Oh, the outrage!

The Lions-Pride merchandise website, which has been crashing all afternoon from a traffic overload, released a pre-order link for the new 2013 Nike Penn State replica game jerseys. While much has been made about potential changes coming to Penn State’s iconic jerseys, most fans thought they would need to wait until the fall to check out the new threads.

“Every year will be different. I think you’ll have to wait for the Syracuse game to see what the names are, or what they’re not,” Bill O’Brien said in March.

While nothing has been confirmed yet by the Athletic Department, the new Nike jerseys have only one noticeable change — the addition of of the Penn State lion logo on v-neck. Lion’s Pride is taking pre-orders for No. 8 Allen Robinson and No. 28 Zach Zwinak.

There are no names on back, however, NCAA licensing prohibits official jersey sales to include players’ names, so fans are likely to wait a little longer to find out if the controversial jersey names will stick.

As StateCollege.com’s Ben Jones pointed out on Twitter, Penn State has implemented roughly 20 uniform modifications since the 1900s.

Traditionally, the team will announce the changes before the replica jerseys hit the shelves, so although these will likely be the new jerseys, nothing is certain. We’ll update this post if someone from the athletic department confirms that these are the jerseys the team will be wearing in 2013.

Are you a fan of the change? Let us know in the comments.

Former Penn State quarterback Steven Bench announced that he would transfer to the University of South Florida today after he announced his transfer from Penn State a month ago.

I’ve decided to attend the University of South Florida and become a bull!! #DoSomething

— Steven Bench (@SBench12) May 23, 2013

Even the famous Bench dogs got in on the action.

The #BenchDogs are here ya’ll!! #USF #DaBulls

— Steven Bench (@SBench12) May 23, 2013

Bench’s transfer has largely been accepted by the Penn State fan base, at least more than other recent transfers, and ostensibly has nothing to do with the NCAA sanctions. Coach O’Brien reportedly had a conversation with Bench at the end of spring practice and informed him that he would not be competing for a starting job in the fall, which led Bench to look for opportunities elsewhere. Bench has remained vocally gracious for his time at Penn State since his departure.

Because of the NCAA sanctions designed to allow players to transfer without penalty until August, Bench will be able to compete right away at USF. JUCO transfer Tyler Ferguson and incoming freshman Christian Hackenberg are expected to compete for Penn State’s starting QB job in the fall.

by Ben Jones

It took almost an entire century but the wait is finally over as the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) named Penn State junior goalie Austin Kaut to its All-America First Team on Thursday. The announcement gives the Penn State program its first, First Team All-American honor in 73 years.

Kaut also earned the Ensign C. Markland Kelly, Jr. Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top goalie in college lacrosse.

Graduating senior Jack Forster and junior midfielder Tom LaCrosse picked up honors as USILA Honorable Mention All-Americans. The three combined national honors are the most since 2003 when Rob Bateman (second team) was joined by Chris Garrity and Matt Zappia as honorable mention.

“Our staff is very proud of our All-America honorees,” Penn State Head Coach Jeff Tambroni said. “These awards are symbolic of their tireless work ethic and the contributions of their teammates.”

Kaut posted a standout season with a 7.37 goals-against average (third in the nation) while making a career-high 194 saves this season. Kaut also stopped 61 percent of shots on goal (second in the nation) and registered a 12-5 record for the Nittany Lions. Kaut saved 10 or more shots in 12 of 17 games including three 16-save performances.

Only a junior, a strong goaltending performance in 2013-14 could see Kaut become the first repeat winner since 1999-2000 when Navy’s Mickey Jarboe took home the honors.

Penn State won a school record 12 games in a season and reached the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history and the first time since 2005. The Nittany Lions fell at home in a 10-7 heartbreaker to Yale in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

by Laura Nichols

Former Penn State President Graham Spanier has asked a judge to drop criminal charges for his alleged mishandling of child sexual abuse reports made against Jerry Sandusky.

In court documents filed Wednesday in Harrisburg, Spanier’s attorneys said he should not be charged with perjury and obstruction of justice because the prosecution used the testimony of former Penn State counsel Cynthia Baldwin.

