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14 I Friday, Oct. 22, 2010
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Lions
By Brendan Monahan
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
History is bound to repeat
itself.
Different players and circum
stances separate this Penn State
team from previous ones under
Joe Paterno, but this year’s 3-3
Nittany Lions share similarities
with other previous Penn State
teams.
Splitting the first six games
has happened four times under
Paterno.
The
occurred
19(>6. Paterno's
opening year as
head coach. In
the first six
games, two top-
10 teams
one
being No. 1
Michigan State
dominated
Penn State on
the road. The
Lions couldn't
turn the season around, went 2-2
in the next four games and fin
ished the season .500.
The last time Penn State went
3-3 to start the season came in
1083.
In the first six games, the
Lions lost to No. 1 Nebraska and
lowa. That year, Penn State fin
ished the regular season 4-1-1
and earned a trip to the Aloha
Bowl in which it beat No. 22
Washington and finished No. 17
Daily Collegian Predictions
fighting to save season
o o
in the United Press International
(UPI) poll.
The 2010 Lions have to decide
which path to take one that fol
lows in the downtrodden foot
steps of 1966 or the turnaround
run of 1983. This Saturday’s
game at Minnesota is the key to
determining which way Penn
State will go, down a road of irrel
evancy or to a bowl game.
“It’s absolutely a must-win
game,” fullback Mike Zordich
said. “We have to win this game
because right now we’re .500, and
we need to get
things rolling.”
The Golden
Gophers will host
the Lions noon
Saturday at TCF
Bank Stadium.
Salvaging the
season couldn’t
come against a
more suitable
opponent.
with losses to
South Dakota and Northern
Illinois.
The Gophers have also yet to
win at home, with their only vic
tory coming against Middle
Tennessee.
Minnesota is last in scoring
defense and run defense in addi
tion to second to last in total
defense. Penn State's next two
games versus Minnesota and
Michigan pit the Lions against
the Big Ten’s two least effective
Andrew J. Cassavell
Score: PSU 17, Minnesota 16
What’s good: Bowl hopes still
alive.
What’s bad: Michigan, Ohio State
and Michigan State are still loom
ing.
What to look for: Who’s in and
who’s out because of injuries.
CLIFFHANGER
~ ...
“We need to win this game to
get things going, get things mov
ing, so we can get ready for next
week and then the week after and
the week after."
To get the team going, Paterno
is looking for a better effort than
the one shown against Illinois.
Paterno said practice intensity
was suitable before the Illinois
game, but the Lions still came
out flat. Enthusiasm in practice
has been a focal point since the
homecoming loss.
The coaching staff stripped the
players of their designated prac
tice jerseys and replaced them
with traditional blue-and-white
colored jerseys, signifying open
tryouts last week. No jobs were
lost, and Paterno said gauging
the team's emotion is hard.
Minnesota is 1-6
“We don't have a laugh meter
or an enthusiasm meter on the
field," Paterno quipped with
reporters.
“Enthusiasm level is point this
I
*
If you go
Place: TCF Bank Stadium
Time: Noon
TV: ESPNU
defenses if there is ever a time
for the Penn State offense to get
going, it’s now.
“The only way you get things
rolling is by winning,” Zordich
said.
Audrey Snyder
Score: PSU 16, Minnesota 10
What’s good: Lions secure first
road win.
What’s bad: Minnesota's
porous run defense.
What to look for: Traffic jams
with President Obama on cam
pus.
PREVIEW
or is that. You just don’t know.”
Emotion is something easily
found on Minnesota’s side since
the firing of Tim Brewster on
Sunday. Jeff Horton, previously
Minnesota's offensive coordina
tor, is serving as the interim head
coach.
The firing could have several
effects.
The change may be a breath of
fresh air and a catalyst for the
Minnesota players or a glaring
sign of just how far the Gophers
are sinking.
"There’s obvi
ously uncertainty
on the coaching
staff with what will
happen next year
and with a new
coach coming in,"
Horton said during
this week’s Big Ten
teleconference.
"We owe it to the
kids on the team to
do our job and to
prepare them.”
Much in the same way the
Minnesota game could salvage
the season for the Lions, a win for
the Gophers after a coaching
change may spark life into
Minnesota.
But after Saturday’s game, the
Gophers face three top-15 teams
No. 10 Ohio State, No. 7
Michigan State and No. 15 lowa
in its last four games. Ivan
Maisel, an NCAA football colum
nist for ESPN.com, sees any type
The Daily Collegian
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of spark for Minnesota being
short lived.
“The fact that, come the last
week in November, they're going
to have new coaches," Maisel
said in a telephone interview.
“For a team to be able to main
tain its focus and to play really
hard week in and week out under
those circumstances takes a
level of concentration and matu
rity that is extremely high.”
Maturity has been a cause for
concern for the Lions, as well.
Penn State is inexperienced, but
the coaches
are quickly
allowing that
excuse to dissi
pate after the
Lions have
regressed in
their last two
losses.
This game,
some Penn
State players
said, is just as
important as
any other, but a loss would cause
the Lions to have their first sub
.soo record in six years and
have them spiraling down a path
similar to the 1966 team, or
worse.
“We’ve got to make some
plays,” Patemo said. “We got to
make some things happen for
ourselves, and until then, we’re
going to struggle.”
To e-mail reporter: bjmSl46@psu.edu
Brendan Monahan
Score: PSU 24, Minnesota
10
What’s good: Successful run
ning game.
What’s bad: A thin defensive
line.
What to look for: All line
backers back.