1 0 BEHREND BEACON
October 1, 2010
www.thebehrendbeacon.com 0 o rts
Opinion
Steelers
search
for a
starting
star QB
ELESE MERKOVSKY
sports editor
From the morning of
March 5, we all knew our
quarterback troubles were
starting.
Big Ben was again ac
cused of sexual assault,
this time with a 20-year-old
girl in a college bar in
Georgia. Once again, our
franchise quarterback was
on every news station all
over the country, and was
the running headline on
Sports Center for days.
After a questionable pub
lic apology and time for the
incident to quiet down,
commissioner Roger
Goodell handed out to not
only Ben but also to all of
Pittsburgh a dismal four
game suspension, meaning
it was time to find out who
would fill Ben's big shoes.
This question loomed
over most of the city until
training camp, when the
competition between
Dixon and Leftwich picked
up.
beettme-irtither evident
!that early on: Leftwich
would be the first one up
for the job. After an MCL
sprain during preseason,
Leftwich's chance to start
was gone and third string
Dixon was given the job.
Leading the Steelers to a
2-0 start, the quarterback
curse struck again. Dixon
was benched for week
three with a knee injury.
This left 13-year veteran
Charlie Batch to be Tom
lin's lone option.
Pittsburgh had no choice
but to play their fourth
string quarterback as they
wait for their golden boy
Ben to return.
Now we cannot forget
that we are sitting pretty at
a 3-0 record. All of these
guys have stepped up to fill
their role, and even if the
wins have not been all
pretty, it is true that the
start of the season could
not get better. Batch has
been announced again to
start in Sunday's game,
though Leftwich is re
leased to play. Head coach
Tomlin thinks he deserves
the start after his perform
ance against the Bucca
neers. This is a big chance
for Batch to make his
mark, seeing as it's proba
bly one of his last hurrahs
since he is 35.
But really what is the
deal with the quarterback
issues? Is it just all a coin
cidence or could we be suf
fering the next curse?
Could we be the next Red
Sox? I for one sure hope
not, and have faith that we
will bounce back as we see
Ben move back into his
rightful spot.
This week, the real test
will be for Batch to take on
conference rivals, the
Ravens. This team seems
to be the biggest threat in
the roster thus far. Leaving
the Steelers with a 4-0
record would be the per
fect homecoming gift to
leave in Ben's hands as he
leads the team against the
Christman: finds
success in both
doubles and singles
continued from back page
this year as well, and that has
a lot to do with the time I've
put in."
Christman has also had
success in her doubles game.
She achieved team doubles
wins with teammate Steph
Cattron on September 25th
against Penn State Altoona,
and D'Youville. Both teams
defeated were conference op
ponents.
"Much of the success I have
had with doubles play in the
past three seasons can be con
tributed to my doubles part
ner Steph Cattron," said
Christman. "We have played a
lot of good tennis together the
past few years and hope to
continue that success at the
championships this year."
Off of the field, Christman
demands the same amount of
success from herself in her ac
ademic career. She goes on to
say,
"As a student athlete, my
goal is always to be the best I
can at both," said Christman.
"I strive to be on the Dean's
List every semester, as well as
help my team win the confer
ence championship every sea
Student athletes also re
quire poise and dedication to
their academic and athletic
careers. For Christman, she
Men Win: Water polo team look to recover after
logises to both Gavnnori and
continued from back page
and two from Josh Sebrosky.
"Our man down defense worked
very well for us," said Tristan. "Our
freshman goalie Brian Shapter is
doing a tremendous job in the cage
and this is another reason our six on
five defense is working out."
The Gannon Knights took the win
with 22 goals. On the contrary
After Temple: PSU looks to avenge last year's lowa loss
Adrian Clayborn. When looking at What is to come
on Saturday night, we could reminisce what we saw
three weeks ago in Tuscaloosa.
The Nittany Lion offensive line has been steadily
improving, and last weeks game against Temple was
a coming out party as they got Evan Royster over 100
yards for the first time all year. Don't get too excited
though, as the Lions will be facing the #5 defense in
the country. The Hawkeye defense has two key play
ers, those being seniors Tyler Sash, a safety, and
Adrian Clayborn who we all remember from last
year's game. Clayborn blocked a punt and returned
it for a touchdown that was the difference maker in
last season win in Beaver Stadium. Robert Bolden
showed maturity in the loss at Alabama, and look for
him to be smart with the ball this weekend. If the
Lions can get Royster going, and a few completions
strung together, they could pull off the upset.
Joe Paterno said in his press conference earlier
this week when asked about the Hawkeye defense,
"Well, they're solid. They come off blocks, line up
properly. They read well. They tackle very well.
believes that tennis and aca
demics go hand in hand.
"Tennis is as much of a
game in your head as it is on
the court," said Christman
"Staying positive on the court
and keeping your head in the
game is so important. If I
make a few errors, I don't
want to let the other player
see me get upset. I try to take
advantage of this."
Lastly, Christman plans on
staying committed to tennis
and expects herself to con
tinue to excel in both academ
ics and athletics.