Spanier believed Baldwin was working for him at the time, and his attorneys say she violated the attorney-client privilege because of her grand jury testimony.
Spanier’s attorneys said her testimony should be thrown out because she violated grand jury secrecy rules when she testified on behalf of the university — not disclosing that she was supposed to be counsel to Spanier.

The attorneys also claim the child endangerment and failure to report charges should be dropped because they were filed too late.

Last November, Spanier, former Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and former Penn State vice president Gary Schultz were charged with perjury, endangering the welfare of children, failure to report, criminal conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

Prosecutors called their actions a “conspiracy of silence.”

Curley and Schultz have also asked to have their cases dismissed. None of the men has appeared in court since the charges were filed on Nov. 1.

As the Sandusky scandal unfolded in late 2011, remnants of Joe Paterno’s legacy retroactively began to disappear, at least on the outside. Paterno’s statue is gone, and so are his wins and his namesake on trophies. Still, the late head football coach’s academic contributions remain undeniably strong, and nowhere is that more evident than the Paterno Fellows Program.

Dr. Catherine Wanner will replace honors program founder Jack Selzer as its new director on July 1, according to Penn State. Wanner is a longtime Penn State professor of history, anthropology, and religious studies, specializing in socialist societies. Selzer will go on to serve as Paterno Family Professor in Literature, another position endowed by the Paterno family, which Penn State professor Michael Bérubé outspokenly resigned after the Freeh Report’s release. Selzer announced he would step down as director earlier this year in a decision unrelated to scandal surrounding Paterno’s name.

Wanner is out of town and could not be reached, but Selzer said in a phone interview that he “couldn’t be more pleased” with her appointment as director of the program. “She’s a scholar immensely respected by her colleagues in the College of the Liberal Arts,” he said. “She also has a tremendous breadth of knowledge.”

Wanner has served as a member of the Paterno Fellows Program’s faculty advisory board. As a historian, she has published several books on Eastern Europe, and is completing a book titled, “Love Thy Neighbor: Rituals of Belonging in Ukraine.” Her official title will be Barry Director, named after Penn State benefactors Rick and Sue Barry who made a gift to endow the position in summer 2011.

The selective Paterno Liberal Arts Undergraduate Fellows Program has allowed underclassmen studying liberal arts to enter to the Schreyer Honors College after successfully completing various academic requirements.  The program was named after benefactors Joe and Sue Paterno, who both graduated with liberal arts degrees. Program leaders considered changing its name as scrutiny over the head coach’s actions intensified, but ultimately decided against it.

With regard to Paterno’s educational legacy, Selzer said, “The Paterno Fellows Program is about the Paterno family. Their impact on the academic side of Penn State has been significant and invaluable.”

Since 2008, 160 students have graduated as Paterno Fellows with hundreds more currently enrolled. Meant to train students in ethics and leadership, the program also offers a number of other financial and academic perks.

College of the Liberal Arts Dean Susan Welch said in a statement regarding Wanner and Selzer:

“I want to express my appreciation to Jack, who had the vision to transform undergraduate education through the Paterno Fellows Program. He has done an amazing job, and we thank him every much for his commitment and hard work. I look forward to working with him in his new role as the Paterno Family Professor in Literature, and with Cathy as our new Barry Director of the Paterno Fellows program.”

The Penn State nightlife scene just lost a hot spot.

Less than seven months after it opened its doors, Duo Nightclub, located at 129 Pugh St., has been evicted. Onward State reported last week that owner Parag Parikh and his company P&P at PSU, LCC, failed to pay $12,000 in back rent and was served an eviction notice. According to a sign placed on the door of Duo yesterday afternoon, Parikh never acted on the notice and possession of the building is back in the hands of Sammark Inc. owned by Tony Sapia.

Rumors swirled at the end of last semester that the nightclub was planning to close. Those rumors came true as Duo closes its doors less than seven months after it opened.

Since Onward State’s report last week, five former workers at Duo reached out independently to us, claiming that Parikh owes most of the waitstaff a month’s worth of pay and that it was not uncommon for paychecks to bounce. The former staff members who reached out did not agree for Onward State to use their name but they are considering legal action.

