STOP EVAN TURNER

I'm sure coach Ed DeChellis will have a few more points on his bulletin board before this evening's game with ninth-ranked Ohio State, however I think everyone knows what the main goal is.

Ohio State will come into the Jordan Center tonight not only boasting a top-10 national ranking, but also a Player-of-the-Year contender in Evan Turner. Turner, a versatile junior point guard, has been heating up in 2010 since missing a month of play in December with two broken vertebrae.

Since Penn State has been spreading the scoring around (finally), Turner now leads the Big Ten Conference with averages of 19.5 points and 9.3 rebounds, and is second in assists at 5.8. He led Ohio State (21-7, 11-4) in a key win at Michigan State on Sunday. For the record, Talor Battle is in second averaging 19.0 points per game.

Turner has been relentless over his past few games (averaging just under 25 points over the last two, earning his sixth Big Ten Player of the Week honors), and it's obvious the Lions will have their work cut out for then. However, as the defense has been tightening things up over their last two road wins, they might just be peaking at the right time.

The Ohio State point guard hasn't taken as many three-point attempts this year as in year's past, however that doesn't mean Penn State's zone can relax with him at the top of the key. The key to limiting Turner's chances will be the Penn State big men tightening the middle of the zone, and the guards helping trap Turner in the corners. Similar to Coach Jim Boeheim's style of zone up north at Syracuse, the Lions will have to play with increased energy, constantly shifting to take away passing lanes - especially to the inside. It's obvious the Lions don't have the height or length as Syracuse's 2-3 zone, and have had trouble shifting in the past, however there's no reason to believe they haven't improved over weeks past.

In the Lions 13-point loss to the Buckeyes back in January (which was much closer than the score shows), Turner lit up the scoreboard for 27 points on 9 of 15 shooting, hitting 9 of 11 free throws. If PSU is going to keep the overall score low (which is always their goal), they'll need to limit Turner's opportunities without giving him an easy 10 from the free throw line. As he cuts to the basket with relative ease, quick hands and feet for Penn State will be dire.

All facets of the Penn State defense have shown signs of improvement, including Drew Jones who held his own against Michigan's DeShawn Sims. Sims, who averages 17.5 points per game, was held to only 10 points on Saturday. If everyone on the defensive end can play as aggressive tonight as they did against Michigan, a third-straight Big Ten victory might just be in the cards for the Nittany Lions.

If the scoring and rebounding can stay as balanced as they have been over the last week, I'd double those chances.

THE BALLAD OF OHIOWA

Listen closely and I'll tell you a tale about the 2009 Penn State Nittany Lions. Just stop me if you've heard it before.

A capacity crowd at Beaver Stadium awaits the appearance of its beloved Lions, roaring in anticipation of a Saturday showdown against a Big Ten power. Penn State, highly ranked and riding the momentum of a string of easy victories, has made believers out of pundits and fans alike and enter the game favored to win and expected to take the lead in the race for the conference championship. However, the thousands of home fans go home disappointed as the buildup for the game far outdoes the action on the field. Ultimately, questionable playcalling, poor execution and crippling special teams blunders bury the Lions in a double-digit loss.


This script has been played out twice in the 2009 campaign, once against Iowa on September 26 and again against the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 7. The loss to the Hawkeyes was upsetting but not unfathomable, the loss to Ohio State was puzzling. The Lions led its game against the Hawkeyes into the fourth quarter until a blocked punt gave Iowa the lead and turned the tide of the contest for good. Still, as frustrating as it was, it could have been considered a "quality" loss. The Haweyes were undefeated and ranked fourth in the country until their starting quarterback got hurt and Iowa dream season spoiled against Northwestern. Additionally, the game was played in less than ideal weather conditions and Penn State, although undefeated, still couldn't get out of its own way in its first three games against subpar competition.

Then came the game against Ohio State. The Buckeyes, the recurring antagonist in Penn State's 17 year nightmare, did what they do best against the Lions, dominate. This loss hurt so much more than the Iowa game because I really don't think fans saw it coming. In the five weeks after the loss to the Hawkeyes, Penn State's offense and defense had become downright frightening. Averaging nearly 30 points per game while allowing less than nine, the Lions were a freight train headed straight for the BCS. Not only was the team playing its best football, but the fans had been conditioned to think that this was not like the other Penn State teams. This Lions team had no problems playing on the road, going 7-1 in the last two seasons and had broken out of its funk against Michigan, beating the Wolverines by a combined 54 points in two years. It had even taken down the Buckeyes in the Horseshoe for the first time since joining the conference. This is not to suggest that the 2009 team is the same as the 2008, but this is the Spread HD and Captain Clark, there was no need to fear.

