Fight On, State: John Rogers and the Nittany Lions

[Big Six]

[b]Week 11, Offseason 2005-2006[/b] It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Since Charles Dickens died one year after the first intercollegiate football game was played, I know he wasn’t referring to the career of a football coach. Nevertheless, his words seem to apply very well right now. First, the good news. We signed three more players for next year. Jerry Martin, a big defensive end from the Philadelphia suburbs, was the first of the three to commit. He is a freakishly good athlete who runs a 4.58 forty and bench presses 428 pounds. Martin had 20 sacks as a high school senior. Next to sign his letter was Warren Kirkpatrick, a 6’8”, 320-pound mountain of an offensive tackle who chose Penn State over Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma. He’s from Greenbelt, Maryland, just outside Washington, and after he signed his letter, he grinned and asked me, “Coach, I have a good feeling I’m going to be blocking for Calvin Ferguson.” Kirkpatrick and Ferguson attended our camp together, and the two of them became friends there. Since they, they've been talking on their cell phones once a week or so. Had the two of them discussed playing together at Penn State? I didn’t dare ask Warren, but the way he smiled… The next day, Calvin Ferguson announced there would be a press conference at Cardinal Gibbons, where he would announce his college choice. There were six schools still in the running: Florida State, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, and Texas. Had Calvin been honest with me when he told me we were first on his list? Did Warren Kirkpatrick already know that he and Calvin were going to be college teammates? All we could do was hope, and wait. Calvin’s press conference took place in the Cardinal Gibbons school library. His parents—a police lieutenant and a social worker—were there, as were his two younger sisters, his football coaches, and a host of his teammates and friends. On the table in front of him were six baseball caps, each bearing the insignia of one of the schools he was considering. Calvin looked classy; he had on a suit and tie, and he smiled as the he stepped to the microphone and looked into the television cameras that were pointed his way. “I’m pleased to announce that I will be atending school and playing football for…” Calvin paused, and reached across the table. He selected a cap and placed it on his head. “…The Pennsylvania State University.” Calvin grinned broadly, and the room exploded in cheers. Those cheers echoed in all sorts of places where Penn Staters were watching, from dormitory rooms in State College to offices where alumni worked all over the United States. “My decision wasn’t easy, because I was recruited by a lot of outstanding programs,” Ferguson commented later. “The biggest factor in my decision was Coach Rogers. I felt comfortable with him right away, and so did my mom and dad.” Coach Paterno called me right away, as soon as he heard the news. “There you go, champ,” he said. “That had to feel good, hearing Calvin say that about you.” “You know exactly what it’s like, Coach,” I replied. “You heard that time and again for forty years.” For a week, Happy Valley more than lived up to its name. Then came two pieces of news that popped our bubble, big time. Stephen Jones and John McKinney announced they were leaving Penn State to enter the NFL draft. I suppose I’m not terribly surprised by their announcements. Both of them are extremely talented athletes, and both have heard from several NFL sources that they’ll be drafted very early on. In John’s case, the academic difficulties he encountered late last year could very well be a factor in his decision. We now have a quarterback who played in two games last year atop our depth chart, instead of a proven leader who was one of the most productive quarterbacks in the Big Ten last year. Bobby Burton is a solid player, and he has the maturity that comes from being a fifth-year senior. What we don't know is how he'll respond to being the starting quarterback. Behind him we have Joseph Collins, a sophomore, who should be very good in time. Not coincidentally, there are three quarterbacks among the five players who will be visiting Penn State this coming week. Jones’ departure means that George Harris will really have to step up, and with Rick Hale’s transfer, our linebacking corps has taken two big hits. A month ago, I would have said we were probably stronger at linebacker than anywhere else, and now it’s one of our biggest question marks. Right now I’m trying to remind myself that when players like Stephen and John are ready to move on to the NFL before they use all their eligibility, it’s a sign of the strength of our football program. It says that we’re recruiting good athletes, and that we’re developing them properly when they get here. At the same time, their decision deprives us of their leadership and their contributions on the field, and those things can’t be replaced overnight. In three years, I could be saying the very same things about Calvin Ferguson, or about any of the other outstanding players we’re bringing in this year. I don’t think it will be any easier to take then, either.

[Big Six]

[b]Offseason Week 17, 2006[/b] My first recruiting season has ended, and I’m very pleased with the players we’re bringing in for next year. We brought in three five-star recruits, the same number as Ohio State and Michigan, and after looking over the commitment lists, I’d say Michigan is the only Big Ten school whose recruiting class should rate higher than ours. I’m especially pleased with the offensive linemen we were able to sign. We’re bringing in four very talented players, three of whom are four-star recruits. Two of them, Todd Main and Fred Felton, are junior college players who will be able to come in and compete for jobs right away. Felton is a good friend of Charles Brown, and after Charles signed with us, he persuaded Fred to come along with him. We had almost given up on Jason Cruz, a wide receiver from Virginia who looked like he was on his way to Michigan. We were under the impression he had Georgia and Virginia Tech ahead of us on his list, too—and then we got a call from him telling us he was on his way to Penn State. We were thrilled to hear that, because we think he’ll be one of the best receivers in the country before he’s through. Jason runs a 4.48 forty, and he’s a 3.8 student with a 1380 SAT score, too. All in all, he’s a coach’s dream. We’re also high on Man Ward, a fullback from North Carolina who looks like he has the whole package. He can block and catch the ball, and we think he’ll develop into a real running threat, too. Here’s some information on each of the 17 players who make up Penn State’s recruiting class for 2006. Hopefully, a few of them will one day be ranked among the greatest players ever to put on the blue and white. [code] [b]Players committed to Penn State RNK Pos Name HT WT School REG POS Type of player C/P[/b] 3 RB Calvin Ferguson ***** 6-0 193 Cardinal Gibbons (MD) 1 2 Third down back 10/20 47 OG(A) Anthony Lloyd **** 6-8 270 Woodland Regional (CT) 12 3 Power 4/18 50 FS(A) *Charles Brown ***** 6-1 177 Morrisville State (PA) 13 3 Cover safety 13/15 63 DE Jerry Martin ***** 6-5 286 Pennridge (PA) 16 4 Balanced 6/17 95 OT Warren Kirkpatrick **** 6-8 321 Eleanor Roosevelt (MD) 20 7 Power 3/17 270 OT *Todd Main **** 6-0 304 St. John's College (PA) 53 19 Power 11/14 276 OT *Fred Felton *** 6-5 327 Morrisville State (PA) 54 20 Power 11/13 303 WR Jason Cruz **** 6-2 168 Park View (VA) 58 34 Possession WR 5/12 450 WR David Mills *** 6-4 180 Springfield Science & Tech (MA) 76 66 Speed WR 6/11 476 QB David Thompson *** 6-4 185 Deptford Township (NJ) 79 37 Drop back passer 2/11 526 FB Man Ward *** 6-2 225 South Stokes (NC) 91 12 Rushing FB 5/13 582 OLB Travis Moore *** 5-11 227 Pittston Area (PA) 97 44 Blitzing LB 5/11 651 DT Anthony Bacon *** 6-7 281 Brighton (CO) 134 41 Run stopper 3/11 871 TE(A) William Tolbert *** 6-4 235 Ragsdale (NC) 152 45 Blocking TE 4/12 1198 WR(A) Phil Vanderpool ** 6-5 186 Penn Trafford (PA) 218 143 Speed WR 3 /8 1907 ILB Stan Rodriquez * 6-0 214 Butler (PA) 339 113 Balanced 2 /6 2468 DT Gabriel Sanders * 6-8 263 Butler (PA) 449 102 Run stopper 1 /4 Ferguson: 1813 yds. rushing, 18 TD; 22 rec, 352 yds. Brown: 60 tackles, 7 sacks, 19 passes defensed; 45-824-2 as receiver. Martin: 81 tackles, 20 sacks, 2 INT, 2 TD Cruz: 54 receptions, 821 yds, 11 TD; 16.8 avg. as punt returner w/2 TD Mills: 49 receptions, 785 yds, 10 TD; 314 yds. rushing Thompson: 60.8% completion percentage, 3357 yds, 28 TD; 3.9 rushing average Ward: 481 yds, rushing, 4 TD; 18-263 as receiver; 91 tackles, 8 sacks Moore: 90 tackles, 6 sacks, 5 TFL, 6 passes defensed Bacon: 45 tackles, 7 sacks, 12 TFL, 4 forced fumbles Tolbert: 25 receptions, 385 yds, 3 TD; 45 tackles, 10 sacks, 6 TFL Vanderpool: 41 receptions, 720 yds, 4 TD; 20.8 avg. as punt returner w/3 TD Rodriquez: 51 tackles, 6 sacks, 3 TFL Sanders: 26 tackles, 7 sacks, 8 TFL, 1 interception [/code]

[Big Six]

