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Yesterday, Penn State notched a convincing and somewhat surprising 35-7 victory over the Fighting Illini of Illinois, the first Big Ten win for Penn State since the death of Joe Paterno. In the wake of the victory, the folks at Black Shoe Diaries, SB Nation's Penn State blog, had a few choice words for Illini head coach Tim Beckman. Beckman actively recruited Nittany Lions players to leave the program for Illinois after the NCAA levied sanctions against the program this summer.
Well, I guess now we know why Tim Beckman was so eager to vulture Penn State's roster: The guys he has just aren't very good.
But wait, there's more!
You're a loser, Beckman. And if abandoning your team to chase Penn Staters didn't prove it, then the blowout loss on Saturday surely did. You inherited four NFL players on defense - Spence, Buchanan, Brown, and Hawthorne - and your defense sucks. You've made your quarterback worse. You barely use the really good running back you have. And Brian Griese makes fun of your coaching decisions from the announcers booth. You're a mouth breathing stooge, Beckman. May God have mercy on your soul.
Suffice to say that Nittany Lions fans do not particularly like Tim Beckman all that much.
Regarding the game itself, and the way forward for this team, Penn State fans are generally optimistic.
And you know what? Maybe that's a good thing. Given the way Penn State's rolled the last three weeks, the weakness of the Big Ten, and, yes, the fact remains that the Lions should be 5-0 and on the road to something incredibly special rather than just 3-2, it's not hard to get ahead of ourselves. Ted Roof's defense has made unbelievable strides since its horrendous start...and now they've got a running back! But there were enough faults to give Bill O'Brien and crew a headache, and this team will have plenty to build on moving forward.
As tough as it may be to be a Penn State Nittany Lions fan in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, the folks at Black Shoe Diaries are definitely focusing on the positives and looking forward to the future of their program.