Morelli OnLion: Gridiron Bash

With the Penn State men's and women's basketball teams struggling mightily, we need a diversion. So this week in Morelli OnLion, we'll take a closer look at "Gridiron Bash," an event coming to Penn State this spring.

We'll also check in on another Penn State commit and try to analyze the Lady Lions.

Let's get started.

I have to admit, I never thought I'd live to see this day. A concert at Beaver Stadium? Are you kidding me?

Oh sure, during the years, we've always heard the rumblings of a possible concert in Beaver Stadium. When I was in school at Penn State eons ago, there were rumors of a Pearl Jam show. At the time, Eddie Vedder and gang were the hottest act in the land. That got scrapped, though, and Pearl Jam wound up in Philadelphia. Several years later,
U2 — the best live rock act of all-time, by the way — were rumored to be mulling a date at Beaver Stadium.

The PopMart Tour wound its way around the country but never stopped at University Park, so I was forced to watch one of the best concerts ever at Three Rivers Stadium, which was reduced to rubble a short time later.
The point is this: Concerts at Beaver Stadium have never made it out of the talking stage. And it didn't matter who. Garth Brooks. The Rolling Stones. Billy Joel. Elton John. No. No. No. No.

It was simple — no concerts in The House that Joe Built. Until now.

On April 18, the night before the Blue-White Game, Fergie will take to the stage at Beaver Stadium. Of all the acts that could have been the first to play at the Beav, it will be Fergie.

I can picture many of you now, eyebrows raised thinking, "Who's Fergie?"

For the record, Fergie is a talented singer who rose to fame with the Black Eyed Peas. She's a Grammy winner, who has recently come into her own as a solo artist with hits like "Glamorous" and "Big Girls Don't Cry." If you still don't know who she is, well, that's OK. If you are under the age of 40, you are definitely out of the demographic.

It should be noted that the concert is just one of 14 that are being staged around the country in conjunction with other spring games. It's all a part of "Gridiron Bash," which promises scholarship money to the schools with the most attendance at their respective concert.

As the ads say, the school with the most attendance at the show will earn $1 million in scholarship money. So by attending the show, it's thought, you will help your school.

So how did all this come about? How did the Gridiron Bash come to be? Well, it's been several years in the making, according to MSL Sports and Entertainment president Shawn Garrity, who is making tour stops at each and every campus site.

"What was really the genesis for us was Chuck Muncie. (He) is one of our partners on the scouting/recruiting side and he's on the fundraising committee for Cal and they're looking to build a new stadium," Garrity said from a suite at the Bryce Jordan Center. "They talked about ways to increase fundraising. We looked at the stadium and looked at some other opportunities and we really felt that focusing in on the spring game and bringing some entertainment would be a way to do it."

From there, the folks at MSL thought if they were going to do it at Cal, why not include other campuses as well? So they began looking at other schools where the spring game is more than just a scrimmage, but an actual event.

At Penn State in recent years, of course, the Blue-White Game has gone from "just a game" to an spring event. It's now known as Blue-White Weekend and includes a festival atmosphere outside the stadium with food booths and vendors.

MSL realized this, Garrity said, and talks began with the Penn State brass.

"We looked at the campuses across the country. As we looked at Penn State, the stadium size, the fan tradition and the way they have supported the spring game, this was a natural place to want to come, to pull something like this off," Garrity said.

Once MSL had the schools selected, it began to place acts at each school. There were some big names out there — Maroon 5, ZZ Top and the Black Crowes — just to name a few.

So how did Fergie land at Penn State? A somewhat racy pop/rap star performing in the middle of cow pastures? It just doesn't seem like a good fit.

Garrity insists that it will be.

"Penn State is very protective of its fan base. I think people look at it and say that it would be very natural to have country here, it would be very natural to have a legacy rock act here," Garrity said. "But I think the university really wanted to make a statement to their fan base that they're dynamic and they're progressive."

And Fergie does that, we guess.

The response, though, has been lukewarm. Older alums coming back to Happy Valley for the game probably won't attend because they don't know who Fergie is.

Tickets for the concert are $41, which is about the going rate for a big star these days. Still, for a family of four, with meals and a souvenir, the total tab is going to be well over 200 bucks.

The ticket price may take some families out of the equation.

So what, you may say? This is an event for the students. But not all student are thrilled with the choice of Fergie.

