PSUFan: My question is why would Penn State leave the Iowa game with 2 timeouts still on the board? Why not call those timeouts and have some time to try to kick a field goal?

Ron Musselman: You have a good point. It's hard to argue with the fact that they screwed up be leaving two out there. Perhaps they shpuld have used one of them before Clark threw that God-awful interception way over the head of Derrick Williams which helepd set up the winning field goal.

PennState-1980: Should Paterno have gone with Devlin to start the season? It seems that Clark is a slow starter, fumble prone and can't make a play when it counts against a quality opponent. Penn State got lucky against Illinois, Ohio State and to a certain extent Michigan. They couldn't dig themselves of of the usual early hole Clark put them in against Iowa.

Ron Musselman: Clakr is a better quarterback, plain and simple. He beat out Devlin. Enough said. But I think devlin should have played against Iowa last week. The coaching staff admitted they didn't want Clark to take any hard hits while receuperating from his mild concussion, so they flanked him out wide on 7 occassions and had receiver Derrick Williams take the direct snap from center. If Clark is not a danger running, why not put Devlin in?

obama_08: Penn State scored near the end of the third quarter to go ahead by 8 points (22-14) then kicked the PAT to make it 23-14. Why would they not have gone for two there to make it a 10-point game. Then Iowa is only kicking to tie at the end? Was this addressed in the postgame or at Joe's press conference?

Ron Musselman: No, it was not addressed and why would it be? At that point, it was way too early to go for two. And besides, if you can't proect a nine-point fourth-quarter lead, then you have no business playing for the national championship.

Ki-Jana_4_Heisman: Ron, if Clark was still recuperating from his mild concussion, why did he dress in the first place. If that's the case, this falls squarely on the coaching staff. You can't mess with somebody's health and future like that.

Ron Musselman: I agree. The problem was Clark had two tests taken on him during the off week and the team doctors cleared him to play. And if the coaches felt part of his game was missing, an dobviously it was since he only ran five times for yards -- all in the first half -- then they should have sat Clark another week and used Devlin. I guess that tells you that don't really has as much confidence in Devlin as they lead us to believe.

TEE2SKI: Good Afternoon. Do you feel Paterno plays his best possible players to win games? I question Hull playing over Mauti. And to a lesser extent Sales & Rubin.

Ron Musselman: I disagree with you on a few of these. Rubin has been having a good year and Sales has been solid for the most part. Mauti is a solid player and has a very bright future, but Hull has experience and has played better since the midway point of the season. Wow, one loss and you're reayd to throw everyone under the bus.

obama_08: I'm sorry, but I respectfully disagree. The rule is don't go for 2 until the endgame is in sight. In waning moments of the 3rd quarter, on a bad weather day in which neither team can score. Then the endgame is in sight. They should've gone for 2.

Ron Musselman: OK, you have made your decision. Stick with it. I disagree.

TEE2SKI: With the lack of depth in the secondary & abundance at the LB position, do you see Bani Gbadhu moving to Safety either before bowl game or next season?

Ron Musselman: I am not sure what Gbadyu is going to do. He has to worry about getting on the field somehow other than for speical teams. He started out the season fully involved in the linebacker mix, but he has hardly been getting any playing time there as of late.

Ki-Jana_4_Heisman: PSU has an open slot on the schedule to start the '09 campaign. Any chance of adding an Oregon State-type program again? Somebody bigger than that?

Ron Musselman: That would be good if they could, but I am not holding my breath. It's hard to get decent programs like that to come to Beaver Stadium at this late date. We are probably looking at another 1-AA school or a Division I-A lightweight. However, if Penn State wins its last two games and Oregon State wins its last three, we could have a rematch in the Rose Bowl. Yuck. That doesn't sound too exciting.

obama_08: Also, on that last drive with the bad pick ... why did they pass at all? Why wouldn't they have run into the line 3 times then kicked? Then Iowa has to score a TD.

Ron Musselman: You are right. Hard to argue.

TEE2SKI: Can we ever expect to se a Div I-A playoff? I say ditch the games against the IAA Cupcakes and have a playoff.

Ron Musselman: Hopefully, we will see one day. I wish Penn State would play every team in the Big Ten. There's no reason that can't happen, just as there's no reason not to have a playoff.

obama_08: Indiana had a pretty potent passing game last year -- I seem to remember Justin King getting torched by James Hardy. Was that mostly due to Hardy? I mean Indiana seems to have nothing doin' this year.

Ron Musselman: Indiana is terrible. Their record-setting quarterback, Kellen Lewis, has been slowed by a high ankle sprain and Hardy is gone. They were a deadly duo last year and almost single-handedly beat Penn State. Hardy had a field day against King. The Hoosiers had high expectations coming into the season, but have lost seven of their last eight.

Ki-Jana_4_Heisman: What's up with Quarless? It seems like he has so much talent, but he is consistenly dropping passes and missing assignments. He had a couple crucial drops against Iowa. Will he ever live up to the potential I and many other fans have seen, but not enough of in his time in Happy Valley?

Ron Musselman: I think a lot of other people would like to know that answer, too. Quarless had been a non-factor for about two years now. He finished very strongly his freshman year but has been an enigma ever since. When was the last time he made a big catch? It's easy to remember his last big drop -- he seems to have one every week.

obama_08: As difficult as Saturday was to swallow, if you had told me in August that Penn State would 1. Beat Michigan 2. Beat Ohio State 3. Control their destiny to go to the Rose Bowl ... I would have said you belong in the loony bin. This season is already a success, and should only get better.

Ron Musselman: Yeah, you are right. Maybe Iowa did Penn State a favor. The Lions weren't as good as everyone thought. They had every chance to win that game and didn't. And you are right, they are the first team in Big Ten history to beat Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State in three consecutive weeks. A Rose Bowl bid would not be a bad consolation prize.

flashback_to_1999: I tend to doubt it, but will this loss spur a season meltdown like in 1999?

Ron Musselman: It's hard to tell for sure, but my guess is it won't. I expect the Lions to rebound and win their last two and head to Pasadena. Michigan State will be tough matchup next weekend, but the Spartans rarely win big games and are 0-7 at Beaver Stadium since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993.

TEE2SKI: Do you see IU giving PSU any type of struggle this Saturday?

Ron Musselman: There are few guarantees in life, but this is as close as they come. Penn State is a 34-point favorite and the Hoosiers are playing poorly. This seems to be the prefect game for the Lions to take out their frustrations from last week. And I'm sure we'll see Devlin relieve Clark by the third quarter.

obama_08: With the departure of the three amigos at wide receiver, who besides Graham Zug fills that void next year? And do you expect that it'll be a return to a punishing run game with equal doses of Royster & Green?

Ron Musselman: Losing Butler, Williams and Norwood will be a big blow, for sure. But Derek Moye is an up and coming player who has been solid. And Brett Bracket has been better than advertised. And don't forget Chaz Powell and James McDonald. And yes, I think Royster and Green will be even better with another year of experience under their belts. They will just need some guys to open holes for them on the offensive line since most of them are graduating.

Ki-Jana_4_Heisman: Do you think PSU would be better suited using more of the Blue Royster Cult-Green combo? More of Green might help Royster.

Ron Musselman: I think the coaching staff has been splitting these guys fine so far. Green's carries were limited for a while due to his propensity for fumbling. But Royster and Green are a good 1-2 combo.