Blog Chips is getting all extravaganzaish

PSU Media day extravaganza

Today at 1PM our glorious leader speaks to the press in the annual Penn State media day.

For the most up to date official tidbits make sure you point your internet browser of choice to Penn State's media day homepage. There you can link directly to the Joe Paterno press conference starting at 1pm. Be warned though that this is not free content. You will have to register and pay a fee of either $9.95 for exclusive Penn State access.

I know, I know like me, you're too cheap to pay the 10 bucks to get the presser live. Well fear not oh loyal blue & Whiter, The Big Ten Network has got you covered and then some.

As a special treat to Penn State fans the Big Ten Network will air a pair of classic football games involving Penn State. the 1983 Sugar Bowl, Penn State's first national championship, and last season's epic defensive battle at Ohio State will be aired starting at 5pm, leading into Big Ten Tonight's special Penn State media day episode.

But wait… there's still more!!

As if that were not enough for Penn State fans, following Big Ten Tonight the network will air a third classic Penn State football game. The 2001 meeting against Ohio State in which Paterno passed Paul "Bear" Bryant on the all time list will be shown at 11pm.

Outland Watch

Jared Odrick and Stefen Wisniewski have been selected for the 2009 Outland Trophy watch list given to the nation's top interior lineman. Remarkably the only Nittany Lion to win an Outland Trophy was Mike Reid way back in 1969.

Penn State fans can breathe a little easier

VHT super QB recruit Paul Jones is healing faster than planned and hopes to return to high school action sometime in September. Good news for PSU fans but even better news is this little quote:

Jones also said he plans on keeping his verbal pledge to Penn State.

Jones said there is "no one else really in the picture" at the moment but Pittsburgh, West Virginia, South Florida and Tennessee were pursuing him
earlier.

It's like the spread only in 1080p

Awesome must-read article on ESPN about the Spread HD… from the point of view of the football. Also we learn the real origins of how the Spread HD got it's name.

Before last year's Alamo Bowl against Texas A&M, the Lions installed a few surprise plays for the Aggies designed around Clark, then a backup QB, which led to a telling exchange at practice.

Derrick Williams: "Hey, Coach, we bringin' back the spread?"

Jay Paterno: "This is beyond the spread. It's like the HD version of the spread."

THIS PSU schedule is nothing to sneeze at

The PSU wrestling team announced their 2009-10 schedule and it will be a disappointment for those of us wanting to see a lot of Sanderson’s inaugural year.

The Lions will compete in only five dual meets in Rec Hall, while the remaining meets will be held in other locations. Penn State will face Lehigh, Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota on the road, all ranked teams according to InterMat.com.

PSU starts out with long-time wrestling rival Lehigh who beat Penn State last year in REC hall. That is a tough road schedule but the home slate is nothing to sneeze at either.

Though the Lions have only five meets at home this season -- against Bloomsburg, Michigan State, Northwestern, Illinois and Michigan -- the team hopes to even out the number of road and home meets in the future, assistant coach Cody Sanderson said.

Along with that tough schedule of duals Penn State is also going to get into several tournaments. The Nittany Lions are scheduled to wrestle in the Sprawl and Brawl Duals in Binghamton, N.Y., and the Reno Tournament of Champions but will not make it to the National Duals for the first time since 2006.