The Nittany Dispatch: A Penn State Football Podcast

Audrey & Jon discussed the ranked matchup under the lights of Beaver Stadium this Saturday as James Franklin's Nittany Lions meet Bret Bielema's Fighting Illini. How will Penn State fare against the undefeated Illini and is Tom Allen's defense going to hold Luke Altmeyer in check? Will Drew Allar keep up his stellar start to the season or will the Illinois secondary present new challenges for the second year quarterback? Tune in for predictions, White Out Energy discussion as well as who will be the MVP of the game for the Nittany Lions, will it be Nick Singleton, Tyler Warren, Tony Rojas, Kaytron Allen or one of the wide outs? 

Penn State dispatched Kent State in expected fashion with a 56-0 victory in Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Eight different players scored and Drew Allar accounted for four touchdowns as the Nittany Lions rolled in their last non-conference game before meeting Illinois next Saturday.  Tune in for thoughts on the win as well as how much we can take away from the game against an overmatched opponent. Plus, thoughts on Omari Evans touchdown, Nick Singleton’s performance and will Tyler Warren become the top tight end in college football. James Franklin also spoke about trying to create a White Out atmosphere for the game against Illinois.

Audrey & Jon are out of the bye week haze and back to preview Penn State's matchup with Kent State on Saturday as the Nittany Lions look to improve to 3-0. To start off the podcast, late news on Wednesday from James Franklin that star safety K.J. Winston will be out with a long term injury. How will this affect the defense and who will step up, will Jaylen Reed move to true safety, can the Nittany Lions matchup against their best opponents without Winston?  Plus, tune in for a preview of the game against Kent State, is this a forgone conclusion and what will the stats look like at the end of the day for Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Tyler Warren, Trey Wallace and the rest of the receivers?

Audrey & Jon are back to discuss their rewatch of the win over Bowling Green and all the questions that were raised by the week two performance from the Nittany Lions. James Franklin spoke to the media on Tuesday and despite the performance he reiterated things could be worse as the team did get a win.  Tune in for thoughts on the big day from Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, is Tom Allen's defense going to have issues going forward or was this a one time issue. Is Abdul Carter the gamebreaker Nittany Lion fans hope he will be?

The Nittany Lions gave up nearly 400 yards of offense to Bowling Green and trailed at the break but found a way to pull off the second half come back and improve to 2-0. James Franklin's team looked like they were sleep walking through the first half defensively letting transfer quarterback Connor Bazelak chew them up for nearly 200 yards. Drew Allar and the offense got the team within in a score at the half led by Tyler Warren's career day and Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen both went over 100 yards in the victory. Questions remain though, is this an indication of greater problems for Penn State or just a weak follow up to a big win on opening weekend. Tune in for all of Audrey & Jon's thoughts on the week two scare. 

Audrey & Jon are back to talk about the aftermath of the win over West Virginia and the newfound hype for this Nittany Lion team. Will Penn State be unbeaten when they head to USC in October? How will James Franklin keep the team focused on 1-0 now that the team is back in Beaver Stadium? Is Andy Kotelnicki the most popular coordinator in college football after week one?  Plus, a preview of the game against Bowling Green and what we expect from Drew Allar, Trey Wallace, Nick Singleton, Krytron Allen, Tyler Warren, Beau Pribula, Abdul Carter, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Jaylen Reed, A.J. Harris, K.J. Winston as well as the usage of Julian Fleming in his first game as a Nittany Lion.

Despite a lengthy halftime weather delay, the Nittany Lion spirits could not be dampened in the opener on Saturday as they controlled both sides of the ball to cruise to a 34-12 victory over West Virginia in Morgantown.  Tre Wallace had a day with two touchdowns while Drew Allar looked like a different QB under Andy Kotelnicki as he threw for 216 yards and 3 TDs. Nick Singleton also got into the act with a couple of long runs including a 40-yard second half TD as James Franklin's team improved to 1-0.  Tune in for Audrey & Jon's thoughts on the victory and how much can we take away from this performance in week one. 

It's officially Penn State Football Season. Week one is here and the Nittany Lions are headed to Morgantown to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers in a noon kickoff to start the 2024 campaign. Tune in for a full preview of the matchup from Audrey & Jon as well as what they heard from James Franklin at his weekly presser. How will Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton split the work load? What will the receivers look like Saturday, will Tre Wallace, Liam Clifford, Julian Fleming, Kaden Saunders, Omari Evans all see the field? Who will start at right tackle Nolan Rucci or Anthony Donkoh?  Plus, predictions for the opener. Will Penn State come out of the weekend 1-0? 