"I always planned on being
a four-year athlete at
Behrend," said Christman.
"Our team has been incredibly
successful in the past two
years which is attributed to all
of our players."
Success continues for
women's tennis, and with
Christman leading the way,
the lady lions will continue
their winning ways.
Of course, Christman com
mends her surrounding team
mates:
"We have had success at
every position which is really
a tribute to our coach, Jeff
Barger, who continues to chal
lenge us every year and con
tinuously make us better,"said
Christman. "We have a great
time together when we travel
and practice. All of my best
friends are on the team so I
wouldn't have it any other
way."
Shapter made 13 stops, setting his
season record high in the cage. Also
setting a season high was Hyrne
with five goals. Horsch scored two,
Loukides one, Pabich one and Chris
Dunleavy with one.
"We performed very well. We had
some hiccups during the gannon
game but overall the team played
well over the weekend," said Tris
tan. "We are drawing the penalties
through out the games, we just need
to convert and the game dynamics
continued from back page
R
le
this week
One of the mote interesting pairings to
watch for this week is between long-hitting
Americans Phil Michelson and Dustin John.
son, and Proven European contenders,*
Westwood and Martin Kaymer. Westvitiod
has been playing these matches since fir'jind
is always an anchor for the EuropeanS With a
14-10-5 lifetime record in ftyder Cup history:
Mickelson and Johnson Conversely ap
proached 'Captain Corey' and asked for the
opening slot against the European timer.
Lady Lions: Seniors leading
the way to first NCAA chance
in Penn State Behrend history
continued from back page
have improved as well, and he
believes that they have con
tributed greatly to the teams'
overall success. Coach Barger
is also very impressed with
the seniors.
"I'm very pleased with our
seniors who have stepped in
and led our team in the right
direction," he says. "They
have all done well when asked
to play."
With the help of veteran tal
ent and experience, the team
They're just a good, solid, well-coached defensive
team with some kids that are strong. They do a great
job in their weight room. Big time football team. And
we've got to play better than we've played all year to
even stay with them."
Ricky Stanzi should have a field day against the
secondary just as Greg McElroy did. He is a yard shy
of throwing for 1,000 yards on the dot, and is aver
aging over 200 a game with two TD's. Yes, the sec
ondary of Penn State is improving, but they will still
have matchup problems with the senior driven core.
Darren Johnson-Koulianos was a key factor in the
win two years ago, just tearing apart the top ranked
Lion defense. Expect the Hawkeyes to mix in a heavy
dose of running back Adam Robinson, opening up
the play-action something Stanzi excels at.
Looking at the history of this matchup, we are in
for a game that will have limited offense and the
strong defenses will show. The past two seasons, an
unranked lowa team has upset a top five Penn State
team. This could be a crucial game with implications
at the end of the year in who will be crowned Big Ten
champion. Tune in Saturday night at 8 p.m. to ESPN,
and see if the Lions can pull out an upset. My call
lowa 24 Penn State 13.
is able to use their talent on
both singles and doubles. Bi
hite and Quigley have been a
force to reckon with as they
take the court in their pair
with an 8-5 record.
The Lions only have a few
matches left and they are
working very hard and aiming
to win the AMCC tournament
on Oct. 16 and 17. If they can
continue their success in the
tournament they win an auto
matic bid to the NCAAs,
where they will compete with
the country's best for the first
time in school history.
Mercyhurst last weekend
"Our freshman goalie
Brian Shapter is doing a
tremendous job in the
cage...
Joe Tristan
Head coach
avin atempts to
o a
bon.
Int
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vvvuri
to out, un
fOrtu, - hat can't
play Jim :ally Rises, )mes' for
mat and you know, we talked about it, and
discussed It, and:he is very comfortable with
It, but he will definitely be playing in the af
_. ternoon," said Patti-
Formost golfers, both professional and am
ateur, the fall is a time to hang up the clubs
and reflect on a long, marathon like season.
However, for the IVder Cup athletes, it is
some of the most Intense and pressure filled
golf they will ever play.
change."
The Lions are 2-9 overall and 1-2
in the conference. The team will
look to pick up another win during
the rematch against Mercyhurst on
October 2.
"Being a young team, this is the
best unified team we have had since
the 2004 season," said Tristan.
"They are coming along very well
and we will definitely be a team to
look for in the next few years."
Jon Klein I Behrend Beacon
Left: The Penn State football team hud
dles before a game. Bottom: Wide re
ceiver Chaz Powell, junior, started nine
times last year for the Nittany Lions.
edEx cup
, uryk was
by 'Cap-
"We have high expectations
for the AMCCs and hope to
win the automatic bid to the
NCAAs," said co-captain
Elissa Swartz.
The women's tennis team
has shown a lot of success so
far. They have the talent to
succeed in the AMCC tourna
ment and get to the NCAA
tournament for the first time
ever, but must stay in touch
with their goal in hopes to fin
ish the season as strongly as it
was started. They are focused
and ready to bring a champi
onship to Behrend.