Blue White Illustrated

In November, Penn State reported that 91 percent of the Nittany Lion Club members who had renewed their annual pledge for the 2013 season had signed up for the One Team Commitment. Whether it was due to scandal fatigue or was part of a larger downward trend having little to do with the NCAA or Jerry Sandusky, the team's attendance declined substantially in 2012. The Nittany Lions drew 96,730 fans per game during the regular season. That was the fifth-best total in the country behind Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama and Texas, but it was also a drop of more than 5,000 fans per game from 2011. It would be easy to attribute the thinner crowds – the smallest since the stadium's most recent expansion project in 2001 – to the Sandusky scandal. But the Lions' attendance problem actually predates the scandal by several years. The Nittany Lions' crowds peaked in 2007, when an average of 108,917 fans attended their seven home games. The following year, Penn State won the Big Ten championship but saw its attendance decline by nearly 600 fans per game. It was a small dip, but in the years that followed, the slide grew steeper. The school lost about 2,800 fans per game from 2009 to 2010 and again from 2010 to 2011 As much as the Sandusky scandal, the most recent attendance drops appear to be related to widespread dissatisfaction with STEP, which imposed increased costs on fans heading into the 2011 season. Fans also grumbled about the cost of parking, as Penn State doubled the fee from $20 to $40 for those buying their passes from lot attendants rather than getting them ahead of time from the Ticket Office. It's also worth noting that Penn State's Top position battles of the off-season PHIL'S FIVE QUARTERBACK Nine starters return on offense, but for Penn State to be successful in 2013, it must fill this critical position. In the spring, this will be a battle between sophomore Steven Bench and juco transfer Tyler Ferguson. True freshman Christian Hackenberg will join the fray next summer. DEFENSIVE TACKLE With Jordan Hill gone, this is probably the most important position battle on defense. The contenders are redshirt junior Kyle Baublitz, possibly redshirt sophomore DT/DE Anthony Zettel and two redshirt freshmen: Austin Johnson and Derek Dowrey. OUTSIDE LINEBACKER Redshirt sophomore Ben Kline and redshirt freshman Nyeem Wartman will have the difficult task of replacing Michael Mauti, the heart and soul of the Nittany Lions' 2012 defense. CENTER Other than McGloin, Matt Stankiewitch might have been the most improved starter on Penn State's offense. It will be up to redshirt sophomore Angelo Mangiro, fifth-year senior Ty Howle or redshirt freshman Wendy Laurent to replace the All-Big Ten center. WIDE RECEIVER Allen Robinson and Brandon Moseby-Felder are the Nittany Lions' top two returning wideouts. Who's No. 3? It will be a battle between redshirt junior Alex Kenney and redshirt freshman Eugene Lewis. – PHIL GROSZ problems are not unique. The NFL is the most popular sports league in the country, yet it, too, has suffered declining attendance in recent years. Since the 2007 season, in which 17,345,205 paying spectators walked through the turnstiles, the league's attendance has gone down each year, a decline that officials blame on technology, not on any dissatisfaction with the on-field product. As HDTVs have gotten bigger, sharper and cheaper, fans have been less inclined to leave their living rooms on game day. As NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in November, "One of our biggest challenges in the league is the experience at home. And HD is only going to get better." Athletic director Dave Joyner said much the same thing this past season when he told the Centre Daily Times that Penn State's slide was due in part to "55-inch, high-definition, big-screen TVs." Before the season began, Penn State looked to make a personal connection with its fan community by sending its Coaches Caravan into a number of Mid-Atlantic strongholds. The barnstorming tour, which featured O'Brien and a rotating cast of head coaches from other Penn State teams, made 18 stops in seven states. It's uncertain whether the coaches will be hitting the road this coming spring. O'Brien talked about doing annual tours, but the first one was a three-week endurance test, undertaken during a time of crisis for the university. Now that the initial shock has subsided and Penn State is dealing with the fallout, there might not be a need for something quite so ambitious. How will the Nittany Lions' recruiting efforts be impacted by the sanctions during the next few months? Going into the heart of the 2013 recruiting season, things are still looking good for Penn State. Harrisburg tight end Adam Breneman and Virginia quarterback Christian Hackenberg have never given any indication that they were wavering on their college choice. It would be a huge surprise at this 3

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