Lions ready for Syracuse sneak attack
By RICK WEBER
Daily Collegian Sports Writer
. Penn State has a goal and an aim —it wants to be the
No. 1 college football team in America. But for now, the
, Lions are quite content to be No. 2.
-; Penn State, which enters Saturday’s traditional clash
-against Syracuse with the highest poll ranking in its
'history, failed to take over the top-ranked position this
.week despite Oklahoma’s shaky win. But according to
.players, the Lions are quite satisfied because they’re
right where they want to be.
' “I think almost all the players agree that we’d rather
be where we are than No. 1,” center Chuck Correal
said. “It puts less pressure on us. This way, we still
have a goal to work for. We have to keep improving and
improving. If we’d be No. 1, it would be more of a
pressure situation to hold our ground, instead of trying
to gain. I’m glad it’s worked out this way so far.”
-1, The Lions are happy, but they’re very wary of getting
caught- up in the whirlwind of optimism. They
remember the early season struggle to live up to
1 preseason expectations and they’re determined not
to make the same mistake again.
“It’s hard to put the ranking out of your head, but it’s
something you have to do,” flanker Tom Donovan said.
“Otherwise, someone will sneak up on you and beat you
a) and then you don’t have anything.”
” , The 1-5 Orangemen, who are giving up an average of
28.5 points per game, don’t appear to be that kind of a
team on paper. But the outcome of a game has never
been determined by past statistics.
“I don’t know if the squad realizes how big a game
this is for Syracuse,” Joe Paterno said. “This is their
fa big ballgame. They play so well against us all the time
* that their 1-5 record doesn’t mean a thing.
“We’re trying to make sure the kids understand that
this is a big game. I think they will. They didn’t play last
Saturday and they’ve had the layoff. Now, knowing they
didn’t practice well Tuesday, I think they’ll pick up
some things and play a little better.”
m Correal doesn’t expect the layoff to adversely affect
w the Lions. In fact, he feels it has been beneficialin some
ways.
' • “It’s given everybody who was bumped up against
Kentucky a chance to heal a little bit,” Correal said.
‘.‘lt’s allowed everybody to keep progressing with the
Will Syracuse quarterback Bill Hurley be left home in New York?
coach Joe Paterno is taking no chances.
'7B season a disaster
-Syracuse a different team
By GARY SILVERS
Daily Collegian Sports Writer
They say injuries are part of the game,
but for Syracuse coach Frank Maloney,
they turned the '7B football season into a
major catastrophe.
' The star who holds his troops together,
like money holds the Yankees, has
played just one full game since Sep
tember. And the way it looks right now,
quarterback Bill Hurley, cracked ribs
and all, may be out the rest of the year.
“He got reinjured during the West
Virginia game (two weeks ago) and still
isn’t close to recovered,” Maloney said.
So in place of the Heisman candidate,
Maloney will go with Tim Wilson a 6-1
who, at this point in his
*areer, is the farthest thing from a
legitimate threat. In three previous
appearances this season, the Syracuse
passer has hit on just six of 20 attempts
(30 percent) for 123 yards and a
touchdown. His only real claim to fame
"m was a 59-yard scoring bomb to running
m back Art Monk on the initial pass of his
career.
.“We’re not the least bit afraid to put
the ball in the air,” Maloney said, “but
there’s no doubt we need improvement.
. Wilson’s got great potential and,
* whether you know it or not, his stats are
no less impressive than Hurley’s were
when he was just a sophomore. A little
Collegian sports
the
daily
Dan Riley strength program. We should go into the
game a little bit fresher and ready to go. I don’t think
we’ll lose any of our sharpness.”
Offensively, the Lions are extremely sharp. Their
offensive performance against Kentucky 21 first
downs, 438 total yards and four touchdowns was
especially pleasing because it was the first real ex
plosion against a solid defensive team.
