When the Pitt Panthers and Virginia Tech Hokies hook up Thursday night on national television, they are two teams heading in opposite directions. The Hokies are coming off back-to-back wins, while Paul Chryst’s Panthers have dropped three in a row. It’s a must-win game already for both teams as both programs still have a realistic shot at finishing at the top of the Coastal Division standings Who has the advantage? Let’s take a look. When: Thursday, October 16 Where: Heinz ... Read More
ACC Power Rankings: Week 7
We are almost halfway through the ACC schedule and have seen some teams surprise and others disappoint, yet no one has been able to knock the kings off the mountain. As a conference the ACC has still underachieved on the season, but a couple of teams are showing some signs of life. How does your team stack up against the competition? Here’s a look at my latest ACC Power Rankings. 1. Florida State (6-0, 4-0 ACC, defeated Syracuse 38-20, Last Week-1) Amidst all of the Jameis Winston ... Read More
James Conner to play on defensive side of ball vs. Virginia Tech
When the Pitt Panthers opened the 2014 season, many people were excited to potentially see running back James Conner line up on both sides of the ball. That naturally hasn’t happened yet with Conner’s solid start to the season, but it looks like we will get to see the sophomore line up at defensive end Thursday night when the Panthers play host to Virginia Tech. “I'm going to get that thing going this week on the defensive side of the ball,” Conner said. “I'll be out there ... Read More
Jake Forsythe bringing balance back to Waynesburg offense
Part of the reason that the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets fell short of their goal of a President's Athletic Conference championship a year ago is that quarterback Carter Hill simply had to do way too much. Waynesburg simply couldn't run the football and while the Jackets' offense as one of the best in the PAC, it had to rely on Hill's arm on almost every play. That's not the case this season for the 5-1 Yellow Jackets. Speaking to both Hill and Waynesburg head coach Rick Shepas before the ... Read More
PSAC West is running wild
At this point in the college football season, teams are starting to establish identities. The same goes for players, and the PSAC West is turning into a running league. Three of the top five rushers in the PSAC come from the West and all three are at the top of the leader board. Slippery Rock's Shamar Greene remains atop the list, averaging 147.8 yards per game with 887 overall — even after a bad week. Gannon's Brock Jones is nipping at his heels, though, with 855 overall (142.5 per game). ... Read More
PSN Player of the Week: Mercyhurst’s Brendan Boylan
In a cross-town rivalry game that pitted the Mercyhurst Lakers against the Gannon Golden Knights, Mercyhurst quarterback Brendan Boylan put together a career game in leading the Lakers to a thrilling 45-38 victory. Boylan, a redshirt Junior from Independence, Ohio, completed 28-of-44 passes for 446 yards and four touchdowns — all were career highs. Boylan became the first Laker quarterback to break the 400-yard mark in a game since 2011, when Travis Rearich threw for 424 yards against ... Read More
Wolverines hand Nittany Lions second straight conference loss
Penn State’s (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) failed attempt at an onside kick in the fourth quarter combined with a magnificent show of perseverance through pain from quarterback Devin Gardner left Michigan (3-4, 1-2 Big Ten) on top by a score of 18-13 on Saturday night in Ann Arbor. Penn State senior kicker Sam Ficken opened the scoring with a 35-yard field goal 5:32 into the first half. Michigan determinedly answered just three minutes later with a 43-yard touchdown from wide receiver Devin Funchess, who ... Read More
Penn State looks to bounce back against Michigan
Penn State head coach James Franklin’s promise to “get it fixed” is on the line as the Nittany Lions (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) take on the University of Michigan Wolverines (2-4, 0-2 Big Ten) on Saturday night in Ann Arbor. Penn State is in limbo right now – a shocking 29-6 loss to Northwestern two weeks ago led into a bye week that focused on corrections, strength-training and rest. Michigan wants to go into its bye week with a win against Penn State, and perhaps the memory of a stinging overtime ... Read More
Big Ten Conference is no longer a powerhouse
The Big Ten Conference can no longer be called a powerhouse, at least not when it comes to football. It started in 2012 when Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany told the critics to fire away. A lack of top-10 teams, bowl bans and blowout losses led to a lot of criticism from all angles. “We’ve underperformed, and I can’t argue with that,” he admitted in a 2012 press conference. Things seem to have not gotten better. Despite a good start to the season for traditionally strong teams like Ohio ... Read More
W&J defense looks to keep making the big play
When you are a successful team that can throw points on the board in bunches like the Washington and Jefferson Presidents, sometimes you still need a defense that can force big plays. That’s been the staple for the Presidents during Mike Sirianni’s tenure. That’s also something that showed up in a big way last Saturday during W&J’s big win against Thomas More. While the Presidents’ offense lit up the scoreboard for over 50 points once again, they may not be sitting at 4-0 and ranked ... Read More