Hype may
have hurt
Penn State
. ' • Jim Tarman, color man for Penn State
lOotball radio broadcasts, is not the type
talks just to hear his voice. He
speaks the facts.
. Last Friday night, Jim Tarman was
.saying there has been as much en-
Ihusiasm and excitement surrounding
this football season as in any of the
previous 20 years he has been here. As
much as in 1969 when Lydell Mitchell
and Franco Harris led State to a 12-0
. record. And as much as the undefeated
:,1973 season when John Cappelletti won
his Heisman Trophy.
,- Consider: Penn State has never won a
national championship, the most
coveted prize in college football. And
.since this year Joe Paten's), the nation's
.winningest active coach, is saying this
team may be his best yet, it's natural
•that fans are sensing what might be
within reach.
But with' the hype for No. 1 comes.
pressure. Pressure to produce. Pressure
to perform well. Pressure to satisfy
hungry, title thirsty fans.
And how did the hype get so out of
hand? That's easy. The media. That's
'.what blows everything up. At least a
,e4ozen preseason college football
publications touted the Lions to be ex
plosive more so than last year, when
they finished 11-1. Every magazine was
optimistic about Penn State.
Maybe, as several players admitted
.after the Temple scare, they were
overconfident. But, since there was so
Such hoopla, it's unfair to blame them.
One preseason magazine described
Lion punter Scott Fitzkee like this:
"Fitzkee will punt, if State ever has to."
Tell; Fitzkee had' to punt against
emple. Twelve times.
Let's look at it this way: say, for
example, your major is basket weaving.
Your advisor, who also coaches the
basket weaving team, repeatedly
commends you during the spring term.
"I have high hopes for you in the fall,"
Me says. "You could be the best basket
weaver that has ever come out of Penn
State. Good enough to help us win the
National Trophy."
As a result, all summer you think
about how satisfying it would be to fulfill
your advisor's dream how he's such a
eat coach and how it would be good to
come through for him. And you think and
thinirand think.
As mid-August rolls around, you begin
; reading preseason basket weaving
publications. The media has picked up
on your ability. Magazines say that you,
i bate's star weaver, combined with the
lio
" 'Lions' other key returning knitters and
crocheters, should have one of the most
balanced teams in the nation. And, the
magazines say, if the Lions can get by an
early season away game with
Philadelphia Textile, they may - have a
tat the National Trophy.
Then you come back for fall term. In
enn State's first weave-off, all your
nitters are jittery and you almost lose
o a team you were predicted to roll past.
11 your fans throw up their hands and
an't understand what happened. You
ii
Omit you were riding high.
t o
II Realistically, when so much is ex
ected of a person, not living up to ex
ectations is practically inevitable.
]most predictable. For this reason, it's
of hard to comprehend the Lions' shaky
pener.
$ '
But now, all the players insist, the talk
lover, Physically, it appears that if the
ions' offensive line improves its per
formance and the defense continues'
its opportunistic game and Chuck
E'usina remains himself the Lions
should be back on the track.
That's the way the men in the pit see it,
nyway.
"Obviously, we didn't play very well,"
• I-American tackle Keith Dorney says,
'but we worked very hard this week and
think we'll do a better job against
tgers. We know if the offensive line.
sn't clicking then the offense won't click
nd you have to have offense. That's half
he game."
Eric Cunningham, returning starting
:'ward, says he learned from the Temple
:ame.
"Having looked back at the films we
an see the mental mistakes and the
Tlors," he says.
Itt u t maybe center Chuck Correal best
ummed up the feelings of the offensive
4ieman.
"We stunk," he says: "Now
thing is more defined. We've,
wed fundamentally. You can only
it so long and then you have to go
id show what you can do."
he Lions can do one of two things •
•row: They can look sluggish again
ius place absolutely no value on
ison ratings or they can look sharp
ie team they're supposed to be
iow Rutgers away.
not the Greek, but count on the
Neil
Rudel
Collegian sports
the
daily
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Tony Petrucci° (99) and Rick Donaldson (92) are two of
the mainstays on a swarming Lion defense that should
Injuries, inexperience key worries
Rutgers looking for error-free play
By GARY SILVERS
Daily Collegian Sports Writer
If you thought last. year's Rutgers
game was a disgrace to the Garden
State, don't even bother getting out of
bed Saturday.
The Scarlet Knights are in trouble and
no one knows it better than Head Coach
Frank Burns.
"I think Penn State could very well be
the No. 1 football team in the country,"
he said. "They have good personnel,
tremendous coaching and everything
else it takes to be a winner. There's no
doubt we're definite underdogs."
Burns' main concern this yeai• is just
staying close, for this year's Rutgers
team is probably• weaker than the '77
team (45-7 victims). The reason in
juries.
"Our preseason was not ' very good at
all," Burns said, "because four of our
starters were out of action. It really
slowed our progress."