[b]Training Camp Week 6, 2006[/b] Here is a unit-by-unit look at our 2006 team, beginning with our offense. [code] [b]Quarterbacks # POS NAME HT WT YR CUR POT[/b] 20 QB Bobby Burton 6-1 209 (Sr) 7 7 18 QB Joseph Collins (S) 6-1 211 (So) 7 11 12 QB Robert Dillard 6-1 204 Sr 5 6 2 QB Samuel Neff 6-1 191 (Fr) 5 9 4 QB John Thomas 6-2 211 (So) 4 6 6 QB David Thompson 6-4 190 (Fr) 6 11 [/code] Collins won the starting spot over Butler in one of the preseason’s most heated position battles. Joe is younger and has more upside than Bobby, and he’s a better passer. Bobby is more mobile, and has the maturity to accept his role as a backup once again. We won’t hesitate to play Butler if Collins struggles. Dillard, Neff, and Thomas all like to tuck the ball away and run, and could be useful if we want to change things up a little. Thompson will redshirt this season. [code] [b]Running Backs # POS NAME HT WT YR CUR POT[/b] 41 RB George Drummond 5-9 184 (Sr) 4 5 32 RB Calvin Ferguson (S) 6-0 195 Fr 12 20 35 RB Jerry Freeman 5-11 182 (Fr) 9 14 30 RB Miguel Gregory 5-11 191 (So) 12 17 31 RB Raymundo Parker 5-9 204 Sr 8 10 42 FB Daniel Delgado (S) 5-11 214 Sr 9 11 45 FB Franklin Ballard 6-0 228 (Jr) 7 10 40 FB Todd Price 5-11 209 Sr 3 4 33 FB Man Ward 6-2 232 Fr 8 13 [/code] We’ll match Gregory and Ferguson against any pair of backs in the Big Ten. Gregory fell nine yards short of a 1000-yard season in 2005, despite injuries that nagged him all year long. Ferguson’s blazing speed gives us a dimension we lacked this season. Both have good hands and can be assets in the passing game, too. We think Freeman has the potential to be a very good running back, and he’s a good return man, too. Parker filled in capably when Gregory was hurt last season. Drummond is an asset to all our special teams units. Delgado returns as our starting fullback; he’s a punishing lead blocker and a good pass receiver. We’re very high on Ward, who impressed us with his progress this fall and will see lots of playing time this year. Price is an outstanding special teams player. Ballard will redshirt. [code] [b]Receivers # POS NAME HT WT YR CUR POT[/b] 88 WR Theodore Dick 6-0 172 So 7 14 84 WR Jerry Hubbard (S) 5-8 194 Jr 9 13 89 WR David Mills 6-4 184 (Fr) 6 12 80 WR Randy Culpepper (S) 6-1 186 Sr 14 18 81 WR James Pollack 6-5 186 Sr 3 6 22 WR Phil Vanderpool 6-5 192 Fr 3 7 86 WR Jason Cruz 6-2 173 Fr 7 12 85 TE Brian Hagen 6-3 240 (Sr) 5 6 83 TE Modesto Stark (S) 6-2 224 (So) 8 13 87 TE William Tolbert 6-4 243 (Fr) 7 12 82 TE James Virgil 6-3 240 Sr 8 10 [/code] Culpepper is a candidate for All-Big Ten honors. He has terrific hands and excellent speed, and will be Collins’ favorite target. Hubbard will get the chance to start this season, after a productive season as our third receiver last year. Dick and true freshman Cruz will back them up. We’re pleasantly surprised with Vanderpool, who wasn’t rated highly as a recruit but has been very good in practice. Pollack excels on our coverage teams. At tight end, we return Stark and Virgil, who will both see lots of playing time. Virgil and Hagen are also special teams warriors; Virgil is our gunner on both kickoffs and punts. Tolbert and Mills are both very talented and will have a season to develop as redshirts. [code] [b]Offensive Linemen # POS NAME HT WT YR CUR POT[/b] 75 OT Warren Kirkpatrick 6-8 329 Fr 9 16 69 OT Todd Main (S) 6-0 305 Jr 12 14 70 OT Tom Montoya 6-7 294 (Jr) 7 9 67 OT Leland Olson 6-4 300 (So) 8 13 65 OT Fred Felton (S) 6-5 328 Jr 10 12 78 OT Lawrence Griffin 6-3 303 (Fr) 5 10 71 OG Anthony Lloyd (S) 6-8 280 Fr 10 18 64 OG Ryan Lopez 6-4 287 (Fr) 4 8 74 OG Steve McKinley 6-3 292 (Sr) 2 4 62 OG Chris Sandoval (S) 6-4 310 Jr 11 16 66 OG Chris Silverman 6-5 309 (Jr) 10 13 61 OG Mark Brady 6-3 304 (Jr) 3 6 51 C Clark Hill 6-2 279 Sr 6 9 77 C Pat O'Flannery 6-1 283 Jr 1 3 52 C Wesley Herring (S) 6-2 304 Jr 10 14 [/code] Our O-line will feature four new starters. Juco tackles Main and Felton are both outstanding additions. Main plays the left side, and is a particularly skillful pass blocker. Felton is a mauler with impressive strength. Sandoval, the left guard, is the only returning starter. He is our strongest offensive lineman and is a dominant run blocker. Lloyd will start at right guard as a true freshman; he has tremendous upside and should be an All-American candidate before he leaves State College. Silverman, who started at RG last year, can play either guard or tackle, and allows us to substitute freely without missing a beat. Center Herring battled through injuries last year; now he’s healthy and ready to go. Wes excels in pass protection and has the strength to take on big, powerful tackles when we run the ball. Kirkpatrick will play a lot as a true freshman, backing up both Main and Felton. He and Olson will be ready to step into the starting lineup when the two junior tackles graduate, and Montoya started the last three games of the 2005 season after Albert Randle got hurt. Lopez, Hill, Griffin, Huntley and Brady provide depth and help prepare our defense by working on the scout team. Griffin’s aggressiveness makes him an outstanding special teams player. O’Flannery is a fine long snapper. [b]Offensive Outlook[/b] Despite the loss of quarterback John McKinney, who passed up his final year of eligibility for the NFL, we expect our offense to be more productive than it was last year. While Collins is not the passer McKinney was, opposing defenses will have to account for our running game first, and that should open up opportunities for us to gain yards through the air. One of our biggest challenges will be finding enough carries for Gregory and Ferguson. Miguel is used to being a feature back, and we sure didn't sign Calvin, the best high school RB in the country, to sit on the bench. Ideally, both players will understand that splitting the carries will allow both of them to remain fresh. The signings of Main and Felton were absolutely huge, as they give us two studs who are ready to step in as starters from Day One. Sure, we'll have them for only two years at most, but that gives us time to develop our young linemen and get them ready for Big Ten play. Our new offensive coordinator, George Dickson, has earned the respect of the entire college football world for his ability to design gameplans that work. Between us, I'm confident that we'll be able to create an offense that will put our players in situations where they will excel.

[Big Six]

Now, meet the members of the 2006 Penn State defense, and our kicking and punting specialists. [code] [b]Defensive Linemen # POS NAME HT WT YR CUR POT[/b] 93 DE Agustin George 6-5 292 So 8 13 90 DE Jerry Martin (S) 6-5 293 Fr 9 16 98 DE Lee Elrod 6-5 270 (So) 7 11 92 DE Frank Golden 6-4 277 (Jr) 7 9 97 DE Milton Cole (S) 6-6 289 (Sr) 15 15 91 DT John Bell (S) 6-3 305 (Fr) 9 15 96 DT Jerry Magee (S) 6-2 302 (Jr) 10 14 99 DT Gabriel Sanders 6-8 271 (Fr) 1 5 94 DT John James 6-3 288 (So) 8 14 95 DT Anthony Bacon 6-7 290 (Fr) 6 10 [/code] Cole, a team captain, is back for his senior year with a second team All-Big Ten award to his credit. He is a ferocious pass rusher and a terror against the run. Martin and George will both see lots of action at the other end spot. Martin’s incredible athleticism will enable him to make big plays right away, and as he adjusts to the college game, he’ll become a star. George runs like a linebacker and is developing a fine repertoire of pass rush moves. Magee and Bell are both solid run stoppers who tie up blockers, freeing the LBs to make tackles. They’re both strong pass rushers, too. James started three games last year and played well, and we think he’ll eventually be a top-flight tackle. Golden, and Elrod are good enough to start for many teams and regularly give the offense all they can handle in practice. Sanders and Bacon will redshirt this fall. [code] [b]Linebackers # POS NAME HT WT YR CUR POT[/b] 53 ILB William Gross (S) 6-2 239 (Jr) 12 16 43 ILB Stan Rodriquez 6-0 221 (Fr) 2 6 49 ILB Andrew Stone 6-2 245 (So) 8 14 57 ILB Gary Jensen 5-9 219 (So) 2 4 46 OLB Billy Davis 6-0 234 (Fr) 2 6 59 OLB George Harris (S) 5-11 233 (So) 7 12 58 OLB Travis Moore 5-11 233 Fr 7 11 50 OLB John Becker (S) 6-1 229 (Jr) 13 16 47 OLB Dustin Wood 5-11 231 (Fr) 5 10 [/code] Becker, who started seven games in 2005, does everything a coach could ask of a linebacker and does it well. He will be among the Big Ten’s best LBs this season. Gross, who starts on the strong side, has the speed to drop back in coverage and the strength to play the run effectively. Harris is poised to take a big step forward as a sophomore after receiving lots of playing time last year. We’re excited about Stone’s potential to develop into a star, and Moore, who has risen to second team status as a true freshman, is coming on strong. Wood, Jensen, and Davis will see action on special teams while they develop their skills. We’ll redshirt Rodriquez this season. [code] [b]Defensive Backs # POS NAME HT WT YR CUR POT[/b] 37 CB Daniel Jackson (S) 5-11 177 Jr 9 14 24 CB Robert Jackson 5-9 184 (Fr) 3 7 25 CB Ramon Harris 5-9 168 (So) 1 6 26 CB Francis Taylor (S) 6-3 203 (Sr) 13 14 39 CB Roy Thompson 6-0 190 So 9 14 27 CB Alphonso Collins 5-11 189 Sr 7 9 48 FS Gabriel Kidd 6-0 196 (So) 5 9 44 FS Eugene Nichols 5-11 185 So 5 11 38 FS Charles Brown (S) 6-1 178 Jr 13 14 23 SS Lawrence Hill (S) 6-0 196 Sr 9 13 29 SS Benjamin Hill 6-0 180 So 3 7 21 SS Richard Phillips 5-10 174 (So) 8 11 [/code] Taylor, a 2005 first team All-Big Ten corner, returns to lead the secondary. He’s big, fast, and aggressive enough to shut down the conference’s top wideouts. His partner, Daniel Jackson, worked hard during the offseason and is poised for a big year. Brown has done nothing but impress since he arrived. Lawrence Hill made third team All-Big Ten on the strength of his big play abilities and his strength against the run. If Thompson can shore up his academics and stay eligible, he’ll be the nickel back; if not, Phillips or Collins will fill in there. Collins started five games at CB in 2005. Robert Jackson, Harris, Kidd, and Benjamin Hill are our depth guys, and they’ll be battling for spots on our special teams units. Nichols is an electrifying kickoff returner, while Phillips is equally dangerous returning punts. Brown was a fine return man in junior college, too. [code] [b]Special teams # POS NAME HT WT YR CUR POT[/b] 07 K Don Brady 6-4 203 So 7 8 19 K Stephan Phillips (S) 6-0 177 (Sr) 14 14 14 P John Stafford 6-0 178 Jr 6 8 05 P Philip Redd (S) 6-1 185 (Jr) 17 18 [/code] Both Redd and Phillips are on the watch lists for national awards, while Stafford and Brady are competent backups. Phillips is money on any kick of less than 40 yards, and he's improved his range and his ability to kick off deep. Redd can hit the long ball and pin opposing teams deep in their own end with regularity. [b]Defensive Outlook[/b] Although we did a good job of keeping other teams from scoring, they moved the ball against us far too easily. I can't see that happening this year. We lost Stephen Jones and Steve Perry from last year's team, but the arrival of Brown and the continued development of the young linebackers should allow us to pick up the slack. Only two seniors--Cole and Taylor--start on defense, so this unit should only continue to get better. Cole has been mentioned as a preseason All-American and an Outland Trophy candidate, and the leadership he provides for our defense is invaluable. He took Jerry Martin under his wing from the beginning, and the bond they formed on Martin's campus visit was a big reason why Jerry chose Penn State. Coordinator David Tanner has inspired the defense to stand and deliver this season. They're a proud group, and they're determined to, in Francis Taylor's words, "win some games for Penn State this year, instead of making the offense outscore teams every week." Philip Redd is a key component of our defense, as his punts will continually force teams to play on a long field. On the whole, I can't imagine teams will look forward to playing against our defense this year. There will be some guys who wake up sore on Sunday mornings after they play us.

[Big Six]

