Nittany Lions Roar Back

STATE COLLEGE, PA; September 9 ?C With two big away games looming on the horizon against Pitt and Ohio State, and two tough losses in their rear view mirror, the Nittany Lions were in crunch mode. A poor performance against Louisiana Tech would not make for an easy trip to Three Rivers Stadium on September 16th.

The Nittany Lions came to play. ??It wasn??t like we were playing without emotion the last two weeks," said team Captain Justin Kurpeikis, ??but we definitely played harder and with more intensity today.?? This is an understatement. The Penn State squad on the field against Louisiana Tech wasn??t perfect, but they did an awful lot of things right.

Joe Paterno proved he is the master of drama by giving the 94,955 faithful on hand at Beaver Stadium a small scare at the game??s outset. Penn State??s first drive was anything but stellar. The Lions started on their own twenty-yard line and on the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Rashard Casey was sacked for a nine-yard loss. Tailback Eric McCoo followed with a two-yard rush, and then Casey fumbled after being hit from behind by Tech??s Willie Sheppard. Louisiana Tech recovered on the 14-yard line and promptly capitalized with a scoring strike from Brian Stallworth to Sean Cangelosi.

After 2:14 seconds of play, Penn State was down 7 ?C 0, and Louisiana Tech was starting to build confidence. Apparently, the Penn State squad was not worried. ??We didn??t have time to worry, remarked Paterno, ??with Johnson??s kickoff return (65 yards) coming right after that.?? Larry Johnson??s return to the Bulldog 35 yard line put Penn State in great field position. ??That run sparked our offense,?? said Casey, ??we finally didn??t have to start on our own twenty.??

Starting at the Louisiana Tech 35 yard line, the Lions quickly marched for a touchdown on four plays to Eric McCoo; highlighted by a 24-yard run and a five-yard TD catch. McCoo never doubted this team??s talent, ??I was just waiting for the time to come, waiting for everyone to get together and get on the same page.??

Although Casey started a little shaky, with two fumbles in the first quarter, he was able to settle down and produce a record performance. Rashard??s five TD passes, of 5 and 2 yards to Eric McCoo, 10 yards to Tony Stewart, 35 to Tony Johnson, and 13 to Steve Delich, tied Tony Sacca??s school record set in 1991 against Georgia Tech.

Penn State would have 194 yards passing for the day, with quarterback time shared between Casey, 12 ?C 15 for 162 yards, Matt Senneca, 4 ?C 7 for 32 yards, and quarterback Sean Schellenger 0-0 who piloted the offense late in the game.

Passing records aside, the story today for PSU was rushing and defense. Penn State amassed 299 yards on the ground, led by Eric McCoo with 17 carries for 137 yards. Ricky Upton rushed 10 times for 65 yards and Omar Easy turned in a 59-yard performance on 12 carries.

Penn State held the Bulldogs to 45 net yards rushing and 122 yards passing. The defense recovered two fumbles and intercepted Brian Stallworth five times, for seven total turnovers, the most for a Penn State opponent since Miami in the ??87 Fiesta Bowl.

Safety James Boyd staked his claim for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, with two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, four tackles, and one pass broken up. Boyd, who is responsible for calling the signals on defense, played a great game physically and mentally according to Paterno, ??James played a heck of a football game and made great adjustments. Our defensive scheme was good ?C I think our kids did a good job of disguising things.??

??Penn State is going to win a lot of games this year,?? said Bulldog Head Coach Jack Bicknell III, ??that is the great thing about college football. You have a great team that was down and they rise up. That??s what they did today.??

The Bulldogs will seek to bounce back next week against Stephen F. Austin. ??After two losses like we??ve had, I think that is when the team and staff need me most,?? offered Bicknell, ??adversity builds character. I guarantee you this ?C we??ll come back; we??ll get better.??

Penn State travels to Pitt next week for what may be the last meeting between these storied rivals for some time to come. Justin Kurpeikis wants the team to be ready. ??I can??t wait to go home. I have been looking forward to this game for years now. I??ve been trying to get across to our guys that aren??t from the area that this is actually gonna be a war in the Steel City. They need to buckle up and be ready.??

Louisiana Tech (1-2) vs. Penn State (1-2)