The worst thing about the loss to Ohio State last Saturday, for me, was that it seemed like Penn State didn't know what to expect. It appeared that Penn State wasn't aware that it had huge deficiencies in the special teams game or that Ohio State had a ferocious defense. It's one thing to lose to a superior team when you execute your best, its another thing to lose a game when you commit a crucial mistake but it's an entirely worse thing to come out flat or to look unprepared in a big game.

In its eleven losses against Ohio State, the Lions are averaging just 10.9 points per game and have scored more than 17 only twice. The 24-7 loss to the Buckeyes is what fans should have expected given Penn State's previous performances against Ohio State, but it still defies logic how this particular team's best effort at home only netted seven points.

Perhaps if Clark hadn't been playing some of the best quarterback in the country, perhaps if the running game hadn't found its stride, perhaps if the wide receivers hadn't appeared to have come of age, fans could understand why Saturday happened. Instead, they are left scratching their heads and nursing that all-to-familiar feeling of letdown.

LIONS DEFENSE STARTING TO ROAR

It's rare that you learn something new about a team after nine games of a twelve-game season. Generally, in college football, the maxim of, "You are who you are," can be applied with little modification after a few games. Sixteen quarters into the 2008 season, the Nittany Lions had scored 40+ points in the opening four games of a season for the first time ever and averaged more than 538 yards per contest. The high-octane offense even broke the 1994 squad's mark for the most total points in the first four games, racking up 211.

All of that production earned this team the label of offensive juggernaut by fans and media alike and led them to believe that the offense would take Penn State as far as it could go. Then, something happened. Daryll Clark continued to lead the Lions to the endzone, racking up at least 38 points in all but one of the first eight games of the year, but players like Aaron Maybin, Jared Odrick, Navarro Bowman and Mark Rubin started taking some of thes potlight from incumbent stars, Evan Royster, Derrick Williams and Deon Butler.

Finally, on Saturday night, when the team needed a play to rescue its fading perfect season, it was, as it has been so many times since Joe Paterno came to Happy Valley, the defense that saved the day. Don't think for a moment that means that this offense isn't the high-powered and multi-faceted attack that it has appeared to be for most of the season, but don't overlook what might be America's best defense either.

Against Ohio State, Penn State's defense spent much of the game in a zone defense, allowing its secondary to have it's eyes trained not only on the receivers, but also on the dangerous Buckeye backfield. The Lions stuffed Beanie Wells for just 55 yards on 22 carries, nearly four yards below his season average. Terrelle Pryor also struggled to find room, gaining only six net yards on nine carries, after averaging more than 4.5 ypc in the first eight games.

Because of the difficulties on the ground, Pryor was forced to go to the air to try and move his team, but found the Lions' pass defense to be just as stingy. The freshman did set a new season-high for passing yards with 226, but take away the gains from a blown coverage, a jump ball and a late pass against a soft prevent defense designed to keep the Buckeyes away from the sidelines and Pryor averaged just nine yards per completion.

This was not just a case of Penn State playing inspired defense against a quality opponent, all season long Penn State has done a phenomenal job of making teams earn their points by limiting big plays. In its first nine games the defense has surrendered just 20 plays of 20 yards or more and has specialized in getting off of the field and getting the ball to its powerful offense. Tom Bradley's squad ranks 10th in the country in third-down conversion defenses despite facing the second-most third downs of any team in the nation.

Perhaps the most telling stat though about this defense, more revealing even than its unwillingness to give up big plays or first downs, is its refusal to allow teams to put together long drives. So far this year, Penn State's defense has only allowed 18 drives of 50+ yards in nine games.

Judging by that last figure, Penn State's opponents almost have to start their possessions on the Lions' side of the field just to have a chance at scoring a touchdown. That is not something that happens often considering punter Jeremy Boone is regaining his All Big Ten form from a year ago, pinning teams inside the 20, and Penn State's offense is tied for sixth nationally with just six turnovers in nine games.

Looking ahead to possible matchups in the national championship game against either Texas or Alabama, Penn State seems equally equipped to handle the high-powered offense of the Longhorns or to solve the smothering run defense of the Crimson Tide. The better question might be, who out there can stop a team as balanced as Penn State?

