Penn Stated: Talking Penn State Football with Donnie Collins

Penn State did what it set out to do in the Rose Bowl.

It sent a slew of players who meant so much to the program's past out in the best possible fashion, with embattled quarterback Sean Clifford absorbing a standing ovation from the Nittany Lions faithful in Pasadena after a near-perfect final performance highlighting that.

As the Clifford era ended, the Drew Allar reign as starting quarterback began, and for as promising as most around the Penn State program feel that time can be, it does bring its own set of questions.

Penn Stated host Donnie Collins wraps up the 2022 season with a look at Clifford's stirring performance, and what the win in the Rose Bowl will mean for a Penn State team that suddenly has some national momentum with the 2023 campaign still eight months from its dawn. 

What has the Rose Bowl, and a week's worth of decisions on whether to pursue NFL dreams, taught us about what's possible in 2023? And how much pressure will be on Allar, Penn State's freshman phenom, to guide the offense?

Donnie also delves into the folly of putting too much stock into season-ending polls like the Associated Press poll, which ranked Penn State at No. 7 to conclude the season. And if you think there have been lopsided College Football Playoff games in recent years, just wait until you get a load of the semifinals and finals of the 12-team tournament come 2024.

To contact Donnie, drop an email at [email protected], or send him a message on Twitter @PennStateTT.

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Well, the end of the line is finally here: For the 2022 regular season. The career of longtime starting quarterback Sean Clifford. The rookie seasons of several of Penn State's biggest stars.

But, in many ways, the beginning has arrived for Penn State football's future, too.

Penn Stated host Donnie Collins will navigate the fine line between beginning and end that major bowl games have become for some of college football's top programs and delve into what all of it will mean for the No. 11 Nittany Lions on Monday when they face No. 8 Pac-12 champion Utah in the 109th Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

Donnie will break down the game and discuss the stark similarities coaches from both programs see in each others' products. But he'll also look to the one position where Penn State can show what the future holds starting with Monday's game.

You'll hear insight from head coach James Franklin on the game, as well as wideouts KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Omari Evans and Harrison Wallace on what this one means as they prepare for the future. And no less a source than wideout Liam Clifford shares what he thinks would be the ideal way for his brother to leave the program after four seasons as a starter.

All that and more on a special Rose Bowl edition of Penn Stated, from Los Angeles and Pasadena.

To contact Donnie, drop an email at [email protected], or send him a message on Twitter @PennStateTT.

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Technically, the 2022 season doesn't end until the Rose Bowl is completed on Jan. 2, but this is the season of change at Penn State.

This week, Penn Stated host Donnie Collins talks about the busy past couple of weeks, and the perhaps busier ones ahead, for the Nittany Lions coaching staff as it tries to navigate its way through the early transfer portal period while also shoring up its 2023 recruiting class with the National Letter of Intent early signing period just a week away.

And those jobs have never been so important for James Franklin and company.

Find out what the Nittany Lions' list of players available for interviews at Friday's Rose Bowl media day likely says about the relatively few Penn State players opting out of the Rose Bowl, while also hearing what the bigger shift in Utah players opting out says about the future of bowl games.

Donnie also talks about receiver Parker Washington's decision to head to the NFL and what that might mean for Penn State's leading pass catcher. Does it also give us a sneak peak toward what might be the biggest story around the program for most of the first eight months of 2023? 

To contact Donnie, drop an email at [email protected], or send him a message on Twitter @PennStateTT.

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The imperfect team got just about as perfect an ending as it could have wanted.

Penn State is off to the Rose Bowl. Even though it got dropped in the rankings by the College Football Playoff committee. Even though it finished third in the Big Ten. Even though it has yet to beat a ranked team this season.

Does any of that matter? Penn Stated host Donnie Collins discusses that and a host of other issues surrounding the Nittany Lions on this week's episode, including:

1. The opening of the transfer portal this week. What position should Penn State be looking hard to fill with a transfer, even though there's practically no chance it will be able to do it?
2. LaVar Arrington's induction to the College Football Hall of Fame.
3. Where the Nittany Lions stood in comparison to Ohio State when it came to their respective performances against Big Ten champion Michigan.

Scranton Times-Tribune colleague and NEPA's resident Michigan Man, Joe Baress, joins Donnie to discuss Michigan's road to the Big Ten title and the CFP's inclusion of Ohio State, giving the Big Ten two teams in the four-team championship field for the first time ever.

Donnie also offers his annual look at the top five bowl games to check out, outside of the CFP and the Rose Bowl, of course.

To contact Donnie, drop an email at [email protected], or send him a message on Twitter @PennStateTT.

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Penn State is a few days away from a berth in a New Year's Six bowl...perhaps.

And maybe, it's headed to the Granddaddy of them all...or not.

It's bowl silly season, and as cut and dried as things tend to seem for the 10-2 Nittany Lions right now with Selection Sunday just a few days away, all that stands in the way of a trip to Pasadena seems to be a little bit of chaos.

