This game was a classic Homecoming beatdown delivered against an inferior Big Ten foe. Coming off a controversial overtime loss at Michigan (a game which, would lead to the eventual adoption of instant replay in college football), Penn State was looking to take their frustrations out on someone, and that someone just happened to be a Northwestern team that was missing its starting QB Brett Basanez to an injury, and was forced to start an inexperienced in sophomore in Tony Stauss. PSU meanwhile, boasted a stingy defense led by Michael Haynes and Jimmy Kennedy on the defensive line, and an offense led by Zack Mills and a trio of Johnsons (brothers Larry and Tony, and unrelated Bryant). Larry would end up breaking Curt Warner’s single-game rushing record by racking up 257 yards on the ground, a record he would break again a few weeks later at Indiana with a 327 yard performance.
When all was said and done, PSU had themselves a nice 49-0 victory, its first shutout since the 1999 Alamo Bowl against Texas A&M. Be on the lookout for a couple of shirtless cameo appearances by Yours Truly (Tim).
Brees had already become a household name, throwing for an NCAA record 83 pass attempts the previous week against Wisconsin (in which Brees also racked up nearly 500 yards passing). What Brees hadn’t faced up until this game however, was a defense the likes of Penn State’s. LaVar Arrington, Courtney Brown, Brandon Short, and a slew of other blue and white clad defensive studs were more than happy to introduce Brees to what a real defense looked like, and helped deliver a 31-13 shellacking on Homecoming weekend in Happy Valley.
It wasn’t just the defense of Penn State’s that highlighted that afternoon, as freshman tailback Eric McCoo had his first 100+ yard rushing game, tallying a grand total of 163 yards on the ground. McCoo also hauled in a 12-yard TD pass from Kevin Thompson. Special teams left a little more to be desired though, as a muffed punt and two blocked field goals stuck out like a sore thumb.
All in all though, it was the typical manhandling of Purdue that Penn State fans have long come to expect…Enjoy.
It’s late at night, and I can barely keep my eyes open, so I’m keeping this super short. Facing a 20-10 deficit early in the 2nd quarter, Joe Paterno decided to make a change at quarterback, subbing in the younger, firey, red head Mike McQueary in favor of a struggling Wally Richardson. The rest is history, as McQueary would go on to connect with wideout Joe Jurevicius four separate times for over 150 yards in what helped spark not only a rally, but also a dominating 48-26 win over Indiana. Anyway, here it is in all her glory.
All summer long, I had told Mike just how much I wanted to do a 10 MOL on this particular game. Unfortunately, real world problems such as school, work, and moving to a new town got in the way of progress for most of the summer. Fear not, however, as I have finally made the time out to bring you this classic beatdown of perhaps the most overhyped team in college football history. It is also highly appropriate given the recent reports that Penn State is expected to give equal playing time to Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin next weekend against Indiana State.
You see, this game comes from a very brief era in the 90′s when two-quarterback systems were being dubbed as the next great innovation in college football. Arizona boasted Keith Smith, an ex-baseball player who could sidearm the hell out of the football and Ortege Jenkins, an ex-basketball player whose scrambling abilities were second-to-none. In addition to their two-headed QB monster, Arizona’s tailback Trung Candidate (who ironically, was near the top of preseason Heisman lists) and wide receiver Dennis Northcutt were also expected to make waves that season, as well.
As it turned out, the buzzsaw known as Penn State’s defense led by LaVar Arrington and Courtney Brown shut down Arizona’s offensive attack. Meanwhile, Chafie Fields racked up a quick pair of touchdowns and before you knew it, Penn State led 14-0 just six minutes into the ballgame, never to look back as they went on to record a 41-7 victory, which would’ve been a shutout had it not been for a couple of garbage-time fumbles.
Neither team lived up to their billing as preseason #3 and #4, respectively. Arizona went 6-6, missed out on a bowl game, and in the decade since, has floundered somewhere between mediocrity and pure suckage. Penn State meanwhile, suffered a devastating Homecoming loss to an upstart Minnesota team which had a snowball-effect on the program for years to come. It also marked the beginning of the end of the two-quarterback experiment throughout college football, as teams began to realize that having two quarterbacks really meant you had no good quarterbacks.
Regardless of what happened later that 1999 season, this game still makes for excellent viewing 12 years later and brings one back to a more innocent time period in Penn State football, right before the onset of the “Dark Years.”
We continue our look at the 1991 Penn State football season on its 20th anniversary, with the Nittany Lions’ beatdown of West Virginia in Happy Valley. Enjoy!
