With the siren song of the 2024 Nittany Lions once again bewitching a tortured fan base, the bumpy road to past perfection reminds us that the pain of disappointment isn’t inevitable.

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“No question about it. I’m ready to get hurt again.”

-Michael Scott

It’s no, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” but this quote, often cited by sports fans of all stripes, probably captures the prevailing zeitgeist of Nittany Nation as we pass the season’s quarter post. An emboldened quarterback, an uptick in explosive plays, and a defense that smothers and stifles when it matters the most all have Penn State fans once again daring to believe. Yes, against our better judgement, we are once again ready. Are we going to get hurt?

If the internet is any indication (as dangerous a phrase as you’ll read in modern times), most college football fans think the answer is “yes.” This week, the X account for College Football Nerds (a fun podcast and good follow on social) put the question to their audience, “What do we think of Penn State?”

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On Saturday, Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki peeled back another layer of his funky onion by placing big faces in strange places.

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If you’ve spent the last 48 hours wondering why Penn State offensive coordinatory Andy Kotelnicki lined up the Nittany Lions’ offensive line every possible way other than the standard way, you’re in the right place.

To spare you another article about 44-Tyler Warren playing QB, we’re gonna spend this time analyzing a couple ways PSU used the OL alignment to create cheap yardage and baffle the defense.

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Thirty years ago, one of the greatest offenses in college football completed a legendary comeback as Penn State defeated Illinois.

Three years ago, one of the most forgettable offenses in Nittany Lion history showed its futility again … and again … and again, as Penn State lost to Illinois in nine overtimes, the longest game in college football history.

A group that bore much more resemblance to the 1994 Penn State team that was honored Saturday than the 2021 version needed another fourth-quarter score to put away another scrappy Illinois team, though this one got in its own way more than the Fighting Illini did.

The No. 9 Nittany Lions leaned on their two thoroughbred running backs, a bounce-back defense, and two savvy coordinators who directed those respective units in an uncomfortably comfortable 21-7 win over 19^th-ranked Illinois.

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As Penn State celebrates its 105^th Homecoming with a nationally televised game of ranked unbeatens, we share some inspiring words from one of Old State’s most eloquent voices.

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Penn State held its first Homecoming celebration in the Fall of 1920. The centerpiece of the weekend was an October 9 game played before a record-breaking “standing room” crowd of 12,000 at New Beaver Field. The returning alumni, who inaugurated the new tradition that would continue on for more than a century and that we’ll again renew this weekend, watched one of State’s best early teams, which would finish the season 7-0-2, the front-end of two-year undefeated span. The Nittany Lions, led by star halfback Charlie Way and future College Football Hall of Fame quarterback Glenn Killinger, sent Dartmouth packing by a 14-7 final tally.

At the time, Penn State was still a relatively young institution, having struggled through the early decades following its founding and, at the turn of the century, escaped its probable demise against seemingly daunting odds (not for the last time!) thanks to the steady leadership of visionary president George Atherton. As the new century blossomed, Old State was only just starting to hit its stride. The dedication of a special weekend to welcome alumni coming back to campus symbolized the roots of the college taking hold here in the Nittany Valley. Through toil and struggle, Penn State’s founding leaders and early classes of students had built something that would endure, that was worth returning to celebrate, and that was set to inspire future generations to profess their love and loyalty.

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