Now, meet the members of the 2006 Penn State defense, and our kicking and punting specialists. [code] [b]Defensive Linemen # POS NAME HT WT YR CUR POT[/b] 93 DE Agustin George 6-5 292 So 8 13 90 DE Jerry Martin (S) 6-5 293 Fr 9 16 98 DE Lee Elrod 6-5 270 (So) 7 11 92 DE Frank Golden 6-4 277 (Jr) 7 9 97 DE Milton Cole (S) 6-6 289 (Sr) 15 15 91 DT John Bell (S) 6-3 305 (Fr) 9 15 96 DT Jerry Magee (S) 6-2 302 (Jr) 10 14 99 DT Gabriel Sanders 6-8 271 (Fr) 1 5 94 DT John James 6-3 288 (So) 8 14 95 DT Anthony Bacon 6-7 290 (Fr) 6 10 [/code] Cole, a team captain, is back for his senior year with a second team All-Big Ten award to his credit. He is a ferocious pass rusher and a terror against the run. Martin and George will both see lots of action at the other end spot. Martin’s incredible athleticism will enable him to make big plays right away, and as he adjusts to the college game, he’ll become a star. George runs like a linebacker and is developing a fine repertoire of pass rush moves. Magee and Bell are both solid run stoppers who tie up blockers, freeing the LBs to make tackles. They’re both strong pass rushers, too. James started three games last year and played well, and we think he’ll eventually be a top-flight tackle. Golden, and Elrod are good enough to start for many teams and regularly give the offense all they can handle in practice. Sanders and Bacon will redshirt this fall. [code] [b]Linebackers # POS NAME HT WT YR CUR POT[/b] 53 ILB William Gross (S) 6-2 239 (Jr) 12 16 43 ILB Stan Rodriquez 6-0 221 (Fr) 2 6 49 ILB Andrew Stone 6-2 245 (So) 8 14 57 ILB Gary Jensen 5-9 219 (So) 2 4 46 OLB Billy Davis 6-0 234 (Fr) 2 6 59 OLB George Harris (S) 5-11 233 (So) 7 12 58 OLB Travis Moore 5-11 233 Fr 7 11 50 OLB John Becker (S) 6-1 229 (Jr) 13 16 47 OLB Dustin Wood 5-11 231 (Fr) 5 10 [/code] Becker, who started seven games in 2005, does everything a coach could ask of a linebacker and does it well. He will be among the Big Ten’s best LBs this season. Gross, who starts on the strong side, has the speed to drop back in coverage and the strength to play the run effectively. Harris is poised to take a big step forward as a sophomore after receiving lots of playing time last year. We’re excited about Stone’s potential to develop into a star, and Moore, who has risen to second team status as a true freshman, is coming on strong. Wood, Jensen, and Davis will see action on special teams while they develop their skills. We’ll redshirt Rodriquez this season. [code] [b]Defensive Backs # POS NAME HT WT YR CUR POT[/b] 37 CB Daniel Jackson (S) 5-11 177 Jr 9 14 24 CB Robert Jackson 5-9 184 (Fr) 3 7 25 CB Ramon Harris 5-9 168 (So) 1 6 26 CB Francis Taylor (S) 6-3 203 (Sr) 13 14 39 CB Roy Thompson 6-0 190 So 9 14 27 CB Alphonso Collins 5-11 189 Sr 7 9 48 FS Gabriel Kidd 6-0 196 (So) 5 9 44 FS Eugene Nichols 5-11 185 So 5 11 38 FS Charles Brown (S) 6-1 178 Jr 13 14 23 SS Lawrence Hill (S) 6-0 196 Sr 9 13 29 SS Benjamin Hill 6-0 180 So 3 7 21 SS Richard Phillips 5-10 174 (So) 8 11 [/code] Taylor, a 2005 first team All-Big Ten corner, returns to lead the secondary. He’s big, fast, and aggressive enough to shut down the conference’s top wideouts. His partner, Daniel Jackson, worked hard during the offseason and is poised for a big year. Brown has done nothing but impress since he arrived. Lawrence Hill made third team All-Big Ten on the strength of his big play abilities and his strength against the run. If Thompson can shore up his academics and stay eligible, he’ll be the nickel back; if not, Phillips or Collins will fill in there. Collins started five games at CB in 2005. Robert Jackson, Harris, Kidd, and Benjamin Hill are our depth guys, and they’ll be battling for spots on our special teams units. Nichols is an electrifying kickoff returner, while Phillips is equally dangerous returning punts. Brown was a fine return man in junior college, too. [code] [b]Special teams # POS NAME HT WT YR CUR POT[/b] 07 K Don Brady 6-4 203 So 7 8 19 K Stephan Phillips (S) 6-0 177 (Sr) 14 14 14 P John Stafford 6-0 178 Jr 6 8 05 P Philip Redd (S) 6-1 185 (Jr) 17 18 [/code] Both Redd and Phillips are on the watch lists for national awards, while Stafford and Brady are competent backups. Phillips is money on any kick of less than 40 yards, and he's improved his range and his ability to kick off deep. Redd can hit the long ball and pin opposing teams deep in their own end with regularity. [b]Defensive Outlook[/b] Although we did a good job of keeping other teams from scoring, they moved the ball against us far too easily. I can't see that happening this year. We lost Stephen Jones and Steve Perry from last year's team, but the arrival of Brown and the continued development of the young linebackers should allow us to pick up the slack. Only two seniors--Cole and Taylor--start on defense, so this unit should only continue to get better. Cole has been mentioned as a preseason All-American and an Outland Trophy candidate, and the leadership he provides for our defense is invaluable. He took Jerry Martin under his wing from the beginning, and the bond they formed on Martin's campus visit was a big reason why Jerry chose Penn State. Coordinator David Tanner has inspired the defense to stand and deliver this season. They're a proud group, and they're determined to, in Francis Taylor's words, "win some games for Penn State this year, instead of making the offense outscore teams every week." Philip Redd is a key component of our defense, as his punts will continually force teams to play on a long field. On the whole, I can't imagine teams will look forward to playing against our defense this year. There will be some guys who wake up sore on Sunday mornings after they play us.

[Big Six]

[b]Week 1, 2006 #13 Penn State 29, South Florida 20[/b] [code] [b]1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q Penn State 3 10 6 10 29 South Florida 7 7 6 0 20 First Quarter[/b] USF TD 11:45 7-0 73 YD Int Return by Wayne Randall (Keith Townsend Kick). PNST FG 07:00 7-3 Stephan Phillips 35 YD [b]Second Quarter[/b] PNST FG 07:08 7-6 Stephan Phillips 22 YD PNST TD 04:27 13-7 Miguel Gregory 31 YD Run (Stephan Phillips Kick). USF TD 00:19 14-13 Mark Pierce 1 YD Pass from Amos Hill (Keith Townsend Kick). [b]Third Quarter[/b] PNST FG 13:03 16-14 Stephan Phillips 34 YD USF TD 10:54 20-16 William Bennett 70 YD Pass from Samuel Olson (2 Pts Failed) PNST FG 01:15 20-19 Stephan Phillips 37 YD [b]Fourth Quarter[/b] PNST FG 08:32 22-20 Stephan Phillips 32 YD PNST TD 01:34 29-20 35 YD Fumble Return by John Bell (Stephan Phillips Kick). [b]Penn State Individual Statistics: Passing:[/b] Joe Collins 7-16, 62 yds, 0 TD, 2 INT; Bobby Burton 7-12, 42 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT. [b]Rushing:[/b] Miguel Gregory 14-131, Calvin Ferguson 22-121, Randy Culpepper 2-12. [b]Receiving:[/b] Randy Culpepper 6-57, Theodore Dick 4-25, Calvin Ferguson 2-11, Jerry Hubbard 2-7, Modesto Stark 1-3. [b]Key Run Blocks:[/b] Fred Felton 2, Chris Silverman 1, Todd Main 1. [b]Pancakes:[/b] Fred Felton 1, Todd Main 1. [b]Kicking:[/b] Stephan Phillips 5-5 FG, 2-2 XP. [b]Punting:[/b] Philip Redd 3-48.7. [b]Kick Returns:[/b] Eugene Nichols 2-18.0. [b]Punt Returns:[/b] Phil Vanderpool 1-8. [b]Sacks:[/b] Augustin George 2. [b]Interceptions:[/b] William Gross 1-0, Francis Taylor 1-0. [b]Tackles:[/b] Charles Brown 8, William Gross 8, John Becker 7, Milton Cole 4, Francis Taylor 4, Daniel Jackson 4, Lawrence Hill 3, Augustin George 2, Roy Thompson 1, James Pollack 1, Brian Hagen 1, Jerry Magee 1, John James 1, George Harris 1. [b]Stuffs:[/b] None. [b]Hurries:[/b] John Becker 1, Milton Cole 1, Jerry Magee 1, John James 1. [b]Passes Defended:[/b] William Gross 1. [/code] It's never easy opening the season on the road, as we were reminded this week. We feel fortunate to come back from South Florida with a win, because it was a game that we could have lost very easily. We learned a lot about ourselves this week, both good and bad. We discovered that we could move the ball effectively on the ground, for one thing. Both Calvin Ferguson and Miguel Gregory gained over 100 yards, and both of them made some very nice plays. The offensive linemen meshed like they'd been playing together for years. We also discovered that we have a lot of work to do before our passing game is up to par. Joe Collins started and played the first half, and never really got it going. He missed a couple of open receivers, which got him out of his rhythm, and he threw an interception that was brought all the way back for a TD. That's a tough set of circumstances to face in your first collegiate start. We replaced him with Bobby Burton for the second half, and Burton wasn't much more productive. In order to beat Big Ten teams--or tough non-conference opponents like the Virginia Tech team we're playing next week--we have to demonstrate that we can move the ball in the air. Otherwise, teams will load up the box and dare us to run the ball at them. Stephan Phillips saved us five times when our drives stalled deep in USF territory. While we'd certainly like to score more touchdowns, having a kicker like Stephan reduces the pressure on our offense. We shouldn't be held scoreless on too many of our trips into the red zone this season. There was good and not-so-good news from the defensive side of the ball, too. Milton Cole played an excellent game, stacking up runners at the line and forcing USF to account for him on every play. We noticed that after the first quarter, they rarely ran a play to Cole's side. Jerry Martin injured his hip and left the game in the first quarter, and Gus George came in and sacked their QB twice. Becker and Gross were hitting anything that moved, and Charles Brown introduced himself to Division I football with a bang. USF's quarterback, Sam Olson, is a very good player--as good as most of the Big Ten QBs we'll face. He completed 16 of his 26 attempts against us for 261 yards. We got two picks against him, but on the whole we need to tighten up our pass defense a little bit. We got a huge special teams play late in the fourth quarter that sealed our victory. James Pollack laid a huge hit on their punt returner and knocked the ball loose. John Bell, a 305-pound defensive tackle, scooped it up and rumbled 35 yards for a touchdown. Apparently it was the first touchdown Bell has ever scored in a game at any level, so it was an even bigger thrill for him. It was also great to see Pollack, a senior who has played very little during his career, make a big play like that. We have quite a few players who will need to pay very close attention to their academics over the past few weeks--many more than we should have. They don't want to deal with me if they don't get those grades up. [b]Elsewhere in the Big Ten:[/b] N.C. State 45, Indiana 0 #7 Miami 34, Northwestern 21 #15 Minnesota 55, Baylor 24 #3 Ohio State 52, Louisville 28 #11 Wisconsin 45, Florida International 26

[Big Six]