Penn State wasn’t on some long, dominating win streak against West Virginia when the Mountaineers arrived in Happy Valley in 1991. In fact, WVU had taken one from Penn State only three years earlier, a 51-30 demolition of the Nittany Lions–their worst ever defensive point total allowed under Joe Paterno–two seasons earlier. And while this West Virginia team wasn’t nearly the juggernauts of Major Harris’ days taking snaps, there was still a bit of doubt as to how well Penn State would handle the ‘Neers.
The Daily Collegian’s Jeff Pratt described the devastation Penn State wrought upon West Virginia on that final Saturday of October:
“The highlights were far and few between for a Mountaineer team that was held to a total of -11 yards in the first half and 131 yards for the game. The offense didn’t get a first down until Penn State had scored 17 points.
“On defense, the Mountaineers were run over, giving up 330 yards rushing to the Lions. Penn State scored on its first four possesions and never looked back.”
This week’s babe is a classic, like that girl you knew in high school that was out of your league. Then, 10 years later, you run into her at your high school reunion and it turns out she’s actually into you. Sort of. She became an instant hit on one of the best TV shows in America, which will thankfully be returning next year. She grew into an internet phenomenon of sorts at another Penn State blog, and now, here we are, years later still talking about her and her wonderful assets (brains, duh). Close shave, America. Close shave, Christina Hendricks.
Once again, today’s news will be light. There are more pressing matters afoot. Of course I’m talking about my housewarming party in Pittsburgh, to which you are all invited. Just look for the “Party Over Here” balloons. We’ll briefly visit one of our favorite talking points again before we dig into the links, that being the recruitment of a quarterback in this class. As you can see on our Big Board, the staff is essentially offering only two quarterbacks, Skyler Mornhinweg and Devin Fuller. Unless and until either of them commits (and Skyler has said he plans to do so within a couple of weeks) somewhere other than Penn State, these will likely be the only names you see on the QB board. With players like Brian Blackburn, Austin Appleby, and Brendan Nosovitch committed elsewhere, the staff appears to be putting their proverbial eggs in the baskets of Mornhinweg and Fuller. Go 0 for 2 with these guys, and it’ll probably be two years running with no quarterback commits, a dangerous game to be playing.
Now that that’s out of the way, on with the show.
Penn State Recruiting News
As mentioned, Skyler Mornhinweg, a one-time Stanford commit, is nearing a decision ($). The QB from Philadelphia (son of Eagles OC Marty Mornhinweg) has an impressive offer sheet, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him pick the Lions.
MA DB Armani Reeves visited Notre Dame recently, and came away impressed. I still like PSU’s chances here, but anything that has to do with Notre Dame recruiting scares me (see, e.g., Jarron Jones).
A new running back is gaining the attention of the Nittany Lion staff. This particular back, a tough, durable midwestern runner, does not yet have an offer, but should things fall through with Will Mahone, Drew Harris, Brionte Dunn or (GASP!) all of them, watch for this kid to get the offer he seems to be coveting.
A Philly.com fluff piece on the addition of Nyeem Wartman and the loss of Jarron Jones.
Big Ten Recruiting News
In case you hadn’t heard, Michigan landed a major commitment from five-star OH OL Kyle Kalis, previously of the Ohio State Class of ’12. This is a rather bizarre recruitment, as Kalis’ step-father called a sports radio show after his stepson’s commitment to say that Michigan coaches were hustling Kyle into a commitment.
MGo’s Big Ten recruiting class rankings – Penn State is going the wrong way, although it appears that Derek Dowery and Austin Johnson are beginning to be rated places, and each have received three stars from at least one source.
A phenomenal article on John Urschel, possible 2011 RG starter and current possessor of a 4.0 GPA in Math.
Everyone’s favorite topic came up again this week, as Rivals examined their Top 25 classes of the past 10 years. As expected, the better recruiting classes roughly translate with the more successful teams. Naturally, there are outliers in both categories, lending credence to both “Stars Matter Most” and “Coaching Matters Most” camps.
Finally, the good people (well, Bill C. at least) at Football Study Hall gave Nebraska the treatment this week. They showed where historical Nebraska teams would have placed among historical Big Ten teams. Outrage ensued when the ’94 Lions were left off the list of Top 20 best Big Ten teams ever.
In case you missed it, the Big Ten officially welcomed Nebraska into the fold on July 1, ushering in a new era of football with fancy triple-options and play-action passing. Having just gotten the hang of the 31 Dive, I’m not sure if we’re ready for all that, so we might as well hand them eleven consecutive conference crowns, right?