It is yet to be seen what will move in to the building on Pugh St. that has seen so much change over the last decade. The building is owned by Tony Sapia’s Sammark Inc. Tony’s Big Easy and Lulu’s — both defunct Sapia-owned establishments — were formerly located where Duo is now. The locations were plagued with liquor law woes, including happy hour violations, minors law violations, and most notably, a 2006 fatal stabbing outside of Club Love, which preceded Lulu’s, that resulted in the death of Penn State student Michael Donahue.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board revoked Sapia’s liquor license, calling Sammark bars a “risk to public safety.” After several appeals, Sapia was forced to sell the license, but several PLCB penalties stuck. Sapia was able to keep the building but the owner of the new license would be forced to limit drink specials, stop alcohol sales at 1 a.m., and make sure 75-percent of revenue came from food sales — an impossible task for a college nightclub like Duo.

A new establishment will likely need to be independent of Sapia and primarily a restaurant if it wants to have its license renewed. The current liquor license is still listed in Parikh’s name in the Centre County database.

Neither Sapia or Parikh could be reached for comment. Sapia’s lawyer Robert Rayman, declined to comment in case there are appeals.

One day after it was announced that Penn State will embark on a week long tour of Europe, the team suffered a crucial blow in the form of Associate Head Coach Eugene Burroughs leaving the program to return to Marist University, where he was an assistant coach from 2000-2004.

It had been speculated that Burroughs would leave the program, and the writing has apparently been on the wall for some time.

@standoutstar No worries. Burroughs left for personal reasons, we’ve been expecting for awhile. Still expect good things in 13-14.

— Brian Siegrist (@PSUSTRETCH) May 21, 2013

Losing Burroughs hurts the Lions in a variety of ways, perhaps none more than the loss of Burroughs as a recruiter. Burroughs oversaw day-to-day operations within the program, and was the team’s top recruiter. He will be an assistant under Jeff Bower, a former Penn State assistant from 1983-86 and a former GM/Interim Head Coach for the NBA’s New Orleans Hornets.

The bill from the Jerry Sandusky scandal continues to grow. In the latest figures, just released on Penn State’s ‘progress’ website, the university says it’s spent about an additional million dollars. That brings the grand total to $44,452,243 as of the end of February, the most recent figures available.

Penn State releases the updated totals as numbers become available, which is generally 40-45 days after any given month.

In December, Penn State paid the first $12 million of its $60 million fine into an escrow fund. Penn State’s costs also include legal fees, public relations work and consultant costs. University officials have said they expect some of the costs to be covered by Penn State’s insurer.

Totals for February are reflected below and can be found on Penn State’s ‘progress‘ website:

• NCAA Fine: $12,000,000

Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan/Pepper Hamilton LLP: $8,159,083 Costs associated with compiling the Freeh Report.

Independent Monitor: $1,421,320 Cost for independent monitor (former Sen. George Mitchell) hired to make sure Penn State complies Freeh report.

• DLA Piper, LLP

Board of Trustees - Legal Services, Consulting Services and Communications: $6,000,482

• Reed Smith LLP

• Ketchum

• Kekst and Company Inc.

• Daniel J. Edelman, Inc.

• Domus Inc

• The Academy Group

• TAI

• KPMG

• Guidepost Solutions

University Legal Services/Defense: $9,243,590

• Saul Ewing

• Duane Morris

• Lanny J. Davis and Associates

• Jenner & Block LLPML Strategies

• Lee, Green & Reiter Inc.

• McQuaide Blasko

• Document Technologies, Inc.

• White and Williams, LLP

• Feinberg and Rozen, LLP

• Other

Externally Initiated Investigations: $593,038

• Margolis & Healy

• Lightfoot, Franklin, White LCC

• Buchanan Ingersoll

• Saul Ewing

• Other

Indemnified Persons’ Legal Defense: $5,151,634 Costs associated with legal defense for Gary Schultz, Tim Curley and Graham Spanier.

