-» -Winter 2006- -Vol. 3 Issue 2- EEE eR Tony Arnold Staff Writer The spirit was contagious. The mass of Penn State fans in Beaver Stadium on November 18th seemed to breathe as one as the Nittany Lions took the field on “Senior Day.” : A wave of cheering humanity culminated with a large white “S” located in the energized Penn State student section. After an overwhelmingly tense game fans surely didn’t leave in -disappointment. The Nittany Lions pulled off a nervous 17-13 victory over the always challenging Michigan State Spartans, ensuring them bowl eligibility. Paul Posluszny led the Penn State defense against a Michigan State offense that appeared formidable since the moment they Editorial: Michigan State Spartans. stepped foot on the field. The defense held the Spartans to a single touchdown all game. While Penn State’s defense looked spectacular, the same could not be said about the offensive unit. Tony Hunt looked to be at his best despite having two fumbles. Hunt ran for over 100 yards to cap off a stellar season which included breaking a thousand yards. Anthony Morelli’s playing, however, was performance at best. The struggling quarterback completed less than 50 percent of his passes and coughed the ball up twice. But on the bright side he managed to throw two touchdown passes, leading the team to victory in their final outing. So what does this season- ending win mean for the Lions? Well, we can draw two conclusions from the victory. The first conclusion: There are several weaknesses that need to be addressed before next season, some of which include the possibility: of switching quarterbacks. Also, the loss of a strong line backing corps personified by the departure of Senior All-American Paul Posluszny will need to be addressed. A good thing is that most of the Penn State receiving core is young and will be back next season. The second- conclusion: We're headed to the Outback Bowl, baby! The Nittany Lions recently accepted a bid to the Outback Bowl, January 1, 2007 in Tampa Bay, Florida. Penn State will be playing the (#17) Tennessee Volunteers. Tennessee is the favorite to win and leads Penn State in points scored, passing and total amounted yards per game. Tennessee will enter the bowl with a record of 9-3 and Penn State a record of 8-4. Both teams are coming off season ending victories. But what is more important is the fact that Tennessee ended their season strong with a 22" victory in a row against rival Kentucky. Basically, there are some good, bad and ugly things for us to worry about. But let us enjoy the good as we gear up for Tampa on New Year’s Day. Go Penn State! SER Jordan Martin Staff’ Writer send clear signals to the Republicans that a major shift in ideology is due. If the Republicans wish to gain back lost ground, they are going to have to take several marked steps. First, the Republicans must moderate their position. The voting public has spoken. Too many recent candidates have exhibited positions to the far right of the mainstream, and been rejected by the voters. The Democratic Party did not learn this for many years, and suffered gravely because of it. Extremism on both political wings serves only to alienate the majority of voters. : Second, the situation in Iraq must be resolved. This issue has been the number one item on the table for voters in this past election, and it shows. Fed up with continued violence in Iraq, and incumbent officials who seem to have little in the way of viable solutions, the voters have ousted Republicans in hopes that a Democratic majority in Congress will have better success. Third, Republicans must return to the party’s traditional position of ‘fiscal conservatism. Government spending has spiraled wildly out of control. see Election page 3 Independent