"Beaver Stadium is holy ground and the first concert there is going to be Fergie," said Dana Aschman, a Penn State junior. "I think they could have gotten a band that's as legendary as Beaver Stadium. I don't think the students are excited. I think you would have gotten more hype for a country concert."

Still, it's hard to imagine a concert at Beaver Stadium, whether it be Fergie or U2.

And there certainly is a concern for the field, which sees no action outside of football season.

Garrity said that the proper precautions are being taken to make sure that the field remains pristine.

"I played at Syracuse from 1982 to '86, so I had the privilege of playing on this field twice," Garrity said. "On Friday (before a game), we never set foot on that field to practice. I understand that it's hallowed ground here, maybe more than most (schools)."

So fans shouldn't worry. After all, Pittsburgh's Heinz Field is used for high school, college and pro football games as well as concerts.
And just look how well it holds up.

Uh, never mind.

Enjoy Fergie.


Mike Farrell is ready to be a Nittany Lion.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).

Future Lion: Mike Farrell
The 6-foot-6, 280-pound offensive tackle received a late offer from the Nittany Lions and then gave his commitment to Tom Bradley on Jan.
22, becoming the third offensive lineman in the class.

Farrell played both offensive and defensive tackle for the Indians this season. Dave Havern's club racked up a 9-2 record in 2007 before being bounced from the WPIAL playoffs by all-everything Terrelle Pryor and Jeannette.

Farrell was a three-year starter at Shady Side, where he also took part in wrestling this year. He was named a Pennsylvania Class AA first team all-state selection as a senior by the Associated Press. He was also picked as a member of the Class AA second team all-state squad by the Pennsylvania Football News. He was also named Conference Lineman of the Year by the conference coaches.

The lifelong Penn State fan will almost certainly redshirt in order to put on weight during his first year on campus. Observers say his 280-pound frame can easily hold another 30 pounds to put him around 310. Farrell's best attribute is reportedly his athleticism, but he has admitted that he needs to work on his technique to handle the speed rush at the next level.


Coquese Washington and the Lady Lions have lost nine consecutive games.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).

Woes Continue for Lady Lions
So what, you may ask, is exactly wrong with the 2007-08 Lady Lions?

The season began with such promise, after all. First-year head coach Coquese Washington opened her career with three huge wins in the WBCA/Basketball Travelers Classic, as her Lady Lions defeated Arizona, Charlotte and then-No. 21 ranked Pittsburgh to claim first place in the season-opening tournament.

The Lady Lions stubbed their toe a couple of times on the road during that first month of the season, losing at Xavier and Old Dominion.

But the signature win of the year came on Dec. 2, when a Janessa Wolff bucket stunned No. 10-ranked Duke, 86-84.

Even the Big Ten season began well as the Lady Lions won three of their first four games in conference play.

So when did things turn sour? Well, that's a good question.

On Jan. 13 at Minnesota, the Lady Lions were on the wrong end of an ugly 67-50 loss to the Golden Gophers. In that game, the Gophers got physical with the Lady Lions and didn't give them any inside stuff. Other teams began to use that game as a blueprint to beat the Lady Lions.

That loss started an ugly run for the Lady Lions. They've now lost a team-record nine straight and 11 of their last 12 games, with the lone win coming over Michigan.

For the first time ever, the Lady Lions have lost four consecutive games at home and their eight-game losing streak was the worst in the history of the program.

Washington keeps looking for answers, looking for solutions. But everywhere she turns, this team just keeps springing leaks.

"The water is coming out of the top," Washington said, comparing her team to a gushing fire hydrant. "You close that and the water springs out this side and you close that and now it's gushing out that side.
... You do one thing right and something else goes wrong, and (it's) 'Now what? Now what?"

It's not just the losses that have Washington puzzled. It's the way her Lady Lions are losing these games. The losses aren't pretty. They aren't close losses. No, these are of the blowout variety.

Things that the Lady Lions did so well at the beginning of the season have vanished. Wide open lay-ups are missed as are foul shots. The fundamentals of basketball — such as boxing out and simple man-to-man defense — seem to elude this group.

There is frustration to be found from the top down.
Sophomore Tyra Grant, who is the team's leading scorer, believes that things will get better.

"It's going to turn around," Grant said. "It can't keep going like this forever. We're going to turn this thing around. It's just when are we going to do it."

The turnaround better happen soon or this dream season turned nightmare is only going to get worse.