We made it! Football season is back and Audrey & Jon are ready to get you prepared for how the 2024 Nittany Lion season will unfold. Tune in for thoughts on what improvement we can expect from Andy Kotelnicki’s offense, where will the defense stacks up and what bold predictions are our hosts willing to make? What kind of impact will AJ Harris have this year, who will have more sacks Dani Dennis-Sutton or Abdul Carter? Who scores the first touchdown of the year, Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Tyler Warren? Plus, predictions for how the season will play out, is this a playoff bound Penn State team, can James Franklin win the big games this year and Audrey & Jon play a game of Either Or on what they expect to happen on the field for the Blue & White. 0:00 - Intro 2:45 - Offense SP+ Ranking 11:33 - Defense SP+ Ranking 16:39 - Penn State Either Or Picks 43:00 - Nittany Lion Bold Predictions 49:06 - Season Predictions

Audrey & Jon can feel the season fast approaching with week zero only a few weeks away. Tune in for the latest from practice including player notes, Andy Kotelnicki’s latest insights on the Nittany Lions offense as well as Tre Wallace emerging as a greater threat for the beleaguered wide receiver group.  Also, Cooper Cousins buzz is building around the staff and is Jon the one keeping the story going? Plus, share your questions for next week’s season preview, what can we expect from James Franklin in 2024? Can the receivers step up and what will the second year out of Drew Allar look like? 

Audrey & Jon are back to discuss Fall Camp and the latest out of Happy Valley. What have they seen so far from the Nittany Lions and what is the outlook for the Wide Receivers under new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki? James Franklin also addressed the media prior to practice starting this month. Plus, the news on Jameial Lyons and Kaveion Keys no longer being on the roster.  And finally, Stephen Nedoroscik fever hits the pod. 

Audrey & Jon return to discuss the latest from Big Ten Media Day as the new look conference descended on Indianapolis. How will Penn State use Abdul Carter this season and is James Franklin's strategy the right one for the disruptive defensive start. What did they learn from the players who made the trip in Jaylen Reed, Tyler Warren and Dvon J-Thomas. Plus, news about the White Out being the game against Washington and what the new teams to the conference know about Penn State. 

At long last College Football has returned to the video game world with the release of EA Sports College Football 25 and Audrey & Jon are here to talk about everything Nittany Lions in the new game. Find out where Penn State's top players came in for their overall rankings, did Kaytron Allen deserve a higher overall, is Drew Allar fairly represented and what happened to so player's hair? How is Dani Dennis-Sutton represented and does Abdul Carter get enough credit for the gamebreaker he is. Plus, find out what the simulations said about James Franklin's squad's chances this year, will they go to the playoff in 2024? Find out all the details you need to know before the game launches later this week and great ready to take Penn State to the college football playoff for the very first time.

Audrey & Jon return to the discuss the latest from Penn State’s offseason as we roll into summer. Tune in for their thoughts on the news that Beaver Stadium’s renovation has been approved and what they want to see from the upgrades. Plus, James Franklin & his assistants, including new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, were made available to media for the first time in months and the latest about the Nittany Lions. 

The Transfer Portal has closed and Audrey & Jon are back to discuss the latest news out of Happy Valley including King Mack moving on to Alabama as well as other departures. Plus, the latest on the Beaver Stadium renovations and the approvals that are on horizon as well as what other events you could expect at the venue. Plus, a swirl of wrestling news has taken over Audrey & Jon's lives during the football offseason.

Back from Windy Beaver Stadium, Audrey & Jon discuss everything they saw from the Blue White Game on Saturday. How much can you take away from this scrimmage? Did we learn anything about Andy Kotelnicki’s new offense? Is KeAndre Lambert-Smith done at Penn State and entering the portal? What did James Franklin have to say postgame? Who made a big impression on Saturday and what is the status of the players who didn’t play? A.J. Harris stood out, Julian Fleming had his first showing in a Nittany Lion uniform and we got our first look at Ethan Grunkmeyer in Blue & White. Tune in for the full spring recap.

Audrey & Jon get you ready for the culmination of Spring Football as the Blue White game takes center stage in Happy Valley. Tune in for thoughts on what we expect to see in Beaver Stadium, the new players to watch as well as our first look at Andy Kotelnicki’s new offense. Plus, learn more about the Nittany Lions latest commitment in running back Alvin Henderson who joins James Franklin’s squad from unusual recruiting territory. 

Audrey & Jon are back to talk about offseason news from around Happy Valley including the news that Matt Zollers, in-state QB target, picked Mizzou over the Nittany Lions. What is the state of Penn State in-state recruiting for James Franklin and his staff? Does the portal need to be a bigger priority for the program? Plus, first conversations with Penn State transfer players including Julian Fleming and what it means to him to be representing the Blue & White and how the fans will embrace him. 

James Franklin and the Nittany Lions returned to the practice field for the first time in 2024 and Audrey & Jon got their first look at the new additions to the roster. What are the early signs from Andy Kotelnicki’s offense? How different did this defense appear under Tom Allen? And is Julian Fleming going to live up to the hype at wide out? Plus, hear Jon’s thoughts on Saquon Barkley signing with his beloved Eagles as well as other Penn State NFL signing news. 

Audrey & Jon return to share the latest from Happy Valley as James Franklin addressed the media and players were available for the first time in a month. Tune in for thoughts on what was shared with media as well as first comments from Franklin on transfer players like Julian Fleming, A.J. Harris and Nolan Rucci. How will the transfers fit in with Drew Allar and what have the work outs been like for the team during the offseason.