Penn State has official Rose Bowl welcome; Lions make transfer portal splash: Newsstand
Penn State news, notes, and updates for Dec. 29 include the Lions’ official arrival at the Rose Bowl, plus a portal gain and more.
It’s time to dive into Thursday’s top tweets and headlines about the Nittany Lions and college football.
Penn State tweets of the day
We start with a Rose Bowl update. The Lions had their official welcome to ‘The Grandaddy of Them All’ as practices continue in Pasadena. Head coach James Franklin and numerous players joined head coach Kyle Whittingham and Utah players for an event at Disneyland. It marked the Utes’ second trip to the Rose Bowl in as many years.
“We’re obviously drawing from last year’s experience, and we have a pretty good blueprint of how we’re going to handle things,” Whittingham told KSL.com. “We had a good practice [Wednesday] morning. “The key is for your players to understand when it’s time to work, focus in, lock in and get the work done; and when it’s time to have a good time, do just that.
“You’ve got to be able to separate the two, and I think that’s the real key to be able to perform well in the game.”
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Dylan Raiola injury
Nebraska QB will play vs. USC
- 2
Elko pokes at Kiffin
A&M coach jokes over kick times
- 3Trending
Dan Lanning
Oregon coach getting NFL buzz
- 4
Bryce Underwood
Michigan prepared to offer No. 1 recruit $10.5M over 4 years
- 5Hot
5-star flip
Ole Miss flips Alabama WR commit Caleb Cunningham
In other news, Penn State made a transfer portal splash on Wednesday. The Lions landed second-team All-ACC corner Storm Duck over other Power Five foes.
“I think I want one in my room,” corners coach Terry Smith said earlier this month. “But we won’t take a guy just to take a guy. We have to take a guy that we feel is a fit and a need. So you always just keep looking, and if the right fit comes along, you dive into that thing and see if it makes sense.”
Headlines of the day
Penn State Is ‘Right There’ and Ready to Contend, Kirk Herbstreit Says: Wogenrich, SI
Transfer Storm Duck adds to bright 2023 outlook at cornerback for Penn State: Fitz, BWI
PSU Men’s Basketball: Lundy Back at Practice After Injuring Ankle: Jones, Statecollege.com
Penn State wrestling December superlatives: Biggest stars, a bold prediction, and more: Pickel, BWI
Penn State football defensive end Smith Vilbert available for Rose Bowl, per James Franklin: Ripchik, Daily Collegian
Future Penn State linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson recaps his ACL rehab and much more: Snyder, BWI
Staying power: How the Utes arrived among college football’s big boys: Robinson, Deseret News
Quote of the day
“Well, I think what makes him a threat is his competitive spirit and his ability to create when there’s pressure. And I think, go back to the Rose Bowl Game last year, or the Pac-12 Championship game this year, people get to him and yet he’s slippery and he’s able to keep his eyes down field, sometimes scrambles for first down with his legs and other time he just, he’s able to find time and keep his vision down field and find an open receiver. But I would say at 6’2” and 220 lbs., if you were just off the top of my head, competitive spirit and his ability to create are probably the two greatest assets that he has. And if I’m Penn State, I’ve got to somehow affect his rhythm and what he does and force the ball downfield. A lot of his throws, unless he finds a tight end on a seam, a lot of his throws are underneath coverage and then force the defense to try to make tackles on some of these shorter throws.
“Penn State’s got to try to take away some of the easier throws, and especially with Kincaid out, they’ve got to make him find other receivers downfield. You’ve got to eliminate the Utah tight ends, which is a staple of their offense. Make them throw the ball out on the perimeter. I’m sure that’s what Penn State will try to do, that and try to corral Cam Rising because like I said, his ability to create will be, I think one of Penn State’s biggest challenges.”
–ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit on the Lions facing Utah QB Cam Rising in the Rose Bowl.