• Farrell & Reisinger

• Caroline M. Roberto

• Vaira & Riley

• Schnader Harrison, Segal & Lewis LLP

• Gover, Perry, & Shore

• Gentile Meinert Assoc

• Fox Rothschild LLP

• General Indemnified Persons’ Defense

• Various Vendors

Other Institutional Expenses: $1,883,096

Total as of Dec. 31, 2012: $44,452,243

Penn State’s quarterback of the future does not arrive on campus for a few more weeks, but he already has his jersey number picked out.

According to a report yesterday by Sean Fitz of Lions 247, Christian Hackenberg will wear No. 14 at Penn State. PennLive’s Dustin Hockensmith later expanded on this news about the 5-star recruit’s jersey selection.

While the last prominent signal-caller to sport this number may have left a bad taste in the mouth of some Nittany Lion fans, the number at the quarterback position has a bit of history in Happy Valley. Here’s a look at some other quarterbacks who wore No. 14 for the Blue and White.

• Chuck Fusina — Fusina led the Nittany Lions to an 11-0 undefeated regular season in 1978 before falling to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. He finished second in Heisman Trophy voting behind Oklahoma running back Billy Sims and had a brief NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers.
• Todd Blackledge — A three-year starter in Happy Valley, Blackledge’s college career culminated in him leading the Nittany Lions to a national championship in 1982, Joe Paterno’s first of two titles. During the 1982 season, he tossed 22 touchdown passes and took home the Davey O’Brien Award, given to the best quarterback in college football. After his Penn State career came to a close, Blackledge spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1980′s. He now works as a college football analyst for ESPN.
• John Shaffer — Shaffer quarterbacked Paterno’s squad to an undefeated 1986 season that ended with an upset win in the Fiesta Bowl over the heavily favored Miami Hurricanes to give Penn State its second national championship in five years.
• Wally Richardson — Richardson led Penn State to a 20-5 record between the 1995 and 1996 seasons as the Nittany Lions won the Outback and Fiesta Bowl respectively. Recently, he was named Director of the Football Letterman’s Club, a job that will begin in June.
• Anthony Morelli — A 5-star recruit from the Pittsburgh area, Nittany Lion fans had high hopes that Morelli would lead the Nittany Lions to another conference title in 2006 after All-Big Ten signal-caller Michael Robinson departed following an 11-1 2005 campaign. Morelli was surrounded with great offensive weapons and threw 30 touchdown passes over two seasons but was also responsible for 18 interceptions and often struggled in big games. While he led the Nittany Lions to consecutive 9-4 seasons and two bowl victories, many expected more.

That brings it to Hackenberg, who will be thrust into a quarterback competition with Tyler Ferguson when he gets to Happy Valley. The transfer of sophomore Steven Bench following spring practice reduced the battle from a three-horse race to two, increasing the chances that the 6-foot-4 212 pound signal-caller from Fork Union, Virginia could see the field as a true freshman.

Recently during the Penn State Coaches Caravan, Bill O’Brien said that Ferguson is “a little bit ahead” of Hackenberg, an understandable assessment after the junior college transfer had four months in the system and 14 spring practices along with the Blue-White game.

Jared Fagnano, a wide receiver and brother of former Penn State safety Jake Fagnano, currently wears No. 14 according to Penn State’s official roster.

Throughout his high-school career, Hackenberg wore No. 1, currently occupied by running back Bill Belton. The highly touted recruit now inherits a number at a position that gave many generations of Penn State fans fond memories as he looks to carve out some of his own after sticking with the Nittany Lions through the NCAA sanctions.

Let’s see if he adds a “4″ to the end of his Twitter handle.

Starting to pack my stuff up. State College bound in a few weeks.

— Christian Hackenberg (@chackenberg1) May 20, 2013

With a new season comes a new barrage of pump up videos. Penn State always has some solid and emotional videos every year to get Nittany Nation excited for the upcoming season. Here’s the first (that I’ve seen) for the upcoming 2013 season. Only 102 days until kickoff!

Enjoy.