[b]Week 1, 2006 #13 Penn State 29, South Florida 20[/b] [code] [b]1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q Penn State 3 10 6 10 29 South Florida 7 7 6 0 20 First Quarter[/b] USF TD 11:45 7-0 73 YD Int Return by Wayne Randall (Keith Townsend Kick). PNST FG 07:00 7-3 Stephan Phillips 35 YD [b]Second Quarter[/b] PNST FG 07:08 7-6 Stephan Phillips 22 YD PNST TD 04:27 13-7 Miguel Gregory 31 YD Run (Stephan Phillips Kick). USF TD 00:19 14-13 Mark Pierce 1 YD Pass from Amos Hill (Keith Townsend Kick). [b]Third Quarter[/b] PNST FG 13:03 16-14 Stephan Phillips 34 YD USF TD 10:54 20-16 William Bennett 70 YD Pass from Samuel Olson (2 Pts Failed) PNST FG 01:15 20-19 Stephan Phillips 37 YD [b]Fourth Quarter[/b] PNST FG 08:32 22-20 Stephan Phillips 32 YD PNST TD 01:34 29-20 35 YD Fumble Return by John Bell (Stephan Phillips Kick). [b]Penn State Individual Statistics: Passing:[/b] Joe Collins 7-16, 62 yds, 0 TD, 2 INT; Bobby Burton 7-12, 42 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT. [b]Rushing:[/b] Miguel Gregory 14-131, Calvin Ferguson 22-121, Randy Culpepper 2-12. [b]Receiving:[/b] Randy Culpepper 6-57, Theodore Dick 4-25, Calvin Ferguson 2-11, Jerry Hubbard 2-7, Modesto Stark 1-3. [b]Key Run Blocks:[/b] Fred Felton 2, Chris Silverman 1, Todd Main 1. [b]Pancakes:[/b] Fred Felton 1, Todd Main 1. [b]Kicking:[/b] Stephan Phillips 5-5 FG, 2-2 XP. [b]Punting:[/b] Philip Redd 3-48.7. [b]Kick Returns:[/b] Eugene Nichols 2-18.0. [b]Punt Returns:[/b] Phil Vanderpool 1-8. [b]Sacks:[/b] Augustin George 2. [b]Interceptions:[/b] William Gross 1-0, Francis Taylor 1-0. [b]Tackles:[/b] Charles Brown 8, William Gross 8, John Becker 7, Milton Cole 4, Francis Taylor 4, Daniel Jackson 4, Lawrence Hill 3, Augustin George 2, Roy Thompson 1, James Pollack 1, Brian Hagen 1, Jerry Magee 1, John James 1, George Harris 1. [b]Stuffs:[/b] None. [b]Hurries:[/b] John Becker 1, Milton Cole 1, Jerry Magee 1, John James 1. [b]Passes Defended:[/b] William Gross 1. [/code] It's never easy opening the season on the road, as we were reminded this week. We feel fortunate to come back from South Florida with a win, because it was a game that we could have lost very easily. We learned a lot about ourselves this week, both good and bad. We discovered that we could move the ball effectively on the ground, for one thing. Both Calvin Ferguson and Miguel Gregory gained over 100 yards, and both of them made some very nice plays. The offensive linemen meshed like they'd been playing together for years. We also discovered that we have a lot of work to do before our passing game is up to par. Joe Collins started and played the first half, and never really got it going. He missed a couple of open receivers, which got him out of his rhythm, and he threw an interception that was brought all the way back for a TD. That's a tough set of circumstances to face in your first collegiate start. We replaced him with Bobby Burton for the second half, and Burton wasn't much more productive. In order to beat Big Ten teams--or tough non-conference opponents like the Virginia Tech team we're playing next week--we have to demonstrate that we can move the ball in the air. Otherwise, teams will load up the box and dare us to run the ball at them. Stephan Phillips saved us five times when our drives stalled deep in USF territory. While we'd certainly like to score more touchdowns, having a kicker like Stephan reduces the pressure on our offense. We shouldn't be held scoreless on too many of our trips into the red zone this season. There was good and not-so-good news from the defensive side of the ball, too. Milton Cole played an excellent game, stacking up runners at the line and forcing USF to account for him on every play. We noticed that after the first quarter, they rarely ran a play to Cole's side. Jerry Martin injured his hip and left the game in the first quarter, and Gus George came in and sacked their QB twice. Becker and Gross were hitting anything that moved, and Charles Brown introduced himself to Division I football with a bang. USF's quarterback, Sam Olson, is a very good player--as good as most of the Big Ten QBs we'll face. He completed 16 of his 26 attempts against us for 261 yards. We got two picks against him, but on the whole we need to tighten up our pass defense a little bit. We got a huge special teams play late in the fourth quarter that sealed our victory. James Pollack laid a huge hit on their punt returner and knocked the ball loose. John Bell, a 305-pound defensive tackle, scooped it up and rumbled 35 yards for a touchdown. Apparently it was the first touchdown Bell has ever scored in a game at any level, so it was an even bigger thrill for him. It was also great to see Pollack, a senior who has played very little during his career, make a big play like that. We have quite a few players who will need to pay very close attention to their academics over the past few weeks--many more than we should have. They don't want to deal with me if they don't get those grades up. [b]Elsewhere in the Big Ten:[/b] N.C. State 45, Indiana 0 #7 Miami 34, Northwestern 21 #15 Minnesota 55, Baylor 24 #3 Ohio State 52, Louisville 28 #11 Wisconsin 45, Florida International 26

[Big Six]

(I accidentally simmed the Virginia Tech game instead of coaching/playing it, so I'll have to come up with a creative story to explain why the computer decided to give so much playing time to the Nittany Lions' 3rd team QB, while the second stringer rode the bench.) :) [b]Week 2, 2006 #13 Penn State 31, #23 Virginia Tech 10[/b] [code] [b]1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q Virginia Tech 0 0 10 0 10 Penn State 7 7 7 10 31 First Quarter[/b] PNST TD 04:09 7-0 Modesto Stark 37 YD Pass from Sam Neff (Stephan Phillips Kick). [b]Second Quarter[/b] PNST TD 08:29 14-0 Calvin Ferguson 3 YD Run (Stephan Phillips Kick). [b]Third Quarter[/b] PNST TD 12:12 21-0 Jerry Hubbard 27 YD Pass from Samuel Neff (Stephan Phillips Kick). VT FG 08:39 21-3 Michael Cummings 47 YD VT TD 01:39 21-10 Christopher Green 5 YD Run (Michael Cummings Kick). [b]Fourth Quarter[/b] PNST TD 05:12 28-10 Calvin Ferguson 1 YD Run (Stephan Phillips Kick). PNST FG 00:22 31-10 Stephan Phillips 25 YD [b]Penn State Individual Statistics: Passing:[/b] Sam Neff 24-33, 269 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT [b]Rushing:[/b] Calvin Ferguson 25-99, Miguel Gregory 6-21, Theodore Dick 1-11, Randy Culpepper 1-4, Man Ward 1-3, Sam Neff 2-0, Jerry Hubbard 1- -4 [b]Receiving:[/b] Jerry Hubbard 8-109, Modesto Stark 6-81, Randy Culpepper 6-42, Calvin Ferguson 1-21, Theodore Dick 2-9, Man Ward 1-7, James Virgil 1-0 [b]Key Run Blocks:[/b] Chris Sandoval 2, Todd Main 2. [b]Pancakes:[/b] Chris Sandoval 4, Wes Herring 1. [b]Kicking:[/b] Stephan Phillips 1-2 FG, 4-4 XP. [b]Punting:[/b] Philip Redd 5-45.4. [b]Kick Returns:[/b] Eugene Nichols 2-30.5 [b]Punt Returns:[/b] Alphonso Collins 5-16.6 [b]Sacks:[/b] Milton Cole 2, Jerry Magee 1, John Bell 1. [b]Interceptions:[/b] Francis Taylor 2-12. [b]Tackles:[/b] Milton Cole 7, Charles Brown 7, John Becker 6, Richard Phillips 5, William Gross 4, Travis Moore 3, Francis Taylor 2, Daniel Jackson 1, James Virgil 1, Jerry Magee 1, Roy Thompson 1, John Bell 1. [b]Stuffs:[/b] John Becker 3, Milton Cole 1, William Gross 1, Charles Brown 1, Richard Phillips 1. [b]Hurries:[/b] John Bell 1, William Gross 1, John Becker 1. [b]Passes Defended:[/b] Francis Taylor 2, Daniel Jackson 2, John Becker 1, Alphonso Collins 1. [/code] After our less-than-fantastic performance at South Florida last week, we were looking forward to a much better effort in our home opener. Our opponent was Virginia Tech, so we knew it wouldn't be easy. Despite a few problems with injuries and one off-the-field issue that affected our lineup this week, we treated the home crowd to a very entertaining, well-played college football game. We suspended Joe Collins for an incident that took place at a party at one of the fraternity houses on Thursday night. That's all we're saying about the situation, and Joe will be back in uniform this week against Tulane. Joe has never been in trouble before, so we believe this is an isolated incident, and that's that. We might well have started Bobby Burton at quarterback instead of Collins anyway, because Burton had a very good week in practice. On his first pass attempt of the game, Bobby was hit hard and had to leave the game. It was a doubly disappointing play, because his 48-yard completion to Randy Culpepper was nullified because of a holding penalty. With Collins not in pads, we called on our #3 quarterback, Sam Neff. He's a redshirt freshman from western Pennsylvania, a very good student and a very tough kid. On the first play from scrimmage of his Penn State career, he hit Culpepper for a first down, and you could see his whole demeanor change. Before our eyes, he transformed into a leader, and his teammates later commented on how he took charge of the huddle like a quarterback should. On our second possession, Neff hit Modesto Stark for a 37-yard TD, and when he pumped his fist the student section went wild. Meanwhile, our defense was playing as well as I've seen it play in two years. Milton Cole was all over the field; he blasted their quarterback, Dylan Scott, knocked the ball loose, and fell on it for a turnover that set up the TD pass to Modesto. Honestly, I felt a little sorry for Scott. He's a true freshman, making his first collegiate start in front of 107,000 hostile fans, and we were in his face all day long. We sacked him four times and hurried him three times, and Francis Taylor intercepted him twice. After the way Sam Olson carved us up last week, it was great to see our pass defense rise to the occasion. Scott completed only 10 of his 30 attempts. We shut down their running game even more completely, too--they had only 48 yards rushing, and we tackled them for losses seven times. That was without Jerry Martin, who suffered a concussion in practice this week and missed the game. We'll have him back next week, and we're looking forward to getting him back on the field. Remember when I mentioned that we were lucky to have two running backs as good as Miguel Gregory and Calvin Ferguson, especially if one of them got banged up? I hope I didn't jinx Miguel when I said that. Late in the second quarter, he took a shot to the ribs and came out of the game. We played it safe and let Calvin go the rest of the way, and he performed well against a tough, veteran VT defense. Miguel will probably be able to play next week, but we won't use him unless he's back to 100 percent. Our offensive line did a fantastic job of opening holes for our running backs, especially Chris Sandoval. Ferguson was named the Player of the Game with his two TDs, but he was very quick to acknowledge the play of the big guys in front of him. We awarded Sandoval a game ball in recognition of his great performance. The media was apparently very impressed with our performance against a ranked team, and bumped us up seven spots in their poll. It was quite a week for upsets involving teams in the Top Ten, which had something to do with our bounce in the rankings. LSU and Miami both lost, and Ohio State was shocked by Oregon State. The Buckeyes only dropped from #3 to #5, but LSU and Miami fell out of the Top Ten. The only bad news came from the academic front. Three players have been suspended until their grades improve: Daniel Delgado, Roy Thompson, and Phil Vanderpool. In Phil's case, it might be simply a matter of adjusting more successfully to the demands of college life. Danny and Roy don't have that excuse, especially Danny, who is a senior. This is Roy's second academic suspension, so let's just say I'm not too happy with him and let it go at that. On the other hand, many of our players are excelling in the classroom. Six of our seniors have GPAs of 3.5 or better, and Milton Cole is right behind them at 3.45. Among the other upperclassmen, Charles Brown is carrying a 3.92, and Pat O'Flannery, our long snapper, has a perfect 4.0. Nine of the players from our most recent recruiting class have 3.50 or better, too, so it looks like we've done a good job of bringing in some true student-athletes. George Harris has raised his GPA to a 2.34, with Lauren Hardwick's help. She and the other members of our academic support staff do a tremendous job of helping me maintain the dedication to academic excellence that Coach Paterno established here at Penn State. Tulane is coming to Happy Valley on Saturday, and there's a definite buzz around campus as the game approaches. Maybe it's the Top Ten ranking; I'm not sure. We hope there's another huge crowd at Beaver Stadium, and knowing our students and fans, we're expecting one. [b]Elsewhere in the Big Ten:[/b] #9 Texas 34, Iowa 20 Oregon State 20, #3 Ohio State 17 #11 Wisconsin 36, Kentucky 27 Pittsburgh 34, Michigan State 19 #1 Michigan 41, Duke 23 #15 Minnesota 35, Rutgers 21 #2 Georgia 38, Illinois 6 #12 Purdue 26, West Virginia 20 #16 Mississippi 24, Indiana 15 South Carolina 26, Northwestern 19

[Big Six]

