That’s right, everyone’s favorite interestingly-named Penn State wrestler finished a perfect run at the 2010 Big Ten Championships to bring a title to Happy Valley.


Read on to learn more…

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. LaVar Arrington, one of the most astounding products of Linebacker U is now part of the blogosphere.


In what our very own Publisher has called “Kanye-caliber” writing, Arrington has been sharing his thoughts on everything from D.C. Sports to Tiger Woods on the site since February 20th. He could use a proofreader and tends to slip into TYPING IN ALL CAPS, but otherwise it’s a great resource for tapping into the mind of a former Nittany Lion.

Congratulations to the Women’s Track and Field team, who won their second-ever Big Ten Indoor championship over the weekend.

Trailing in the team standings for much of the afternoon, the Lions screamed into first place with two events remaining, thanks to a 25-point haul in the 200-meters led by a victory from [Junior Shavon] Greaves.

Women’s track and field will have a chance to go to the NCAA Championships this Friday and Saturday during “Last Chance Weekend.”

Day in and day out, my inbox gets flooded with hate mail. “You suck, Mark” they all tend to start. “We don’t care about this crap you write about! I don’t need to know Jared Odrick’s pro potential. WHAT. ABOUT. THE PANTS.”


And now, for the (fictional) people who are just dying to know about football pants, the Penn Stater has provided. In two videos you’ll find after the jump, they interviewed Facilities Coordinator Kirk Diehl about how they get those football pants so clean.

Quick! Stop pouring lighter fluid on that #14 jersey! Anthony Morelli is at the NFL Scouting Combine to work out for pro scouts, hoping to jump-start his football career. He was last employed by the Arizona Cardinals, who cut him after signing him as an undrafted free agent in 2008.

“I’ve gotten bigger, faster, stronger,” Morelli told The Associated Press. “I think the chances are pretty good, I just need to get in front of some people.”

That’s all well and good, but remember that the common knock of Morelli was his decision-making. I recall hearing “Morelli has all the tools, he just needs the right quarterbacks coach to teach him” so much that it would appear in my dreams. Now perhaps it was a lack of elite athleticism that kept him from playing, but I’m willing to bet that if that was an issue, it was one of multiple.


Either way, good luck to the quarterback that was so embattled at Penn State that he was sent death threats. As long as he stays far, far away from my team of choice, I hope he finds a roster spot. If this doesn’t work out, he’s going Uncle Rico on all of us.

You read right, Joe Paterno’s iconic eyewear was auctioned off, garnering a high bid of nine THOUSAND dollars Saturday.


The thick-rimmed glasses, which JoePa can now spare, were claimed by Penn State graduates Michelle and Kevin Coppola during WPSU’s 18th Annual Connoisseur’s Dinner and Auction at the Nittany Lion Inn. I congratulate them on having to say “be careful with those!” to house guests for the rest of their lives.

We’ve already expressed our excitement at the possibility of the University of Texas being the twelfth member of the already-misnomered Big Ten. The allure of playing the most valuable team in College football was enough to convince many that this was a good idea, but not everyone is on board.


Thankfully, the internet has provided – a writer simply calling himself “Frank The Tank” has penned an exhaustive argument for the move, a “Template for Shooting Down Any Argument Against Texas Going to The Big Ten.” We’re still waiting on Ron Burgundy’s analysis on how to get Nittany Lion Basketball to the NCAA tournament.

Mere hours after we posted about a call for Ed DeChellis’ firing, Penn State Men’s Basketball wins its first conference game of the season, snapping a 12 game losing streak. So who did they take down? Never-been-to-the-tournament-but-hopeful Northwestern.

David Jackson and Chris Babb scored 20 points each as Penn State snapped a 12-game losing streak with an 81-70 victory over Northwestern on Wednesday night, dealing perhaps a fatal blow to the Wildcats’ NCAA tournament chances.

While the win doesn’t get us out of the bottom of the Big Ten, it’s much better than losing thirteen games in a row. It’s not like they can tank the rest of the season for better odds in a draft lottery. So we’ll be content if the team turns things around to muster “bad season” instead of “worst season ever.”

Remember the guy that nearly crushed Talor Battle in a post-game, passionate man hug? He’s writing his own Penn State Basketball Blog, Battle Does It Again.


Now, we don’t cover Men’s Basketball as much as we could here, mainly because we don’t have a beat writer and many of you would get tired of me repeating “wow, this is a very bad team” over and over. But for those of you who are curious about the “State of the Program,” read on for an excerpt that sums it up nicely.

Here at Onward State, we no longer run our This Week In Penn State Sports feature. For those of you who miss it – thankfully, GoPSUSports.com does the exact same thing on its YouTube Channel.


It’s a great resource for highlights – this week’s edition features footage of Wrestling, Basketball, Gymnastics, Lacrosse, and more.

If you didn’t have a reason to watch the Winter Games already, American short track speedskater Allison Baver is representing Penn State in Vancouver. Baver, who was profiled in the Collegian last Friday, will be competing in events the 20th, 24th, and 26th.


Check out her website so your commentary can be more in depth than blurting out “look at that hot chick that went to my school!”

It was reported yesterday that Head Football Coach Joe Paterno had eye surgery in Philadelphia after he had some difficulty reading. The procedure was a success, and Paterno no longer needs his iconic “coke-bottle” glasses. Instead of eschewing eyewear entirely, he will be wearing glasses with thinner lenses, as he “feels strange” without them. Given that he’s now wearing glasses he doesn’t absolutely need, it’s safe to conclude he’s only a scarf, a sleeve tattoo and a derisive comment about mainstream music away from being Hipster JoePa.

You may have forgotten, but it was not long ago that the Big Ten formally announced it would look into expansion. The internet was abuzz at the possibility of a twelfth member, be it Notre Dame, Pitt, or even the recently gridiron-challenged Syracuse. Then things died down a little. Until today, when word got out that that member could be…The University of Texas?!

The Lawrence Journal-World reports today the Big Ten has had preliminary talks with Texas about joining the league. The Big Ten announced in December that it would actively explore the possibility of expansion during the next 12-18 months, but this is the first legitimate report of discussions with another institution.

While Texas wasn’t even considered in our Big Ten expansion poll, it wasn’t because the Longhorns wouldn’t be a great addition to the conference. Quite the opposite – taking Texas from the Big 12 would be a nearly unbelievable coup. Not only would the Big Ten extend its reach into the South, but would get an athletics program with an incredibly impassioned fan base. While these are merely talks, it’s encouraging that not only has the conference worked beyond an announcement of intent, it set the bar high in starting its courtship.

It’s been nearly a week since college football’s National Signing day, when football recruits from coast to coast bring joy or break hearts via fax machine. Though the class of 2009 was hardly unimpressive, championships are a lot easier to win when the program acquires a large number of talented prospects in a short time. And now that the dust has settled, it’s safe to say that Penn State has done exactly that.


Read on for a more detailed analysis, if you dare.

Penn State Women’s Basketball – sometimes known as the team that doesn’t make us cry ourselves to sleep – has had a little rough patch in an otherwise impressive season, dropping their fourth game in a row when they gave up a 15-point lead over the Ohio State on Sunday. It was the team’s eleventh consecutive loss to the She-Nuts*. They’ll look to bounce back when they host Minnesota on Thursday.


*I didn’t bother to verify if the Buckeyes have a feminine counterpart as others do (Nittany Lions + Women’s Sports= Lady Lions), but because I have a very immature sense of humor, I’m going to assume it’s the Ohio State She-Nuts.