Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/94528
Nittany Lions' season is a show of strength SENIOR MOMENT Mauti returned to the field in the fourth quarter and acknowl- edged the cheers of the crowd. side of the country on Jan. 1," he said. "But just in case…" Tampa has been in the news lately as the setting for one of the more tit- illating scandals in the long history of the military-industrial complex. But while I didn't leaf through the brochure, I'm guessing it dwelled less on the opportunities for extramarital adventure than on, say, Dinosaur World. Not that it mattered. "I'm covering Penn State," I replied. "I'll be staying home." The guy had mistaken me for a Ne- JUDGMENT CALL er in the press box – gold or orange or maybe magenta – like some exot- ic tropical bird displaying its plumage at the height of mating season. But the Outback Bowl guy who at- U Jonh Beale sed to be, you could spot a bowl scout from a mile away. He was the one wearing the loudest blaz- tended Penn State's game at Nebras- ka a few weeks ago was dressed in a conservative beige jacket, which is probably why I didn't notice him un- til he dropped a brochure next to my laptop touting the garden of delights awaiting me in the Greater Tampa metro area. "You'll probably be on the other braska beat reporter, but before head- ing off to greet the next writer, one who might actually stand a chance of setting foot in his fair city in the next few months, he flashed a reassuring smile. "You'll be back," he said bright- ly. "You'll definitely be back." It was hard to argue the point, even with Penn State poised on the brink of what figures to be the most challenging off-season since, well, the last one. The Nittany Lions have played in four Outback Bowls, and unless the upcoming Champions Bowl playoff brings an end to the bowl system as we know it during the next few years, it's likely that they will indeed find themselves back in Tampa someday. The catch, of course, is that the earliest they will be eligible to return is Jan. 1, 2017. And that's assuming they emerge from their four-year postseason exile in the kind of shape they will need to be in to challenge right away for a berth in a New Year's Day bowl. The good news, if you're looking to save some money by booking ahead, is that Penn State has shown impres- sive resilience under Bill O'Brien and