Nittany Lions

Penn State moved up in the college football polls today after Saturday's opening 31-7 victory over Akron at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions improved to No. 5 in the USA Today coaches' poll and seventh in the Associated Press media poll. In the preseason, Penn State was eighth in the coaches' poll and tied for ninth with Oklahoma State in the AP poll. The Lions will host Syracuse (0-1) on Saturday. Hurricanes soaring. Miami is savoring a drama-filled 38-34 win over Florida State on Monday night.

Some observers have long suspected that if the shroud of secrecy were removed from Penn State football, we might all be surprised at what lies beneath. That's certainly the case in the January issue of the glossy fashion magazine W, where a full-page photo of bare-chested quarterback Michael Robinson reveals a liberally tattooed torso that contrasts strikingly with the Nittany Lions' squeaky-clean image. On the left side of Robinson's chest are the words "Mike Rob" above the words "In God I Trust.

Penn State 14, Miami 10. It was close all the way, as intense and hard-fought a football game as any played in a long time. In whatever way a team wins the national collegiate football championship, it's a glistening achievement. But the way Penn State upset Vinny Testaverde and the rest of the high-flying Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl Friday night was something special - something to be long remembered and savored. After all the pre-game hijinks, the Miami players' jiving and boasts, the Lions more than squared accounts in a very determined way. Coach Joe Paterno's crafty defense did exactly what it was designed to do - give Testaverde, the nation's top-ranked college player, a lot of trouble and prevent him from completing long passes.

On a microcosmic level, Penn State's 86-80 NCAA Tournament first-round loss to Arkansas represents the larger struggle facing Nittany Lions basketball. Ranked 18th in the nation and seeded fifth in the East Regional, Penn State had a shot at a signature victory against a high-visibility program during college basketball's biggest showcase. Instead, the Lions (21-7) must hope their disappointing finish won't dull the enthusiasm generated by a magic-run season and the opening of the school's lavish, new basketball palace, the Bryce Jordan Center.

Earlier this month, St. Joseph's whipped Penn State by 30 points. It was a far different story last night. The Nittany Lions stormed from behind to post a 59-54 Atlantic 10 Conference upset over St. Joseph's at Rec Hall. The Hawks, who routed Penn State, 72-42, on Jan. 4, seemed headed for another victory last night. Their lead at halftime was 35-28, and the margin grew to 12 points with 13 minutes remaining in the game. But then the Nittany Lions (9-10 overall, 3-7 in the conference)

Penn State defensive tackle Evan Haithes' playing career is over because of complications from blood clots, coach Bill O'Brien told reporters Tuesday in Washington. Haithes, a sophomore, will remain on scholarship as a graduate assistant. The clots developed in his legs during six-hour drives home to Virginia early last year for his grandfather's funeral. The clots spread to his lungs, and he was hospitalized in March 2011 with a life-threatening situation. He was able to play only two games for the Nittany Lions last fall.

Deion Barnes said it was all about the "comfortability factor. " And that played in favor of Penn State, not Georgia. In an announcement Thursday morning in his school's auditorium, the hard-charging defensive end from Northeast High committed to play for the Nittany Lions. Georgia was the runner-up for his services. "I wasn't an outcast when I went down to Georgia, but I felt like I was around 'my guys' when I went to Penn State," said Barnes, a 6-foot-5, 222-pound senior. "That was a big thing for me. " Barnes, celebrating his 18th birthday, said he had "been battling all week, going back and forth" between Penn State and Georgia, which he visited last weekend.

Perhaps, in the next three days, some medical researcher will announce the discovery of a wonder drug that rapidly heals sprained ankles, sore backs and hip pointers. If any such pharmaceutical were available, the St. Joseph's basketball team surely would volunteer for mass experimentation. The Hawks have an Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament game coming up Sunday at Penn State (2 p.m.), and barring the recovery of several key players who are in various stages of physical distress, the outcome might be as dissatisfying as last night's 83-67 loss to the Nittany Lions at Alumni Fieldhouse.

STATE COLLEGE - When it comes to being a coaching taskmaster, Penn State icon Joe Paterno probably doesn't rate quite as high on the rant-o-meter as such legendary disciplinarians as Vince Lombardi and Frank Kush. But that doesn't mean the 84-year-old JoePa is going soft on his players as he prepares the Nittany Lions for his 46th season as sideline boss. Penn State went a disappointing 7-6 in 2010 in part because of youth and in part because of injuries, but that doesn't fully explain why a couple of winnable games slipped away in crunch time.

