PlGSKlNpreview 18 I Friday, Dec. 10,2010 Could Meyer have been the next JoePa? By Brendan Monahan COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Good friends Joe Paterno and Urban Meyer seem like an odd pairing with 37 years separating them in age. But that’s not the only irony existing between the two coach es. The Penn State icon has stayed at one place for 61 seasons as an assistant and head coach, while Meyer spanned seven programs in less than half that amount of time 25 seasons. Meyer became a coach in the modern culture of college foot ball, characterized by primetime TV and star-studded recruits. Paterno had his start when quarterbacks still called the plays on the field, and headsets were as alien as 90,000-seat sta diums. One of them will walk away from the field and into the tunnel with no imminent return when the clock hits zero Jan.l at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay and perhaps more ironic than all the above, that coach isn’t Paterno. Kickoff for the Outback Bowl is 1 p.m., and ABC will televise. “Joe’s been coaching for 45 years,” said Mick Hubert, Florida’s play-by-play announcer. “Urban’s 46 years old, and he’s retiring.” Meyer walks away from the game at the prime of his coach ing career. The decision is almost unfathomable when looking at Daily Collegian Predictions If you watch Time: 1 p.m. Date: New Year’s Day TV: ABC the decision in light of Paterno, who has transcended the culture of modern college football 45 sea sons after he took over the helm at Penn State. “To have what you have at Penn State, that will never be duplicated,” Hubert said. “The money’s too great. The pres sure’s too great, and it’s a grind.” Meyer, who spent time at Bowlrng Green and Utah before coaching the last six seasons at Florida, has two national titles and one undefeated season in 2004 with Fiesta Bowl-winning Utah. Paterno didn’t have two national championships after 1975, his 10th season, but he did have three undefeated years. AJ Cassavell Score: Florida 24, PSU 17 What’s good: Young players take advantage of bowl practices. What’s bad: Season ends, still no QB of the future. What to look for Royster chasing another 1,000-yard season. Paterno leaving after 1975 would have meant no 400 wins, no coaching rivalry with Alabama’s Paul “Bear” Bryant and no Patemo’s saints versus Jimmy Johnson’s rebels in the 1986 national championship, in which Penn State defeated Miami. Paterno was 102-23-1 in his first 126 games as a head coach, while Meyer is 103-23. Meyer left despite a lot of future success and history at stake, and his sim ilarities with Paterno leaves one to consider: Would Meyer break Patemo’s 400-win mark if the col lege football culture was different or if he had somehow managed to stick around? At his current pace, Meyer would need 28 more years to reach the 400-win plateau. That would make him 74, which would be about 10 years younger than Paterno, a true example of Meyer’s dominance in a decade. “He’s got a great feel for the game,” Paterno said of Meyer. Audrey Snyder Score: Florida 27, PSU 20 What’s good: The Lions keep it close. fIHB What’s bad: Team loses momentum heading into 2011 season. What to look for: An emotional Urban Meyer. “To have what you have at Penn State, that will never be duplicated. The money's too great. The pressure’s too great, and it’s a grind.” “I’ve looked at a lot of tapes of his games through the years because he seems to be always one step ahead of the people he's playing against. ” Yet Paterno the winningest Division I-A coach churns on after decades of coaching, as Meyer the only college coach to win two BUS national champi onships at one school leaves at the height of his career. But time changes, as do priori ties. Paterno, avoiding retirement for years, seems time proof. Meyer, though, understands there aren't enough moments for everything, such as coaching a premier FBS program and run ning a family at the same time. Coaches constantly find their jobs on the line in today’s pres sure-filled college landscape, marred with instant success. Meyer met more adversity in 2010 than in any previous season at Florida, posting a 7-5 record, the worst record in a season for Meyer. "There's certainly a lot of frus tration and a lot of disappoint ment,” Meyer said Tuesday, “but that’s also a part of college ath letics.” Considering signs before this The Daily Collegian f, „ [;;<>•/ hlri:w nnnouncer season, the oddity of both deci sions becomes greater. .Just months ago, Paterno did n't attend at least three summer events because of illness and appeared frail when he publicly returned in early August in Chicago. Rumors swirled all season as to whether the soon-to-be-84 year-old coach would step down with one year left on his contract, and though Paterno said he'll be back, he still has to undergo an end-of-season review meeting with president Graham Spanier and athletic director Tim Curley. Just months ago. Meyer looked reinvested in Florida's program after he retired in December of 2009. reversed his decision the next day and then took a leave of absence for health reasons. Though ironic. Meyer is leav ing for the immediate future with still much left to gain. “He was a guy that came in here and reunited the fan base," Hubert said. “This was a place that had success previously, and I think he felt he could get the job done here ... There are so many positive things that he did.” To e-mail reporter: bjmsl46@psu.edu Brendan Monahan Score: PSU 23, Florida 20 What’s good: Lions notch third straight bowl win against SEC. What’s bad: PSU ends season with out a signature win. What to look for: Possibly for the last time, two legendary coaches greet at midfield. Mick Hubert
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