Just before their induction into our super secret club, the good fellas at Big Red Network asked some of the Big Ten bloggers to share a few words with them, welcoming them as we’re so prone to do: with snark and veiled insults about corn and meth. Well, now it’s their turn to return the favor.
Today we’re joined by Steve and Darren from Big Red Network. Their solid writing and great analysis means that we don’t have to do either of those things. I’m beginning to like these guys…
Linebacker-U: Big Ten fans aren’t as familiar with Nebraska as they should be, given your recent addition to the conference. Give us a quick update as to how things are going in Lincoln – How are the Pelini Boys working out? What’s the general atmosphere/feeling towards Nebraska football?
Big Red Network: There’s a lot of excitement both with the new conference and the progress made under Bo Pelini. His defensive acumen is undeniable. Ultimately, he’ll be judged on how well he can get the offense to play. Husker fans went nearly 3 decades without experiencing four losses in a season. Now it’s happened in seven straight years. Pelini’s got to take things to the next level soon (11 wins or a Big Ten title) or people may begin to turn on him. The tirades and penalties are getting old.
LBU: How has recruiting been going for the Cornhuskers? In case you hadn’t noticed, we play a different style of football up in the north, where a three-yard, I-formation led rush is the standard call for three downs before a puntkick. Have you guys been recruiting these kinds of players?
PHOTO: Rivals.com
BRN: Nebraska has been recruiting dual-threat quarterbacks, so the rushing game will be a point of emphasis. Probably not as much as in the triple option days, but certainly more than you see in a West Coast offense (as run under Bill Callahan). The linemen continue to be taller than we saw in the option days, as pass protection continues to be valued even in the post-West Coast era. Defensively, Pelini continues to place a premium on speed and versatility over size. This was also the blueprint for some of the great defenses of the 1990’s for Nebraska. You definitely wonder whether a team like Wisconsin might exploit that, but Pelini gets the benefit of the doubt when it comes to building defenses.
LBU: Who are you targeting and at what positions in the Class of 2012? I don’t believe that Penn State and Nebraska are competing for any targets, so who should we watch until February?
BRN: It’s probably good news for Nebraska that they will bring in a smallish class. There are not many departing scholarship seniors so there might be room for only fifteen or so recruits (and five have already committed). The Huskers need linebackers. In addition to the commit they have, they probably need two more. Like Penn State, NU’s offered New Jersey’s Quanzell Lambert but his dance card appears awfully full. They continue to seek linemen on both sides of the ball. Offensive tackle Kyle Kalis of Ohio is on the wish list (and has been offered by PSU), likewise with d-tackles Tommy Schutt and Vincent Valentine of Illinois (also Nittany Lion targets). The Huskers are after a number of wide receivers and defensive backs as well. Running back DJ Foster of Arizona is worth mentioning too, only because he had offers from both Penn State and the Big Red.
LBU: What are the normal recruiting grounds for Nebraska? Since you’re the only game in town, I imagine you have the state to yourself, but then as the only major Division 1 team in Pennsylvania, Penn State hasn’t done the greatest in recent past. Also, will the Big Ten be able to infiltrate your recruiting grounds?
BRN: There are usually just a few in-state players worthy of scholarships and Nebraska usually gets their pick of them plus ten to twenty walk-ons. Sometimes they let a good player get away and in particular Iowa and Iowa State have sought Nebraska’s leftovers. The larger footprint has been the Big 12 North. The Huskers have had a lot of success in Colorado and Missouri and that appears likely to continue. Beyond that, Nebraska’s always mined California and despite all the talk about things cooling in Texas, there will continue to be players coming from the Lone Star State. Arizona’s become a good place to recruit as well. Lately, there’s been an uptick in Illinois and Ohio. I’d expect that to continue.
LBU: Finally, what about the hardcourt? We’ve got a new coach, but our outlook isn’t necessarily Final Four or Bust…yet. What can you tell us about the basketball program at Nebraska, including any recruiting success you might be seeing.
BRN: Nebraska has had real trouble establishing their basketball program. It might be that it’s more than a five year project and so few coaches have gotten six or more years. Tom Osborne has appeared to lean toward a more patient approach and is sticking with Doc Sadler. That may be just what the doctor ordered. New investment in facilities could improve recruiting and being able to recruit in the Big Ten footprint could really help as well. Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan produce a lot of good players and it only takes one or two good finds to make a team competitive. Still, expectations are fairly modest.