“Our performance was really big for us,” Correal
said. “Everybody expected a close, tough game
because of Kentucky’s defense. So our success did give
us confidence.”
Paterno has never lost confidence in the offense, but
the machine-like destruction of the Wildcats’ defense
has at least reaffirmed his faith in the Unit’s ability.
“We’ve really made great strides and are playing
well,” Paterno said. “I think we can develop into an
even more explosive offensive football team. We need
just a bit more cohesion. Every once in awhile we’re a
little bit tentative about some things. If we do things
more aggressively, we can develop into an outstanding
offensive team.”
Quarterback Chuck Fusina has had a lot ot do with
the progressing offense. His passing has been nearly
pinpoint perfect, but his ability to lead and direct the
team has been even more outstanding.
“He’s done extremely well and he’s the type of player
who could even surpass everything that’s been written
about him,” Correal said. “His passing is sharp, but
he’s running'the team well, too. I don’t think there’s a
better quarterback in the country.”
Defensively, Penn State couldn’t be much better.
Statistically, the Lions might have the best overall
defense in the nation. They’re first in rushing defense
(giving up 42.2 yards per game), fifth in total defense
(210.7), and fifth in scoring defense (6.3 points per
game).
“We’ve played well right from the beginning,”
Paterno said. “We have had some young people develop
who have given us the depth I think we need to make the
run. We can get three kids bumped up, stick three
young kids in, and still shut out a team like Kentucky.”
“It’s just a case of everyone playing defense the way
it’s supposed to be played,” tackle Matt Millen said. “I
think if we keep our heads on right, we should keep
patience is all it’ll take to get Tim going
in the right direction.
Wilson’s primary receiver if you
can call him that is Monk, a 6-2, 205-
pound junior who leads the team in pass
receptions with 11. Next in line for the
Orange are juniors Bruce Semall and
Greg Williams, who’ve caught just six
and four passes respectively. In total
passing yardage, Syracuse trails its
opponents by a walloping 633 yards
(1,072-439).
As I’m sure you’ve figured by now,
most of the Orange offense comes by
way of the ground. The most heralded
Syracuse ground-gainers are Joe Morris
(54 carries, 349 yards) and Monk (74
carries, 343 yards), who’ve accounted
•for over half the team’s total rushing
yardage (1,228 yards). But if they don’t
have a field day tomorrow, it’s almost
for certain the Orange will be crushed.
“I dread that Penn State defense
immensely,” Maloney said, referring to
the No. 1 team against the rush. “I saw
their defense in the films and it seemed
almost impregnable to me. ’ ’
But if the Syracuse offense can
somehow make its way inside the Penn
State 30, the Orange have an excellent
chance of scoring. Maloney-just calls on
ole reliable placekicker Dave Jacobs.
The senior All-America candidate has
converted six of li field goals, thus far,
There may be no pulp to the Orange
By GARY SILVERS
Daily Collegian Sports Writer
The last time Penn State saw him he put on one of the most
spectacular performances in Syracuse football history. He
broke five single game records that afternoon most passing
..attempts,-36; most completions, 22; most passing yards, 329; -
'• total offense, 384; and total plays, 68 in nearly pulling off the
biggest Orange upset of the 1977 season.
The final Syracuse 24, Penn State 31.
This year things should be different. Due to a painful rib
injury, the pulp of the Orange offense will not take the field
this time and, because of it, the second-ranked Lions are 24-
point favorites. Senior Bill Hurley, the most heralded Syracuse
passer of all time will be left behind in New York.
“This season has been a bitter disappointment,” Syracuse
coach Frank Maloney said of his team’s 1-5 start. “Tomorrow
technically marks the sixth game Hurley won’t play this year
(played one quarter in opener before getting injured). It’s not'
only a physical blow to us, but also a great psychological blow.
The impact of him going down was just unbelievable.”
