An interesting story on Ricky Stanzi from the AP that we couldn't fit in the dead-tree edition...

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Don't like the way Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi is playing? Give it a little time.

At times, Stanzi can look awful. Like last week, when he threw four interceptions in the third quarter against Indiana to help put the eighth-ranked Hawkeyes in a 10-point hole.

Then there is Good Ricky, the guy who bailed Iowa out by tossing two long TDs on consecutive throws to give his team a lead it would not relinquish in beating the Hoosiers 42-24.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has long since tired of defending Stanzi and he never considered pulling him against Indiana despite all those picks.

Ferentz views Stanzi as the resilient leader of a team that keeps finding ways to win, and though Stanzi's individual numbers aren't pretty -- like the Hawkeyes -- it's tough to dispute Ferentz's belief in him.

Join Frank Bodani for a chat about Penn State football at 8 p.m. tonight.

Read Frank's Monday column about how Saturday's game could affect Daryll Clark's legacy.

Come ready with questions tonight for Frank, who's all geared up for the Ohio State game.

Welcome to the York Daily Record's ninth Penn State live chat of the season. The No. 12 Nittany Lions (7-1, 3-1 Big Ten) will continue its Big Ten play after demolishing Michigan at the Big House, 35-10 against unranked Northwestern (5-3, 2-2). Today's game will kick off at 4:30 from Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill.

Click here to be taken to the Penn State-Northwestern breakdown page.

For a story on Penn State's Graham Zug and Northwestern's Zeke Markshausen, click here.

To read about Penn State's ferocious defense, click here.

To find out what impact Halloween has on Ryan Field and this matchup, click here.

To read Frank's column on Penn State's focus ability, click here.

Check out this great video by Brad Jennings on the best Halloween costumes Penn State players have ever worn:

Keep an eye on Penn State fullback Joe Suhey today.

Sure, he's exceeded most expectations by being a reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield and even a decent short-yardage runner at times.

The best thing, though, is that he's making a homecoming. He grew up maybe 15 minutes or so from Northwestern's campus. His father, Matt Suhey, a former Penn State star fullback and later a blocking back for Walter Payton, stayed here after his days with the Chicago Bears.

That makes Joe Suhey a fourth-generation Nittany Lion.

And there could be more to come from the family. Joe has a younger brother playing football in high school.

Really, though, the Suhey family base is still State College. Joe's grandmother and football-playing uncles, Paul and Larry, still live there.

With about 10 minutes to go before kickoff, the Wildcats and Nittany Lions are done warming up, back in their locker rooms.

And we're wondering when all of the fans are going to get here?

Entire sections of the stands at small Ryan Field are nearly empty. Could there be 20,000 people here so far?

The winds are blowing pretty hard, looks like 15 to 25 mph or so.

Temperatures in the mid- to upper-40s.

But at least it's not raining. Penn State sports information reps are saying this will be the first game without precipitation since Temple, which goes back to Sept. 19.

It certainly hasn't been an easy week for Penn State coach Larry Johnson and his family.

That's why it was perfect moment for the defensive line coach on Friday night when he met up with former player Anthony "Spice" Adams and his family in the lobby of the Hilton here in Northbrook, Ill., the team hotel.

Adams, a defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears, came with his wife, Andenika, and their toddler son, Anthony III, and one of Adams' cousins.

Johnson served as a second father to Adams during his time with the Nittany Lions, helping turn his player's career around with some timely counseling and support.

Even now, Adams still spends a couple of weeks each summer training with Johnson and the Lions in State College.

On Friday night, Johnson walked off the elevator and approached the clan with open arms, ready to scoop up little Anthony III.

They all exchanged hugs and smiles and small talk.

So it certainly was a nice break for Johnson.

The past week had partly been spent dealing with the latest trouble son, Larry Jr., has gotten into while playing for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Johnson Jr. was suspended for allegedly making two gay slurs in the past week, the first on his Twitter account.

I think we must give a big shout-out to the Penn State women's volleyball team.

Hey, they made the ESPN Sportcenter highlights. They deserve all the attention they can get.

The Nittany Lions just won their 88th-straight match on Friday night by beating No. 7 Minnesota. That 88, by the way, ties the famous UCLA men's basketball streak.

Top-ranked Penn State (24-0) has won the past two national titles and is now tied for the fourth-longest win streak in NCAA history.

There's a little bit of pressure to do the Northwestern football trip right, you know.

This isn't West Lafayette, Ind., OK?

There's stuff to see and do and lots of parking jams to get into around Chicago.

So, of course, we had to take advantage of all of that.

Let's put it this way: More rain and rush-hour Friday afternoon traffic wasn't going to keep four Pennsylvania reporters from finding the suddenly legendary Cemitas Puebla restaurant for lunch downtown.

It's been a while since we've been in the north suburbs of Chicago.

Four years for the Nittany Lions.

Usually, Penn State has had the upperhand against Northwestern when it comes to football, except for that bizarre, inept contest here back in 2003.

Sure, the 1995 Michigan game in Beaver Stadium was known for the 18 inches of snow that fell the week leading up to it.

But the 2003 game in Evanston actually featured snow during the game -- enough to cover the field in a couple of inches.

The rain has finally stopped and the Nittany Lions have made it to team headquarters here at the Hilton Hotel in isolated Northbrook.

Nothing like being in the north Chicago suburbs, away from most everything.

But that's how Joe Paterno likes it.

For now, it appears that tomorrow's weather should be clear and dry, though quite a bit cooler than back East, maybe with high temperatures in the low-50s to go along with considerable wind.

Reports are that second-string tailback Stephfon Green, his speed a favorite on screen passes, has made the trip despite a bothersome ankle.

Don't expect Green to play much if at all, though. Everyone seems to think that sophomore Brandon Beachum, the former water and towell boy in high school for quarterback Daryll Clark, will continue to get No. 2 reps.

Water boy?

That's a story we'll have to get around to later.