(I accidentally simmed the Virginia Tech game instead of coaching/playing it, so I'll have to come up with a creative story to explain why the computer decided to give so much playing time to the Nittany Lions' 3rd team QB, while the second stringer rode the bench.) :) [b]Week 2, 2006 #13 Penn State 31, #23 Virginia Tech 10[/b] [code] [b]1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q Virginia Tech 0 0 10 0 10 Penn State 7 7 7 10 31 First Quarter[/b] PNST TD 04:09 7-0 Modesto Stark 37 YD Pass from Sam Neff (Stephan Phillips Kick). [b]Second Quarter[/b] PNST TD 08:29 14-0 Calvin Ferguson 3 YD Run (Stephan Phillips Kick). [b]Third Quarter[/b] PNST TD 12:12 21-0 Jerry Hubbard 27 YD Pass from Samuel Neff (Stephan Phillips Kick). VT FG 08:39 21-3 Michael Cummings 47 YD VT TD 01:39 21-10 Christopher Green 5 YD Run (Michael Cummings Kick). [b]Fourth Quarter[/b] PNST TD 05:12 28-10 Calvin Ferguson 1 YD Run (Stephan Phillips Kick). PNST FG 00:22 31-10 Stephan Phillips 25 YD [b]Penn State Individual Statistics: Passing:[/b] Sam Neff 24-33, 269 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT [b]Rushing:[/b] Calvin Ferguson 25-99, Miguel Gregory 6-21, Theodore Dick 1-11, Randy Culpepper 1-4, Man Ward 1-3, Sam Neff 2-0, Jerry Hubbard 1- -4 [b]Receiving:[/b] Jerry Hubbard 8-109, Modesto Stark 6-81, Randy Culpepper 6-42, Calvin Ferguson 1-21, Theodore Dick 2-9, Man Ward 1-7, James Virgil 1-0 [b]Key Run Blocks:[/b] Chris Sandoval 2, Todd Main 2. [b]Pancakes:[/b] Chris Sandoval 4, Wes Herring 1. [b]Kicking:[/b] Stephan Phillips 1-2 FG, 4-4 XP. [b]Punting:[/b] Philip Redd 5-45.4. [b]Kick Returns:[/b] Eugene Nichols 2-30.5 [b]Punt Returns:[/b] Alphonso Collins 5-16.6 [b]Sacks:[/b] Milton Cole 2, Jerry Magee 1, John Bell 1. [b]Interceptions:[/b] Francis Taylor 2-12. [b]Tackles:[/b] Milton Cole 7, Charles Brown 7, John Becker 6, Richard Phillips 5, William Gross 4, Travis Moore 3, Francis Taylor 2, Daniel Jackson 1, James Virgil 1, Jerry Magee 1, Roy Thompson 1, John Bell 1. [b]Stuffs:[/b] John Becker 3, Milton Cole 1, William Gross 1, Charles Brown 1, Richard Phillips 1. [b]Hurries:[/b] John Bell 1, William Gross 1, John Becker 1. [b]Passes Defended:[/b] Francis Taylor 2, Daniel Jackson 2, John Becker 1, Alphonso Collins 1. [/code] After our less-than-fantastic performance at South Florida last week, we were looking forward to a much better effort in our home opener. Our opponent was Virginia Tech, so we knew it wouldn't be easy. Despite a few problems with injuries and one off-the-field issue that affected our lineup this week, we treated the home crowd to a very entertaining, well-played college football game. We suspended Joe Collins for an incident that took place at a party at one of the fraternity houses on Thursday night. That's all we're saying about the situation, and Joe will be back in uniform this week against Tulane. Joe has never been in trouble before, so we believe this is an isolated incident, and that's that. We might well have started Bobby Burton at quarterback instead of Collins anyway, because Burton had a very good week in practice. On his first pass attempt of the game, Bobby was hit hard and had to leave the game. It was a doubly disappointing play, because his 48-yard completion to Randy Culpepper was nullified because of a holding penalty. With Collins not in pads, we called on our #3 quarterback, Sam Neff. He's a redshirt freshman from western Pennsylvania, a very good student and a very tough kid. On the first play from scrimmage of his Penn State career, he hit Culpepper for a first down, and you could see his whole demeanor change. Before our eyes, he transformed into a leader, and his teammates later commented on how he took charge of the huddle like a quarterback should. On our second possession, Neff hit Modesto Stark for a 37-yard TD, and when he pumped his fist the student section went wild. Meanwhile, our defense was playing as well as I've seen it play in two years. Milton Cole was all over the field; he blasted their quarterback, Dylan Scott, knocked the ball loose, and fell on it for a turnover that set up the TD pass to Modesto. Honestly, I felt a little sorry for Scott. He's a true freshman, making his first collegiate start in front of 107,000 hostile fans, and we were in his face all day long. We sacked him four times and hurried him three times, and Francis Taylor intercepted him twice. After the way Sam Olson carved us up last week, it was great to see our pass defense rise to the occasion. Scott completed only 10 of his 30 attempts. We shut down their running game even more completely, too--they had only 48 yards rushing, and we tackled them for losses seven times. That was without Jerry Martin, who suffered a concussion in practice this week and missed the game. We'll have him back next week, and we're looking forward to getting him back on the field. Remember when I mentioned that we were lucky to have two running backs as good as Miguel Gregory and Calvin Ferguson, especially if one of them got banged up? I hope I didn't jinx Miguel when I said that. Late in the second quarter, he took a shot to the ribs and came out of the game. We played it safe and let Calvin go the rest of the way, and he performed well against a tough, veteran VT defense. Miguel will probably be able to play next week, but we won't use him unless he's back to 100 percent. Our offensive line did a fantastic job of opening holes for our running backs, especially Chris Sandoval. Ferguson was named the Player of the Game with his two TDs, but he was very quick to acknowledge the play of the big guys in front of him. We awarded Sandoval a game ball in recognition of his great performance. The media was apparently very impressed with our performance against a ranked team, and bumped us up seven spots in their poll. It was quite a week for upsets involving teams in the Top Ten, which had something to do with our bounce in the rankings. LSU and Miami both lost, and Ohio State was shocked by Oregon State. The Buckeyes only dropped from #3 to #5, but LSU and Miami fell out of the Top Ten. The only bad news came from the academic front. Three players have been suspended until their grades improve: Daniel Delgado, Roy Thompson, and Phil Vanderpool. In Phil's case, it might be simply a matter of adjusting more successfully to the demands of college life. Danny and Roy don't have that excuse, especially Danny, who is a senior. This is Roy's second academic suspension, so let's just say I'm not too happy with him and let it go at that. On the other hand, many of our players are excelling in the classroom. Six of our seniors have GPAs of 3.5 or better, and Milton Cole is right behind them at 3.45. Among the other upperclassmen, Charles Brown is carrying a 3.92, and Pat O'Flannery, our long snapper, has a perfect 4.0. Nine of the players from our most recent recruiting class have 3.50 or better, too, so it looks like we've done a good job of bringing in some true student-athletes. George Harris has raised his GPA to a 2.34, with Lauren Hardwick's help. She and the other members of our academic support staff do a tremendous job of helping me maintain the dedication to academic excellence that Coach Paterno established here at Penn State. Tulane is coming to Happy Valley on Saturday, and there's a definite buzz around campus as the game approaches. Maybe it's the Top Ten ranking; I'm not sure. We hope there's another huge crowd at Beaver Stadium, and knowing our students and fans, we're expecting one. [b]Elsewhere in the Big Ten:[/b] #9 Texas 34, Iowa 20 Oregon State 20, #3 Ohio State 17 #11 Wisconsin 36, Kentucky 27 Pittsburgh 34, Michigan State 19 #1 Michigan 41, Duke 23 #15 Minnesota 35, Rutgers 21 #2 Georgia 38, Illinois 6 #12 Purdue 26, West Virginia 20 #16 Mississippi 24, Indiana 15 South Carolina 26, Northwestern 19

[Big Six]

[b]Week 3, 2006 #6 Penn State 31, Tulane 12[/b] [code] [b]Tulane 0 3 6 3 12 Penn State 9 9 7 6 31 First Quarter[/b] PNST TD 12:31 7-0 82 YD Punt Return by Alphonso Collins (Stephan Phillips Kick). PNST SAF 06:49 9-0 John Becker sacked Lawrence Sanchez in the end zone for a safety. [b]Second Quarter[/b] PNST TD 06:28 15-0 Modesto Stark 24 YD Pass from Joseph Collins (Stephan Phillips Kick Failed). TUL FG 02:04 15-3 Guy Medina 29 YD PNST FG 00:00 18-3 Stephan Phillips 41 YD [b]Third Quarter[/b] PNST TD 12:11 25-3 Miguel Gregory 17 YD Pass from Sam Neff (Stephan Phillips Kick). TUL TD 06:00 25-9 Henry Larson 2 YD Pass from Lawrence Sanchez (2 Pts Failed) [b]Fourth Quarter[/b] PNST FG 14:38 28-9 Stephan Phillips 23 YD TUL FG 11:55 28-12 Guy Medina 35 YD PNST FG 03:59 31-12 Stephan Phillips 30 YD [b]Penn State Individual Statistics: Passing:[/b] Sam Neff 11-13, 117 yds, 1 TD; Joe Collins 7-16, 69 yds, 1 TD; Bobby Burton 2-5, 16 yds, 1 INT [b]Rushing:[/b] Calvin Ferguson 25-97, Man Ward 4-24, Miguel Gregory 6-21, Jerry Freeman 3-11, Randy Culpepper 1-5, Bobby Burton 1-1, Todd Price 1-0. [b]Receiving:[/b] Randy Culpepper 7-51, Jerry Hubbard 4-41, Miguel Gregory 2-29, Modesto Stark 2-26, Theodore Dick 2-20, Man Ward 1-15, Jason Cruz 1-14, Calvin Ferguson 1-6. [b]Key Run Blocks:[/b] Chris Silverman 1, Todd Main 1, Chris Sandoval 1, Anthony Lloyd 1. [b]Pancakes:[/b] Fred Felton 2, Chris Silverman 1, Todd Main 1, Wes Herring 1. [b]Kicking:[/b] Stephan Phillips 3-3 FG, 2-3 XP. [b]Punting:[/b] Philip Redd 5-47.2 [b]Kick Returns:[/b] Eugene Nichols 3-31.7 [b]Punt Returns:[/b] Alphonso Collins 2-42.0 [b]Sacks:[/b] John Becker 1, Milton Cole 1, Jerry Martin 1. [b]Interceptions:[/b] John Becker 1-(-1). [b]Tackles:[/b] Charles Brown 9, John Becker 8, William Gross 7, Francis Taylor 4, Leonard Hill 4, Daniel Jackson 3, John Bell 3, Milton Cole 2, Richard Phillips 2, Gabriel Kidd 2, Jerry Magee 2, Jerry Martin 1, George Harris 1, Dustin Wood 1. [b]Stuffs:[/b] John Becker 1, Daniel Jackson 1, Leonard Hill 1, Milton Cole 1. [b]Hurries:[/b] John Bell 2, Jerry Magee 2, Milton Cole 1, Dustin Wood 1. [b]Passes Defended:[/b] Daniel Jackson 1, Francis Taylor 1, Leonard Hill 1, Robert Jackson 1. [/code] Don't ever let anyone tell you that just because a team is undefeated, things are always easy or good. We're off to a 3-0 start, but there are still far too many unsettled questions surrounding this year's team--beginning with the identity of our starting quarterback. On the strength of his fine performance in the Virginia Tech game, we promoted Sam Neff to the first unit, and he started for us this week. Once again, he impressed us with his accuracy, especially on short patterns. Midway through the second quarter, with our offense moving the ball very well, Sam came up hobbling after a sack. We took him out of the game, and brought in Joe Collins. On his second play, Joe threw a screen pass to Modesto Stark, and Modesto took it 24 yards for a TD. That play was the high point of Joe's afternoon. He kept missing open receivers completely, or throwing passes they couldn't get their hands on--just like he had against South Florida. The trainers worked on Neff's ankle, wrapping it so he could return to the game to start the second half. On our first possession, he and Miguel Gregory hooked up for a nice catch-and-run play for a 17-yard touchdown. The next time Sam dropped back to pass, he was hit hard, got his bell rung, and couldn't return to the game. Collins and Bobby Burton finished the game, but neither one of them did a whole lot. The medical staff says Neff is questionable for our next game. He's suffering from vertigo as a result of the knock he took to the head. We'll have to see if he improves during the week. If he isn't better, we won't play him; if he can't go, I honestly don't know which quarterback I'll start. The temptation to take the redshirt off David Thompson is becoming very strong. Even if Neff is healthy, he hasn't yet demonstrated that he can make the throws on the longer patterns that really open up our passing game. As a result, the talents of guys like Randy Culpepper are being underutilized. Sometimes I really wish I had John McKinney back! I shouldn't be quite so negative; after all, we did win the game. It looked at first like a contest that would be dominated by big plays. Alphonso Collins scored our first TD on a punt return--he made a couple guys miss and took it 82 yards to the house. Later in the first quarter, a fantastic punt by Philip Redd backed the Green Wave up to its one-yard line. On first down, John Becker sacked their QB in the end zone for a safety. The excitement of the first quarter turned out to be the exception, rather than a rule. We're more talented than Tulane is, and we were able to move the ball fairly consistently, even without a quarterback making big plays. I was particularly pleased with Man Ward at fullback, who made some nice blocks and did some good work carrying the ball. With Miguel still not 100%, Calvin Ferguson got the bulk of the carries, and he showed more flashes of the brilliance that made him such a highly prized recruit. We also got Jerry Freeman into the game, and he looked pretty good too. Defensively, what a difference a year makes! We're ranked #1 in the Big Ten and #7 in the nation in total defense, allowing only 262 yards per game. We've done an outstanding job against the run, holding teams to 2.1 yards per carry. David Tanner, who last year was being crucified by the bloggers, is now being praised as a defensive mastermind. We've known how talented he is all along, and it's good to see him getting the credit he deserves for building our defense. This coming week, we open our Big Ten schedule at Minnesota. They're ranked #18, and they're coming off a tough 34-28 loss to Louisville. That gives them all the more reason to be particularly tough this week. [b]Elsewhere in the Big Ten:[/b] Maryland 26, Northwestern 21 Michigan State 40, Baylor 25 #1 Michigan 69, Houston 0 Louisville 34, #15 Minnesota 28 #5 Ohio State 17, Texas Christian 9 #12 Wisconsin 31, Akron 10 #10 Texas 20, Indiana 13 #14 Alabama 51, Illinois 10 #13 Purdue 43, Wake Forest 14