And look at the difference Hurley made when he came back
to face West Virginia two weeks ago. “It was like night and
day,” Maloney said. Instant victory. The Orangemen
manhandled the host Mountaineers, 31-15. It marked the fifth
straight victory for Hurley and his second straight injury.
“He’s not a healthy young man,” Maloney said. “And
despite'the fact he’s eligible to be red-shirted this season,
we’re still thinking of playing him again. But right now, we’re
just looking for him to return to good health.”
Whether you believe the Orange coach is up to you. What you
should believe, however, is that red-shirt or not, Hurley may
be the finest collegiate quarterback in the country, Chuck
Fusina included.
“We’re kind of partial around here because we don’t think
anyone matches up to Hurley’s standards,” Maloney said.
“He’s got better feet than most, if not all, the quarterbacks in
the country and can just kill you on the ground. He’s also
pretty tough in the air. Despite the fact he’s not a picture
thrower, he does get the ball there.”
along with 10 of 11 extra points, ac
counting for 28 Orange payoffs.
But that’s not all. In his three previous
years at Syracuse, Jacobs has booted 37
field goals (Syracuse record), three of
which sailed for distances over 50 yards.
He’s also broken Syracuse records for
most field goals in a season (16) and
most attempts in a career (78). Twenty
two of Jacob’s 41 misses prior to this
season have come from beyond the 50,
while he is 24 of 32 inside the 40. In the
extra point department, Jacobs had a
string of 54 straight before missing last
weekend against Maryland.
But even though the Orangemen do
have a strong kicking game, they’re still
at a disadvantage; the second-ranked
Lions are strong everywhere. And it
would probably take a minor miracle to
stop them.
“I think Penn State has an excellent
chance to go all the way this year,”
Maloney said. “They’re the best team
I’ve ever seen since I’ve been here. I am
a UPI voting member and I was one of
the ones who voted them No. 1 this week.
“I always enjoy playing Penn State
because they’ve got such a class school,
class outfit and class program. I’ve
always been an admirer of theirs.
They’re well-coached, enthusiastic,
everything. They’re "just great for
college football.”
playing like that. We’re getting confident not in our own
abilities but in the abilities of the guys aside of us.”
The big mystery Penn State’s defense faces now is
whether or not Syracuse quarterback Bill Hurley will
start. Hurley cracked three ribs in the opening game
and has played only once since then, leading the
Orangemen to a 31-15 win over West Virginia two weeks
ago. The Syracuse Athletic Department has indicated
that Hurley will not play, but Paterno isn’t taking the
bait.
“We’re planning on him playing,” he said. “We feel
we have to be ready for Hurley. They say they’re not
■ gonna play him, but we can’t take any chances. Tim
Wilson (Hurley’s replacement) is an up-and-coming
quarterback. They’ll still be able to move the ball
without Hurley. They have a fine offense.”
Paterno, while pleased with the Lions’ progress, has
stressed the need for the Lions to maintain their in
tensity and drive.
“We’re a very good football team right now, but I
don’t think we’re anywhere as good as we can be,” he
said. “We have to go to practice every day and say, ‘We
gotta get better, we gotta get better.’ You either get
better or worse. You can’t stay the same.”
The Lions know they have to get better they have a
goal that still hasn’t been realized.
EXTRA POINTS: Penn State is in the midst of three
long streaks. The Lions have won 14 consecutive games
(longest among major colleges), have clinched their
40th consecutive non-losing season (extending their
national record), and have scored in 134 consecutive
games .. . The Lions have not given up a point in the
first quarter . . . This is the 56th game of the Syracuse-
Penn State series. Penn State has won the last seven
games to take a 29-21-5 lead in the series that started in
1922. .. Penn State’s junior varsity team opens its four
game season today against Rutgers at 2 p.m. The game
will be played on the field near East Halls and the
Flower Garden ... Junior fullback Matt Suhey is the
team’s leading rusher with 114 carries for 477 yards.