Three-time All-American David Taylor was chosen to participate in a wrestling match for a Beat the Streets and Save Olympic Wrestling fundraiser against Russia, where he pinned his opponent Magomed Kurbanaliev. Taylor took an early 7-2 lead in the first period. Early in the second period, Taylor pinned Kurbanaliev.

After a 30-2 junior year, Taylor was the only USA male wrestler to pin his opponent. Team USA beat Russia in 8 out of 9 matches. Jordan Oliver, an Oklahoma State graduate and Lehigh Valley native, faced Kurbanaliev at a similar event on Sunday in California and beat him on a late takedown.

Taylor’s rival and four-time NCAA Champion Kyle Dake, won his first international match and picked up Team USA’s only win over Iran against Hassan Tahmasebi.

by Laura Nichols

HARRISBURG – The status of Gov. Tom Corbett’s lawsuit remains unknown after two hours of arguments Monday. Federal Judge Yvette Kane said she expects to issue a ruling that says whether the antitrust lawsuit will stay or be tossed in the coming weeks.

Kane said she feels the parties are “a stadium apart” in their assessment of how Penn State’s sanctions affect the university, the Centre County community and the state of Pennsylvania.

Four attorneys represented the plaintiff, Gov. Corbett and the state of Pennsylvania, and four attorneys represented the defendant, the NCAA. The NCAA argued first, armed with a PowerPoint presentation in an effort to bolster its argument that Corbett’s lawsuit should be thrown out.

The defense argued that Corbett’s allegations are unfounded because Penn State’s market value did not decrease when Penn State President Rodney Erickson signed the Consent Decree in July. Penn State is still competing in major markets including post-secondary education, recruiting Division I football players and selling Penn State apparel, the NCAA said, who called Corbett’s allegations “absurd and speculative.”

The NCAA said they believe the suit should be tossed because it is an antitrust lawsuit, yet Corbett said he wants the sanctions reversed on the basis that the NCAA ignored its own rules to levy the sanctions against Penn State, something that the NCAA said does not constitute an antitrust law.

Commonwealth attorneys fired back, saying that Gov. Corbett filed the suit because he is representing the citizens of the state who who have amassed “antitrust injuries” because of the sanctions.

Jim Schultz, general counsel to the Commonwealth, said the facts in the case are “unique,” and that it is “important to separate this from a typical enforcement case.”

Schultz said the NCAA did not base the Consent Decree on rules, but rather general principles in its bylaws, such as ethical conduct and honesty and sportsmanship to enforce the sanctions. Schultz said the NCAA could have written a rule, had they wanted to, on how to handle criminal activity.

By 4 p.m., after two hours of arguments and contradictory arguments from the parties, Kane said she will issue a ruling in the coming weeks.

Penn State’s sanctions include a significant loss of scholarships and a four-year postseason ban for the football team, all wins between 1998-2011 under former head football coach Joe Paterno vacated and a $60 million fine.

Schultz said the $60 million fine, which is to go toward victims of sexual abuse, should stay within the state.

Penn State is not a party to Corbett’s lawsuit and the governor was not present at the hearing.

Penn State basketball will be spending a week in Europe this coming August, playing teams in England, France and Belgium, per head coach Pat Chambers and the athletic department.

While the announcement of the tour, which will span from August 10-17 in Brussels, Antwerp, Paris, and London, is certainly big news, the biggest news for Penn State basketball fans is that redshirt senior point guard Tim Frazier is likely to play on the tour. Frazier sat out last season after rupturing his Achilles tendon in the team’s third game of the season. Penn State’s women’s basketball team went on a similar tour before the season last year.

The announcement is another in what has been an action-packed offseason for the Nittany Lions: two players transferred, the team announced that they will play in a early season tournament in Brooklyn and last year’s second leading scorer Jermaine Marshall has announced that he will forgo his senior season to play professionally.

Little is known about what teams Penn State will play and what else they will be doing on the tour, but Onward State will keep you updated.

A new national restaurant chain is expected to replace Otto’s Cafe in Kern Building, which closed after the spring semester, The Centre Daily Times is reporting.

Dave Gingher, the university’s director of retail campus dining, told the CDT that Penn State has been in talks with a “not-yet-announced national chain to sign a contract” and that the university will announce details once a contract is finalized.

