QB Steven Bench announces he will transfer to South Florida

Written by Kevin McGuire on .

Former Penn State quarterback Steven Bench will transfer to the University of South Florida and join the Bulls football program. Bench announced his decision on Twitter.

 

Heck, Bench even got his dogs to help spread the word, complete with Penn State window decal in the background...

 

Steven Bench's dogs help with the announcement.

Audio: Michael Mauti interview with Bill King

Written by Kevin McGuire on .

Bill King hosts one of the top college football radio programs year-round on satellite radio, but you can also listen to it for free online. If you want to get some daily college football commentary to get your days started, instead of national or local sports radio talk, I highly recommend signing up for a free membership so you can listen on your computer.

On Tuesday morning King had former Penn state linebacker Michael Mauti join his show. For those unfamiliar with King and his show, he has had great praise for Mauti for a while now. With the recent release of the Sports Illustrated story on Penn State's medical care to football players, getting Mauti's opinions figured to make for an interesting interview. It did not disappoint.

Mauti rehashed the past year from his perspective by talking about Big Ten football media days last summer and the 2012 season overall.

Here is the full audio...

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Cup of Joe: Penn State basketball set for European tour

Written by Kevin McGuire on .

Monday was quite a slow day it seemed, so our Cup of Joe this morning is rather brief. Bill O'Brien will be on HBO's Real Sports tonight at 10 p.m. I don't have HBO so somebody please fill me in tomorrow, OK?

Most indispensable players at Penn State include Allen Robinson and Mike Hull. [ESPN]

What is Penn State getting with running back Nick Scott in the Class of 2014? [Lions 247]

Did Jabrill Peppers visit Penn State or not? A Penn State recruiting round-up. [Victory Bell Rings]

The state's lawsuit against the NCAA netted a two-hour court hearing on Monday. It could be a few weeks before learning if the case will be allowed to continue. [AP]

Penn State men's basketball will play a European basketball tour in August with multiple games in Belgium as well as stops in Paris, France and London, England. [PSU]

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Cup of Joe: Putting the SI story to rest, for now

Written by Kevin McGuire on .

Good morning and a happy Victoria Day to our Penn State fans checking in from above the border. Hope you had a good weekend. Now we begin our week with a quick round-up of everything you may have missed over the weekend.

Final thoughts on the Sports Illustrated story. [Bleacher Report]

Penn State's reaction to the SI story does not squash the notion that something happened to prompt the report. [Lancaster Online]

New Jersey prospect Kyle Alston will walk-on at Penn State. [NJ.com]

Penn State extended an offer to New Jersey tight end Mike Gesicki, a three-star prospect. He also holds offers from Miami, Wisconsin and Rutgers and he visited Penn State back in April and October. [Lions 247]

Matt McGloin, new Oakland Raiders quarterback, answered some questions for PennLive. [PennLive]

Bill O'Brien and Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly are proving they are the men in charge of their programs. [PennLive]

The state of Pennsylvania officially begins their legal battle with the NCAA disputing Penn State's sanctions today. [PennLive]

What the Millenium Complex looks like from above. [Reddit]

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Who will Penn State's 12th opponent in 2014 be? My money is on Syracuse

Written by Kevin McGuire on .

Before you continue reading, please keep this disclaimer in mind. In no way is this the start of a rumor or citing obscure anonymous sources. This is pure speculation and hypothetical thinking on my part. Now that I have cleared that up with you, let's continue.

Penn State's 2014 Big Ten conference schedule was released earlier today. As you have probably seen by now, Penn State has one schedule hole to fill next season and the available weeks to work with are not exactly the most friendly. Penn State has two open weeks in October and another in November to work with. So, how will one of those games be filled? Who fills it?

After a quick look at some future schedules out there, my early money is on Syracuse.

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Penn State will be first Big Ten opponent for Rutgers in 2014

Written by Kevin McGuire on .

Penn State will play the role of visitor for the first Big Ten conference game in the history of Rutgers football. The 2014 Big Ten conference schedule was released Thursday afternoon, setting the stage for the 2014 season which introduces Rutgers and Maryland as new conference members. Maryland will return to Beaver Stadium in 2014 with a game on November 1.

With the new division layout, Penn State's Land Grant Trophy series with Michigan State will return to the back-end of the regular season schedule. When Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993, Michigan State had been the regularly schedule opponent for the final week of the season every year until 2011, when the conference expanded to 12 members with Nebraska and split in to two divisions. The Spartans had been placed in the Legends Division and Penn State in the Leaders Division. Penn State's regular season finale opponent had been Wisconsin during this brief stretch.

Penn State's Big Ten schedule includes home games against Northwestern (Sept. 27), Ohio State (Oct. 25), Maryland (Nov. 1) and Michigan State (Nov. 29). Road conference games will take place at Rutgers (Sep. 13), Michigan (Oct. 11), Indiana (Nov. 8) and Illinois (Nov. 22). Penn State currently has three bye weeks built in to the conference schedule. The 2014 schedule currently has one vacancy to be filled with two open weeks available in October and one in November.

What having to fill one schedule hole with the only available weeks available in October and November means remains to be seen, but it may be less likely Penn State is able to schedule an opponent from one of the larger conferences given that conference play is typically in season and occupies most of the available weeks.

Be sure to check out the entire updated 2014 Penn State football schedule page, and bookmark it now. It will be updated as needed. Here is Penn State's most up-to-date 2013 football schedule.

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Cup of Joe: Penn State vs. Pitt is 1,214 days away

Written by Kevin McGuire on .

Penn State and Pittsburgh are scheduled to begin a four-game series in 2016, a mere 1,214 days from now, but as ACC and Big Ten spring meetings are taking place in separate locations this week there is a fresh buzz about the series. Quotes coming out of both schools have suggested there is a chance we could see the series continue beyond the 2019 game, the fourth in the four-game series already under contract. Some Penn State fans appear to be reluctant to embrace the potential revival of the series, but early poll results seem to suggest fans are overwhelmingly in favor of seeing Pitt at the end of the regular season instead of Rutgers, Maryland or Michigan State. What do you think?

Pitt AD "very optimistic" a series with Penn State could be renewed beyond the current four games scheduled. [Nittany Lions Den]

If the series is going to be extended, why not find a way to have it played at the end of the season? [Examiner]

Is Penn State's defense in store for a meltdown of sorts this season? [Nittany Lions Den]

Some thoughts on how Penn State recruiting is working in spite of NCAA sanctions. [Victory Bell Rings]

Also, what's up with the quarterback recruiting situation? [Victory Bell Rings]

A Penn State fan sent ESPN's Bob Ley a pretty bizarre letter. [Nittany Lions Den]

Penn State has had one of the worst red zone offenses over the last three years. [CoachingSearch.com]

Brace yourselves. Sports Illustrated is expected to publish a story potentially criticizing Penn State's medical care to student athletes. Look for that at some point Wednesday, possibly in the morning. Penn State has already released a statement condemning the report. [Philly.com]

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Penn State fan asks ESPN's Bob Ley if Joe Paterno faked his own death

Written by Kevin McGuire on .

I honestly don't even know what to say about this. A Penn State fan mailed a letter to ESPN's Bob Ley, most noted for his role as host of Outside the Lines and his soccer coverage, and asked if it was at all possible if Joe Paterno was secretly alive somewhere.

 

 

Uhh, no. It is not.

Helmet sticker to The Big Lead.

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