Saturday, October 30, 2004
Penn State's 0-4 Big Ten record misleading
By JON SPENCER
Mansfield (Ohio) News Journal
COLUMBUS - Junior end Mike Kudla says the Ohio State defense has found its identity. It might need to find the end zone Saturday if the Buckeyes are to prevail over a Penn State team still searching for its first Big Ten win.
Despite major deficiencies on offense, the Nittany Lions own one of the league's better defenses. Their 0-4 Big Ten mark masks that they surrendered 58 points in their last four outings to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Purdue and Iowa - all nationally-ranked.
In last week's 6-4 loss to Iowa , the defense was on the field 34 minutes but yielded only 10 first downs, 168 total yards and 42 rushing yards. These were the same Hawkeyes who riddled Ohio State for 33 points and 448 yards one week earlier.
"Penn State has the best 'worst' team ... their defense is awesome," OSU guard Mike Kne said. Added cornerback Dustin Fox, "This is probably the best 2-5 team in the history of college football."
Penn State defensive end Matt Rice wouldn't disagree. Asked where the Lions would be if they could count on scoring a couple of touchdowns a game, he said, "We'd be undefeated. We'd definitely be undefeated.
"It's very frustrating. I see the teams we lose to and where they're ranked now, and I know we could be there. It's rough."
Ohio State (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten) was singing the same sort of blues during a three-game losing streak until taking a painkiller labeled "Rx: Hapless Hoosiers." Last week's 30-7 win over Indiana - their second-widest victory margin in their last 14 Big Ten games - has the Buckeyes feeling downright good about themselves again.
"We found our identity as a defense," said Kudla, who had one of six OSU sacks. "The main thing is we were playing as a team - like one heartbeat. Before, we were kind of backpedaling and in disarray. Once we focus and lock down, we're a pretty good defense. The amount of enthusiasm out there was incredible. Everyone was fired up, guys were making plays and tons of tackles."
Still, all that hustle and bustle resulted in just one turnover - a third-quarter interception by linebacker Bobby Carpenter. Purdue is the only Big Ten team with fewer takeaways (eight) than the Buckeyes (nine), and five of those came in the 22-14 victory at North Carolina State.
Generating points defensively should be a major point of emphasis this week for three reasons:
Penn State's defense has held every opponent under its offensive average and will be operating against a quarterback (Troy Smith) making only his second career start.
The Lions have committed a league-high 21 turnovers. Quarterbacks Zack Mills and Michael Robinson have combined to throw 13 interceptions and the team has lost eight fumbles.
In their meeting two years ago in Ohio Stadium, it took a 40-yard Chris Gamble interception return for the Buckeyes to reach the end zone and keep their national championship dream alive with a 13-7 victory.
"Every week our mindset is to get turnovers and give our offense every chance we can," Kudla said. "If we can create havoc and turn them into touchdowns, that's a huge plus for us."
Since joining the Big Ten in 1993, the Lions have failed in five tries to beat the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium, losing by an average of 23 points. However, the last three games in this series have been decided by a total of nine points.
"I wonder about their mentality," Fox said of the Lions. "Are they ticked off and want to go out and get better? Or will they give up? We didn't give up. We kept fighting and playing hard. So we're expecting their best effort, too."
OSU vs. Penn State