OH WHAT A NIGHT

Terelle Pryor's desperation heave to the endzone fluttered through the Columbus night, reflecting it its wobbly arc the hopes, prayers, tears and destiny of not just a football team and its legendary-beyond-words leader, but of a resilient and faithful fan base; thousands of whom had made the trip to central Ohio to see the demons of The Horseshoe exorcised in person by the greatest Penn State football team of the last two decades.

For those of us who had been there before, wishing to see the mighty Buckeyes defeated on their home turf, Saturday's game felt hopelessly similar to those other fruitless conquests of the last fifteen years. But when that ball dropped into the waiting arms of Lydell Sergeant and he had securely cradled not just the first interception of the game, but a victory for the undefeated Nittany Lions, a feeling rushed over me that I'll be lucky to experience again in my life.

We did it!

The next few minutes were euphoric. For the four thousand brothers and sisters in the stands that were wearing blue and white, these moments defined every reason for being a Penn State fan. For nine weeks we had believed together. For four quarters, we had screamed together. Now, we celebrated. We had never felt so loved in our entire lives. There was singing, chanting, laughing and crying and part of me wondered, just for a moment, if the Ohio State fans looking on were jealous. How could they not be?

If you tried to hi-five somebody, he pulled you in for a hug. And not a quick, superficial hug, but an actual seven-second embrace like you had just announced your engagement to his sister. We looked up to the clock just in time to see the last seconds bleed off the scoreboard and started counting down like it was December 31 in Times Square.

When all four zeroes were lit up, the players streaked across the field to their families seated beneath us and the party started all over again. From the old woman in front of me who played her kazoo in time as we sang Seven Nation Army during the final drive, to the old man who said he was there in 1978, the last time Penn State had won in Columbus, and handed me a chestnut to stomp on with him - this win belonged to all of us.

Finally, we made our way down the stairs of old Ohio Stadium and out onto Woody Hayes Drive chanting "JOE PATERNO" clap clap clap clap clap, and admiring the stunned looks on the Buckeyes' fans faces who had been so sure that this Penn State team, like the ones that came before it, would wilt in the shadows of The 'Shoe.

Not this team...not this night.

It was the greatest game I've ever been to and, if the Lions can fulfill their potential, it will surely be considered the greatest regular season game any Penn State team has ever played, considering what was at stake.

This Penn State team proved it cannot be doubted, cannot be underestimated and cannot be beaten.

SUSPICIOUS MINDS

There we were, in the mouth of the beast. Our only friend? The King.


It was cold and rainy last night in Columbus when my girlfriend and I pulled onto West Lane Avenue on Ohio State's campus to check out The Varsity Club. Lauded by every Buckeye fan and Columbus visitors' guide we saw, we thought we'd see how the corner bar and restaurant could stack up to some of State College's favorite haunts.

Inside it was at least two-thirds Ohio State fans, but the Nittany Lion supporters that were there were vocal. As the beer continued to flow, it seemed that more and more Penn Staters started walking through the door and soon, we had taken it over. We started singing PSU Rock N' Roll, and even having a former Nittany Lion runner-up do 45(!) one-handed pushups on the bar floor after a "We Want the Lion" chant went up. Satisfied that we had painted that place Blue and White, we decided to check out another scene.

We had heard that something called "Hineygate" was going on at the Holiday Inn down the street. Unfortunately for us, we were one day early. Hineygate is every Saturday, Friday night is Buckeye Karaoke night. Whoops.

Refusing to be daunted by the scarlet and gray that filled the place, we, the absolute only Penn State fans in the place, shouldered up to the bar and ordered a couple of Shocktops. Leslie asked the two Buckeye fans that didn't look like they spent time in a correctional facility if we could sat down. We got plenty of dirty looks, but our new Ohio State fans, Dick and Dan, were great.

Heeding Dan's request to spread some Penn State cheer, the scene from Pee Wee's Great Adventure shot through mind when Pee Wee dances to "Tequila" in the biker bar to save his life. I grabbed the Karaoke binder and picked the one song that could turn the place in our favor.

My name was called and when I stood up to walk to the stage, boos rained down on me. It was great, I felt like an athlete. The karaoke leader asked if I wanted to sing the PSU fight song but I declined, explaining, "I don't want to be lynched tonight."

I grabbed the mic and, looking out over the Buckeye bar, said, "I know we have a huge game tomorrow night and we'll all be enemies at eight o'clock. But tonight, I want to bring us all together with The King." Then the first few bars of Suspicious Minds hit...it was like an out-of-body experience for me.

