Moorhead, Barkley, bowls and more
It was a busy week for local college teams and players, so let鈥檚 jump right into it.
In last week鈥檚 column, it was brought up that Mississippi State was looking at former Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead for its head coaching opening.
It is a great move for Moorhead as the Bulldogs will return up to 20 starters from this year鈥檚 team.
As stated before in this column, I have known Joe since 2002 when he coached at Georgetown University and I was a coach at Monessen.
I knew something was up on Monday as Joe had sent me a text with his new cell phone number, so his hiring a few days later was no surprise.
A humble hard worker, Joe and I shared text messages after he was hired and I could not be more happy for him personally or professionally.
Barkley not a Heisman finalist
While a lot of people found it surprising that Penn State鈥檚 Saquon Barkley was not named as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy on Monday, I was not surprised.
Several times over the last two months in this column I talked about how some of his rushing totals in some games were not good enough and did not warrant an invitation to the Heisman award show.
That said, Barkley had a classy response to being left out and it showed just what kind of person he is.
He took to Instagram to thank supporters for being in his corner.
鈥淭hank you to all of my fans and teammates for the consideration鈥� he said. 鈥淗owever, like I stated previously I do not need a trophy or to be named a finalist to define me as a player. I鈥檝e earned the respect from my teammates and coaches, therefore, at the end of the day that鈥檚 the only thing that matters!
鈥淐ongratulations to all the deserving Heisman finalists!
Once again thank you! #WeAre鈥�
Penn State returning to the Fiesta Bowl
The Nittany Lions are 6-0 in the Fiesta Bowl, and they will put their undefeated streak on the line in the game against a very talented Washington Huskies team.
It will Barkley鈥檚 last game before turning pro early, and hopefully he will be able to turn in one last amazing performance.
The game takes place at University of Phoenix Stadium on Dec. 30 and begins at 4 p.m.
I will be at the game and will provide coverage in this column.
West Virginia headed to Texas
The Mountaineers will play Utah in the Zaxby鈥檚 Heart of Dallas Bowl at Cotton Bowl Stadium.
With a healthy Will Grier, West Virginia would be favored, but will the junior signal caller be cleared to play?
The game takes place on Dec. 26 at 1:30 p.m.
PSU-Fayette women on winning streak
After dropping its first three games, Penn State-Fayette, The Eberly Campus women鈥檚 basketball team has won its last three games, including two straight Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) games.
Head coach Scott Hillen and his young team return to action Friday at Penn State Beaver.
鈥淲e are a young team that is battling injuries and limited numbers,鈥� Hillen said of his team, which only has one senior. 鈥淲e have great attitudes and are working hard, but we need to keep getting better every day.鈥�
Haley Moreland (Laurel Highlands), the lone senior on the team, reached the 1,000-point plateau in a win at Butler County Community College on Nov. 29 when she scored 21 points.
鈥淗aley has been a good leader,鈥� said Hillen. 鈥淗opefully, we can keep getting better and take it one game at a time.鈥�
The team is littered with local players, and Hillen is zeroing on a solid recruiting class consisting of more local players.
鈥淲e have been in contact with several who could be difference-makers,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut as far as this year鈥檚 team, we need to stay focused and play well fundamentally.鈥�
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