BWI Live: A Penn State football podcast from Blue White Illustrated

While most of the country's attention will be on Michigan and Ohio State this weekend, the Nittany Lions have put together a quality list of prospects attending its season finale against Michigan State on Saturday. Recruiting insider Ryan Snyder joins the BWI Daily Edition to update you on the list for this week. He also gives you his best bets for the weekend's action. https://bit.ly/3KzEcqK

Host Thomas Frank Carr starts by asking Snyder which players will join four-star receiver Rodney Gallaher this weekend at Penn State's game against Michigan State. While the list of 2023 prospects hasn't grown significantly, several high-priority players in future classes will be on the sidelines this weekend. The biggest name, who has attended several games this fall, is 6-7 offensive tackle Kevin Heywood. The PA native already has a pick to land with the Nittany Lions from Snyder, so will this be the weekend he commits? Snyder dishes that info. 

Another name to watch is a promising running back from 2025, John Forster. The young player camped with Penn State and impressed in his first appearance on the recruiting scene this summer. Snyder recaps the rising sophomore's season for context. 

Snyder lists several other players attending this weekend that could impact the recruiting process in the future so check out the video to hear who they are. 

Next, they look ahead toward December, one of the most unprecedented signing periods. Snyder lists some things he's watching for this year with Name Image and Likeness dominating the news. The transfer portal is already in full gear, so what's next is a mystery. However, the plan for Penn State football is clear. They are hosting key players early in the month for a final recruiting push before the early signing period starts. Snyder explains what would constitute a win that weekend for the Nittany Lions. 

Finally, they get to Ryan Snyder's Best Bets. This weeks' games include: 

Kansas (+11) at Kansas State 

Michigan (+7) vs. Ohio State

Coastal Carolina (+13.5) vs. James Madison 

Florida (+9.5) vs. Florida State 

Washington (-2) vs. Washington State

Michigan State (+18) vs. Penn State

Snyder has earned a mark of 26-22-1 on the season after going 2-2 last week. He has six games he's officially playing this week during rivalry week to end the season. Once again, he's fading Kansas, is uneasy about the tight points spread between Ohio State and Michigan and has a strong take for the game of the week, which is Penn State vs. Michigan State. Lastly, he and T-Frank preview the Lions game to end the show. 

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Penn State basketball finished 2-1 in the Charleston Classic last weekend and heads into a light week with only Lafayette on Friday. To get fans ready for what's to come, the Blue White Illustrated Hoops podcast brings insight from expert Nate Bauer. He and host Thomas Frank Carr discuss how things have started the year and how they might change before the Nittany Lions pick up play in earnest around the Big Ten tipoff weekend. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, so you don't miss an episode of the show!

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Penn State faces Michigan State for the Land Grant Trophy on Saturday at Beaver Stadium, and to get you ready for the game, the BWI Daily Edition comes to you on Thanksgiving! Host Nate Bauer and Blue White Illustrated publisher Sean Fitz break down the game and the things going on this week with Penn State football. Subscribe to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube, so you don’t miss the show! https://bit.ly/3KzEcqK

As the show is being recorded early, Fitz and Bauer start with the latest College Football Playoff Rankings and the outlook for Penn State’s bowl projections. Then, Fitz breaks down what the best-case scenario is for the Nittany Lions to end up in the Rose Bowl and which upsets need to happen for that scenario to unfold. 

Next, they discuss the injury update that head coach James Franklin gave during his weekly press conference. With star receiver Parker Washington done for the year, what do they think the effect will be, and what’s the outlook for left tackle Olu Fashanu and corner Joey Porter Jr? 

Finally, they discuss the game against Michigan State this weekend. Fitz gives his thoughts about the Michigan State offense, defense, and special teams before the duo gives their predictions for the game. 

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The Penn State offense sustained another loss last week when top receiver Parker Washington didn't play against Rutgers. Rumors of his season-ending injury turned out to be true on Tuesday when head coach James Franklin announced his season was over. Today on the BWI Daily Edition, host Thomas Frank Carr discusses how the loss of Washington changes the lineup for the worse and how he thinks Penn State should adjust for the final game of the regular season against Michigan State. He'll also give a preview of what Michigan State likes to do defensively and discuss the slow offensive start problem that the Nittany Lions have had this year. Subscribe to the BWI Daily Edition on YouTube so you don't miss the show! https://bit.ly/3KzEcqK

T-Frank starts by reviewing the outcome of the game against Rutgers to ascertain how Penn State adjusted to the loss of Washington. He highlights how fellow starter Mitchell Tinsley's role changed, and KeAndre Lambert-Smith assumed a more significant role to pick up the slack. Fans saw how that played out and how Penn State adjusted throughout the game. 

With the changes offensively, who does T-Frank think should see more playing time? He gives his case for returning Tinsley to his original role and letting another receiver assume the slot position vacated by Washington.  

However, the loss of Washington doesn't explain that Penn State's offense has been exceedingly slow to put together drives and score points in games this season. So, T-Frank asked Franklin on Tuesday how the process of in-game adjustments works. He plays Franklin's answer and explains how that process has gone for the team this season. It underscores a problem in the passing game that T-Frank has pointed out several times in 2022 and gives more clarity to the problems that the team has had stringing together plays. 

Finally, he puts all of this in the context of the next game against Michigan State. He speculates about the need to play three receivers against the Spartans, how they might play the Nittany Lions and what he thinks the early-game matchups will dictate for the Penn State offense. 

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Penn State's receiver recruiting is heating up with lots of movement at the position. Today, Sean Fitz and Ryan Snyder discuss the decommitment of Ejani Shakir and the official visit of Rodney Gallagher.