[Big Six]

[b]Week 3, 2006 #6 Penn State 31, Tulane 12[/b] [code] [b]Tulane 0 3 6 3 12 Penn State 9 9 7 6 31 First Quarter[/b] PNST TD 12:31 7-0 82 YD Punt Return by Alphonso Collins (Stephan Phillips Kick). PNST SAF 06:49 9-0 John Becker sacked Lawrence Sanchez in the end zone for a safety. [b]Second Quarter[/b] PNST TD 06:28 15-0 Modesto Stark 24 YD Pass from Joseph Collins (Stephan Phillips Kick Failed). TUL FG 02:04 15-3 Guy Medina 29 YD PNST FG 00:00 18-3 Stephan Phillips 41 YD [b]Third Quarter[/b] PNST TD 12:11 25-3 Miguel Gregory 17 YD Pass from Sam Neff (Stephan Phillips Kick). TUL TD 06:00 25-9 Henry Larson 2 YD Pass from Lawrence Sanchez (2 Pts Failed) [b]Fourth Quarter[/b] PNST FG 14:38 28-9 Stephan Phillips 23 YD TUL FG 11:55 28-12 Guy Medina 35 YD PNST FG 03:59 31-12 Stephan Phillips 30 YD [b]Penn State Individual Statistics: Passing:[/b] Sam Neff 11-13, 117 yds, 1 TD; Joe Collins 7-16, 69 yds, 1 TD; Bobby Burton 2-5, 16 yds, 1 INT [b]Rushing:[/b] Calvin Ferguson 25-97, Man Ward 4-24, Miguel Gregory 6-21, Jerry Freeman 3-11, Randy Culpepper 1-5, Bobby Burton 1-1, Todd Price 1-0. [b]Receiving:[/b] Randy Culpepper 7-51, Jerry Hubbard 4-41, Miguel Gregory 2-29, Modesto Stark 2-26, Theodore Dick 2-20, Man Ward 1-15, Jason Cruz 1-14, Calvin Ferguson 1-6. [b]Key Run Blocks:[/b] Chris Silverman 1, Todd Main 1, Chris Sandoval 1, Anthony Lloyd 1. [b]Pancakes:[/b] Fred Felton 2, Chris Silverman 1, Todd Main 1, Wes Herring 1. [b]Kicking:[/b] Stephan Phillips 3-3 FG, 2-3 XP. [b]Punting:[/b] Philip Redd 5-47.2 [b]Kick Returns:[/b] Eugene Nichols 3-31.7 [b]Punt Returns:[/b] Alphonso Collins 2-42.0 [b]Sacks:[/b] John Becker 1, Milton Cole 1, Jerry Martin 1. [b]Interceptions:[/b] John Becker 1-(-1). [b]Tackles:[/b] Charles Brown 9, John Becker 8, William Gross 7, Francis Taylor 4, Leonard Hill 4, Daniel Jackson 3, John Bell 3, Milton Cole 2, Richard Phillips 2, Gabriel Kidd 2, Jerry Magee 2, Jerry Martin 1, George Harris 1, Dustin Wood 1. [b]Stuffs:[/b] John Becker 1, Daniel Jackson 1, Leonard Hill 1, Milton Cole 1. [b]Hurries:[/b] John Bell 2, Jerry Magee 2, Milton Cole 1, Dustin Wood 1. [b]Passes Defended:[/b] Daniel Jackson 1, Francis Taylor 1, Leonard Hill 1, Robert Jackson 1. [/code] Don't ever let anyone tell you that just because a team is undefeated, things are always easy or good. We're off to a 3-0 start, but there are still far too many unsettled questions surrounding this year's team--beginning with the identity of our starting quarterback. On the strength of his fine performance in the Virginia Tech game, we promoted Sam Neff to the first unit, and he started for us this week. Once again, he impressed us with his accuracy, especially on short patterns. Midway through the second quarter, with our offense moving the ball very well, Sam came up hobbling after a sack. We took him out of the game, and brought in Joe Collins. On his second play, Joe threw a screen pass to Modesto Stark, and Modesto took it 24 yards for a TD. That play was the high point of Joe's afternoon. He kept missing open receivers completely, or throwing passes they couldn't get their hands on--just like he had against South Florida. The trainers worked on Neff's ankle, wrapping it so he could return to the game to start the second half. On our first possession, he and Miguel Gregory hooked up for a nice catch-and-run play for a 17-yard touchdown. The next time Sam dropped back to pass, he was hit hard, got his bell rung, and couldn't return to the game. Collins and Bobby Burton finished the game, but neither one of them did a whole lot. The medical staff says Neff is questionable for our next game. He's suffering from vertigo as a result of the knock he took to the head. We'll have to see if he improves during the week. If he isn't better, we won't play him; if he can't go, I honestly don't know which quarterback I'll start. The temptation to take the redshirt off David Thompson is becoming very strong. Even if Neff is healthy, he hasn't yet demonstrated that he can make the throws on the longer patterns that really open up our passing game. As a result, the talents of guys like Randy Culpepper are being underutilized. Sometimes I really wish I had John McKinney back! I shouldn't be quite so negative; after all, we did win the game. It looked at first like a contest that would be dominated by big plays. Alphonso Collins scored our first TD on a punt return--he made a couple guys miss and took it 82 yards to the house. Later in the first quarter, a fantastic punt by Philip Redd backed the Green Wave up to its one-yard line. On first down, John Becker sacked their QB in the end zone for a safety. The excitement of the first quarter turned out to be the exception, rather than a rule. We're more talented than Tulane is, and we were able to move the ball fairly consistently, even without a quarterback making big plays. I was particularly pleased with Man Ward at fullback, who made some nice blocks and did some good work carrying the ball. With Miguel still not 100%, Calvin Ferguson got the bulk of the carries, and he showed more flashes of the brilliance that made him such a highly prized recruit. We also got Jerry Freeman into the game, and he looked pretty good too. Defensively, what a difference a year makes! We're ranked #1 in the Big Ten and #7 in the nation in total defense, allowing only 262 yards per game. We've done an outstanding job against the run, holding teams to 2.1 yards per carry. David Tanner, who last year was being crucified by the bloggers, is now being praised as a defensive mastermind. We've known how talented he is all along, and it's good to see him getting the credit he deserves for building our defense. This coming week, we open our Big Ten schedule at Minnesota. They're ranked #18, and they're coming off a tough 34-28 loss to Louisville. That gives them all the more reason to be particularly tough this week. [b]Elsewhere in the Big Ten:[/b] Maryland 26, Northwestern 21 Michigan State 40, Baylor 25 #1 Michigan 69, Houston 0 Louisville 34, #15 Minnesota 28 #5 Ohio State 17, Texas Christian 9 #12 Wisconsin 31, Akron 10 #10 Texas 20, Indiana 13 #14 Alabama 51, Illinois 10 #13 Purdue 43, Wake Forest 14

[Big Six]

[b]Week 4, 2006 #6 Penn State 31, #15 Minnesota 7[/b] [code] [b]Penn State 7 0 0 24 31 Minnesota 7 0 0 0 7 First Quarter[/b] MINN TD 10:20 7-0 James Murphy 5 YD Pass from Jerald Merrill (Derrick Smith Kick). PNST TD 00:38 7-7 Randy Culpepper 19 YD Pass from Sam Neff (Stephan Phillips Kick). [b]Fourth Quarter[/b] PNST TD 13:19 14-7 Theodore Dick 37 YD Pass from Joe Collins (Stephan Phillips Kick). PNST TD 08:12 21-7 48 YD Fumble Return by George Harris (Stephan Phillips Kick). PNST TD 05:54 28-7 Miguel Gregory 60 YD Run (Stephan Phillips Kick). PNST FG 01:08 31-7 Stephan Phillips 20 YD [b]Penn State Individual Statistics: Passing:[/b] Sam Neff 5-13, 110 yds, 1 TD; Joe Collins 10-15, 114 yds, 1 TD; Bobby Burton 3-5, 24 yds, 1 INT. [b]Rushing:[/b] Miguel Gregory 13-110; Calvin Ferguson 17-69, Randy Culpepper 2-9, Todd Price 1-3, Man Ward 1-1, Sam Neff 1-(-1), Bobby Burton 1-(-2). [b]Receiving:[/b] Theodore Dick 6-110, Jerry Hubbard 3-40, Randy Culpepper 3-34, Modesto Stark 4-34, Calvin Ferguson 1-28, Miguel Gregory 1-2. [b]Key Run Blocks:[/b] Chris Silverman 3, Chris Sandoval 1. [b]Pancakes:[/b] Chris Sandoval 1, Wes Herring 1, Anthony Lloyd 1. [b]Kicking:[/b] Stephan Phillips 1-2 FG, 4-4 XP. [b]Punting:[/b] Philip Redd 7-40.7 [b]Kick Returns:[/b] Eugene Nichols 1-31. [b]Punt Returns:[/b] Alphonso Collins 4-9.8 [b]Sacks:[/b] Milton Cole 2, John Becker 1, Charles Brown 1, William Gross 1, Lawrence Hill 1, Jerry Magee 1. [b]Interceptions:[/b] None. [b]Tackles:[/b] Charles Brown 9, John Becker 9, William Gross 8, Milton Cole 5, Daniel Jackson 5, Francis Taylor 4, Leonard Hill 3, Richard Phillips 2, Alphonso Collins 2, James Virgil 1, Jerry Magee 1, Jerry Martin 1, Dustin Wood 1, Travis Moore 1. [b]Stuffs:[/b] Charles Brown 2, William Gross 1, Milton Cole 1, Francis Taylor 1, Jerry Martin 1. [b]Hurries:[/b] John Becker 1, Milton Cole 1, Jerry Magee 1. [b]Passes Defended:[/b] John Becker 1, William Gross 1. [/code] Aside from the fact that we're having problems keeping a quarterback on the field, I couldn't be much happier with the way the season has gone. In our Big Ten opener, we played a very good Minnesota team on the road. We went into the game as two-point underdogs, and I thought that was a very good assessment of the situation. I figured it would be a very close game, as our defense faced a very strong test against an extremely high-powered Minnesota offense. They scored on their first drive, but our defense held them the rest of the way. Minnesota has an outstanding quarterback in Jerald Merrill, and two great receivers in James Murphy and Michael Rogers. Our defense held them to 223 total yards, and we sacked Merrill seven times. We broke the game open in the fourth quarter with several big plays, which made the final score look a lot more lopsided than most of the game actually was. We scored on three different kinds of long plays, one contributed by our punt team. Joe Collins took over at quarterback for us early in the third quarter, after Sam Neff was shaken up. Joe finally started to put things together this week, and looked a lot more like the quarterback we've always thought he could be. He hit Theodore Dick with a perfect pass on a post pattern for the TD that triggered our fourth quarter explosion. Five minutes later, Philip Redd boomed a 62-yard punt from deep in our own territory. Their return man made a nice gain, but James Virgil blasted him and knocked the ball loose. George Harris scooped the ball up and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown. You could have heard a pin drop in that dome, which is usually so loud your ears ring for hours after the game. On our next possession, Miguel Gregory busted a draw play up the middle and went 60 yards for another score. I know that the arrival of Calvin Ferguson hasn't been easy for Miguel. We've been careful to let him know that we didn't recruit Calvin because we felt we needed to upgrade our running back situation, and we've also been careful to make sure Miguel gets his carries, too. He's averaging over seven yards a carry for the season, so it makes sense to get him the ball. Charles Brown was named the player of the game, but he's not the only member of our defensive unit who could have deserved this honor. Milton Cole played a great game, and at least one "expert" considers him the early-season favorite for the Outland Trophy. I'd love to see Milton get that kind of recognition, because he's such a first-class individual as well as a terrific player. The members of the media who vote in the polls were impressed by our victory, and we moved up three spots to #3. Michigan and Oklahoma held on to the top two spots. We jumped past our Big Ten rival, Ohio State, who lost a spot after a close win over Northwestern. Next week, Northwestern comes to town for our Big Ten home opener. The Wildcats have had a rough season so far; they're 0-4, and would love nothing more than to pull off the upset. They played tough against the Buckeyes, which reminds us that we can't afford to look past them to the three games we have coming up, against Purdue, Michigan, and Ohio State. "Play them one at a time" is a cliche, but in this case, it actually has real meaning. It's all we can do, and if we do it well enough, the big picture takes care of itself. [b]Elsewhere in the Big Ten:[/b] #1 Michigan 27, Michigan State 13 #5 Ohio State 23, Northwestern 10 #12 Wisconsin 31, Illinois 10 #16 Notre Dame 27, #13 Purdue 10

