Penn State Football Thread

[SteelMember]

Ohio State offers big stakes for Penn State
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
By Ron Musselman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Big Ten Conference showdown Saturday between Penn State and Ohio State could be considered an elimination game.

The winner of the 300th game in Beaver Stadium history will remain in contention for a piece of the Big Ten championship and if not a Rose Bowl berth at least another BCS game.

The loser almost certainly would be left out.

"The consequences of winning or losing are obvious to everybody, but you can't go at it that way," coach Joe Paterno said yesterday during his weekly news conference. "We've got to concentrate on doing the best we can against Ohio State. It's not going to be an easy situation for us. They are very, very solid, and they've gotten better. ...

"So I think we got to just say, 'Let's play it. Let's go out there and have a little fun, and let's not beat ourselves.' "

Ohio State (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten) has the toughest stretch of any of the three Big Ten contenders, but it controls its own destiny.

The combined overall record of the Buckeyes' final three opponents, which includes a Nov. 14 home date with Iowa, is 22-5. The Nittany Lions' final three foes are 15-12, while Big Ten leader Iowa (9-0, 5-0) faces teams with a 17-10 mark.

If No. 15 Ohio State wins its final three conference games to finish 7-1 along with Iowa, the Buckeyes would earn a share of their fifth consecutive Big Ten title. But more important, they would clinch the conference's automatic Rose Bowl bid.

If No. 11 Penn State (8-1, 4-1) wins out and Iowa loses once, the Lions would earn a share of their second consecutive Big Ten crown, as well as their third title in five years. But the Hawkeyes would go to the Rose Bowl because of their victory against the Lions earlier this season.

Penn State can only go to the Rose Bowl by winning out and having Iowa lose twice, which is unlikely.

But the Lions still would have a decent shot at another BCS game if they can beat the Buckeyes and Indiana at home and Michigan State on the road to close out the season.

"This is a huge game for us," outside linebacker Sean Lee said.

Penn State and Ohio State have played 24 times, with each team winning 12 games. Three of the past four meetings at Beaver Stadium have been decided by a total of 10 points.

"It's a typical Penn State-Ohio State game," Lee said. "There's going to be high stakes. Usually both teams are doing well when it comes to the conference. You know, at one point or another, you're going to have to get this win if you want to be conference champions."

Penn State won last year in Columbus, Ohio, for the first time since 1978, beating the Buckeyes, 13-6, behind backup quarterback Pat Devlin, who took over for Daryll Clark after he sustained a concussion with the Lions trailing, 6-3.

"It's going to be a tough, physical game," said tailback Evan Royster, who has run for 100 yards or more in four of the past five games. "Both teams have great defenses."

Ohio State, which has recorded three shutouts, ranks sixth nationally in scoring defense (11.7 points per game), run defense (86.4 yards per game) and yards allowed (260 ypg). Penn State is first in scoring defense (9.3 ppg), and fifth in both run defense (84.1 ypg) and yards allowed (254.8 ypg).

"It's going to be tough to run outside," Royster said.

Backup tailback Stephfon Green, who has missed the past two games with an ankle injury, could return against the Buckeyes after returning to practice Monday.

"I'm anxious to see if the ankle is going to act up on him," Paterno said.

Penn State, criticized for its soft non-conference schedule, for the first time this season is playing an opponent that is ranked at the time of the game -- unless Eastern Illinois, which was No. 25 in Division I-AA, is included.

Iowa was unranked when it scored 21 unanswered points to beat the Lions in late September at Beaver Stadium.

"People who might question their validity, they're just looking for something to talk about, because I think Penn State is for real," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said.

[stlrtruck]

WE ARE PENN STATE!!!!

Go get 'em boys.

[revefsreleets]

Right now the line is Penn State by 4...which is really one because of the 3 they get at home. That's close...

[SteelMember]

Yeah, it's close, which it should be.

I think the loss of your #1 kicker could play a role in a close one too...

Ohio State kicker Aaron Pettrey will miss Saturday's Big Ten showdown against No. 11 Penn State.

He tore the medial collateral ligament in his right knee in this past weekend's 45-0 rout of New Mexico State.

Pettrey's mother, Lillian, told the Columbus Dispatch today that her son would have season-ending surgery tomorrow, although he hopes to return for a bowl game.

...but I also know they won't be depending on that.

[revefsreleets]

I have to expect that, given Tressel's enchantment with special teams, the back-up kicker (Devin Barclay) is better than he showed last week against Mew Mexico State.

