What the???

Yeah, I know. Penn State got walloped by Notre Dame on Saturday. And as bad as the final score was, it wasn’t even that close. They got outcoached, outclassed, and outplayed. Sure, if the Nits could’ve put three on the board early (what the hell is Gantner still doing on this team, by the way?), and if they didn’t fumble away the ball on another potentially positive drive, things may have been different. No matter what, though, they still would’ve lost – the defense was awful. The line got about as much pressure on Quinn as I did, and the corners and safeties showed no physicality on the Irish receivers. I think the young guys were overwhelmed to be playing in South Bend, and they let it show on the field.

Thankfully, the Lions get to play division 1AA “powerhouse” Youngstown State. I’ll be completely honest with you – I know about as much about this team as I know about the country of Laos (is Laos even a country?). So, to help me (and probably you, as well), I did some research. Here are some things that I learned:

Nickname
Their nickname is the Penguins. You are probably wondering how they came to this – and I have the answer for you. This is what the website hat to say:

There are two accounts of how the nickname occurred, and interestingly enough they come from the same evening on Jan. 30, 1933.

The first account states that on a cold, freezing night at a men’s basketball game at West Liberty State, in West Liberty, W. Va., a spectator watching the members of the team stomp on the floor and swing their arms made them look like Penguins and without a nickname, the fans took a liking to the word.

But throughout the season prior to that contest, many of the members of the 1932-33 varsity men’s basketball team and their friends on campus spent idle moments in the cafeteria discussing suitable new names for our school sports combines, basketball, and fencing that year.

The names considered covered every conceivable spectrum of animals, birds, and things associated with the steel city, but none seemed to fit us. There was always someone who pointed out an inadequacy of some sort. The name we finally warmed up to, and finally unanimously accepted, came as a result of the trip to West Liberty State Teachers College for a basketball game there late in January 1933.

In West Virginia, the road to West Liberty that evening had been hit by a snowfall between one and two feet deep. The passengers in two of the cars found it necessary on several occasions to get out and help push their vehicles out of snow drifts or road area with snow ruts, difficult to drive through.

During the trip, Bennett Kunicki recalls, the discussion of a nickname for the school was the hot topic of conversation. In Kunicki’s car, the name Penguins came up and was well received by everyone in the car. Upon arrival at the West Liberty gym, the name was mentioned to the members of the team who thought it was perfect.

By the end of that school year, the nickname was unanimously accepted by the student body without the necessity of a formal polling vote. Plans were then made to introduce the new name during the 1933-34 basketball season.

Location
They are located in the armpit of Ohio, north of Columbus. This means that not only does it get cold there, but they are probably surrounded by annoying Ohio State Buckeye fans.

How Good Is This Team?
Well, they are undefeated, but they’ve beaten such strong opponents as Slippery Rock, and Maine. Apparently, they have pretty good wide receivers and a decent tight end (that’s what she said), which should probably give Penn State more trouble than one would expect. But seriously, should Penn State even be playing a Division 1AA team? Should any Division 1 team be allowed to play a Division 1AA team … outside of Temple?

I’m going to say that Penn State wins this game handily (hopefully they won’t do what Northwestern did last week, which was lose to a Division 1AA team – that would be unacceptable). I’m not even sure what the point spread is, but I’m guessing it has to be above 30, and if it isn’t bet your house on the game. PSU wins 45-3 (and that’s only because Paterno takes out his starters by halftime).