November 6, 2006 PSLtSporte Sice By JAMES GRAP Sports Reporer JPGSO26@PSU.EDU I was watching television the other day and saw a new 3-disc set of Hulk Hogan’s greatest matches out on DVD. Well, it got me thinking back on all those great matches Hogan had. They always ended up going the same way. Hogan starts losing, he’s getting pummeled and then the crowd starts cheering his name, “Hogan, Hogan, Hogan.” Inevitably, Hogan starts feeding off the crowd, “Hulking Up”, and now every punch his opponent throws only makes him stronger. Hogan gets up as his opponent looks shocked and scared followed by Hogan taking over with a series of punches. Hogan would stomp around the ring a little bit, throw his opponent off the ropes, and drop his opponent to the mat with his signature “big boot” to the face. Followed by his finisher, the always classic, “leg drop.” Nobody got up from the leg drop, ever. Hogan was the best, there aren’t wrestlers like him anymore. You are probably wondering what I’m getting at here. When I was reminiscing about the greatness of Hulk Hogan I realized: Tony Hunt is the Hulk Hogan of Penn State football. Think about it. Hogan only got “Hulked” up after he was beat up and punched a few times. Remember, it seemed like every punch only made him stronger. Tony Hunt is a throwback, Jim Brown, style running back. He initiates contact, he WANTS contact. Hunt’s best runs seem to come when he is hit at the line of scrimmage and it looks like he should be down for a loss. There are running backs with more yards than Hunt but I challenge you to find one with more yards after contact. Hogan never did anything fancy. He beat his opponents with a big boot to the face followed by a leg drop. You would never seem him climb the ropes or dance around the ring like he was “Doink the Clown.” Just the same, you won’t see Hunt try fancy juke moves or do spins like a ballerina. Again, Hunt is a power back, a Jim Brown prototype. Hunt would much rather run right over a defender than around him. Hogan was a truly great wrestler, one of the best ever. Make no mistake about it, Hunt has quietly become a truly great running back, and yes, one of the best ever at Penn State. Hunt is now seventh on the all-time Penn State rushing list and only 170 yards shy of 3,000 yards for his career. A young team this year, Penn State has ridden Hunt to all their victories. In the six wins, Hunt has 141 carries for 654 yards and 8 touchdowns. In losses Hunt only has 49 carries for 242 yards and no touchdowns. On the road where Penn State struggles the most, Hunt brings his best, averaging 5.05 yards per carry as opposed to 4.36 at home. Maybe the most underrated part of Hunt’s game is his blocking ability. In my opinion Hunt is the best blocking running back in college football. If you think there is pressure on Anthony Morelli now you can’t imagine how bad it would be without Hunt. Just look back on the Orange Bowl when Hunt went down. Sure Austin Scott was able to run the ball well, but there was a defender on Michael Robinson’s back every pass play. If Penn State is going to go to a Januaiy 1 bowl game, it’s going to be on the back of Tony Hunt. Remember Hogan’s old catch phrase, “Whatcha ya gonna do, whatcha ya gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild all over you?” I have one question for Penn State’s remaining opponents, “Whatcha ya gonna do, whatcha ya gonna do when Tony Hunt runs wild all over you, brother?” THE CAPITAL TIMES Penn State pounces Purdue By CLIFF BRUNT Associated Press Purdue coach Joe Tiller says anyone who thinks Penn State is having a down year should look more closely. All three of Penn State’s losses are to teams that were ranked in the top four nationally at the time they played. The most recent of those was a 17-10 loss to then-No. 4 Michigan two Saturdays “This is a good, typical Penn State defense,” Tiller said. “Offensively, it’s a hard- nosed team. They have some skill on the outside that sends chills up and down your spine at times.” Penn State (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) still has a shot at a major bowl game. The Nittany Lions have The Boys in Blue have a shot at a Bowl game this year, despite what others may think gotten Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame out of the way, and Wisconsin is the only ranked team they play down the stretch. Purdue hopes to take a step toward returning to postseason play after missing out last season for the first time in eightyears. The Boilermakers (5-3, 2-2) need two more wins to become bowl-eligible, but they have lost three of their last four games. Penn State’s defense starts with linebacker Paul Posluszny, last year’s Butkus Award winner. The senior is nearing the school record for career tackles, and during last week’s 26-12 win over Illinois, he forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and had a season-high 13 tackles. “1 think he’s very instinctive,” Tiller said. "He looks like he came from the womb playing linebacker. He’s a real natural player and he has Staal's Penguin playtime may be cut short By ASSOCIATED PRESS The Pittsburgh Penguins have a decision to make on Jordan Staal. Staal, the No. 2 choice in the June NHL draft, has been impressive in his time with the Penguins, scoring four goals in eight games. But once the center plays in his 10th game, Pittsburgh can no longer send Staal back to his juniorteam in Peterborough,Ontario, without being obligated to honor his NHL contract. One veteran says there should be no debate whether the 18-year-old Staal should stay with the Penguins beyond Saturday’s game against Philadelphia. While Staal’s status this season could cost the Penguins financially and move up the center’s eligibility for restricted and unrestricted free agency, Mark Recchi doesn’t want to lose his new linemate. “I have a hard time believing it’s even a question,” the 38-year-old Recchi said. “I’m not the GM and I don’t know about the business side. But I do know he makes our hockey team better.” Staal’s three-year, entry-level contract kicks in if he plays 10 games. That would make him eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2009 the same season as fellow Penguins rookie Evgeni Malkin. That could prove problematic with the NHL’s salary cap. a defensive temperament. Penn State’s defense dominated in last year’s 33-15 win over Purdue in State College. Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter completed 6 of 17 passes for 60 yards before being pulled in the second half. Though Penn State’s defense is strong, its offense has struggled at times. The Nittany Lions were held to 184 total yards, including 40 on the ground, against Illinois. “It is tough when nothing good is happening,” Penn State coach Joe Patemo said. “Our running game has almost been nil the last two games. I think they just have to get together and make up their minds that they are going to do some things better, and we have to do a little better job coaching. It is as simple as that.” Penn State’s offensive struggles haven’t persuaded Tiiler to take the Nittany Lions lightly. Tiller is concerned about containing senior running back Tony Hunt, a senior who has rushed for 754 yards and seven touchdowns. “It seems like he should have graduated by now,” Tiller said. “He’s been playing there a long time. He’s a physical back. He’s as good now as he ever was.” For the first time this season, Also, the collective bargaining agreement dictates that a player does not accrue a season toward the seven that are required for unrestricted free agency status until he plays in 40 games. If the Penguins assign Staal to Peterborough before early January, he will not be an unrestricted free agent until 2014, instead of 2013. The Penguins have been tightlipped about the situation. “We haven’t made a decision yet. We’re going to play that game (Saturday), have a day off Sunday, and then we’ll make a decision,” coach Michel Therrien said. Staal, one of three brothers drafted in the first round in four years, is tied with Malkin for most goals among NHL rookies, and leads the league with three short handed goals. Staal fills a number of needs for the Penguins, showing solid play in his own end and killing penalties. “I’ve gotten a lot of opportunities. I’m just trying to take advantage of them,” said Staal, who scored his first even-strength goal and played 16 1/2 minutes in a 4-2 win over New Jersey on Tuesday. Staal acknowledged he did not expect to play in the NHL this season. He said he has tried not to dwell on the 10- game rule that could cut short his stay with the Penguins. “I’m just enjoying myself here,” he said. “It’s not too often an 18-year-old gets to play in the NHL.” there are concerns about Purdue’s offense. The Boilermakers entered last Saturday’s game with Wisconsin ranked fourth nationally in yards, but produced little in a 24-3 loss. Purdue’s offense still worries Paterno. Regardless of last week’s performance, Painter has three games with more than 400 yards of total offense and ranks fourth nationally with 2,405 passing yards. Paterno said Painter is a good player, but he believes the Purdue offensive success is more a product of Tiller’s coaching over the past decade. “When he came in there, he was going to have a wide open offense and throw the football,” Patemo said. “Everybody said, ‘Wait until he gets into the Big Ten with the weather and the whole bit.’ He came in, threw the ball and changed the whole league around.” Because of that long-term success, the Boilermakers didn’t panic after last week’s effort. “Aside from last game, our offense has been pretty successful all year,” Painter said. “As far as I’m concerned our offense is doing a great job, we just need to break down some of the mental mistakes or errors we make as an offense.” # So scream *l* Men's soccer victorious in a tough fight to the very end It was do or die on the soccer field, turned battlefield, Wednesday evening at the men’s semifinal match of the season on November Ist. Penn State Hazelton came face to face, challenging the Penn State Harrisburg team to what would be, a roughly played match. Only one team could prevail and move on to the Penn State University Athletic Conference championship game at University Park. The players of PSH were not ready to give up a very successful season or their chance for the championship title. Hazelton had more than just winning on their minds for the semifinal match, were also out to seek revenge. The last meeting these two teams had ended in a 5-0, shutout loss for Hazelton, which left four of their players injured. The first half started off with frantic activity while each team tried anxiously to put one away. The ball moved between two goals of the field rapidly. From start to finish, the game flowed mostly with intense one-on ones consisting of tough defense, pushing, shoving, slide tackling, and a whole lot of elbows. Roughness was emphasized in all players. Sophomore Andy Palacios placed the first goal in for Harrisburg. Soon after, quick footwork by sophomore, Mike Marion, led to a second goal and ended the half at 2-0. During the second half, the pace of both teams started to soar. Team captain, Daniel Saenez of Harrisburg, scored the first goal of the half off of a quick break. With impressive play by Hazleton team captain, Tim Shelton, the ball Hey PSU Sports fans! Do you like going to watch PSH sports events? Do you think you have something to say? The Capital Times needs sports writers. Please see Maruja Rosario and Matthew Mahoney in 126 E. By MARIAM ELHADRI Staff Reporter MUEII7@PSU.EDU The Penn State Harrisburg Men's Soccer team won the game of the season on Wednesday, November 1, which qualified them for a chance at the championship finals. worked its way to the Harrisburg defense. Off of a rebounded shot, Hazleton was able to put one in on the substitute goalie, Senior Vedran Divkovic. Divkovic, who typically plays forward striker, had an excellent game in goal, saving most of the shots that came his way. Hazelton’s second score came off of an accidental header by PSH for an own goal, but it still did not ruin the momentum of the team. Shortly after, Senior, Corey Daniels tapped one in for PSH’s 4 lh goal. Hazelton’s defense was still no match for Harrisburg’s strong lined offense. Late in the second half, Hazelton goalkeeper, James McCurdy, was red carded after kicking Harrisburg’s key player, Saenez. Off this penalty, Freshman Ben Richards easily gave Harrisburg their s"' goal. Coming down to the final minutes the momentum rested with the Harrisburg players. Sophomores Jordan Lightbourne and Andy Palacios tagged on two additional points capitalizing the game with a Harrisburg victory, 7-2. This victory over Hazelton hasthe team anticipating the championship game, in which they claim, the trophy is already theirs. Penn State Harrisburg faces Penn College at 2:oopm on Sunday, November sth.5 th . Last year, PSH lost to Penn College in the semifinals, which left players with a bitter taste, and prepared for vengeance.
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