The first big blow to Burns' hopes was
the loss of sophomore center Frank
Naylor. The 6-2, 230-pounder broke his
left arm on the first day of practice, the
same arm. he broke last summer in a
construction accident and will be out at
least four weeks. Another sophomore
Herb Menhardt Will start at midfield for Penn State to
night at Jeffrey Field in the Nittany Lions' clash with
".;- ,
4.N1440,‘
standout to be sidelined for a while is
Lester Johnson, a top-notch tailback
!hampered by a thigh injury.
Over on the defensive side,
linebacker Tim Blanchard (knee injury)
may also be unavailable for duty. The
senior co-captain started all 11 games a
year ago and his 96 tackles and four
recovered fumbles were tops on the
team. Joining him on the injured list is
tackle Jeff Hess, a 6-3, 230-pounder who
is oue for the year with a knee injury.
On offense, the Knights are putting all
their marbles on quarterback Bob
Hering, a 6-1 junior who has never
started a collegiate game. "He's cer
tainly a big question mark," Burns
admitted. "Last year he played a total of
two minutes, so experience-wise, we're
hurting."
Hering's main targets this season are
tight end George Carter,; last year's
leading pass catcher and wide receiver
Tim Odell, who ranked second.
Rutgers' running attack is led by 5-9
Glen Kehler, a senior tailback who
netted 866 yards on the ground last year
on 164 carries. The 180-pounder does
have one major flaw, however. He's
scored just two touchdowns his entire
career.
. 4t
lON=6',IMI
a
t
give Rutgers its share of headaches 'tomorrow in the
Lions' home opener. ,
Cleveland State, the No. 6 team in country last year
•
'''•!.‘ VOi k #
,
Another offensive threat, according to
Bums, is fullback Kevin Mannix, a
junior transfer student from guess
where Penn State. Mannix is being
counted on heavily to help solve Rutgers'
depth problem in the backfield.
On defense, seniors Jim Hughes (All-
East in 1976), Don McMahon and Rich
Baldwin return at the linebacking
positions, Dino Mangiero at. tackle and
Bob Hynoski and Sammy Davis at
defensive back. All the rest are rookies.
"We do have a depth problem on
defense," Bruns said, "but I think the
guys have great potential and should get
even stronger as the season
progresses."
According to Burns, if the Knights
have any chance of upsetting Penn State
Saturday, they must: First maintain
decent field position;, second allow no
big plays, and third make no major
errors or "we're cooked."
However, the pressure is not on
Rutgers,- but on the Lions, Burns said.
"They're the ones who have to win.
They're the ones in contention for the
national title. Last year we appeared in
awe of them. This year should be dif
ferent though. Hopefully, we can give
them a good run for thier money."
• 9,4
,r 4 4
•
Photo by Joe Tort
Nevertheless, what's done is done.
With the excitement and enthusiasm of a
home opener in the newly renovated
Beaver Stadium.
On paper, Saturday's contest looks
like a matter of extremes; Penn State is
Rutgers' toughest opponent this season
and Rutgers is the soft spot on the Penn
State schedule.
Penn State rolled over Rutgers 45-7 in
last season's opener. Coach Frank Burns
has only 13 starters returning and most
of his losses were in key. positions. The
Scarlet Knights will once again be the
underdogs against the Lions, but Burns
doesn't expect his team to be over
whelmed this time.
"I think we were a bit in awe of Penn
State last year," Burns said. "One thing
is certain, we should be able to play the
game with more confidence. We will be
more relaxed."
Neither hag Penn State coach Joe
Paterno completely ruled out the
competitiveness of Rutgers.
"Rutgers became a good football team
after the first two games last year,"
Paterno said. "They didn't play well
against us last yeir, but improved.
"They'll be encouraged about what
happened last week and they'll be out to
beat us. I'm not saying they're a great
team, but a competitive one."
Inexperience, injuries, size and
strength are all in the Lions' favor. Penn
State's offensive line outweighs the
Rutgers defensive line by an average of
30 pounds. But the game should be in
teresting just to see how Penn State can
smooth out the rough spots from last
week. The time is now to put the act
together next week Penn State faces
off against Ohio State.
Cleveland State
By DARLENE HROBAK
Daily Collegian Sports Writer
• Just what exactly is a Cleveland
State?
Penn State soccer coach Walt Bahr
has an idea, but if you take a trip to the
Lions' Jeffrey Field game at around 7:15
p.m. tonight, you'll be sure to find out.
What Bahr does know is that the
Vikings have an awfully good soccer
team good enough to have posted a 14-
2 record last year to wind up ranked No.
6 in the country.
"We don't know how they play or what
alignments they use, so the first part of
the game is a feeling out process," Bahr
said. "They have a new coach and a
team we haven't seen yet; we have to
see what they can do."
What Cleveland State can do might
even be a bit of a mystery to its coach,
Steve Parker. He graduated five
starters from last year and his team has
yet to play their first regular season
game.
Penn State, on the other hand, has a 5-1
Wednesday night victory over Lock
Haven to its credit which might or might
not give the home team an edge.
"I think it gives us a little bit of an
advantage, because we have a game
under out belt that counted," Bahr said,
"and that's a little different than playing
a scrimmage.
