The Obligatory PSU Podcast

Or, Mike the  Mailman's Insider Info - Only $2.95/minute! You can only learn so much from a football game where the final score is 79-7, but Kevin, Chris, and Mike do their best during a Labor Day confab on the front porch of Mailman's Linden Hall bed and breakfast. The guys also review the decidedly mixed social media reviews of Penn State's new game day parking and traffic rules. Kev and Mailman...

Or, Not the #Moxie We Need, But the #Moxie We Deserve Matt McGloin has had one of the most interesting personal journeys in Penn State (if not all of college football) history, arriving on campus without a single FBS scholarship offer, buried on the depth chart as a walk-on QB, and yet ascending to the starting role, setting school passing records his senior year, and then willing his way to an NF...

Or, That Time Chris Took Over and Talked Nothing But Football Forced by scheduling issues - and/or pulling rank to hi-jack the #content - to work without Brandon, Mailman, and Kevin for this episode, Chris enlists the assistance of friend and fellow LION 90.7fm alum Mike Levine to analyze the 2019 Penn State roster on both sides of the football. The excitement of a young, but undeniably talented s...

Or, The Class You Wish You’d Taken at Penn State How to get modern college students interested in learning about anthropology? For Dr. Kirk French, the answer revealed itself during a classroom lecture: Make it all about booze. In this episode, the guys are thrilled to welcome Penn State professor, frequent guest on The Obligatory PSU Pregame Show , and Obligatory “fifth Beatle” Kirk French to exp...

Or, Heart & Soul of the Greatest 8-4 Season Ever Played From the moment two Penn State legacies emerged from the Lasch Building amidst Penn State’s darkest hour and brazenly declared to the world that the 2012 Nittany Lions viewed a whirlwind of media scrutiny, public backlash, and NCAA sanctions as “an opportunity, not a punishment,” the lives of seniors Michael Zordich and Michael Mauti – al...

Or, How to Avoid Being Switched from D-Lineman to Center The guys try a bit of role reversal this week, giving Brandon a chance to be the “guest” and talk about the journey that took him across the country – from Southern California to Virginia Beach – and eventually to Happy Valley, suiting up for some of JoePa’s best teams in the mid-1990’s. In this first interview, Brandon talks about the recru...

Or, How to Ruin #CawlidgeHawkey in Four Short Years When our guest this week, David Goodwin, was being recruited, the Pegula Ice Arena hadn’t even broken ground; by the time he graduated as a senior captain, the Penn State men’s ice hockey team were Big Ten champions. The guys enjoyed a great conversation with David about his Penn State journey: The less-familiar path traveled by college hockey pr...

Or, “Gritty” — Not Just a Creepy/Lovable Mascot A long and bitter recruiting fight ultimately went against the Nittany Lions when 5-star “can’t miss” (JINX!) 2020 wide receiver Julian Fleming of Catawissa, PA made a sudden heel turn in choosing Ohio State. Wailing and gnashing of teeth predictably ensued, but how much of a problem is losing out on such a highly-regarded in-state recruit for James...

Or, The 2 Return Trips All Penn State Alumni Should Make The whole gang is finally back together, and in classic Obligatory fashion, the conversation quickly skews into a digression from which it never fully recovers. Brandon, Kevin, Chris, and Mailman relax by the banks of Spruce Creek at Voodoo Brewery’s State College location, waxing philosophical on a range of topics including: Beer (of course...

Or, Kevin’s Antebellum Adventure The Nittany Lions had a very respectable six players selected in the 2019 NFL Draft, with fan favorite Trace McSorley coming off the board in the sixth round to Baltimore. A total of four Penn Staters (two draft picks, two undrafted free agents) will remain in-state to suit up for the Eagles. Brandon, Chris, Kevin, and #Obligatory newcomer Paris Palmer (Penn State...

Or, Let’s Talk Game of Thrones SPOILER ALERT!!! We are super serial, you guys. MAJOR SPOILERS for Game of Thrones up to and including Season 8 Episode 3 plus some sundry, semi-spoilery references to Avengers: Endgame . If you haven’t watched yet, come on back after. If this pop culture stuff isn’t for you, no worries – another episode wrapping up Penn State’s big NFL draft weekend is on the way. I...

Or, Tommy Stevens Predictions Sure to Go Wrong Mike the Mailman swings back through State College amidst his whirlwind tour of Alumni Association speaking engagements, and just in time to join Chris and Brandon in discussing the surprising twist in Penn State’s 2019 quarterback battle – fifth-year senior Tommy Stevens’ decision to enter the transfer portal and finish his career elsewhere. Meanwhil...

Or, Happy Valley Voodoo of Slab Cabin Run Mike the Mailman is on assignment (playing cards), but the rest of the gang – Penn State and NFL defensive tackle Brandon Noble, former Onward State managing editor Kevin Horne, and aspiring virtual lion tamer Chris Buchignani – are all on hand for the triumphant return of the Obligatory podcast. The guys kick back along waters of Slab Cabin Run enjoying t...