16 I Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007 Kinlaw From Page 11. group of about eight other football play ers from Slippery Rock and Susque hanna University would occasionally meet this summer at Blackshear’s house near the Penn State campus. They’d get together, eat burgers and chicken and talk. They'd study the Bible in two-hour increments. They’d talk about astrology and different, more abstract concepts relating to spirituali ty “Sometimes you see something and you take it for what it’s worth and someone comes and explains some thing and you see it differently,” Golden W. Volleyball From Page 11 has been no Big Ten team putting out a better product than Penn State. The Lions enter conference play Friday with four straight outright conference titles, a Big Ten record. While the Lions may enter as the highest ranked team in the Big Ten, that just makes their title defense even more difficult. The added pressure could prove to be beneficial for the team once the Struggles From Page 11. headline the Monday after this game. For the second straight year, Michi gan upset Penn State in dominating fashion. The No. 22 Wolverines jumped to an early lead, and Tom Brady's efficient passing day was more than enough to secure the win. The Wolverines' defense limited the No. 9 Lions to less than 200 total yards and PSU quarterback Kevin Thompson was 8 of 31 with two inter ceptions and a fumble. The Lions were shut out for the first time since 1987. Michigan and Penn State finished 9-3. All three games the Lions lost were on the road. Nov. 13, 1999 Beaver Stadium UM 31, PSU 27 - I s r THE DAILY COLLEGIAN NOWIN YOUR COMPUTER. www.collegian.psu.edu/venues says. “It gives you a different outlook on life. I think it put everything into perspective. We’re just trying to seize the moment.” Seizing the moment, for Kinlaw, means capitalizing on his final year at Penn State. He’s a fifth-year senior who has largely been relegated to backup duty thus far in his career. So far this season, he’s traded rotations with fel low fifth-year senior Austin Scott. Both had their share of injuries Kinlaw tore his right ACL as a fresh man and both said they considered transferring. “But it was more because I was so far away from home,” Kinlaw says. “And coming off an injury, I didn’t have the family support. That was the only NCAA tournament rolls around if the team can handle every team's best effort. “We always have a pretty big bulls eye on our back and that's good and bad,” Rose said. “If the players are mature enough to understand that they’re always going to be taking everybody’s best effort, then it forces the team to be a little more mentally tough and hopefully have a little more mature attitude about what they are doing." The lack of mental toughness is part of the reason why Rose is still The Lions had the ball, leading by three points with 3:21 to go. All they needed to do was hold onto the ball and let the clock wind down. It didn’t work out that way after three futile plays, the Lions were forced to punt. Brady made the most of the oppor tunity, hitting wide receiver Marcus Knight for a touchdown that gave the Wolverines a 31-27 lead that they would not relinquish. Penn State had one more chance to take the lead, but its hopes were dashed when quarterback Kevin Thompson lost a fumble. The loss was one of three to end Penn State’s regular season. Nov. 11, 2000 Michigan Stadium UM 33, PSU 11 This was a game of missed oppor tunities for the Lions in a difficult 5-7 campaign. Penn State converted on meriDian on college avenue ffrwi7fl.V/i 11 Now leasing 2007-2008 Don't miss out on this great location on East College Ave.! Just minutes to Beaver Stadium, restaurants, and campus Semester Leases & Football Parking! 814.231.9000 www.meridianoncollegeavenue.com thing that made me contemplate trails ferring.” Kinlaw has since built a support group on and off the field. He grew elos er to teammates and found a mentor in Blackshear. “You can practice and lift all the weight you want but if you don't gel it between the ears, you can make men tal errors,” Blackshear says. “And anxi ety is the disrupter of performance" In Blackshear’s mind, he can see the difference in Kinlaw. He doesn't lake credit for the success, but he's proud As he watched Saturday's game from an alumni suite. Blackshear couldn’t help but get excited. “Come on, Kinlaw." he shouted "This is vour shot." shuffling his lineup nearly a month into the season. Lion faithful will continue to see changes in the lineup until Rose feels that some players have