Paterno returns Penn State to the national spotlight
Posted: Wednesday September 18, 2002 4:03 PM
Joe Paterno showed he's not ready to retire with Penn State's shocking rout of Nebraska. AP
1
Ohio State
2
Penn State
3
Michigan
4
Wisconsin
5
Minnesota
6
Michigan State
7
Iowa
8
Purdue
9
Illinois
10
Indiana
11
Northwestern
194
Yards gained by tailback Maurice Clarett in Ohio State's 25-7
victory over Washington State -- in the second half alone.
"It shows how far we've come in college football. But that's
more or less for the general audience, because the nature of this game
is far bigger than that."
--
Michigan State coach Bobby Williams, on the fact that
the Notre Dame-Michigan State matchup will feature two of Division I-A's
four African-American head coaches.
By Brian Hamilton, Special to CNNSI.com
Most Big Ten coaches managed to make it to their offices or
nearest big-screen televisions Saturday night in time to witness what they had insisted would happen all
along.
Penn State 40, Nebraska 7.
There is nary a coach in America who wouldn't sponsor Joe Paterno for sainthood, so free is the admiration for Division I-A's all-time winningest coach. So you can imagine their reaction to the Nittany Lions' shocking dismantling of the Big 12 powerhouse.
"If you look at the Penn State game," Indiana coach Gerry DiNardo said,
"40 points on Nebraska, that's quite a performance."
"I think they've got the right mix," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "You
have to look back a long ways to find Penn State staying in a rut for a
long time."
"Penn State's win was great performance," Northwestern coach Randy
Walker said. "They look awful strong."
Of course, Paterno handles all of this by saying, without the faintest snicker, that he's not sure if his team can hold the fort against Louisiana Tech. Well, OK. But if Penn State can maintain last Saturday's level of excellence into the Big Ten season, it has as good a chance as any to win the league championship -- and help the conference regain a few Q-rating points along the way.
One encouraging sign is that the Nittany Lions appear to have caulked the fissure most often cited for two straight losing seasons: a dearth of talent in the skill positions. From the backfield to the receivers -- and even in some key spots in the
defense -- Penn State now seems flush with ability, which makes the people behind the plays look a lot
smarter.
"I just invented the game the other night," Paterno said with a laugh
and all intended sarcasm. "Again, I don't think I'm patting myself on
back -- anybody that would have some of the athletes we have now on
offense would try to get most out of them. We have people that are going
to make some plays. You draw up a play. It isn't the play, it's who's
running the play."
It starts with quarterback Zack Mills, who hasn't thrown an interception
in two games while completing 62 percent of his pass attempts and leading
the Big Ten in total offense per game at 250 yards an outing. The rest
is trickle-down. Receiver Bryant Johnson picked up where he left off
last year, averaging 21.5 yards per catch. After breaking loose Saturday, tailback Larry
Johnson is averaging 107.5 yards a game. The
X-factor was backup quarterback Michael Robinson, who with Mills in there is apparently going to do
everything but quarterback.
Many folks thought it appeared Paterno opened up the playbook. In
Paterno's mind, his players opened it for him.
"Mills, he's an excellent quarterback," the Nittany Lions coach said.
"He's an excellent leader. Yeah, we're willing to do some things that we
might not do with a kid with less judgment. We have a lot of confidence
in him because he has a lot of ability."
That might as well be the Penn State credo this season, where a lot of
ability will apparently lead to a lot of changes in what the Nittany
Lions can do. As long as they get past that Louisiana Tech, that is.
If anyone outside Iowa City can name the NCAA's fourth-leading
rusher, you clearly need a new hobby. Those inside
that town, though, may already have one: Watching Fred Russell run.
Iowa's junior tailback is averaging 153 yards a game and
7.4 yards per carry for the 2-1 Hawkeyes, second only in the Big Ten to
a certain phenom in Columbus, Ohio. Russell has four touchdowns to go
with the yardage, too. The junior's performance not only takes a load
off coach Kirk Ferentz in searching for a replacement for Ladell Betts, but it also puts him above some familiar names among top conference tailbacks so far.
Indeed, Russell just might rush into full view of the world outside
Hawkeye Land with production like this.
HOT:
Minnesota QB Asad Abdul-Khaliq
A running game that's taken the pressure off has enabled the junior to be
nation's second-highest rated passer.
NOT:
Statement weekends
Some won, some lost, so it was a wash. The jury's still out on the Big
Ten.
HOT:
Penn State tickets
Some 110,753 Nittany Lions fans showed up for the Nebraska game. Decent
crowd.
NOT:
Michigan State defense
After having problems with Rice, the Spartans gave up a 46-spot to Cal.
A long time ago in a column far, far away, it was asked whether
Penn State was nuts to play Nebraska in just the second game of the
season, in what happened to be a rebuilding year.
But that's old news, right? Right? Anyway, it's clear that Joe
Paterno and Co. proved something last Saturday night, extinguishing for at least a while the thought that Penn State can't compete anymore,
not with Paterno at the helm. This may not be a national-title caliber
team, but it looks like it should finish near the top of the Big Ten,
and that will undoubtedly quiet the critics. For at least as long as the
Nittany Lions stay above .500.
Ohio State
tailback Maurice Clarett
All 230 yards in your third collegiate game gets you is debate on
whether a freshman can win the Heisman.
Illinois
QB Jon Beutjer
It was Arkansas State, but 266 yards and four TDs passing pretty much
locks up a starting spot.
Penn State
defense
Gave up 328 yards to Nebraska, but anyone who watched saw domination,
including three interceptions -- one returned for a
TD.
For anyone who thought that Michigan State's abundant talent would make
up for its perennial tendency to play below its ability (uh, is it warm
in here?), last weekend's disaster against Cal was quite the retort.
Now, the Spartans get to face a rapidly improving, 12th-ranked Notre
Dame squad while they try to rebuild their confidence. On the one hand,
playing the red-hot Irish is a great chance to do that. On the other
hand, there's the effort against Cal. This weekend could define a season
and, frankly, coach Bobby Williams' future in East Lansing.
So, let's get this straight: Maurice Clarett rushes for 200-plus yards ... with a knee injury that required surgery Tuesday? What, he'll walk on water as soon as he stops walking on crutches? Seriously, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel suggested Tuesday the precocious freshman might still take the field against Cincinnati. "I wouldn't call him out, because of the way modern medicine works and the way he works at
things," Tressel said. Still, one has to believe that the Buckeyes hope
that there won't be a need for Clarett against the pesky, high-octane
Bobcats. ... Minnesota's leading rusher after three games is Terry Jackson
II, who started the season as the third tailback on the depth chart.
Injuries to Thomas Tapeh and Marion Barber III put Jackson in the
starter's role last weekend against Toledo and the sophomore has 223
yards on the year so far. All three backs are expected to be 100
percent this weekend. ... Ron Turner coaches this weekend against San Jose
State, where he moved into the head coach's slot for the first time in
1992. Of course, the Illinois coach spent just one year there before
being wooed away to become offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears. "I
went and talked to the athletics director about it and he said, I can't
even guarantee we'll have football here," Turner recalled. "With that,
it made decision a bit easier." ... Air Force's option attack trampled
Northwestern for 52 points in the season opener, so Wildcats coach Randy
Walker figures he knows what option-heavy Navy is thinking this weekend.
"They're probably licking their chops," Walker said. "After seeing that
Air Force film, they ought to think they have a pretty good chance."
Brian Hamilton covers the Big Ten for the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press. His "This Week in the Big Ten" column appears Wednesdays during the season.