“We were very careful about that going through this process,” Gingher said to the CDT. “The concept that we have chosen will still be able to provide numerous choices (so) that people will be pleased.”

Gingher said that Otto’s closed because it needed infrastructural updates and that “trends show” that college students want national restaurants.

Otto’s was always a sort of “hidden gem” on campus; a quiet place for students to grab a bite to eat without the hustle and bustle of the dining halls or the HUB. I’ll reserve judgement on this decision until the chain is announced but if it turns out to be another greasy fast food place (see: Burger King or Chick-fil-A), it would be unfortunate in my estimation. (Irving’s has a location at the airport…can we call it a chain and have them move in?)

The new restaurant is expected to be open in time for the fall semester. We’ll have more once a contract is finalized.

Bathing suit season is almost here and it’s time to be in top shape for the summer. Check out these trails around Penn State for the next level up on your workout schedule.

Miles to Mount Nittany

Surprisingly, Mt. Nittany is really easy to get to. Follow College Ave. east until you hit Elmwood Street and turn right. Then make a left on Pike Street for a short jog through the quaint town of Boalsburg and a right on Mt. Nittany Road for the hardest uphill run you’ve ever done. Mt. Nittany Road is a straight uphill run for about 3/4 of a mile. If you run all the way from Pollock Road, it’s about a 10K. If you only want to run there, bring $1.50 with you and you can catch the CATA Bus back at one of its stops on Pike Street or Elmwood Street. However, if Mt. Nittany Road doesn’t kick your butt, take on Mt. Nittany. Run to the top, around, down, and then run back. Now that’s a workout.

Wallop to Walmart

This route isn’t as hard as Mt. Nittany Road, but it still has a lot of hills. Round trip, there are two huge hills that are quite the challenge. Starting off around Pollock Halls, run straight up Bigler and make a left onto Park Avenue. Make your third right onto McKee Street and follow it all the way back to the paved trail. Follow the trail down the hill and back up to the neighborhood. Make a right once you hit your first street and take on Hill #1. Once you reach the top, make a left on E. Aaron Drive and then take a left down the wooded trail. Follow it until you hit Vairo Boulevard and make a left. Run 3/4 of a mile and you’ll be at Walmart! This is great if you need to go pick some things up. Just be sure to catch the CATA on the way home if you are shopping. It’s a quick two mile run, but a long walk back.

If you are not shopping and you want to go for the full five miles, keep running on Vairo Boulevard until you hit Atherton St. Make a left and follow the road right back to campus. Enjoy the first part of Atherton because until you reach the University, the second half is all uphill. Turn left when you hit the IST building and finish at the HUB. I love this route for days when I want a real challenge. The two hills seem like they go on forever when you are running them, but when you are done, it’s a great feeling.

Neighborhood Stroll

If you are from the suburbs and you’ve got a bad case of homesickness, take a short stroll to discover the neighborhood behind frat row. The State College Community is full of quaint homes, hidden parks, and almost silent streets. Starting at the corner of College Ave and Garner, run straight back on Garner. It is a little hectic at first trying to get over Beaver and past Frat Row, but once you pass the last house, it’s three tiny hills of paradise. Run all the way to the back until you can’t run anymore. Make a right, then take your second right, and another right until you are back on the same street. Then make a left and run straight back to campus. It’s a short run, but it’s just enough to quench your homesickness and get a decent workout in.

South-Side Swamp

A little to the south-east of Penn State lies one of the most fun trails to run on. This trail takes you over the fields by the BJC and down into the Millbrook Marsh Nature Center. To get there, start by running over the fields by the BJC toward the hospital until you hit Orchard Road. Follow Orchard Road straight until you hit the entrance to the swamp lands. You’ll see a boardwalk. Follow the boardwalk to wherever your heart so desires! It’s such a fun run to do with a friend, but on rainy days be careful not to slide off into the swamp! I’m still cleaning my sneakers from that fall!

All map photos are courtesy of mapmyrun.com. Map your own route and leave a picture in the comments! Your route could be featured in the next article.