Letter
 Fireworks concluded the first-ever pre-season pep rally in Beaver Stadium Friday night and continued Saturday afternoon, as the Nittany Lions bombasted the Akron Zips, 48-10, in the opening game of Penn State’s 118th football season.
On a warm and festive football eve, the Blue Band, cheerleaders and dance team entertained an estimated 20,000 fans filling the south end zone, until Coach Joe Paterno and the team came through the tunnel to a thunderous welcome. Determined to erase the nightmares of the worst season in Penn State football history, an emotional Paterno exhorted the fans to “help this football team get back where we want Penn State football to be . . . on our way to the Rose Bowl . . . on our way to another national championship.”
The next day the fans responded, and so did the team, which exploded with things that had been missing last year—big plays, stifling defense creating turnovers, a punishing rushing attack, crisp pass receptions, hard-hitting tackles and dominance along the line of scrimmage. And special teams play, where Penn State was at the bottom of the barrel nationally last year, was greatly improved.
The contrast to the 2003 opener was as stark as the weather. On a dreary wet afternoon 372 days earlier a lethargic bunch of Lions had slipped and stumbled to a lackluster 23-10 win over Temple in a sloppy contest that was a harbinger of the 3-9 season that lay ahead. But Saturday sun-bathed tailgaters enjoyed their feasts until the 3:30 kickoff ignited a raucous Beaver Stadium celebration that continued under blue-and-white skies, reminding the faithful that God is indeed a Penn State fan.
Believing what JoePa and a new video on the Jumbotron told them, the fans knew that they could be the 12th man for the Lions that acted like the title of the video, One Hungry Pride.
The Penn State offense that was dead last in the Big Ten Conference last year with a 313-yard average per game, ate up 545 yards of new Beaver Stadium turf—the most in nearly two years. A rushing defense that ranked 10th in the Big Ten, allowing 209 yards each Saturday, stuffed the Akron runners, yielding only 72 yards and 2.3 yards per attempt. Nittany Lion rushers, who could compile only 122 yards a game last fall, blasted their way to 352 yards and an 8.6 average per carry. And they did it behind an offensive line that, with a year of experience under their collective belt and a new zone-blocking scheme, cleared the way to the goal line on the Lions’ first seven possessions, before retiring to the sidelines for some much deserved adulation.
Sophomore Tony Hunt got his first career start at tailback, and the first time he touched the ball he dashed 77 yards to a touchdown on Penn State’s second play from scrimmage. In just eight carries during the afternoon, he exceeded his 2003 total of 110 yards by 27—an amazing 17.1-yard average per carry. It was the first 100-yard rushing game of his career.
Sophomore Austin Scott, last year’s leading rusher with 436 yards, spelled Hunt and blasted for two touchdowns, while gaining 116 yards on 11 carries (a 10.5 average) to post the second 100-yard rushing game of his career. His 100 yards on 21 carries against Kent State last September was the only 100-yard effort by any Penn State runner last season.
This was the first time in 11 years that two Penn State runners gained 100 yards in one game. (Ki-Jana Carter and Mike Archie were the last to do it at Maryland in 1993.)
Meanwhile, senior quarterback and offensive captain Zack Mills became the first Nittany Lion ever to score touchdowns by running, passing and receiving in a game. (Only Mike Archie in 1994 and Eric McCoo in 2001 had ever accomplished this feat in a whole season.) Mills also teamed up with his backup, Michael Robinson, in a personal game of pitch and catch across the goal line. In the first quarter, Robbie tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Mills; and in the second quarter, Zack returned the favor by throwing a 10-yard scoring pass to Robinson.
When they weren’t throwing to each other, Mills and Robinson connected with nine other receivers—who all held onto the ball. Terrance Phillips leaped high for his first TD reception—a 17-yarder in the second quarter. The passing game produced a total of 193 yards, a number reached in only five games last fall. In addition, the three touchdowns equaled 27% of last year’s total.
All in all it was a spectacular unveiling of the offense put together by new offensive coordinator Galen Hall, the erstwhile quarterback who led the Nittany Lions to Liberty Bowl victories over Alabama and Oregon in 1959 and 1960 and a Gator Bowl win over Georgia Tech in 1961. And the defense featured young linebackers Paul Posluszny, Tim Shaw, Dan Connor, Pat Bedics and J.R. Zwierzynski joining captain Derek Wake, while young linemen like Jay Alford, Scott Paxson, Ed Johnson, and John Shaw all showed the benefit of a year’s experience. The secondary remained solid despite the loss of Rich Gardner to graduation and Chris Harrell to injury. Anwar Phillips and Calvin Lowry joined Alan Zemaitis and Andrew Guman as starters, backed by underclassmen Jim Kanuch, Paul Cronin, Brent Wise, and Donnie Johnson.
