The Football Letter

VOLUME 67 ISSUE 4   Penn State vs. Wisconsin   February 10, 2012
Notes from the Cuff

Defensive secondary coach Tom Bradley said seeing Michael Robinson being taken off the field in an ambulance was eerily similar to watching cornerback Adam Taliaferro being taken from Ohio Stadium in 2000, when he was temporarily paralyzed with a broken vertebra in his neck. “Anytime they take that board out, that bothers you. As a coach you get a sickness in your stomach. Michael Robinson is such a great competitor and a great warrior.  To see him on the ground is a tough thing.” . . . One thing Bradley didn’t see on the field was Wisconsin fullback Matt Bernstein in pre-game warm-ups. “I was excited he wasn’t going to play,” Bradley said, “but they make miraculous recoveries up here.” . . . Bernstein said if the game had started in early afternoon he probably wouldn’t have played.  With the late start, he began fasting at 4:45 p.m. Friday, attended Temple with his family celebrating Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, and had the honor of carrying the Torah, the holy scroll. At 4:47 (CDT) he ate some orange slices and turkey on the sidelines and was ready to play a few minutes later. . . Bernstein’s game-high 123 yards rushing exceeded his previous season-best total of 120. Primarily a blocker, his previous career highs for a game were six carries and 29 yards. . . Mark Rubin, a wide receiver from Amherst, NY, became the fifth true freshman to play for the Lions this year. He caught two passes for 21 yards and two first downs during State’s third-quarter scoring drive. . . Robinson’s 49-yard catch on the first play of the game was the longest of his career. He is the Lions’ leading receiver with 16 catches for 231 yards and one TD. He has also rushed for 99 yards on 22 carries and completed five of eight pass attempts for 87 yards and one touchdown. . . Last year against the Badgers Robinson passed for a career-high 379 yards—the second highest in Penn State history—completing 22 of 43 attempts for two touchdowns. . . Two years ago, Zack Mills hurt his left shoulder in the first half at Camp Randall Stadium but came back in the second half to lead the Lions to a 34-31 victory, although the injury seemed to bother him the rest of the 2002 season. . . Wisconsin has held four consecutive opponents to seven points or less for the first time since 1951. The Badgers have given up only one touchdown this fall and held opponents to an average of 4.75 points per game. Penn State scored its fewest points in a game since being shut out by Michigan, 20-0, in 2001. It marked the Lions’ lowest point total on the road since being shut out, 12-0, at Pitt in 2000. . . State allowed the Badgers to convert only five of 16 third down situations, but the Lions could convert only one of 13 themselves. Wisconsin has held its last three opponents to a combined four of 37 third-down conversions. The Badgers held the ball nearly 15 minutes longer to dominate time of possession. Each team suffered two interceptions and lost one fumble. State’s punt and kickoff return teams could not get any good runbacks, but UW’s Jim Leonhard gained 49 yards on four punt returns to move within 47 yards of Lion Bruce Branch’s Big Ten record of 1,171 yards. . . Unhappy with student support, Badger Coach Alvarez invited Wisconsin students to Thursday’s practice, gave out red t-shirts to attendees and selected one student to run out onto the field with the team. . . It was hard to find the 5,000 Penn State fans, who bought out the school’s ticket allotment for Saturday. Wisconsin spreads visitors’ tickets throughout the stadium, so they don’t have a concentrated rooting section. Wisconsin is in the midst of  $107 million worth of renovations and additions to the stadium, which was originally built in 1917. Since 2002, 72 suites and nearly 900 club seats have been added, plus video scoreboards and a building in the corner for the UW Department of Athletics.


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Penn State vs. UCF
September 17, 2004
Vol. 67 Issue 3
Penn State vs. Boston College
September 13, 2004
Vol. 67 Issue 2
Penn State vs. Akron
August 30, 2004
Vol. 67 Issue 1
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