If Penn State is indeed going to the Rose Bowl, it's going to need a little bit of help from a serious enemy. So, who should Nittany Lions fans be rooting for Saturday night in the Big Ten Championship Game? 

Penn Stated host Donnie Collins discusses that and other bowl possibilities with the dean of the Penn State football beat, Rich Scarcella of the Reading Eagle.

Donnie also hands out his regular season awards. Find out who the offensive player of the year went to. Did the Defensive Player of the Year award go where you figured it might? What was the game of the year? And, which James Franklin aide actually beat out defensive coordinator Manny Diaz for top assistant coach honors, in Donnie's mind?

To contact Donnie, drop an email at [email protected], or send him a message on Twitter @PennStateTT.

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Penn State head coach James Franklin won his 100th career game last week in a thumping of Rutgers.

It didn't seem to matter much to some Nittany Lions fans who wonder if Franklin is the man holding a championship-caliber program back.

On this week's episode of the Penn Stated podcast, host Donnie Collins celebrates Thanksgiving week and the spirit of thankfulness by wondering why so many fans aren't as appreciative of Franklin's success with the program he has helmed for eight seasons. Especially in a season when Penn State - a team led by several talented freshmen - has shown so much promise.

Also, Donnie discusses the importance of Saturday's game against Michigan State for a Nittany Lions team snubbed in the College Football Playoff rankings this week. 

To contact Donnie, drop an email at [email protected], or send him a message on Twitter @PennStateTT.

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Penn State is entering the final two games of the 2022 regular season with New Year's Six bowl dreams and, get this, legitimate hopes that its future will be brighter than its present.

Penn Stated host Donnie Collins talk and special guest, longtime Penn State beat writer Frank Bodani of the York Daily Record, about where the Nittany Lions have exceeded expectations this season, where they've maybe not quite met them, and whether it is all adding up toward an exciting 2023. Are these Nittany Lions actually underrated right now?

Donnie also delves into Penn State's bowl chances, detailing where it could end up come the postseason, and what the next few weeks will say about that. Plus, he offers his prediction for the clash with Rutgers on Saturday.

To contact Donnie, drop an email at [email protected], or send him a message on Twitter @PennStateTT.

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Coming off a thorough domination of Indiana last weekend, Penn State is eyeing its way back into the top 10 and looking like a possibility for a prestigious New Year's Six bowl bid. Even the granddaddy of them all - the venerable Rose Bowl - seems like a possibility.

But as everything seems to be in the world of Penn State football, there are still so many sidebars, so many interesting debates to be had and decisions to be made.

On this week's episode of Penn Stated, host Donnie Collins chats about what the bowl game will mean to Penn State's present and future with DK Pittsburgh Sports Penn State beat writer Cory Giger about Penn State's bowl possibilities, what the best matchup would be, who should be the quarterback in that game, and what it all could mean for head coach James Franklin's reputation among those who doubt him.

Donnie also recaps the Indiana game, focusing on the contributions of so many true freshmen and whether that type of performance is sustainable the rest of the season. Plus, his early prediction for Saturday's game against Maryland.

To contact Donnie, drop an email at [email protected], or send him a message on Twitter @PennStateTT.

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Penn State lost its second game of the season last Saturday.  It shouldn't have, perhaps. But, it did.

Which means, it's time to have the discussion the Nittany Lions have wanted to avoid all year, time to answer what, perhaps, is somewhat of a program-defining question at this stage for the team.

On this week's Penn Stated podcast, host Donnie Collins delves into those questions and provides some focus on what the Nittany Lions should be looking to do as they head down the homestretch in the 2022 season.

Should Sean Clifford, after an otherwise brilliant performance sullied by four back-breaking turnovers, lose his starting job at quarterback?

Should Penn State give a month-long look to true freshman backup quarterback Drew Allar? What are the benefits and drawbacks to that?

And, perhaps most importantly, how important is winning in today's College Football Playoff era, if you aren't winning every week? Is there still value in another potential 10-win season for the Nittany Lions? What about playing in a prestigious New Year's Six bowl game?

We look to the past, present and future on this week's episode of Penn Stated.

To contact Donnie, drop an email at [email protected], or send him a message on Twitter @PennStateTT.

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A week after what host Donnie Collins believes was the most impressive home atmosphere in the history of the annual White Out game against Minnesota, the Penn Stated podcast is honoring the spirit of the paying customer with a fan-centered episode heading into the No. 13 Nittany Lions' clash with No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday.

Donnie recaps the Minnesota game, predicts the winner of the battle with the Buckeyes, and with the help of a local Nittany Lions fan, attempts to discuss the themes of a season the fans haven't always found satisfying.

Why are a certain segment of fans still not sold on James Franklin?

Why isn't backup quarterback Drew Allar playing more?

Are fans simply bored with starting QB Sean Clifford?

And why do so many look at the Ohio State game as the biggest litmus test for where Franklin's program is?

All that and more on a special episode of Penn Stated.

To contact Donnie, drop an email at [email protected], or send him a message on Twitter @PennStateTT.

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