Suhey ranks sixth on Penn State’s all-time rushing list
with 1,602 yards. Only Lydell Mitchell (2,934 yards),
John Cappelletti (2,639), Lenny Moore (2,380), Charlie
Pittman (3,236), and Franco Harris (2,002) stand ahead
of Suhey.
“His biggest assets, however, are competitiveness and in
telligence. Hurley plays every game like it’s the last of his
career. He also has the uncanny ability to recognize opposing
defenses., I don’t think there's a smarter quarterback
anywhere.”
And look what he’s donefor the Orangemen
Third in career passing, 2,093 yards.
Ninth in rushing, 1,583 yards.
Snapped 11 all-time Syracuse records in 1977, including
total offense in a career, 3,676 yards; most attempts in a
season, 201; most completions, 108; most net yards gained,
1,455; most rushing, passing plays, 401; passing-rushing, 2,080.
Success never came easy for Hurley, however. In fact, three
years ago he was almost run out of town.
A weak week for prognosticators
Lucky for Joe Paterno, Chuck Fusina
plays football games better than he
predicts their results. The Lion quar
terback hit just four out of 10 last week
as the guest prognosticator in the
Collegian’s weekly football predictions.
Fusina’s performance was the rule,
rather than the exception, as the staff
took a collective trouncing. Only Neil
Rudel’s 7-3 can be considered respec
table. Rudel didn’t have anything to say
this week. We’ve already printed his
entire vocabulary in previous weeks:
“wild, hard-core, radical, psyched and
bummed.” As for everyone else, they
are planning to' hang in effigy or
otherwise Assistant Sports Editor
Rick Weber, selects the games, for
making the choices too tough. “Nobody
is going to hang me,” Weber said angrily
Oilers at
Steelers
Fullback Bob Torrey is part of Penn State’s powerful rushing attack that should
test Syracuse’s young defense. The Lions are averaging 201.5 yards per game
rushing.
when informed of the plan. “If it weren’t
for me thinking up this idea of weekly
prognostications, none of these
egocentric writers would have gotten an
extra chance to see their names in print.
You just can’t win around here. ’ ’
The other assistant, Gary Silvers,
came through with a 6-4 mark, possibly
because he made it to synagogue on Yom
Kippur. That bodes well for Sports
Editor Joyce Tomana, who is rejoicing
over the selection of a new pope. “Now I
have some leadership, someone to ask
for advice,” said Tomana, a Catholic.
Whether the new pope knows anything
about bookmaking is questionable, but
the Collegian’s WATS line log book
shows she made numerous calls to a
“J.P.” in the Vatican.
Ready to sell his soul is Eric Yoder,
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Friday, Oct. 20, 1978—17
“He was horrible back then, absolutely horrible,” Maloney
said without hesitation. “He couldn’t throw a pass, nothing. In
high school, Hurley was a wishbone quarterback and never
had to throw a ball (1,002 yards rushing, 436 yards passing as a
senior).
“When he came to Syracuse he started out as a running
back. We converted him into a quarterback -during his
sophomore year and his first few games were just un
believable. They were that bad. I knew he had potential,
though, and eventually he proved it. Midway through his
sophomore year, something happened. The light bulb lit up. ”
And if it weren’t for a painful rib cage, the light would still be
shining.
once the proud possessor of a perfect
record, who fell drastically and now
owns a ho-hum .783 winning percentage,
nevertheless the best on the staff. Yoder
climbed down off the Eagles’ band
wagon this time around, but is staying
with the Vikings. “Some girl named
Becky left a note in my mail box and told
me she’s keeping an eye on horny guys,
so I figured she wanted me to bet on the
Vikes,” he explained.
Joining the staff for the first time is
Ron Wenig, whose regular picks column
with A.C. A 1 was terminated by popular
demand. Wenig said “You’re
lucky to get me. The Dally News was
ready to fire Dick Young.’’
Our guest this week is Holmes
Cathrall, coach of the Penn State men's
tennis team.
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