proven that they deserve to play every game of everv match. "There are still some things that 1 need to see and there will be changes that take place." he said. "One of the changes that probably has to take place is that I'm a little more compet itive than my team. That's a problem because I don't play. Either I have to make them a little more competitive. third down only two times in 14 attempts. The Lions made it down to Michigan's 35-yard-line seven times, but their offense couldn't get anything going, and senior kicker Ryan Pri manti missed four field goals. Oct. 6, 2001 Beaver Stadium UM 20, PSU 0 Just another stop in a forgettable season for the Lions. This game made the 2001 Lions the first to begin a sea son 0-4. The big problem for Penn State was its offense. It could only muster 25 yards on the ground on 20 carries. The Lions punted the ball 10 times. Penn State finished the season 5-6. Oct. 12, 2002 Michigan Stadium UM 27, PSU 24 (OT) Running back Chris Perry's 3-yard touchdown run sealed the upset for SPORTS Connor Imm I'.'igr /1 Guiding the dolcnse in a timely lashinu. processing signals from tin’ sideline and passing them on lielore the hall is snapped has been most difficult It s further complicated during a game like the I.ions' win two Saturdays ago against Notre Dame, when ('minor couldn't hear himself yelling to defensive linemen as Beaver Stadium lans were intent on disrupting the Irish offense with a cacophony of noise Mentally, it's definitely a jump or it's not a good idea for them to make me less competitive.” Unless the Lions come with intensi ty every match, they could be primed for an upset. Rose believes that the talent level between each team is not severely slanted because many of the players Penn State has recruited are currently personnel for other teams. And playing two road games on a weekend at two different universities always poses challenges for any road team. "The travel is demanding,” Rose said. “The fact is that you’re playing No. 15 Michigan in overtime against the No. 13 Lions. But this was a meeting tinged with controversy. On third-and-5 in the final minute of the fourth quarter, Penn State quarterback Zack Mills hit Tony Johnson for an apparent first down on the Michigan 23. Officials, however, ruled the pass incomplete because Johnson fell out of bounds. Asked to assess the Michigan game, Paterno simply said, “It was a close game.” Oct. 15, 2005 Michigan Stadium UM 27, PSU 25 This one will live in infamy. And it will forever be remembered for one second. The one second when Michi gan wide receiver Mario Manning ham cut through the back of the end zone as time expired. The one second when Michigan quarterback Chad Henne dropped then made his throw. The Daii.v C'oi i kgian from where I’ve been before,” Connor said. “But as soon as the hall is snapped, you’re pretty much out there reading anil reacting. That’s the part I appro cialc Just mentally, it’s a difficult position." But. right now, as Connor said repeatedly in the offseason, being a leader and being in the middle is when; he wants to be. He's wanted to play middle linebacker since arriving as a freshman. "I feel most comfortable at middle That’s where I feel like I can make the most plays,” Con nor said “As far the future, I’ll do anything, but I feel I’m best in the middle." in gyms on football weekends with big crowds. And in some places there are some very hostile environments where the people are a little more fired up than you would expect from your preseason schedules.” As the 2005 Lions proved going undefeated in the Big Ten is not impossible. And while this year’s edition of the Lions would love to go undefeated in conference action like the 2005 Lions, they also would like for history not to repeat itself in the NCAA Tourna ment. It was the one second that ruined Penn State’s perfect season. Henne connected with Manningham for a last-second touchdown, giving Michi gan the upset victory. The Lions fin ished 11-1 and won the Orange Bowl. But even then, they couldn't get over the Wolverines. Oct. 14, 2006 Beaver Stadium UM 17, PSU 10 The final score made this game seem much closer than it really was. Michigan's defense stymied the Lions offense, holding it to just 186 total yards. Penn State was held to minus -14 rushing yards. Making matters worse, Michigan sacked Penn State quarterbacks seven times, knocking Anthony Morelli and Daryll Clark out of the game. Mike Hart rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries for Michi gan.
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