[Big Six]

[b]Week 4, 2006 #6 Penn State 31, #15 Minnesota 7[/b] [code] [b]Penn State 7 0 0 24 31 Minnesota 7 0 0 0 7 First Quarter[/b] MINN TD 10:20 7-0 James Murphy 5 YD Pass from Jerald Merrill (Derrick Smith Kick). PNST TD 00:38 7-7 Randy Culpepper 19 YD Pass from Sam Neff (Stephan Phillips Kick). [b]Fourth Quarter[/b] PNST TD 13:19 14-7 Theodore Dick 37 YD Pass from Joe Collins (Stephan Phillips Kick). PNST TD 08:12 21-7 48 YD Fumble Return by George Harris (Stephan Phillips Kick). PNST TD 05:54 28-7 Miguel Gregory 60 YD Run (Stephan Phillips Kick). PNST FG 01:08 31-7 Stephan Phillips 20 YD [b]Penn State Individual Statistics: Passing:[/b] Sam Neff 5-13, 110 yds, 1 TD; Joe Collins 10-15, 114 yds, 1 TD; Bobby Burton 3-5, 24 yds, 1 INT. [b]Rushing:[/b] Miguel Gregory 13-110; Calvin Ferguson 17-69, Randy Culpepper 2-9, Todd Price 1-3, Man Ward 1-1, Sam Neff 1-(-1), Bobby Burton 1-(-2). [b]Receiving:[/b] Theodore Dick 6-110, Jerry Hubbard 3-40, Randy Culpepper 3-34, Modesto Stark 4-34, Calvin Ferguson 1-28, Miguel Gregory 1-2. [b]Key Run Blocks:[/b] Chris Silverman 3, Chris Sandoval 1. [b]Pancakes:[/b] Chris Sandoval 1, Wes Herring 1, Anthony Lloyd 1. [b]Kicking:[/b] Stephan Phillips 1-2 FG, 4-4 XP. [b]Punting:[/b] Philip Redd 7-40.7 [b]Kick Returns:[/b] Eugene Nichols 1-31. [b]Punt Returns:[/b] Alphonso Collins 4-9.8 [b]Sacks:[/b] Milton Cole 2, John Becker 1, Charles Brown 1, William Gross 1, Lawrence Hill 1, Jerry Magee 1. [b]Interceptions:[/b] None. [b]Tackles:[/b] Charles Brown 9, John Becker 9, William Gross 8, Milton Cole 5, Daniel Jackson 5, Francis Taylor 4, Leonard Hill 3, Richard Phillips 2, Alphonso Collins 2, James Virgil 1, Jerry Magee 1, Jerry Martin 1, Dustin Wood 1, Travis Moore 1. [b]Stuffs:[/b] Charles Brown 2, William Gross 1, Milton Cole 1, Francis Taylor 1, Jerry Martin 1. [b]Hurries:[/b] John Becker 1, Milton Cole 1, Jerry Magee 1. [b]Passes Defended:[/b] John Becker 1, William Gross 1. [/code] Aside from the fact that we're having problems keeping a quarterback on the field, I couldn't be much happier with the way the season has gone. In our Big Ten opener, we played a very good Minnesota team on the road. We went into the game as two-point underdogs, and I thought that was a very good assessment of the situation. I figured it would be a very close game, as our defense faced a very strong test against an extremely high-powered Minnesota offense. They scored on their first drive, but our defense held them the rest of the way. Minnesota has an outstanding quarterback in Jerald Merrill, and two great receivers in James Murphy and Michael Rogers. Our defense held them to 223 total yards, and we sacked Merrill seven times. We broke the game open in the fourth quarter with several big plays, which made the final score look a lot more lopsided than most of the game actually was. We scored on three different kinds of long plays, one contributed by our punt team. Joe Collins took over at quarterback for us early in the third quarter, after Sam Neff was shaken up. Joe finally started to put things together this week, and looked a lot more like the quarterback we've always thought he could be. He hit Theodore Dick with a perfect pass on a post pattern for the TD that triggered our fourth quarter explosion. Five minutes later, Philip Redd boomed a 62-yard punt from deep in our own territory. Their return man made a nice gain, but James Virgil blasted him and knocked the ball loose. George Harris scooped the ball up and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown. You could have heard a pin drop in that dome, which is usually so loud your ears ring for hours after the game. On our next possession, Miguel Gregory busted a draw play up the middle and went 60 yards for another score. I know that the arrival of Calvin Ferguson hasn't been easy for Miguel. We've been careful to let him know that we didn't recruit Calvin because we felt we needed to upgrade our running back situation, and we've also been careful to make sure Miguel gets his carries, too. He's averaging over seven yards a carry for the season, so it makes sense to get him the ball. Charles Brown was named the player of the game, but he's not the only member of our defensive unit who could have deserved this honor. Milton Cole played a great game, and at least one "expert" considers him the early-season favorite for the Outland Trophy. I'd love to see Milton get that kind of recognition, because he's such a first-class individual as well as a terrific player. The members of the media who vote in the polls were impressed by our victory, and we moved up three spots to #3. Michigan and Oklahoma held on to the top two spots. We jumped past our Big Ten rival, Ohio State, who lost a spot after a close win over Northwestern. Next week, Northwestern comes to town for our Big Ten home opener. The Wildcats have had a rough season so far; they're 0-4, and would love nothing more than to pull off the upset. They played tough against the Buckeyes, which reminds us that we can't afford to look past them to the three games we have coming up, against Purdue, Michigan, and Ohio State. "Play them one at a time" is a cliche, but in this case, it actually has real meaning. It's all we can do, and if we do it well enough, the big picture takes care of itself. [b]Elsewhere in the Big Ten:[/b] #1 Michigan 27, Michigan State 13 #5 Ohio State 23, Northwestern 10 #12 Wisconsin 31, Illinois 10 #16 Notre Dame 27, #13 Purdue 10

[Holycow98]

Have you posted the 2006 Penn State schedule. I'm just curious what weeks you play Michigan and Ohio State and whether or not you are at home or on the road. Looks like the conference is loaded (as usual). Nice 4th quarter win in your confernece opener. Beating a ranked team on the road at any time is a nice win...when its also a conference game...its even sweeter.

[Holycow98]

Have you posted the 2006 Penn State schedule. I'm just curious what weeks you play Michigan and Ohio State and whether or not you are at home or on the road. Looks like the conference is loaded (as usual). Nice 4th quarter win in your confernece opener. Beating a ranked team on the road at any time is a nice win...when its also a conference game...its even sweeter.

[Big Six]

I usually post the Penn State schedule at the beginning of the season. You reminded me that I forgot to do that, Holycow. Thanks! So, without further ado, here it is: [code] Week 1 at South Florida Week 2 VIRGINIA TECH Week 3 TULANE Week 4 at Minnesota* Week 5 NORTHWESTERN* Week 6 PURDUE* Week 7 at Michigan* Week 8 at Iowa* Week 9 OHIO STATE* Week 10 Open Week 11 MICHIGAN STATE* Week 12 at Illinois* [/code] So, as you can see, we have both the Wolverines and Buckeyes on our schedule. Ohio State will come to State College, but we'll have to play Michigan at the Big House. Purdue is a Top 25 team, and although Iowa has two losses, they've come at the hands of Texas and Michigan. They will be very tough to beat on the road. You're right; that was a big win at Minnesota. It's as if someone flipped a switch in the fourth quarter and turned a defensive struggle into a rout. Thanks for following the story, Holycow. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

[Big Six]

I usually post the Penn State schedule at the beginning of the season. You reminded me that I forgot to do that, Holycow. Thanks! So, without further ado, here it is: [code] Week 1 at South Florida Week 2 VIRGINIA TECH Week 3 TULANE Week 4 at Minnesota* Week 5 NORTHWESTERN* Week 6 PURDUE* Week 7 at Michigan* Week 8 at Iowa* Week 9 OHIO STATE* Week 10 Open Week 11 MICHIGAN STATE* Week 12 at Illinois* [/code] So, as you can see, we have both the Wolverines and Buckeyes on our schedule. Ohio State will come to State College, but we'll have to play Michigan at the Big House. Purdue is a Top 25 team, and although Iowa has two losses, they've come at the hands of Texas and Michigan. They will be very tough to beat on the road. You're right; that was a big win at Minnesota. It's as if someone flipped a switch in the fourth quarter and turned a defensive struggle into a rout. Thanks for following the story, Holycow. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

[HomerSimpson98]

Great read, Big Six. Hope you continue with the interesting storylines and dynasty.

[HomerSimpson98]

Great read, Big Six. Hope you continue with the interesting storylines and dynasty.

[shane]

I love the updates, let's hope the real Nits can have that kind of 4th quarter this Saturday. WE ARE!!!!

[shane]

I love the updates, let's hope the real Nits can have that kind of 4th quarter this Saturday. WE ARE!!!!

[Big Six]

...PENN STATE!!! Thanks, Homer and Shane. I'm glad to see that people are reading the forums here. I got my dynasty-writing start over on the OOTP baseball forum, which is HUGE. I enjoy my college sports universes every bit as much and, like a lot of people do, I find myself getting into the different sims I play even more when the "real" sports are in season. So, this time of year, it's a lot of football with some baseball mixed in. And, speaking of fourth quarters...wait until you see what happened in this week's Northwestern game. I think you'd be happy if the real Nits can achieve the same outcome this Saturday. I know I would be.

[Big Six]

...PENN STATE!!! Thanks, Homer and Shane. I'm glad to see that people are reading the forums here. I got my dynasty-writing start over on the OOTP baseball forum, which is HUGE. I enjoy my college sports universes every bit as much and, like a lot of people do, I find myself getting into the different sims I play even more when the "real" sports are in season. So, this time of year, it's a lot of football with some baseball mixed in. And, speaking of fourth quarters...wait until you see what happened in this week's Northwestern game. I think you'd be happy if the real Nits can achieve the same outcome this Saturday. I know I would be.

