Blue White Illustrated

T H E M O N T H I N . . . Regardless of whether it's nonconference or not, annual or not, I will miss the [Pitt] game. To families in this region – certainly from Altoona west to Pitts- burgh – this game was special because many had parents, siblings, uncles, aunts and friends with ties to both schools. And that's something that even a (PSU) nonconference game with Auburn (2021, 2022) can't replace. But what especially can't be replaced – no matter the schools and their affiliations today, no matter the changing administrations and coaches – are the memories. If you ask any Penn State or Pitt player up to 1990, they will tell you this was their favorite game, bar none. NEIL RUDEL ALTOONA MIRROR The more versatile his options, the easier Clifford's transition into starting quar- terback should proceed. So far, his top three receivers appear solid. But he will need more hands to rely on. While there is a pool to choose from, no one has im- pressed enough yet in games. A bigger-bodied target would be especially helpful, starting with Daniel George and Cam Sullivan-Brown. Is George even ready to go after appearing to injure his hand [vs. Buffalo]? The other options are Mac Hip- penhammer, who played to mixed reviews last fall and fumbled two punts in the opener, and speedy walk-on Dan Chisena. A wildcard is rookie John Dunmore, who may own the most talent in the room. Will he get a shot before the end of the season, though? FRANK BODANI YORK DAILY RECORD There is little doubt that starting off a drive well is important, but in the case of the 2018 and 2017 seasons, and the drastic change in success on third down, it had less to do with the distance to gain than you might think and a lot more to do with those missed blocks and glaring drops. So the goal in 2019 might be a simple one: don't do things different, just do them better. BEN JONES STATECOLLEGE.COM O P I N I O N S N O T E B O O K HOOPS FUNDRAISER PLANNED Penn State will play host to Delaware in a charity exhibition game at noon Oct. 27 at the Bryce Jordan Center. Proceeds from the Hoops 4 Disaster Relief exhibi- tion will assist Louisiana Tech and Rus- ton, La., a;er an EF3 tornado ripped through the campus and nearby com- munity in April. The tornado claimed two lives and caused extensive damage. Students, faculty and sta9 who have been directly impacted by the tornado will receive the funds. Funds will also help rebuild and repair damage to cam- pus structures and grounds. Tickets will be available through the Penn State Athletics Ticket O:ce and online beginning at 10 a.m. Sept. 24. General admission tickets for the game between the Nittany Lions and Blue Hens will be $10, with student tickets priced at $5. Parking is free. It's been nearly 40 years since the Jan. 14, 1980, meeting between Penn State and Delaware. The Nittany Lions own a 10-0 advantage in the series. Louisiana Tech will play LSU in a home exhibition game on Nov. 2, with several other institutions participating in the Hoops 4 Disaster Relief series. PSU SETS ACADEMIC RECORDS Nine- teen student-athletes representing 15 Penn State teams were approved to grad- uate in August following the conclusion of the summer semester. The most recent graduates brought the total for the 2018- 19 academic year to 188, a Penn State record. A school-record 368 student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2018-19, all possessing a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. The Big Ten also recognized 117 Penn State student-athletes as Big Ten Distin- guished Scholars. That award goes to stu- dents who record a minimum grade-point average of 3.7 for the aca- demic year. The records for academic achievement included a record 505 student-athletes who earned GPAs of 3.0 or above for spring 2019. ■ PSUtixman@gmail.com www.PSUtixman.com Get your PSU Football Tickets at go t ti cke t s? k c i t t t e k man@g .PSUtixm www. at ootba Get you k c i t t o gm .PSUtixman.com all ur s t s e k

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