Practice opens for Nittany Lions

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, August, 2008 | by Associated Press

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The pressure is on at Penn State. The Nittany Lions kicked off preseason practice yesterday, with thoughts of overturning the balance of power in the Big Ten fresh in their heads. Center A.Q. Shipley planned to block out any talk about Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno's future by concentrating on readying the squad for a run at conference favorite Ohio State.

"It's definitely fair. We expect to win every game every year, and when we don't, it's obviously a disappointment," Shipley, a captain, said recently about the expectations heaped on the Nittany Lions by the school's rabid fan base. "If we didn't have 110,000 fans week in and week out not expecting us to do that, we wouldn't be the program where we're at," Shipley said. The Nittany Lions are hoping...