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Only one more game is left in the 2022 college football season after Penn State defeated Rutgers 55-10 on Saturday in Piscataway. Penn State has now blown out four of its last five opponents on the way to a 9-2 record this year. Want to talk about the game and this season? Join the BWI Live show at 8 pm, only on YouTube. Host Thomas Frank Carr and senior editor Nate Bauer will discuss the game and take your questions. Join them live to be part of the show. Subscribe to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube so you don't miss the action! https://bit.ly/3KzEcqK

T-Frank starts by asking Bauer what he's reflected upon in the 48 hours since the end of the game. He and Bauer will discuss the important points in the game and the big-picture takeaways from this latest win. Next, they'll discuss the important news heading into the game on Saturday; the status of Parker Washington. Bauer will share his thoughts on the situation and what he expects head coach James Franklin's news to be on Tuesday. Finally, they'll discuss the impact of Washington's absence on the game. 

Before getting into the game, T-Frank wants to put the season in context. Penn State has thoroughly beaten most of the teams on its schedule this year, but what does that mean, given its two losses? Does the good team/bad team conversation matter? They'll try to give a perceptive answer with one game left to go. 

Next, they'll talk about the Penn State quarterback performance from Saturday. T-Frank will dive into some of the critical Xs and Os from the game that frustrated starter Sean Clifford. He and Bauer will give their thoughts on Clifford, and backup Drew Allar, who saw significant playing time to end the game. 

Finally, they'll shift the focus from the quarterbacks to the offensive line. Did the makeshift group finally get exposed? Or did something else happen on Saturday? They'll also discuss the state of the special teams unit, both good and bad, before turning to the defense. 

That last unit will get some attention, but it's more of the same from Manny Diaz's squad. The Broyles Award nominee captained a performance that led to two defensive touchdowns and another 15 tackles for loss. T-Frank and Bauer will discuss how this unit has improved, the critical factors that have made that happen, and what it means for the future. 

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Penn State's defense took its game to another level on Saturday, not only suffocating the Rutgers offense but scoring points for the Nittany Lions as well. Throw in a Nick Singleton kickoff return for a touchdown, and Penn State blew out Rutgers 45-10 on Saturday. Join the BWI Live postgame show immediately following the game to discuss the win and what's next for the Nittany Lions. Subscribe to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube so you don't miss the show. https://bit.ly/3KzEcqK

Penn State got off to a rocky start in the game, trailing 10-7 after a poor punt from punter Barney Amour and an Aaron Cruikshank kick return to get Rutgers into the Penn State red zone to start a drive in the first quarter. Penn State's offense couldn't find any momentum to start the game, punting on five of its first six drives and fumbling on the other. 

Thankfully for the Nittany Lions, the Penn State defense locked down the Scarlet Knights, with only 22 yards allowed after the first three drives heading into halftime. In that time, the defense also intercepted Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, forced a fumble that turned into a touchdown, and set up the offense for success. So despite only gaining 179 yards in the first half, Penn State led 28-10 going into the break. A defensive touchdown on a sack and forced fumble by linebacker Curtis Jacobs opened the lead to 38-10. Finally, the running game got going in the second half thanks to several explosive Kaytron Allen, and Nick Singleton runs. 

However, the freshman of the game was once again linebacker Abdul Carter. The budding star tallied multiple quarterback pressures, a quarterback hit, a sack, and two tackles for loss. 

Backup quarterback Drew Allar took the field with five minutes left in the third quarter and managed the game after that. 

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The drama of the college football recruiting cycle is heating up for Penn State football as the season draws to a close. The Nittany Lions head to Piscataway to face Rutgers on Saturday, but the drama off the field is what the BWI Daily Edition will focus on today. Recruiting insider Ryan Snyder joins host Thomas Frank Carr to discuss the latest in several recruiting battles, give his best bets, and finally, finish with a preview of the upcoming game. 

Early this week, four-star corner from Florida Daniel Harris decommitted from Georgia and opened up his recruitment. Soon after, Snyder put in a pick for Penn State to land the 6-2 defensive back. So what has happened since then? Snyder fills T-Frank in on the latest twist in the battle between the Nittany Lions and the Bulldogs. He also sets parameters for when he expects news to come from the high-profile corner prospect. 

After looking at Harris, T-Frank and Snyder take a quick detour to examine where the Nittany Lions stand in the class rankings this cycle. Will Harris' commitment bump them into the top ten if he does flip to Penn State? They review the top 15 schools and Snyder details where he expects Penn State to land. 

Next, they discuss another player decommitting from a different school. Where does Penn State sit with three-star edge rusher Brenton Williams? The fast-rising prospect backed away from Coastal Carolina after getting multiple power-five offers, including Penn State. Snyder explains when he'll visit Happy Valley and what other schools might be in the mix. 

Moving on from 2023, the duo shift their focus to 2024. Four-star quarterback Jayden Bradford has Penn State among his final four schools. So, what are the chances he picks the Nittany Lions? Snyder explains what he's seen from offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich and his big board to decide if Bradford is the top prospect in the cycle. 

Finally, they get to this week's picks in Ryan Snyder's Best Bets. Here are the game this week: 

USC (-2.5) at UCLA

Boston College (+21) at Notre Dame

Ole Miss (-2.5) at Arkansas

Penn State (-19) at Rutgers

As always, Snyder gives you the game and his play for the four matchups this weekend. Then, he and T-Frank discuss the Penn State game in depth to give fans a better sense of what to expect on Saturday. 

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Sean Fitz and Nate Bauer preview the upcoming game between Penn State football and Rutgers.

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Penn State film analyst Thomas Frank Carr sits down with Brian Fonseca of NJ.com to get a scouting report of the Rutgers Scarlett Knights and the direction of the program under head coach Greg Schiano.

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