Blue White Illustrated

T H E M O N T H I N . . . College athletics should be all about geography. The Big Ten's competitive balance will just have to work itself out. It may do that quicker than anyone imagines. Urban Meyer can't coach forever. Jim Harbaugh could jump back to the NFL at any time. Mark Dantonio is 60. The housing bubble in this neighborhood is bound to burst eventually. Until then, Penn State is just gonna have to hang in there and fight. And those who reflexively disparage its head coach might give him just a little slack in the meantime. Right now, the man is up against it. DAVID JONES PENNLIVE.COM I think sometimes we lost it here and there the past couple of years, and I think one of the things this year that's going to really change is how we approach the game, really with that mean edge. If you don't think you're a badass dude, then you shouldn't be out there on the 5eld, because you're just going to end up getting hurt. I think it's just a mindset. You can't be afraid to hit someone. You have to know when to 6ip the switch. I think it's a mindset, and once you cross onto that white line and get on the 5eld, that's a battle5eld. You're there to put some harm on someone. BRIAN GAIA on the attitude PSU's offensive line is taking into the season It wasn't a matter of [Penn State being] not as interested [as Pitt]. We're taking a look at our scheduling philosophy, so we have to determine where that fits. We're very interested in playing Pitt. Obviously we've got a four-game series coming up and we're really looking forward to it. I've never been a part of a Pitt-Penn State game, and I think it's going to be fabulous. But we have to come up with a long- term scheduling philosophy. You've seen us come out with the fact that we're playing Auburn, and where does Pitt fit in that? But we're very interested in play- ing Pitt. SANDY BARBOUR asked whether PSU is interested in extending the Pitt series O P I N I O N S Q U O T E S 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 Penn State's football headquarters, the new locker room has a smooth, stream- lined look, with players' stalls indenti- fied by their jersey numbers, which are projected onto the flat white doors from above. There are new seats, too, along with new lighting and carpeting, an up- graded equipment room and a couple of barber chairs. There have been other renovations throughout the building, including a re- designed lobby and squad room and a nutrition bar adjacent to the weight room. New signage throughout the building reinforces the program's "Un- rivaled" theme. Of course, the Lions are rivaled in this respect, as other top pro- grams have lavished millions on their football facilities in recent years. Ac- cording to a report in the Chicago Trib- une, in 2014 the 48 schools in the Power Five conferences spent a combined $772 million on athletic facilities. But the new additions are expected to help Penn State stay within reach of its well- heeled competition. FOOTBALL Breneman resumes career at Massachusetts Former Penn State tight end Adam Breneman has decided to restart his athletic career a7er giving up football due to a series of knee injuries. Brene- man announced in August that he was planning to attend Massachusetts, where he will be eligible to play this fall as a graduate transfer. "I don't know, when I le7 Penn State, if I really knew that I was done playing," Breneman told MassLive.com earlier this month. "I le7 and made that deci- sion and it was what I felt was right at the time. Then I found a 5t here. And it's a great 5t." Breneman has already received his diploma from Penn State and will be working toward a master's degree in business at Massachusetts. The Minute- men will open their season Sept. 3 at Florida. ■

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