The Vikings, however, have a few
pretty good players on the team who
haven't lacked game experience in the
past. Forward John Tyma, who led
Cleveland State in' scoring with 15 goals
last season, was a member of the
Olympic team and the cover-boy on the
NCAA magazine.
Joining Tyma on the front line is Bob
Hritz, one of Cleveland State's all-time
leading scorers, who was out most of last
year with an injury.
Junior midfielder James Paynter is
one of the other guality players on the
squad. He was named to the
All—Midwest team for the past two
years and was a starter for the Bermuda
national team.
All this should give added incentive for
the Lions when they take the field
tonight, according to freshman forward
Pete Jancevski.
Photo by Jack W
"For me it's easy to get up for any
game since it's my first year," Jan-
Time
get
in 'new'
By JOYCE TOMANA
Daily Collegian Sports Writer
The Lions may be more worried about
themselves than they are the Rutgers
Scarlet Knights.
After an unimpressive 10-7 win last
week against Temple, Penn State has
gone back to the practice field this week
to try and put together a performance
closer to what the team is capable of for
tomorrow's home opener.
"Temple played a great game and we
were sloppy and imprecise," coach Joe
Paterno said. "We . had better start
playing better football than that. Our
defense played well, but we were very
inconsistent on offense."
test booters tonight
ptember 8, 1978-13 •
for Lions to
together
stadium
Lion senior safety Doug Hostetler will
be out of action tomorrow. He sprained
an ankle at Temple and has not
recovered to full strength. He will be
replaced by Pete Harris.
The Rutgers contest will also be the
unveiling of the "new" Beaver Stadium.
More people will see Penn State play
than ever before. Estimated attendance
will be 77,000 and some tickets still
remain. The previous Beaver Stadium
record was 62,554 set at last year's
Houston game.
About 3,000 single-game reserve
seats for Saturday's game are avail
able at the student price of $4. The
tickets, originally allocated to Rut
gers but returned, can be purchased
today at the Rec Hall ticket office
with the presentation of a student
ID card. If any student bought a sin
gle game for $lO, he can get a $6 re
bate at the ticket office with presen
tation of his ID. Students buying
reserve tickets must still present
their ID at the gate. Gates open at
11 a.m.
GAME NOTES: This will by Rutgers'
first appearance in Beaver Stadium . . .
Lion quarterback Chuck Fusina now
holds or shares 11 Penn State passing
records. He leads in career attempts
(454) and career passing yardage (3,676)
. . . Scott Fitzkee's seven catches last
week marked only the 14th time that a
Lion receiver has caught seven or more
passes a game. He needs only six to
claim 10th palce on the team's pass
reception records . . . Penn State is the
opening opponent for three teams this
year: Temple, Rutgers and Ohio State.
Last but not least, Sports Illustrated
has made itself known. The Sept. 11
college football issue ranks the Lions
second in the nation, behind only
Arkansas. How's that for close but no
cigar?
"Arkansas, Alabama and Oklahoma
might not lose a game," Sports
Illustrated reports, "Penn State
loaded as never before should not."
cevski said. "But for the other guys, it's
probably a lot easier to get up for a
Cleveland State than a Lock Haven."
Bahr plans to go with the same line-up
he used Wednesday, starting Jim
Stamatis, Ray Patrick and Jancevski at
the forward positions.
Sal Bommarito, Duncan Mac Ewan
and Herb Menhardt will be the mid
fielders with Kevin Scott, Ken
McDonald, Dave Lloyd and Bill
Klauberg in the backfield. Last year's
record-setting goalie Dan Gallagher will
be in the net.
One thing that impressed Bahr in the
last game, however, was the play of the
substitutes namely forwards Tony
Giaimo and Matt Rhodes and defender
Ed Barreiro.
"I was extremely pleased with the
work and the play that we got out of
some of the substitutes that came in
against Lock Haven," he said. 'They did
the kind of job that we have to keep
getting from them."
One Lion who is not expected to play
tonight is Dan Canter, a freshman who
won a midfielder position in pre-season
practice and then came down with the
mumps just prior to the first game. The
swelling, however, may go down at any
time and Canter could see some action.
Fellow midfielder Bob Erlich is also still
a question mark.
To fill the void in the line-up caused by
Canter's illness, Menhardt was moved
back to the midfield position he occupied
last year. Jancevski then assumed
Menhardt's regular starting position on
the front line.
"I felt a little bit of pressure yesterday
(Wednesday); I was a little bit ner
vous," Jancevski said. "but I think
that's behind me now."
What the entire Penn State team hopes
is behind them is their sub-par play in
the first half of the game against Lock
Haven. It took the Lions a full half to get
warmed up before they got their game
on track.
"We just have to play like we did in
that second half," Jancevski said, "I
think we got all the bad stuff out of our
systems."
Coach Bahr hopes so, too.
"We are going to be very, very happy
if we can get a victory on Friday," he
said. "Extremely happy."
will