If you've never seen me sing karaoke, it might be hard to envision how singing one song can make the whole bar cheer for me, but I did it. I changed some of the lyrics around and strutted my stuff Mic Jagger-style all over the stage until the music faded out and a standing ovation escorted me back to my table. Within a few minutes, a waitress came over and told us that, "The gentleman at the bar would like to buy you two a drink."

A few minutes of Elvis Presley had turned us from persona non grata to "practically family" at the Holiday Inn of Columbus. Later, we met an awesome guy from Scranton who looked just like Jeff Bridges and had a few more beers before walking out to head back to the hotel.

Columbus is not, and never will be confused with, State College, Pa. From the way the fans were acting last night, you would think that it's the Buckeyes that are ranked in the top three and favored to win tonight. They might underestimate the Nittany Lion football team, but for those who were out last night, they'll never again underestimate Penn State fans.

BUCKEYES ARE AS GOOD AS IT GETS FOR PENN STATE

A few decades ago it would have been easy to name Penn State's biggest rivals. Syracuse, West Virginia, Maryland and of course, the scourge of the Earth, the four letter word...Pitt. Those were teams that Penn State played every year and competed against for the Lambert Trophy. There was also something that all of those series had in common...Penn State kicked ass. Just look at the all-time records against those opponents...

TEAM	PSU RECORD AGAINST
Syracuse	40-23-5
West Virginia	48-9-2
Maryland	35-1-1
Pitt	50-42-4

Penn State fans looked forward to those games in part because they were rivalries bred through familiarity and close proximity, but also because they felt pretty good that the Lions would come out on top.

Sure, Penn State had brief inter-sectional rivalries in the 1970s and 1980s with schools like Alabama, Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Boston College; but the bragging rights earned from those contests didn't compare to the pride gained when whipping a team that you see every single year.

When the Lions moved to the Big Ten for football in 1993, they had to abandon all of those rivalries. A stacked conference schedule taking up 75% of your games each season meant that the non-conference scheduling had to be done more "delicately" and had to include a majority of home games.

Instead of the old rivalries, fans anticipated big games every year with the traditional Big Ten powers, and the school even did its part to manufacture rivalries with Minnesota and Michigan State by making each of those a trophy game. It took some getting used to, but eventually fans got accustomed to seeing Wildcats, Badgers, Wolverines and Boilermakers on the schedule instead of Orangemen, Terrapins, Mountaineers and (neutered) Panthers.

But was it the same? Was there a real rival that could boil the blood the way the old guard used to? Fifteen years later, the answer is yes.

Hello Buckeyes.

Think back to the last time Ohio State wasn't the toughest game on Penn State's schedule. You'd probably agree that it was seven years ago when the Lions opened the 2001 season at home against top-ranked Miami. Every year on the Lions' schedule, there's Ohio State, (thanks Big Ten) a giant roadblock in Penn State's path.

But what makes the Buckeyes different from Michigan State, Wisconsin or even Michigan? All of those teams have played Penn State at least 12 times since the Lions have joined the conference, yet none should make you as angry as Ohio State. Here's my theory.

To be a true rival, three truths must be present.

1. Familiarity
The Red Sox and Yankees play at least 18 times a year, the Cowboys and Redskins play at least twice, so does North Carolina and Duke. It's knowing that you have to deal with those fans and that team every year (and sometimes more than once) that makes it so important that you win. Penn State plays Ohio State and Michigan State every single year and have played Wisconsin all but four years and Michigan all but two years.

2. Proximity
What's the use in winning if nobody's there to hear you brag? This is the major reason why Wisconsin doesn't really count as the biggest Penn State rival. This rule has some exceptions, (USC and Notre Dame, Avalanche and Red Wings) but it can be superseded by either the above or below truth.

3. They Ruined Your Life
It was your year to win it all, but then _________ ripped your heart out. Just say Chad Henne to Mario Manningham with one second left and you'll know why Michigan is forever hated in Penn State. While Michigan owns this category for Penn State in the Big Ten era (Minnesota 1999 is an extremely close second, but who beat the Lions the very next week when they still could have gotten back in the national championship game?) The Buckeyes might not have one single game like this, but they have derailed Penn State seasons in September when the Lions were ranked #12, #4 and #7, so that's good enough. Wisconsin has never beaten a really good Penn State team, nor has Michigan State, so the Spartans bow out at this point.

Now comes the bitter decision of which team is the bigger rival to Penn State, Michigan or Ohio State. In times like this, when each team fulfills the criteria but only one can be chosen a fan must make a tough admission. It's one that he may never admit under any other circumstances, but one he must make now. And here it is...

