That's right ladies and gentlemen, you read that headline correctly; there is only ONE week left until the return of Penn State football! Unfortunately, due to the time differences between the U.S. and Ireland, that return will come at 8:30 am EST next Saturday on ESPN2. And if you're a Penn State fan living on the west coast for some reason, get ready for a 5:30 am wake up call (I'm sorry). Still, most fans are so starved for the return of football that I think this will turn out to be only a minor inconvenience. Besides, sleep is for the weak. What won't be a minor inconvenience, however, is a volcano in Iceland that may affect the team's travel plans. The volcano (which I will not even attempt to pronounce the name of) has been causing all manner of seismic activity recently and scientists are afraid it could blow its top at any moment. A similar volcano in Iceland caused the cancellation of some 100,000 flights around Europe back in 2010, so this would not exactly be unprecedented. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that Mother Nature will see fit to not delay our long awaited start to football. With all of that said, let's get to all the latest happenings.
Our first story today actually has very little to do with Penn State, at least directly. Ohio State QB, and Heisman hopeful Braxton Miller, reinjured his shoulder this past week and will officially be out for the season. Miller is the reigning 2-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and was poised to lead the Buckeyes to a potential National Championship run this year. Most people with a heart probably feel bad for Miller, and rightfully so as no decent person should wish ill upon anyone. But as a football fan, it's more than OK to engage in a little schadenfreude regarding Ohio State as a whole. The news isn't exactly great for the Big Ten conference, which was hanging its collective hopes of making the first ever College Football Playoff on the favorites from Columbus, but it is good news for Nittany Lion fans since, with Miller out for the Oct 25th meeting in Happy Valley, the Lions actually stand a chance of winning! That's why this week's news about a week long campout for the Ohio State game is all the more exciting. Good luck to all the campers, you may actually get a victory for your efforts! Now, for anyone still concerned about the conference's perception nationally due to Miller's injury, have no fear. Michigan State is a very legitimate contender to make the inaugural field of four... unless, of course, Penn State manages to knock them off in their final regular season game like they did to Wisconsin the previous two years. Oh well, we live in hope.
Moving on. Have you ever wondered what's it's REALLY like being a top flight college QB, trying to decipher a play call, and then executing it with the precision and grace of one, Christian Hackenberg? Well if you have, the folks over at Black Shoe Diaries (BSD) decided to delve deep into two plays they heard Hack call at training camp and what exactly all of that jargon means. If you don't have a lot of technical football knowledge this might go over your head. But for football nerds like myself, this is wonderful, so enjoy!
Finally, to put the proverbial cherry on top of the "one week left" sundae, here's the brand new, official, 2014 Penn State football hype video! Get excited!
Well that will wrap it up for this week. Barring any big news during the early part of the week, this will officially wrap up my offseason coverage for the year (thank the Primes!). The next time you hear from me will most likely be for my Week 1 Prediction on Friday. So keep it here on the blog all season long for predictions, analysis, awards, and more. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus for all the latest news and notes surrounding Penn State football, and as always, go State!
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