Saturday, September 23, 2000
OSU-Penn St. lacking luster
Down year for Lions robs game of some glitz
By Scott MacGregor
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Shouldn't Ohio State-Penn State be one of the nation's marquee games every year, as well as one of the Big Ten's best rivalries?
It was for Penn State's first few years in the Big Ten, but hasn't been recently. For the second year in a row, this game between two of college football's most storied programs lacks a big-time feel — except to serve as the nationally-televised Big Ten opener for both schools (Noon, channels 9, 2).
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PENN STATE at OSU
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• Kickoff: 12:10 p.m. today at Ohio Stadium (95,346), Columbus.
• Records: OSU 3-0, PSU 1-3.
• TV: Ch.9.
• Radio: WBOB-AM (1160).
• Series: Penn State leads 9-6 (last: 1999, Penn State 23-10).
›Line: OSU by 111/2.
• What to watch: Penn State can't run the ball; TB Eric McCoo, who ran for 211 yards against OSU last season, has just 192 yards on 42 carries in four games this season. OSU is running well this year, with Derek Combs gaining 142 yards and Jonathan Wells 113 last week against Miami.
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No.14 Ohio State is 3-0, and though the Buckeyes haven't played spectacularly, they appear to be recovering from last year's 6-6 season. But Penn State is 1-3, its worst start in 17 years. The losses have been downright embarrassing — 29-5 to USC, 24-6 to Toledo, and 12-0 to in-state rival Pitt.
Today's game at Ohio Stadium is a reversal of last year's fortunes; a season ago, the then-No.2 Nittany Lions dominated 23-10 and held Buckeyes quarterback Steve Bellisari to 78 yards passing. Ohio State was ranked 18th entering that game, but was on the way down in a hurry.
The three years before, both teams had entered their game unbeaten and ranked in the Top 10.
“Much the same thing happened to them this year that happened to our football team a year ago,” Ohio State coach John Cooper said.
The Buckeyes were more concerned this week with their own highs and lows entering the Big Ten season. Last week's 27-16 victory over Miami may have been a squeaker for much of the game, but Cooper thought his team played solidly. The Bucks showed the ability to run the ball; starting tailback Derek Combs ran 21 times for 142 yards and backup Jonathan Wells 17 times for 114 yards.
Bellisari's 13-for-30, 194-yard passing day against Miami was typical Bellisari — inconsistent and inaccurate at times — and his development remains an issue as the conference season begins. So do dropped passes; at least a half-dozen plagued OSU last week, proving it's not all Bellisari's fault.
“We definitely made improvement between the first and second games, but we're still making too many mistakes,” Cooper said, noting 35 penalties called against his team in the Buckeyes' first three games.
The Nittany Lions also have some problems — starting with their inability to run the ball. Tailback Eric McCoo, who scorched Ohio State for 211 yards on 22 carries as a sophomore last season, has rushed nearly twice as many times in four games this year (42) and has fewer yards (192). In its three losses, Penn State has rushed for just 103 yards.
Player losses to the NFL have sapped much of Penn State's strength. Defensively, the Lions lost first-round draft picks Courtney Brown and LaVar Arrington and leading tackler Brandon Short to the NFL, along with longtime defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky to retirement. It has made for a tough transition, although it's the offense that has been struggling more than the defense.
Ohio State will retire the No.31 of the late 1950 Heisman Trophy winner Vic Janowicz at halftime. Considered by many OSU historians as the finest all-around athlete in Buckeye history, Janowicz led the team in passing in 1950 and rushing in 1951, and kicked a 27-yard field goal in the 1950 Snow Bowl. He'll be just the third OSU athlete to have his jersey retired, following football's Archie Griffin (45) and basketball's Jerry Lucas (11).
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