Blue White Illustrated

Nittany Lions show heart in season's first half money than many of us will see in a lifetime. And double-secret proba- tion. Kind of. If Penn State's 2012 off-season had Y been an Internet meme, it would have been a picture of head coach Bill O'Brien in a bulletproof vest with the caption, "And?" Once uptight, once three-yards- and-a-mushroom-cloud-of-dust, Penn State football is fun again. There's an attitude about the current team that really has never been seen before at Penn State. All the while, these players are writing a new chap- ter in a new legacy that honestly, I'm already enjoying more than the previ- ous one. Among the factors that make this team so intriguing are the people running it. At the top of that list, of course, is O'Brien. He set the tone for this season by stepping off a plane in January with only a vague idea of what to expect and accepted the challenge ahead. Then there's quarterback Matt Mc- Gloin, who has flourished under O'Brien and quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher. He's deflected all comers for his job, he plays with a Brett Favre gunslinger mind-set and he's perfect for riding sidecar with O'Brien and Fisher. What about the duo of Michael Mauti and Michael Zordich? Two guys who play like they should be wearing spiked shoulder pads, riding a Harley and entering Thunder- dome? There are beards and longer hair, baseball caps on the sideline. No ties or tight white collars. It's cowboy up. ou know the rap sheet by now. No bowl games in the next four seasons. A reduction in scholar- ships. A fine that costs more It's why not us? It's why can't we get through this? There's defiance (the good kind), unprecedented leadership and plenty of character. This program and its players are finally free to be who they are – a refreshing change from the previous era. There never seems to be a doubt with this team, either. Even during the Lions' struggles on the road at Virginia, you figured they would pull it out. The way they play, you just assume they will find a way, simply because they've already found a way to get to the midway point of this season. I can tell you that the entire previ- ous season I kept waiting for the Nit- tany Lions' bubble to burst. Ulti- mately it did. For much of the 2011 season, the pundit chatter was about how Joe Paterno was still coaching in his 84th year, even after being injured in a practice mishap a few weeks prior to the opener. The focus of the sea- son was on Paterno and his age and his ability to get a team to 8-1 at one point. Yo Your P yb ...owiith... Pllaywbookk Rew ewrite Steak Salad Stte www.thepennstaterhotelel.psu.edu w ww ep 81 814.865.8080 er ee Ci eel City tthe he ty al ad That's the biggest difference now. The shadow is gone. It's not about O'Brien, although he should certainly be given consideration for National Coach of the Year honors; it's about the players. It's about the name on the back of the jerseys. While this is Bill O'Brien's team and his era, this is the players' era, too, and it's their team. They play for a school and a fan base that has remained loyal, a stu- dent section that entertains with its quirky signs and love for the team. I'd argue this is perhaps the greatest Penn State of all. Some might think that's downright silly because they don't have the record or stats, or a chance to win a crystal football. But what they do have is heart. Guts. Love of the game and each other. It's a team that has taught us more than we expected to learn by the midway point of this season. It's a team that plays for pride only. If you want to ask how far pride can carry a team, go ahead and look at how far it's taken Penn State to this point.

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