“Both our corners (Zemaitis and Phillips) played well, Paterno said. “Overall the secondary played a good football game.” Phillips picked off two interceptions and Guman recovered a fumble, while the Lions never coughed up the ball.
“We have a personal connection with each other this year,” said Zemaitis, who has been named to the Watch List for the Jim Thorpe Award given at the end of the year to the most outstanding defensive back in the country. “We’re all friends, we hang out together. And when we go on the field, we’re all business.”
The offensive line of Levi Brown and Andrew Richardson at tackles, Tyler Reed and Charles Rush at guards, E.Z. Smith at center and Isaac Smolko at tight end didn’t draw the illegal procedure penalties that plagued last year’s line. And when they followed Hall’s design of blocking a zone rather than a man, Hunt and Scott found the cracks to cut back through.
“Hunt and Scott are very close to each other,” said Paterno. “They both have good vision and are strong. And we kept them fresh. . .Jefferson is a very solid football player. He’s got to be a lead blocker. He’s got to be a good receiver. He has good hands. He has good feet. He doesn’t have great speed. But if he gets out in the open, he’ll break a tackle. . . And he’s the guy that helps Zack in that huddle.”
Citing his obvious pleasure with the Friday night pep rally, Paterno told the media after the game, “I thought that was just spectacular. I thought the kids did a great job today. I thought the crowd was great to start the game, and the whole bit. They really responded to what we needed them to do. Hopefully we can continue.”
Mills, who is on the Watch List for the Davey O’Brien Outstanding Quarterback Award, completed 9 of 11 pass attempts for 108 yards and two TDs, while Robinson played at wide receiver. When Robbie got his chance at QB, he completed 3 of 4 passes for 42 yards and one touchdown.
Paterno said that State needs to make sure that both Mills and Robinson “have a lot to say about the outcome of the football game.” Both ran the option play from quarterback. When Mills was at QB, Robinson was usually in the slot, and three times Zack passed to him for 35 yards and one TD. At the end of the first quarter, after Guman had pounced on an Akron fumble, Mills stood behind center then moved out to the slot. Robinson stepped up from tailback to quarterback and, in the face of a linebacker blitz, lofted a perfect pass to Mills, who crossed under wide receiver Gerald Smith on an out-and-up to the corner of the end zone.
“I saw the ball coming right at me,” said Mills, flashing his boyish grin, “and I just prayed that I could catch it.” He did—for the first reception and ninth TD of his career.
Smith, the leading returning receiver with just 15 catches for 198 yards last year, hauled in four for 48 yards Saturday.
Paterno said the wide receivers “ran good precise routes. Our timing on our pass game was good, in spite of the fact that Akron rushed us with a couple of stunts that were tough to handle.” He also noted that the receivers blocked well downfield and helped spring Hunt and Scott on some of their long runs.
The success of the Lion offense in running up leads of 21-0 in the first quarter and 41-3 in the first half allowed the defense to play soft on Akron QB Charlie Frye, a Heisman Trophy candidate who passed for 3,549 yards and 22 TDs last year and stands eighth on the Mid-America Conference all-time list with 8,861 career passing yards and 46 touchdowns. Frye, holder of 49 school records at Akron, completed 29 of 36 attempts for 223 yards but only one TD, while Phillips picked off two of his aerials to nearly reverse Frye’s ratio of 2.5 TDs for every INT.
“We didn’t want him to get any easy ones,” Paterno explained. “We kept the ball in front of us. . . We just wanted to make them go a long way. . . We could be a little more patient.”
Akron did have to go 64 yards on 13 plays to score their only touchdown against Penn State’s reserves in the fourth quarter. And the Zips had to settle for a field goal after driving 70 yards on 12 plays in the first stanza. A 73-yard drive on 14 plays in the second period ended when Scott Paxson blocked the Zips’ field goal attempt.
Meanwhile State scored TDs on drives of 92, 80, 79, 78, and 70 yards, while also capitalizing on two turnovers for short, quick scores.
So the discipline of winter workouts, the drudgery of spring practice, and the exhaustion of pre-season drills has begun to pay off for the players who were determined to expel the bad taste lingering in their mouths since November. But they know too well that one win does not a season make. Mills and Robinson both remembered how the Lions were embarrassed by Boston College last year.
“It’s important for us to go up there and make a statement and come away with a win,” said the versatile Mr. Robinson, who added that he is willing to play any position to make this happen.
For the glory,
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