is talk of a five-minute-long “We Are … Penn State” chant from the students Saturday.

The problem with that declaration on a turbulent Monday in State College is that it does not reinforce a belief so much as raise a difficult question.

What is Penn State now?
By Pat Forde, Yahoo! Sports

See what I mean.

Comment by EMel 11.08.11 @ 11:58 pm

At the spontaneous rally at his house, Paterno held his fists over his head three times and said, “We are …”

And the crowd replied, “Penn State!”

“We’re always going to be Penn State,” Paterno said. “I’m proud of you. I’ve always been proud of you. Beat Nebraska.”
By GENARO C. ARMAS, Associated Press

Has this person no decency, no shame, no morality left? Tell that chant to all the children who were raped in your university buildings by your right hand man, and who’s lives were forever changed.

These are not the actions of a man, but of someone who thinks they are a demigod.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

This is the lesson to be learned from this horrid, evil affair.

Comment by EMel 11.09.11 @ 12:11 am

THis is what happens when the institution of, and the grand “ideals” of, Penn State football take precedence over Penn State University itself.

For decades, PSU and JoePa had the image of being the virtuous college football program who, win or lose, always did things the right way.

They COULD have done the right thing in 1998 and had Sandusky locked up. Maybe they would’ve taken a small hit to their reputation by having a pedophile on the staff for so long, but at least they could say “As soon as we found out about it, we took care of things and nipped it in the butt.”

They had another opportunity in 2002 to do so.

But the idea of JoePa’s “Grand Experiment”, the team of do-gooders that studied hard, were good citizens, and still won on the feild, couldn’t even be tarnished even a little bit in the public’s eye. It had gotten too big and powerful and had made too much money for that.

So the powers that be swept it under the rug, put a big easy chair over it, and sat on it. I don’t know if they were hoping Sandusky would die eventually and that not one of these kids would ever come forward.

And now, years later, their reputation is tarnished much worse than it ever would’ve been if they’d have taken care of business in the first place.

They could’ve stopped this and been heroes years ago. But they didn’t.

Comment by Jimbo Covert's My Dad 11.09.11 @ 12:23 am

Well said Jimbo Covert’s My Dad.

One has to presume that the ONLY thing Paterno was interested in was having the most wins ever in college coaching and NOTHING ELSE!
His shameless actions today add to that presumption.

Comment by EMel 11.09.11 @ 12:34 am

Lost in this mass of depravity is the irony that the attorney general is a Pitt grad.
For the students to support someone who simply turned his back on the rape of a ten year old speaks volumes about their character as well.

Comment by Gas 11.09.11 @ 6:55 am

Pattern and Spanier fired

Comment by Annie 11.09.11 @ 11:24 pm

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