| |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |
STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania (Ticker) -- LaVar Arrington bailed out second-ranked Penn State from a monumental upset loss to long-time rival and five-touchdown underdog Pittsburgh. Nearly kicked out of the game in the first half, Arrington blocked a potential game-tying 52-yard field goal attempt by Nick Lotz in the final seconds as the Nittany Lions escaped with a 20-17 victory. The block allowed Travis Forney's 24-yard field goal with 1:23 left to stand as the winning points. "I don't remember what happened," said Arrington, who went up the middle and jumped at the line of scrimmage, getting his right hand on the ball. "I thought I got there late and didn't even know what hand I used." "The block was great," Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown said. "That was a tremendous play. I was actually speechless. We've had a lot of pressure games here and that could take them all." Arrington, whom opposing coach Walt Harris termed "the greatest player I've ever watched," could have been kicked out of the game for his treatment of Pittsburgh punter Greg DeBolt, tackling him after a kick and then getting into a scuffle with the 6-foot, 185-pounder and another Panther. "That's my job," Arrington said. "That's what we were planning on doing all week. I was just playing. I'm not mad at the call. I went over to the officials and apologized if I did anything wrong." Arrington was issued a pair of 15-yard personal foul penalties on the play but stayed in the game. "No, I wasn't tempted to take him out," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "I think it was one of those things where he wasn't all to blame and he should have walked away from it. "Why pick on something? He lost his head on one play, he almost had one of the most sensational days a linebacker could have. He had his hands on about three balls." Arrington watched as Eric McCoo ran seven yards for the go-ahead touchdown 45 seconds into the fourth quarter, giving Penn State (3-0) a 17-10 lead. Arrington and the rest of Penn State's defense was dominant all game and appeared ready to put away the game in the final five minutes. But the star linebacker watched the ball slip through his hands for a missed interception. On the next play, John Turman threw a pass that Arrington tipped to Antonio Bryant, who turned it into a 43-yard gain to the 42. Turman's next pass went through the arms of Penn State hero back Shawn Mayer and into the hands of Julius Dixon, who caught it for a touchdown, tying the score with 4:34 left. Penn State drove to Forney's field goal, which was set up by Kevin Thompson's 50-yard pass to Edward Drummond to the 11. After three runs, Pittsburgh (1-1) burnt its final timeout and Forney converted. Hank Poteat nearly broke the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, running it back 43 yards to the Panthers 49 with 1:10 left. Turman hit Latef Grim for a 26-yard gain to the 25, but threw two incompletions and was sacked by David Fleischhauer, pushing back Lotz's final attempt 10 yards. "It was my biggest play in college," said Fleischauer, who left the game in the first half with a mild concussion. "I had a headache and was dizzy for about 10 minutes." The longtime rivalry will temporarily end after the teams meet next season in Pittsburgh. Part of the reasoning was that this series no longer had been competitive. Although the Nittany Lions have won seven straight games in the series, many of them have been tight, including a 20-13 contest last season. "It was an old-fashioned bar fight in the back alley," Penn State fullback Mike Cerimele said. "This is what college football is all about," Nittany Lions linebacker Brandon Short said. "A backyard brawl between Pitt and Penn State ... it felt like life was on the line out there." Penn State leads the all-time series, 50-41-4, with Pitt's last triumph coming in Beaver Stadium, 14-7, in 1988. The schools met every year from 1935-1992 before resuming the series in 1997. "People say there isn't a rivalry anymore, but I think it is still there," said Pittsburgh guard Ethan Weidle. "There is hatred between these two schools. In my opinion, Pitt will always come to play against Penn State. It doesn't matter if people say that we're going to lose by 50. We're still coming to play." "I didn't think they were underdogs," said Arrington. "I knew they were going to play tough, just like last year." Drummond made four receptions for 115 yards and Thompson completed 17-of-29 passes for 232 yards with two interceptions as Penn State posted 385 yards of total offense, 12 more than Pittsburgh. Turman was 19-of-35 for 316 yards, two TDs and one interception. Grim had eight receptions for 127 yards. The Lions opened the scoring 4:18 into the game when Rashard Casey, who was 4-of-5 for 88 yards, threw an 11-yard scoring pass to Cerimele. Turman tied it 3:01 into the second quarter with a 16-yard TD strike to Bryant. Forney booted a 43-yard field goal midway through the second quarter to give Penn State a 10-7 lead but Lotz tied it with a 35-yarder with 5:55 remaining in the third period. "Joe said that it's a shame to see someone lose a game like this," Pittsburgh coach Walt Harris said. "I'm in full agreement."
|
