TOP 10 PLAYS OF 2008

There's been a lot of time since Penn State's official regular season came to an end on the frozen tundra of Lambeau - err Beaver Stadium on November 22nd. And there will be a lot more time until the 95th Rosebowl game kicks off on January 1st, 2009.

Before we fully set our sights on Pete Carroll and the Men of Troy (barring a UCLA win over USC this Saturday), let's take a quick look back at the season that not only brought jubilation to all of Penn State Nation, but also thrust the Lions into National Championship talks for the first time in years.

I have assembled what I think to be the top 10 plays of the 2008 regular season. As there are many plays that are worthy of this list, I'm sure I missed a few. Feel free to add onto this list in the message board because this was a season that really can't be broken down into 5, 10, or 20 single plays - but rather 720 full minutes of Penn State football which will be on the minds of Penn State fans for years to come.

Here goes nothing..

10. Aaron Maybin's sack of Temple starting QB Adam DiMichele on the game's first possession. The play not only forced a Temple punt and a breakout season for Maybin, DiMichele was injured on the play and out for the game.

9. Jordan Norwood's 55-yard TD reception that started the scoring in the rout of Syracuse. It sparked a huge day for the Lions and turned the Carrier Dome into a Penn State frenzy for the remainder of the afternoon - regardless of Dennis Quaid's breathtaking halftime appearance.

8. Daryll Clark's fourth-down QB sneak for a touchdown at Purdue broke a scoreless tie midway through the second quarter in a game that was unexpectedly and uncomfortably close for Lion fans. This call to go for it by the Nittany Lion coaching staff not only surprised many fans, it set the tone for the rest of the year.

7. Lydell Sargeant's interception of Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor in the end zone during the final seconds. Much like Tamba Hali's forced fumble of Troy Smith in 2005, this was the nail in the coffin sending all of Penn State Nation into jubilation.

6. Aaron Maybin forced Wisconsin QB Allan Evridge to fumble deep in Badger territory in the final two minutes of the first half -- just minutes after Wisconsin had scored to narrow State's lead to 17-7. Penn State capitalized on the turnover for a TD and a comfortable 24-7 lead at intermission.

5. Derrick Williams' punt return for a touchdown at Wisconsin midway through the second quarter improved Penn State's lead to 17-0 in what had been a sluggish performance by the Lion offense. Williams thrust himself back into the National spotlight in 2008 with his many explosive returns.

4. Derrick Williams' kickoff return for a touchdown vs. Illinois on the first play of the fourth quarter restored a two-score lead for Penn State. It's fitting that the senior wide receiver had two of my top 10 plays this season. Ever since his game and season-saving catch at Northwestern in 2005, everyone knew he was in for a huge career.

3. Pat Devlin's QB sneak for a touchdown at Ohio State. After Clark exited the game (and was not clearly not pleased about it), the TD came on third-and-goal, and who knows what would have happened had the Lions didn't put it in the end zone on that possession. Devlin and Penn State fan's will remember that drive for years to come.

2. Jared Odrick's safety in the third quarter against Michigan gave Penn State its first lead of the game. It also provided excellent field position for the ensuing drive that resulted in a touchdown and two-score Penn State lead. It was also the Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Week. The curse was broken and Michigan was defeated.

1. Mark Rubin. Mark Rubin. Mark Rubin. Although his play was spotty a number of times this year, I think we all agree there was no bigger play for the Nittany Lions this season than when Rubin forced Terrelle Pryor to fumble in the fourth quarter at Ohio State (also the Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Week). After Penn State fans everywhere began to get that queasy feeling in their stomach when the Buckeyes began that drive, Rubin jarred the ball loose launching a nationwide scream of "FUMBLE RUSKIIIIII". Eventually recovered by Navarro Bowman, the fumble not only saved the game, but also the Big Ten Championship and a berth in the Rose Bowl.

Although this is just a short list of all the plays and players that helped mold this year's squad into Big Ten Champions, there's no shame in hoping that the upcoming Rose Bowl will create a whole new list of memories that Penn Stater's will be talking about for a long time to come.

MAYBIN GETS ROBBED

The Nittany Lions had a record ten players selected to the All-Big Ten First Team by the conference coaches. Six offensive starters, including Derrick Williams and Daryll Clark, along with four starters on defense joined seven Penn State players who earned honorable mention to lead the conference, greatly outdistancing the school with the second-most selections, Iowa, who had four starters and four honorable mentions.

Additionally, Joe Paterno became just third coach in conferenc history to be named conference coach of the year three times (Bo Schembechler and Hayden Frye), and senior A.Q. Shipley took home the Offensive Lineman of the Year award.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that somehow Aaron Maybin didn't win defensive player of the year, that hardware went to James Laurinaitis. The worse news was that he wasn't even named defensive lineman of the year and the worst news was that Iowa's Mitch King was.

How did this happen? You don't even need statistics to tell you that Maybin was the most disruptive lineman in the conference if not the country, just watch one quarter of one game. Teams simply had to account for #59 before every snap, whether that was rolling to the other side of the field of leaving in a tight end, running back or both to help block him.

Not convinced yet? How about the fact that Maybin is tied for fourth in the nation and leads the Big Ten in sacks per game (1.00) while King ranks 19th (0.33) in the conference? How about the fact that King has fewer forced fumbles, fewer tackles for loss, fewer solo tackles and plays on a squad that ranks behind Penn State's in every major defensive category?

Anyway you cut it, Maybin should be wearing the crown of Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the year, not Mitch King.