[Big Six]

[b]Week 5, 2006 #3 Penn State 34, Northwestern 33[/b] [code] [b]Northwestern 10 10 13 0 33 Penn State 14 7 3 10 34[/b] [b]First Quarter[/b] NW TD 11:08 7-0 Kim Rice 1 YD Run (Jonathan Shaffer Kick). PNST TD 07:14 7-7 Calvin Ferguson 3 YD Run (Stephan Phillips Kick). NW FG 04:41 10-7 Jonathan Shaffer 32 YD PNST TD 01:16 14-10 Calvin Ferguson 1 YD Pass from Joe Collins (Stephan Phillips Kick). [b]Second Quarter[/b] NW TD 06:05 17-14 William Moseley 2 YD Run (Jonathan Shaffer Kick). PNST TD 01:26 21-17 Theodore Dick 10 YD Pass from Sam Neff (Stephan Phillips Kick). NW FG 00:00 21-20 Jonathan Shaffer 24 YD [b]Third Quarter[/b] NW TD 10:52 26-21 Chad Chapman 11 YD Pass from James Hall (2 Pts Failed) PNST FG 05:52 26-24 Stephan Phillips 26 YD NW TD 00:00 33-24 Charles Mullins 71 YD Pass from James Hall (Jonathan Shaffer Kick). [b]Fourth Quarter[/b] PNST TD 03:45 33-31 Calvin Ferguson 11 YD Run (Stephan Phillips Kick). PNST FG 00:25 34-33 Stephan Phillips 42 YD [b]Penn State Individual Statistics: Passing:[/b] Joe Collins 15-23-159, 1 TD, 1 int.; Sam Neff 8-14-103, 1 TD; Bobby Burton 0-2. [b]Rushing:[/b] Calvin Ferguson 19-99, Miguel Gregory 8-36, Man Ward 2-18, Todd Price 2-6. [b]Receiving:[/b] Randy Culpepper 8-112, Jerry Hubbard 4-36, Theodore Dick 3-33, Miguel Gregory 1-25, Calvin Ferguson 3-17, Jason Cruz 2-15, Modesto Stark 1-9, Man Ward 1-2. [b]Key Run Blocks:[/b] Chris Sandoval 2, Fred Felton 1. [b]Pancakes:[/b] Chris Sandoval 2. [b]Kicking:[/b] Stephan Phillips 2-2 FG, 4-4 XP. [b]Punting:[/b] Philip Redd 4-43. [b]Kick Returns:[/b] Eugene Nichols 5-27.4 [b]Punt Returns:[/b] Alphonso Collins 2-9.5, Richard Phillips 1-9. [b]Sacks:[/b] None. [b]Interceptions:[/b] John Becker 1-16. [b]Tackles:[/b] Charles Brown 9, William Gross 7, John Becker 6, Milton Cole 6, Leonard Hill 5, Francis Taylor 4, Travis Moore 3, Daniel Jackson 2, Dustin Wood 2, Richard Phillips 2, John Stone 1, John Bell 1, Alphonso Collins 1, Jerry Magee 1. [b]Hurries:[/b] Milton Cole 2, William Gross 1, John Bell 1. [b]Passes Defended:[/b] Charles Brown 1, Lawrence Hill 1, Daniel Jackson 1. [/code] This week we were reminded why you can never, ever underestimate how tough any game against any Big Ten team might be. We were careful to prepare for Northwestern, who hadn't won a game all year, the way we would if they were 4-0. We're very glad we did, because without a great kick by Stephan Phillips--under pressure that would cause many kickers to crack--we would not have won this week's game. Northwestern played very well against Ohio State last week. We were impressed with a lot of things we saw on their game films, and we were prepared for their offense to be able to move the ball against us. It did exactly that, executing extremely well. They had a lot of success on the ground, something none of the teams we've played yet were able to do, and overall, they outgained us 427-376. That said, we hurt ourselves with a bunch of stupid penalties, including three facemask calls. There's no excuse for us committing those kinds of fouls. Once again, we couldn't keep a quarterback in the game all afternoon. Sam Neff will miss this coming week's game while he recovers from a root canal, which he needs to repair some dental damage he suffered late in the first half. Fortunately, Joe Collins came in the game and played well, and we'll need him to really step up against Purdue this coming Saturday. Calvin Ferguson displayed a nose for the end zone, and he really looked good on the touchdown run he gave us in the fourth quarter. For a smaller back, Calvin runs hard, and he lowered his shoulder and knocked their strong safety on his back at the goal line on that play. Our student section, which was out in force again as usual, really got a kick out of that. I want to make sure Chris Sandoval gets some props for his outstanding play on our O-line. He's doing the job both as a pass protector and a run blocker. Although our defensive unit took a beating this week, there's no fault to be found with the play of Charles Brown. He was all over the field again, laying hits on people and keeping receivers from beating us deep when we're in a zone defense. We were playing man when James Hall hooked up with Charles Mullins on that long touchdown they got at the end of the third quarter. Our defense saved the game for us when they stopped the Wildcats' two-point conversion attempt in the third quarter. Our pass rush forced Hall to get rid of the ball quickly, and we had their receivers covered well. Thanks to that effort, Stephan had the chance to win the game for us with 25 seconds remaining. His 42-yarder was his longest field goal of the season, and it's the biggest one of his career here at Penn State. His teammates carried him off the field, and we all enjoyed seeing him get some love from the fans. There was a huge crowd at the game--107,262, to be exact--and fortunately, we played just well enough to send them home happy. We moved up to #2 in the polls, because Oklahoma lost to Texas. Our ranking is a source of pride for us, but I'm not 100% convinced we're really the second best team in the nation right now. We'll have to demonstrate that over the next four weeks. [b]Elsewhere in the Big Ten:[/b] #1 Michigan 34, Iowa 18 #6 Ohio State 38, #19 Minnesota 3 #15 Purdue 27, #14 Wisconsin 22 Michigan State 34, Indiana 21

[Big Six]

[b]Week 5, 2006 #3 Penn State 34, Northwestern 33[/b] [code] [b]Northwestern 10 10 13 0 33 Penn State 14 7 3 10 34[/b] [b]First Quarter[/b] NW TD 11:08 7-0 Kim Rice 1 YD Run (Jonathan Shaffer Kick). PNST TD 07:14 7-7 Calvin Ferguson 3 YD Run (Stephan Phillips Kick). NW FG 04:41 10-7 Jonathan Shaffer 32 YD PNST TD 01:16 14-10 Calvin Ferguson 1 YD Pass from Joe Collins (Stephan Phillips Kick). [b]Second Quarter[/b] NW TD 06:05 17-14 William Moseley 2 YD Run (Jonathan Shaffer Kick). PNST TD 01:26 21-17 Theodore Dick 10 YD Pass from Sam Neff (Stephan Phillips Kick). NW FG 00:00 21-20 Jonathan Shaffer 24 YD [b]Third Quarter[/b] NW TD 10:52 26-21 Chad Chapman 11 YD Pass from James Hall (2 Pts Failed) PNST FG 05:52 26-24 Stephan Phillips 26 YD NW TD 00:00 33-24 Charles Mullins 71 YD Pass from James Hall (Jonathan Shaffer Kick). [b]Fourth Quarter[/b] PNST TD 03:45 33-31 Calvin Ferguson 11 YD Run (Stephan Phillips Kick). PNST FG 00:25 34-33 Stephan Phillips 42 YD [b]Penn State Individual Statistics: Passing:[/b] Joe Collins 15-23-159, 1 TD, 1 int.; Sam Neff 8-14-103, 1 TD; Bobby Burton 0-2. [b]Rushing:[/b] Calvin Ferguson 19-99, Miguel Gregory 8-36, Man Ward 2-18, Todd Price 2-6. [b]Receiving:[/b] Randy Culpepper 8-112, Jerry Hubbard 4-36, Theodore Dick 3-33, Miguel Gregory 1-25, Calvin Ferguson 3-17, Jason Cruz 2-15, Modesto Stark 1-9, Man Ward 1-2. [b]Key Run Blocks:[/b] Chris Sandoval 2, Fred Felton 1. [b]Pancakes:[/b] Chris Sandoval 2. [b]Kicking:[/b] Stephan Phillips 2-2 FG, 4-4 XP. [b]Punting:[/b] Philip Redd 4-43. [b]Kick Returns:[/b] Eugene Nichols 5-27.4 [b]Punt Returns:[/b] Alphonso Collins 2-9.5, Richard Phillips 1-9. [b]Sacks:[/b] None. [b]Interceptions:[/b] John Becker 1-16. [b]Tackles:[/b] Charles Brown 9, William Gross 7, John Becker 6, Milton Cole 6, Leonard Hill 5, Francis Taylor 4, Travis Moore 3, Daniel Jackson 2, Dustin Wood 2, Richard Phillips 2, John Stone 1, John Bell 1, Alphonso Collins 1, Jerry Magee 1. [b]Hurries:[/b] Milton Cole 2, William Gross 1, John Bell 1. [b]Passes Defended:[/b] Charles Brown 1, Lawrence Hill 1, Daniel Jackson 1. [/code] This week we were reminded why you can never, ever underestimate how tough any game against any Big Ten team might be. We were careful to prepare for Northwestern, who hadn't won a game all year, the way we would if they were 4-0. We're very glad we did, because without a great kick by Stephan Phillips--under pressure that would cause many kickers to crack--we would not have won this week's game. Northwestern played very well against Ohio State last week. We were impressed with a lot of things we saw on their game films, and we were prepared for their offense to be able to move the ball against us. It did exactly that, executing extremely well. They had a lot of success on the ground, something none of the teams we've played yet were able to do, and overall, they outgained us 427-376. That said, we hurt ourselves with a bunch of stupid penalties, including three facemask calls. There's no excuse for us committing those kinds of fouls. Once again, we couldn't keep a quarterback in the game all afternoon. Sam Neff will miss this coming week's game while he recovers from a root canal, which he needs to repair some dental damage he suffered late in the first half. Fortunately, Joe Collins came in the game and played well, and we'll need him to really step up against Purdue this coming Saturday. Calvin Ferguson displayed a nose for the end zone, and he really looked good on the touchdown run he gave us in the fourth quarter. For a smaller back, Calvin runs hard, and he lowered his shoulder and knocked their strong safety on his back at the goal line on that play. Our student section, which was out in force again as usual, really got a kick out of that. I want to make sure Chris Sandoval gets some props for his outstanding play on our O-line. He's doing the job both as a pass protector and a run blocker. Although our defensive unit took a beating this week, there's no fault to be found with the play of Charles Brown. He was all over the field again, laying hits on people and keeping receivers from beating us deep when we're in a zone defense. We were playing man when James Hall hooked up with Charles Mullins on that long touchdown they got at the end of the third quarter. Our defense saved the game for us when they stopped the Wildcats' two-point conversion attempt in the third quarter. Our pass rush forced Hall to get rid of the ball quickly, and we had their receivers covered well. Thanks to that effort, Stephan had the chance to win the game for us with 25 seconds remaining. His 42-yarder was his longest field goal of the season, and it's the biggest one of his career here at Penn State. His teammates carried him off the field, and we all enjoyed seeing him get some love from the fans. There was a huge crowd at the game--107,262, to be exact--and fortunately, we played just well enough to send them home happy. We moved up to #2 in the polls, because Oklahoma lost to Texas. Our ranking is a source of pride for us, but I'm not 100% convinced we're really the second best team in the nation right now. We'll have to demonstrate that over the next four weeks. [b]Elsewhere in the Big Ten:[/b] #1 Michigan 34, Iowa 18 #6 Ohio State 38, #19 Minnesota 3 #15 Purdue 27, #14 Wisconsin 22 Michigan State 34, Indiana 21