Anthony Scirrotto News

Penn State's class of 2005 is hailed in Happy Valley as a group of players who helped bring the storied program back from football purgatory to national relevance.

What a lackluster performance from the Lions. Let me start out by saying this as a Penn State Fan.

Penn State's Drew Astorino has stepped into a leadership role in the Lions' defensive backfield, ranking fourth on the team with 41 tackles.

Entering the 2009 season, one of the biggest question marks for Penn State was the team's secondary.

Joe Paterno looked exhausted, as though his team's loss to Iowa minutes before had caused him as much mental pain as the physical pain that was throbbing in his hip.

It's the elephant in the room few want to speak about, that chilly afternoon in Iowa City less than a year ago.

Three wins into the 2009 season, outscoring opponents 90-20 and maintaining an early AP No.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz watches his team during the first half of a football game against Minnesota, Saturday, Nov.

Mired in mediocrity, the Big Ten is only a shell of its former self nowadays and its only hope for a national championship comes in the shape of a battered Nittany Lion.

His all-senior defensive backfield had just been shredded the day before by USC and soon-to-be NFL first-round pick Mark Sanchez.

Since Evan Royster will be carrying the ball, catches passes and, apparently, returning punts, the comparison seemed inevitable.

It's easy to look forward to the college football season this week, to the Penn State season.

With that USC fight song still fresh in our heads, it's time to expound on the 2009 Penn State football season that lies dead ahead.

In case you didn't read yesterday's Part One, I'll sum it up by saying I touched on several questionable areas that could conspire to knock the petals off some of the rosy forecasts for the Nittany Lions currently being bandied about by the sportsweenies and blogwonks.

It isnt the possibility of Gil Meche experiencing renewed back problems today against the Twins that worries Royals manager Trey Hillman.Instead, Hillmans chief concern is whether Meche will show too much rust in his first big-league start since muscle spasms in his lower back forced him to leave a July 11 outing in Boston after 3 2/3 innings.

In my mind, you can throw a blanket over the top five teams in the Big Ten. Here's where the choosing gets tough.

Former West Deptford High School and Penn State football standout Anthony Scirrotto was invited to take a physical with the St.

Former West Deptford High School and Penn State football standout Anthony Scirrotto was invited to take a physical with the St.

Joe Paterno can check off another milestone on his list. The 82-year-old officially begins his 60th season at Penn State when the Nittany Lions open preseason practice today.

For all of the emphasis placed on bulk and brute force, football is really a game of geometry.