I cannot think of a season where I have been so distracted almost every week by other issues in college football. Then it is Saturday and gametime. The brief respite from everything else.

Ryan Turnley. Dude.

…center Ryan Turnley, who has plantar fasciitis in both feet.

The condition is defined as acute inflammation of a thick band of tissue on the bottom of the foot that often results from overuse. Rest usually provides the best relief.

Turnley’s feet hurt so bad that he hasn’t practiced in the days leading up to the past three games, but there is never a question that he will play.

“It makes everybody else kind of suck it up,” quarterback Tino Sunseri said. “If they get hit, they look at Turnley and keep moving forward.”

Turnley, a redshirt junior, said when the game begins, he forgets about the pain.

“I just go out there and put it out of your mind for a couple of hours and get some treatment during the week,” he said.

So glad he has a high tolerance for pain. The back-up center is listed as Greg Gaskins — presently the starting left tackle. Gaskins is also listed as the back-up at right tackle. Basically, if Lucas Nix is out for another game, that leaves Juantez Hollins as the only non-starter on the O-line depth chart.

(more…)

For whatever it is worth, Pitt has its first verbal for the 2014 class. Not 2013, 2014. Chandler Kincade from Blackhawk High has decided to verbal really early.

“After they offered me, I had a pretty good idea I wanted to commit,” Kincade said. “I just wanted to wait until after the season. The coaches are great guys and the program seems like it is progressing each week.”

Kincade, 6-foot-5, 218 pounds, missed part of Blackhawk’s season with a shoulder injury, but he completed 40 of 68 passes for 547 yards and three touchdowns in five games. Hamilton said Kincade is athletic enough to run, but that wasn’t part of Blackhawk’s offensive game plan.

“We didn’t allow him to run very much,” Hamilton said. “We only had one quarterback.”

“I’ve never been a running quarterback,” Kincade said. “I’ve always been a passing quarterback, but I can run.”

Kincade said he chose Pitt partially because his brother, Anthony, who doesn’t play football, may enroll there after he graduates from Blackhawk next year.

“It means a lot to be with him,” Kincade said.

As you can imagine with a sophomore in high school, there isn’t that much on the kid yet. He had been drawing interest from PSU and OSU as well, but no scholarship offers that early. He has taken part in Elite 11 and 7-on-7 camps (the links to the stories are behind paywalls).

My general rule is that any kid who commits that early, can not be held too tightly to the commitment. There is still over 2 years before he can sign an NLI. A lot can change for both sides.

(more…)

I swear I will get to Pitt stuff today. But there is no rational way to ignore last night.

This is not over for Penn State. There is still a trial for Sandusky. There is still the matter of perjury charges. There will be the oh so deserved civil lawsuits that can never give back what was taken from the children. The number of molested children continues to grow and there are disturbing rumors of more horrors. The Department of Education is looking into serious issues that can affect student aid. It will be a long time before this long, dark shadow leaves State College.

The school has to hire a new football coach, a new AD and a new president. In what order and how quickly can you move on those things?

Tom Bradley will be the interim coach the rest of the way. He and the entire remaining staff will almost certainly be swept out after the season. Penn State men or not, it is hard to imagine they will be able to stay. Fair or not, they too are tainted by this.

This will also upset many PSU fans — even if they do concede the logic and necessity — as so many of the connections to the Paterno era are abruptly severed. This will create more strain and animosity with the fans and school. Making the job of whomever comes next that much harder.

(more…)