Blue White Illustrated

T H E M O N T H I N . . . To a man, the fifth-year guys take pride in how the team, the university and the Nittany Nation supported the players. Certainly, some hard feelings among the fans will always exist, but the bottom line is these players are performing in front of as many fans today as they were five years ago. "Along with everybody else at Penn State, I think this whole institution has taken it in stride," [defensive end Carl] Nassib said. "A normal place couldn't have taken the hits this place has. With the support of the fans and my teammates and the coaches, it's been a real- ly great time here." NEIL RUDEL ALTOONA MIRROR Penn State has deployed a lot of really good defenses in the last two decades. You could make a good argument the defense has been the backbone of the team over that period. But during no August in that span can I remember a secondary that seemed so primed to blast onto the scene like this one. Smart, aggressive ath- letes are climbing atop one another for playing time. As many as nine DBs could see regular run from scrimmage. Three of the best are freshman corners. When you have that sort of energy, depth and competition in training camp, it usually spills over into games. Guys are too busy scrambling to make plays to worry about making mistakes. DAVID JONES PENNLIVE.COM No one is saying Penn State is considering razing Beaver Stadium and putting up a new stadium (although there's plenty of acreage to the south, and I'd guess the outdoor track is expendable). But the dollars of intercollegiate athletics – Penn State's annual athletic department budget is near $110 million, and growing – make giving it some deep and honest thought some sense. That $4,788 cost-of- attendance money that Penn State is paying per scholarship football player be- ginning this fall has to come from somewhere, and not just all that new Big Ten Network loot, either. MIKE POORMAN STATECOLLEGE.COM KELLY DEPARTS Freshman linebacker Daiquan Kelly was dismissed from the Penn State football team in August for an unspecified violation of team rules. Kel- ly, a four-star prospect from Newark, N.J., had arrived on campus during the summer, but his career ended only three days into his first preseason camp. In a statement issued via Twitter, he said, "I love the staff and teammates at Penn State and always will. That is family!!! Right now I am focused on getting back in the classroom & onto the football field so I can flip the page to another chapter in my life and continue to pursue my passion and dream of getting a degree and playing football at the collegiate lev- el." His former coach at Union City High, Wil Valdez, told NJ.com that Kelly "is not a bad kid. He's just a kid who made a mistake." Kelly has since enrolled at Massachusetts, where he will have four years of eligibility after sitting out the 2015 season. NEW ADMINISTRATORS HIRED Penn State hired three assistant athletic di- rectors in August. Cory Chapman will focus on facilities, serving as general manager of Beaver Stadium and the Peg- ula Ice Arena. A native of LaCrosse, Wis., he comes to Penn State from Min- nesota, where he worked in facility op- erations and event management. Andrea Wickerham will oversee human re- sources operations for Intercollegiate Athletics. A Gettysburg, Pa., native, she brings nearly 30 years of higher educa- tion and private sector experience to Penn State, including 14 years with the National Center for Drug Free Sport, the past seven as vice president. Michael Cross will be in charge of new business development. The Buffalo, N.Y., native and former Bradley University athletic director will serve as the sport adminis- trator for the men's and women's hockey teams and oversee the men's and women's rugby club programs. Addi- tionally, he will be charged with identi- fying new business and revenue-gener- ation opportunities. ■ N O T E W O R T H Y 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 yo k c i t t o gm .PSUtixman.com all ur s t s e k O P I N I O N S

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