Interim Penn State Head Coach Tom Bradley told the media at his postgame press conference:
“This win isn’t about me; it’s about the players and this team. I don’t think any team in the history of college football has been through so much in such a time period and to hang in there and fight their way through it is great.”
And to some extent he has a point, the players are pretty much collateral damage in the Penn State scandal; they are made to suffer somewhat though they have done no wrong on their own. However, to a larger, more relevant extent: Mr. Bradley, would you like some cheese with that whine? Boo Effing Hoo, now is not the time to try and elicit sympathy for you and your bunch.
There are bigger issues and vastly more victimized people to think about right now.
Bradley has not come off very well in most of his media appearances since the scandal broke. If anything, he comes off almost as delusional and stuck in the insulated, egocentric PSU bubble as Paterno, Schultz, Curley et al.
But he did get his first win as Penn State Head Coach today.
Bradley is now 1-1 all time, as #21 Penn State beat Ohio State in Columbus on the Buckeyes Senior Day. I won’t criticize Bradley any further because I know he has a lot of burden to currently bear. He was the successor to Jerry Sandusky, the man who started this whole mess. And he knows he’s canned as soon as this season ends, as he’s already been reaching out to his contacts in the NFL for a new gig; including Chicago Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith.
Today marked the first road game and victory of the post Joe Paterno era. In an instance of amazing coincidence, it game against the other team in the Big Ten which has had a scandal plagued 2011. PSU, and the very dark cloud over its program has greatly overshadowed the off-the-field issues at Ohio State. With the 20-14 win, the series between Ohio State and Penn State is now tied at 13-13.
PSU quarterback was 10-18 for 88 yards passing. But then again, a Penn St. qb throwing for less than 100 yards in a game? Even on almost 20 attempts, what else is new? Stephfon Green had 93 yards on 16 carries and Silas Redd had 63 yards on 8 carries. OSU QB Braxton Miller notched 188 total yards on 18 rushes for 105 yards and one touchdown, while throwing a very ugly 7-of-17 for 83 yards and one touchdown. The 105 rushing yards matched his career high, first set Nov. 5 vs. the Indiana Hoosiers.
Next week Penn State goes to Madison, and the contest with the Wisconsin Badgers is a play-in game for a Big Ten Championship appearance. Penn State tailback Stephfon Green knows what’s on the line next Saturday, as the winner will get a shot at the Michigan State Spartans in the Big Ten title game:
“To have a shot at the Big Ten championship means a lot. We’re going to go into Madison with our heads on straight and try and take care of our business.”
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, a Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports.
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