Sadly, i have to watch this one on the DVR...my own alma mater is playing their arch-rivals at the exact same time. Whatever idiot or idiots who scheduled a local MAC game across form the OSU/PSU game deserves to have their toenails plucked out with pliers...

[SteelMember]

ClarkisPryorsDaddy: Ron, who has more pressure on them to deliver, Clark or Pryor?

Ron Musselman: That's a great question, one I hadn't even thought of until now. Pryor is 0-1 against Penn State, the school he snubbed. And he has been getting bashed from all sides. There is definitely a lot of pressure on him to deliver a win. But I think there's more pressure on Clark, who needs to win a big game to cement his legacy as on of the school's best quarterbacks. Clark was knocked out of last year?s game in Columbus, Ohio, with a concussion and backup Pat Devlin ended up leading the Lions to the win.



Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09309...#ixzz0W5UCFmOa

[SteelMember]

Coming home

It's not expected to be a friendly homecoming for Pryor tomorrow at Beaver Stadium. Pryor got wind of a campaign by the Penn State marketing association that was selling $10 T-shirts that depicted a crying Pryor being consoled and handed tissues by the Nittany Lions mascot.

"I guess some people will do anything to get to a player," Pryor said. "I might try to get a couple of those shirts. I'm going to try to get one so I can wear it during warmups."

Yesterday the university put an end to the selling of the T-shirts because of student and alumni complaints that it did not reflect Penn State values.

In another time, Pryor would have been incensed by the T-shirt campaign. When he was at Jeannette, opponents would draw him into senseless personal-foul penalties because he was easily goaded.

Now, he is amused by it. It will be a more composed and relaxed Pryor who will be leading the Buckeyes against Penn State in a game that could have Big Ten title implications.

"I've calmed down," he said. "Now, I kind of need to be more relaxed and focused."

Pryor understands the dynamic at work. He is a native Pennsylvanian who chose Ohio State over Penn State. Penn State fans gained a measure of satisfaction when the Lions toppled the Buckeyes, 13-6, last year at Ohio Stadium. Now 110,000 Penn State partisans want to see him go back to Ohio State with another loss.

"He knows the fans will be on him because he's a Pennsylvania boy who went to Ohio," Hall said. "But I'll tell you one thing: When he is under pressure the most, that's when he always seems to come out on top."

The odds are certainly stacked against Pryor.

Penn State has the nation's No. 1 defense and allows only 9.3 points per game.

Pryor admittedly is still trying to get on the same page with new players at receiver and running back after the graduation of three players who are now earning paychecks in the NFL -- running back Chris Wells and receivers Brian Hartline and Brian Robiskie.

In addition, Pryor has a variety of nagging injuries. He has turf toe on both of his feet, a sprained ankle and a sore knee.

"But I wouldn't miss this game for anything," he said. "They'd have to kill me for me not to play in this game."

[revefsreleets]

My only problem with the situation has been how the PSU fans have handled the "Pryor situation".

During recruitment: "We want you, we want you, we want you....you're the greatest and we want you to stay home...PLEASE come to PSU, we want you!"

After he declared for OSU: "Eh, no biggie....we never wanted you anyways...you suck"

Later: "Aha, Pryor sucks....good thing we never wanted him and we were....................um........just kidding (yeah, that's the ticket) when we said we did"

Anyway, providing PSU can slow OSU's DL, Pryor becomes the key to the game. PSU is not going to score many points against the Bucks, so if he can find a way to avoid turnovers and move the ball, the Buckeyes will win. But he has been remarkably inconsistent at those two things, and PSU's defense is the best they've faced this year...

[SteelMember]

You always want to sign your homegrown talent. No debating that. Signing with "the enemy" just adds fuel to the fire. The whole "you betrayed us" schtick. If he would have went somewhere else, this isn't as big an issue. So, of course we want to see him fail now.

The funny thing is, and you could add just about any team in the scenario, even IF he did chose PSU and was having the same type of inconsistency, the fans would be screaming just the same as they are there.

Saying someone "sucks" is consistent, no matter the sport or the city/school.

Just look at this board. Some folks would eat there own young... Let alone the enemy.

[rbryan]

The majority of OSU fans wanted to see him benched only a week or two ago.... Including you.

Spare me the double standard lecture.....I didn't care where he went to school.

Theres more OSU fans who wish he never came there now than PSU fans who ever gave a sh!t to begin with.