Penn State Loses in Home Opener

STATE COLLEGE, PA; September 2 - The next time Joe Paterno tells us that the Lions are playing a tough opponent from the MAC Conference, we had better all take heed. Coach Gary Pinkel's Toledo Rockets came into Happy Valley with a chip on their shoulder and ready to take it to the Lions.

Last week against Southern Cal, Penn State suffered from long third down situations, a bevy of miscues and some untimely drops. Against Toledo the Nittany Lions opened with two Eric McCoo runs of three and six yards to bring up 3rd and 1. This seemed to be just what the doctor ordered but a third McCoo run netted zero yards and PSU was forced to punt.

On the subsequent kick, Penn State was flagged for interfering with the catch and the University of Toledo took over with superb field position at their own 46 yard line. The Rockets would take advantage of this opportunity by driving 54 yards in 8 plays for a touchdown to take the lead 7 - 0 in front of a surprised crowd of 94,260 Beaver Stadium fans.

Toledo would make the most of their talent and their chances all afternoon. They followed their opening drive with sustained marches of 40, 83, and 80 yards to post a total of 24 points on the board. This is a team with over 40 returning letterman, better than average speed, and an elusive junior quarterback named Tavares Bolden from Cleveland, OH. The MAC Conference beware, Toledo is a force to be reckoned with.

"I don't know what happened, says PSU left guard Gus Felder, I give them credit. Up front they were better than USC. At least they were stronger. The game plan was to wear them down; they didn't do anything we didn't see in practice this week."

Gary Pinkel brought in a game plan that was a work of art. Toledo used the rush to set up the pass, and was able to keep the Penn State defense off balance all afternoon. The Rockets were able to convert 11 of 19 third down attempts, and racked up a total of 385 yards of offense, gaining 245 yards on the ground and throwing for another 140.

Penn State had some chances to change the course of fate. Down 10 - 0 with 42 seconds left in the half, Penn State's defense was in the midst of an important goal line stand. Toledo had marched to the one and it was third and goal. Bolden handed off to Toledo tailback Chester Taylor. Penn State appeared to hold, but a huge second effort by Taylor thrust him backwards over the end line for the score. The half closed with Toledo holding a 17 - 0 edge.

The Rockets were not about to give the game back to Penn State. Toledo was charged with no penalties during the game and they did not commit a single turnover. They executed an effective ball control offense using a mixture of hard running and safe passing. Only once did Toledo throw deep, and that seemed more an effort to keep PSU honest than anything else.

Chester Taylor seemed unstoppable on this afternoon, rushing 29 times for 141 yards and a 4.9 yards per carry average. Backfield mate Antwon McCray rushed 16 times for 81 yards, and Tavares Bolden added another 44 yards on 7 attempts. Bolden also notched 18 completions on 28 passes for 140 yards, and was able to generously spread the wealth across seven Toledo receivers.

Penn State was only able to marginally improve their rushing game, netting 30 yards on the ground. Rashard Casey and Matt Senneca combined for a 10 of 24 passing performance for 136 yards. The highlight of this effort being a cross field, on the run pass by Casey to Larry Johnson for a 61 yard touchdown.

For 1 - 0 Toledo the future is very bright indeed with a big non-conference win under their belt. Joe Paterno says, "Toledo is the best MAC team the Lions have ever faced". The Rockets have a tough MAC schedule to navigate with Marshall looming large on October 14th.

Penn State will head back to the drawing board, according to Coach Joe Paterno, "I wish I knew what to tell you. I need to back away from this a bit, visit the tapes, talk with the coaches, the squad, and maybe then I will be able to tell you why we aren't competitive."

The Lions, who last started a season 0 - 2 in 1990, host Louisiana Tech at Beaver Stadium next Saturday. Senior Justin Kurpeikis says their pride is hurt, but the season isn't over yet. "Losing is frustrating, but we will persevere, and the only way to do that is to go out and beat someone.

Toledo (1-0) vs. Penn State (0-2)