Ohio State, since 1993, has been better than Penn State.

It sucks and it hurts, but it's true. Since the Lions joined the Big Ten, Ohio State has played in three National Championship games, winning one; captured two Heisman Trophies and been ranked number one in at least half a dozen seasons.

Ohio State has the fourth most wins in the country the last six years, a dozen more than Michigan, and the best record in the nation since 2005, the only Big Ten team with a better than Penn State during that time.

Like it or not, the Buckeyes have been the measuring stick for Penn State in just about each of the last 16 seasons and they are again this year. For those Lions' fans waiting for the Pitt series to resume, and embrace the series with Ohio State and channel your Panther hate to Buckeye hate - Penn State needs it against its newest and biggest rival.

TERRELLE PRYOR...COME ON DOWN

For those members of the 2008 Nittany Lion squad that made the last trip out to Columbus in 2006, there will be a lot to remind them of that disappointing afternoon.

The Horseshoe is still there. Those inbred classy fans with the squirrel food Buckeyes around their necks are still there. Jim Tressel and his knitted vest is still there. Lee Corso and his mascot head is still there. But one important thing isn't still there...

An experienced quarterback.

Two years ago, Heisman Trophy winner, Troy Smith, was under center for Ohio State and even though he didn't have a great day, his escape from Tim Shaw and subsequent touchdown pass to Brian Robiskie saved the day and preserved an undefeated regular season for the Bucks.

This season, Buckeye starter Terrelle Pryor has done a fantastic job trying to live up to the unimaginable hype he was saddled with after high school. Since taking over for incumbent All Big Ten quarterback Todd Boeckman, Pryor has led Ohio State to five straight wins and put them back in the top ten.

His numbers may not be sterling, but they're not bad either. He's completed over 65% of his passes and accounted for 11 total touchdowns while only throwing two interceptions. He famously told his coach to bench him if he couldn't move his team down the field last weekend and then shredded the Michigan State defense to the tune of 94 yards on 12 carries.

Most of the freshman's damage has been done via his legs. Pryor has gained nearly as many yards rushing (548) as passing (653), and only averages 11.25 passing attempts per game.

There are some that feel Pryor has has already shown he can win the big game and handle the pressure that comes with being the Buckeye signal-caller. They point to his last minute touchdown drive on the road against Wisconsin and his efficient game in East Lansing against an, at the time, top-20 Spartan team. But something is coming on Saturday that he hasn't seen yet.

Tom Bradley and the Penn State Defense.

The Lions are tops in the conference and eighth in the country in total defense and only five teams in the nation have given up fewer points per game than Penn State. That alone would be foreboding enough for the Buckeyes this weekend, but compound the talent of the Lions' defense with a freshman quarterback on the other side of the ball, and you could have real trouble.

Bradley took over as head of the defense in 2000 and since then has had the chance to gameplan against seven freshman quarterbacks. Take a look how he's done...

YEAR	QUARTERBACK	COMP-ATT-YDS	TD-INT	RUSH ATT-YDS	RESULT
2007	Ryan Mallett	16-29-170	0-1	5-7	L 9-14
2007	Jimmy Clausen	17-32-144	0-1	10- -25	W 31-10
2006	Juice Williams	13-33-156	0-2	19-5	W 26-12
2005	Curtis Painter	6-17-60	0-0	4-29	W 33-15
2004	Kyle Israel	6-19-52	0-1	4-5	W 48-10
2003	Antwan Smith	3-9-52	0-0	6- -11	W 32-10
2000	Jeff Smoker	13-25-183	1-0	7- -40	W 42-23
-----	-----	74-164-817	1-5	55- -30	6-1

Bradley's defenses have chewed up and spit out freshman quarterbacks the way Ohio State fans eat mayonnaise. Last week, Penn State showed a more athletic look at linebacker with Navarro Bowman, Michael Mauti and Bani Gbadyu behind the dominant D-Line. Teams had been running away from The New Prince of Darkness (TNPD), but where will they run to now?

If Penn State can shut down the running of Beanie Wells and Pryor and force the young freshman to throw, it will be very tough to beat Penn State. Unlike other years when Penn State has brought good defenses out to Columbus, this year's team has an offense that will put pressure on the Buckeyes to score and take chances with the football.

For a time, Penn State fans were hoping to see Pryor in blue and white; now, I think they'll settle for black and blue.