Penn State Vs. Nebraska Final Score: Post-Paterno Era Begins With 17-14 Loss

Not surprisingly, the first Penn State game in Happy Valley after the Jerry Sandusky scandal forced the ouster of football coach Joe Paterno and president Graham Spanier brought a bit of protest to State College, Pennsylvania. But what some Penn State fans did to one man who had the audacity to hold a sign reminding them that today’s game should be about honoring the children abused by Sandusky and abandoned by a system that only very slowly reacted to serious allegations about him is ultimately very troubling.

Washington Times writer Nathan Fenno has that story, about a father named John Matko who drove three hours from Pittsburgh to hold up signs that quoted Albert Einstein’s “The world is a dangerous place” remark and asked the community to “Honor the abused kids” by canceling the game and the rest of Penn State’s season. For his trouble, Matko, who reportedly kept quiet as he was berated, was showered with expletives and a beer, called a “pussy,” and rewarded with a solitary “I agree” over the course of an hour.

What looked to be a decent Big Ten game turned into the game of the week due to off-field tumult. And what looked to be a disappointment for Penn State fans turned into a game with a tight fourth and a thrilling finish.

We all speak our own languages.

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Nebraska will get the ball after the break.

Joe Paterno may be watching his former team take on Nebraska from home, but there’s still one Paterno roaming Penn State’s sidelines. Jay Paterno, Penn State’s quarterbacks coach and JoePa’s son, has come down from his usual perch high above the field in the pressbox to coach from the ground. And in a tribute to his father, he’s wearing his father’s coat. From Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Penn State does have an uncharacteristic 107 yards early on, so the scoreboard might not remain static for long.

For more on this game, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries and Nebraska blog Corn Nation.

via 30fps.mocksession.com

Days ago, it looked to some like Penn State-Nebraska might not even happen. Wednesday night, you might have worried about violence in the stands. Penn State fans have proved there’s no way this game could’ve been canceled, along with showing there’s no need to fear for anybody’s safety today.

Team Entrance (via PSUBLJ)

After a trying week, it is nice to see the team get its due for toughing out a terrible situation. The scene within the stadium will be fascinating to observe. Lost in the hubbub is the fact that the Lions are undefeated in the Big Ten and vying for a Rose Bowl berth.

The Penn State community was rocked by scandal over the course of the past week as numerous allegations of child sex abuse were levied against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. And while the students took criticism for Wednesday night’s “riots,” or protest following the announcement that Joe Paterno was fired, they deserve praise for what’s planned on Friday.

Instead of the traditional Friday night pep rally, the students reportedly plan to hold a candlelight vigil.

Cars.com has pulled its sponsorship of two ESPN College Football Saturday broadcasts, according to a report on Thursday. Both broadcasts involve Penn State: the first is the Nittany Lions matchup with Nebraska this weekend and the second is the Penn State vs. Ohio State game next weekend. The move is temporary and appears to come as a result of the scandal that’s rocked the Penn State campus in the wake of sex abuse allegations levied against former assistant Jerry Sandusky.

It’s unclear whether more sponsors would pull out of broadcasts involving Penn State, but ad agencies may be mulling it over.

The Penn State football team will take the field for Senior Day on Saturday, and according to a report on Thursday night coaches asked that friends and family of the players wear white in support of Joe Paterno.

The veracity of the report is unknown, but if true, this seems like a bad idea all around. The players and coaching staff are loyal to Paterno -- that’s understandable. But asking for friends and family to wear white when a huge movement to have those in attendance wear blue to support victims of child abuse seems unsavory. Going against an established, and great, cause would seem to create a volatile situation in a stadium that will already be incredibly emotionally charged.

After Penn State interim head football coach Tom Bradley announced that embattled assistant Mike McQuery would remain with the team in some capacity this Saturday against Nebraska, the Board of Trustees let it be known that they preferred if McQuery were not on the sidelines during the game.

When asked directly, interim Penn State President Rod Erickson gave the distinct impression that the chances McQuery will still be with the team at all come Saturday are diminishing.

If you haven’t been following along, Penn State’s campus was overrun by thousands of student protesters on Wednesday night after the school’s Board of Trustees announced that Paterno had been fired for failing to notify the police upon being informed of former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky’s alleged molestation of a 10-year-old boy in the team’s locker room back in 2002. The news that the head coach of 46 years has been let go has, unsurprisingly, incurred the full spectrum of emotions among fans and media members alike.

The Nittany Lions are currently undefeated in the Big Ten and vying for a spot in the league’s inaugural championship game. On top of all of the off field distractions, the team also faces its toughest three-game stretch of the season, with road trips to Columbus, OH, and Madison, WI, on tap after Saturday.

The Penn State Board of Trustees have now asked Bradley to keep McQueary off the field during Saturday’s nationally-televised game against Nebraska.

According to the Morning Call, the board does not plan to fire McQueary or ask him to step down. This according to a trustee who has asked not to be identified.

At the start of the week, Penn State’s game against Nebraska on Saturday was trending along as normal. Then news came Wednesday that Joe Paterno was going to retire at the end of the season. That fueled a price spike that sent tickets on the secondary market to more than double their normal price, according to SB Nation ticketing partner TiqIQ.

By the end of the day, though, news came out that Paterno had been fired. Penn State fans were clearly unhappy with this news and it reflected strongly in ticket prices. By Thursday, ticket prices had dropped 41 percent from their previous high. It should be noted that tickets are still selling for an average of $183 (and can be purchased here), so it’s not like fans have suddenly abandoned the Nittany Lions.

After rumors that Penn State seniors were considering boycotting the game in protest of Joe Paterno’s firing, calls for PSU admins to forfeit the game, and concerns about the safety at Beaver Stadium after Wednesday night’s near-riots, Tom Osborne issued a statement:

For more on these teams, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries and Nebraska blog Corn Nation.

Bradley is Penn State’s defensive coordinator. He grew up in Pennsylvania and played defensive back for Paterno in the mid-‘70s, and has been considered a potential successor along the way. He took over for Jerry Sandusky in 1999.

The Nittany Lions have three regular season games left, starting this Saturday at home against Nebraska. Paterno had planned to finish out the season, but forced the board of trustees to make the final decision on his future.

McQueary wasn’t at practice on Tuesday, with Chris Fowler reporting he’d been declared to be on a recruiting trip. That’s not all that easy to believe, since there’s no way he could effectively convince anyone to play for Penn State with this going on. “On leave” would probably be a more accurate way to put it, but I guess you never know.