LOSING STREAK NO MORE

It surely didn't come easy, (at least in the first half), but in the end, Penn State finally got the monkey off its back yesterday, handing Michigan a 46-17 thumping. The 114th-nationally-ranked Wolverines offense, and the seventh-ranked Penn State defense must have forgotten who they were to start the game. Michigan waltzed down the field on its first three possessions setting up an early 17-7 second quarter lead. After that though, it was all Nittany Lions. On Michigan's remaining eleven drives of the day, it was limited to eight three-and-outs, including six punts, a fumble and a sack by Jarid Odrick for safety, giving Penn State its first lead of the day, 19-17.


For Penn State fans, there was reason for panic early in the football game. Before many people even got to their seats, center A.Q. Shipley launched the first snap of the game over Daryl Clark's head, setting up a 2nd-and-26. Penn State was unable to rebound and was forced to punt the ball away. After a long sustaining Michigan touchdown drive, Daryll Clark fumbled the ball away on Penn State's next possession. A Michigan field goal would shove Penn State in its deepest hole yet this year, down 10-0. Like any good heavyweight fighter though, Penn State kept on swinging. Thanks to a big kickoff return from redshirt-freshman Chaz Powell, the Nits responded quickly with a 44-yard Evan Royster touchdown run. On that play, it looked as if Royster would be brought down at the line of scrimmage, but he managed to break off a few tackles and take it to the house for Penn State's first score. After another touchdown by each squad, Penn State would go into the locker room trailing for the first time at the halfway point this season.


Clearly, some adjustments were made. The Nittany Lions came out in the third quarter sticking it to Michigan. Freshman Drew Astorino replaced Anthony Scirrotto, who suffered a concussion, and big play from true freshman Michael Mauti, (the next great Penn State linebacker), and sophomore Bani Gbadyu, led a stifling Penn State defense that allowed only 79 total yards in the second half. Penn State's offense overcame its early jitters too, racking up 36 straight points en route to a 482 yd performance.

Maybe it would be better for Josh Hull to be publicly criticized more often. The junior linebacker, looked awful Saturday. (Following the Illinois game, Hull was called out for misreading plays and not making tackles. He followed up with a 12-solo tackle outing at Purdue). Against Michigan, Hull looked fundamentally challenged. He was never in the right place, got pummeled by Michigan running back Brandon Minor, and had to be replaced by Mauti. The young man from Louisiana made a case for himself to be the new starter, looking fast and aggressive, while making big play after play (7 stops, 1 TFL, and a forced fumble on a kick return). Hull will get his chance again, but he better make the most of his next opportunity, or Mauti might be anchoring the Penn State defense earlier than expected.

The special teams continued to play well. Backed in a corner and down 10-0, the Nittany Lions' kick return team wedged a hole that a Mack Truck could have driven through, leading Powell to the 48 yard line, and setting up terrific field position for the offense. Kevin Kelly became the Big-Ten career scoring leader with 376 points after converting three of four field goal attempts, and five extra points. And punter Josh Boone pinned Michigan deep in their territory with big punts almost the entire day.

Royster has a running style that no Penn State back has ever had before. Maybe it's because he was a high-school standout in lacrosse, (Royster was recruited by every major lacrosse program in the country), that makes him so dangerous with the football. It seems that every time his number gets called, he is able to keep his shoulders square downfield while making Chris Berman-style "whoops" as he slashes his way to big plays. His vision is tremendous, and his lower body is so powerful. Another huge day for Royster, tallying 174 yards and a touchdown on only 18 touches. That's an amazing average of 9.7 yards per carry. He now has 893 yards and 10 TD on the season. Look for him to go over the 1,000 yard mark next week in Columbus.

State College local, Nathan Stupar is quietly making a name for himself. The redshirt-freshman is leading the kick coverage team by making tackles all over the field. He contributed in a huge way Saturday by blocking a Michigan punt at a crucial point in the game to set up Penn State's offense with excellent field position.

Yes, like all losing streaks, this one had to come to an end at some point. Penn State has beaten Michigan finally, sits atop the Big Ten at 8-0 overall and will likely be #3 when the BCS rankings come out Saturday night. Certainly, life is good in Happy Valley right now, but there is still much to be accomplished. Let us not celebrate too long (nobody can probably drink today anyway after last night) because next week is the newest "game of the year" for Penn State. Big start to the season so far, yet a few more challenges lie ahead. Only time will tell if this dream season is truly meant to be.