Blue White Illustrated

| ! $ !& This is the absolute epitome of the phrase moment to forget. As if we could. No one associated with this school will ever forget that day last July when NCAA president Mark Emmert announced a range of sanctions that were described as "corrective and punitive." On the football field, Penn State will be grappling with the consequences of the NCAA's action until at least 2018, when it will be allowed to once again carry a full 85player scholarship roster. But the hit to the school's reputation as one of the NCAA's model citizens will linger long after the sanctions have elapsed. # # "!#% & ' Everybody knew it was coming, and yet no one was prepared for the impact that Louis Freeh's investigation would ultimately have. In many respects, the Freeh report was the worst of both worlds: strong enough to inspire widespread condemnation of the university, yet ambiguous enough to create a backlash that is likely to keep people inside and outside of the Penn State community sniping at each other long after the various lawsuits and criminal trials have been litigated. $% %& ! $ !( Fans cued up throughout the weekend to get their pictures taken with Paterno's bronze likeness one final time, drawn to Beaver Stadium last July by rumors that the university was about to take down the statue in response to the harsh conclusions contained in the Freeh report. But only a few lonesome reporters were ROADHOUSE BLUES Kyle Carter and the rest of Penn State's offense couldn't catch a break in a 17-16 loss at Virginia. Steve Manuel standing vigil when the trucks pulled up at daybreak Sunday and a crew from the Office of the Physical Plant fired up the jackhammers behind a makeshift curtain and a phalanx of police officers. The workers carted the statue away, and nearly a year later its whereabouts remain a mystery. %(! %! $% #% Admit it: After Penn State's first two games, you were worried that 2012 football season would be as dismal as the experts had predicted it would be. The Lions flopped in their opener, allowing Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton to complete 31 of 41 passes for 324 yards and rally the Bobcats to a 24-14 victory. Then came a road trip to Virginia, which featured four missed field goals, a missed PAT and a 17-16 loss to the Cavaliers. If there was one thing the Nittany Lions could absolutely not afford to have happen in their second season under Patrick Chambers, it was the loss of senior point guard Tim Frazier, their leading scorer and undisputed team leader. So what happened? Four games into the season, Frazier went down with an Achilles tendon injury. His loss all but assured Penn State of a last-place finish in Big Ten play.

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