It's not true that when Joe Paterno started coaching at Penn State, the Nittany Lions traveled to road games by way of horse and buggy. But it is a fact that the trek teams now make is significantly different from the way it was when Paterno arrived at State College 57 years ago. That doesn't necessarily mean it's easier. "Well, you've got to get on a bus, get on a plane," Paterno explained earlier this week. "You've got to check in, get screened like everybody else does these days.

Penn State defensive tackle Evan Haithes' playing career is over because of complications from blood clots, coach Bill O'Brien told reporters Tuesday in Washington. Haithes, a sophomore, will remain on scholarship as a graduate assistant. The clots developed in his legs during six-hour drives home to Virginia early last year for his grandfather's funeral. The clots spread to his lungs, and he was hospitalized in March 2011 with a life-threatening situation. He was able to play only two games for the Nittany Lions last fall.

Penn State had three players selected on the final day of the NFL draft. The San Diego Chargers drafted left guard Johnnie Troutman in the fifth round Saturday with the 149th overall pick. Jack Crawford, a defensive end, was taken nine picks later in the fifth round by Oakland. The Raiders also snagged outside linebacker Nathan Stupar with the 230th pick in the seventh. All-American defensive tackle Devon Still went to the Cincinnati Bengals on Friday in the second round.

The challenge is daunting for the Penn State men's 4x800-meter relay team whenever it competes at the Penn Relays. The Nittany Lions set the carnival record for the 4x800 in 1985 - the oldest record on the books - and the current runners know that all too well. "We know that time by heart," fifth-year senior Owen Dawson said of the mark, 7 minutes, 11.17 seconds. "It's been hanging over our heads for a while. " Penn State didn't break the record Saturday, but it headed back to Happy Valley happy.

Penn State has added another member to its recruiting class for 2013 with an oral commitment from Hershey High offensive lineman Andrew Nelson, according to recruiting websites. Nelson, 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, is the eighth member of Bill O'Brien's class and addresses a position of need. Penn State previously received an oral commitment from four-star offensive lineman Brendan Mahon of Randolph, N.J. Nelson, whose given first name is David, is not rated by the major scouting services but has gotten a lot of recent attention.

Penn State has added another member to its recruiting class for 2013 with a verbal commitment from Hershey offensive lineman Andrew Nelson, according to recruiting websites. Nelson, 6-5, 265, is the eighth member of Bill O'Brien's class and addresses a position of need. Penn State previously received a verbal from four-star offensive lineman Brendan Mahon, of Randolph, N.J. Nelson, whose given first name is David, is not rated by the major scouting services, but has gotten a lot of recent attention.

  STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - On Friday, Bill O'Brien will allow reporters to watch a portion of the Nittany Lions' practice for the third time in as many weeks. In a new era of Penn State football, O'Brien's openness is a welcome change for many reporters as well as for fans clamoring for the latest information on the team. Practices open to the media were a rarity during the Joe Paterno era. O'Brien said opening practice allows people to see how hard his players are working, the new coaching staff, and the top-notch facilities.

Greg Webb went to two Penn State football games last season. He didn't see signs of scandal or a program in disarray. He saw 110,000 spectators in Beaver Stadium, a college town in full bloom and his future. "Penn State is the pinnacle of college football up north," said Webb, a junior defensive tackle at Timber Creek High School in Erial, Camden County who committed to attend Penn State on a football scholarship on Thursday. The 6-foot-2, 295-pound Webb is one of New Jersey's most highly recruited players in the class of 2013.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - It doesn't seem to take much to get Craig Fitzgerald fired up, especially when it comes to leading the Penn State football team in conditioning drills at 5:30 in the morning while wearing shorts in temperatures near freezing. Fitzgerald, a Philadelphia native and former La Salle High School football star, also is fired up to be able to create his own strength program inside the large weight room in the university's Lasch Football Building. Fitzgerald, 39, who was hired Jan. 30 as director of strength and conditioning for football, has established a platform for weight training that includes a bench, a barbell, and adjustable dumbbells.

THE SEEDS FOR revolutionizing the tight end position probably were planted in the 1980s and '90s, when guys like Kellen Winslow and Shannon Sharpe were demonstrating to stodgy traditionalists that big, fast, sure-handed guys could be primary targets in the passing game and not just additional blockers who occasionally had footballs tossed their way. But change can be slow to take root at the highest levels of a sport that tends to cling to...