The Wisconsin Badger football team begins the second leg of their road trip Saturday when they clash with the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley. Penn State enters Saturday’s game with a 2-3 record and will be looking for its first Big Ten win. For the Lions it began as a season full of possibilities. After posting a 9-3 regular season record last season, finishing second in the Big Ten, it was a chance to take the next step by challenging for a Big Ten title.
But recent injuries, inexperience, infrequent penalties and an inconsistent offense have caused the Nittany Lions to reexamine their goals. However, Penn State’s record may be deceiving. Though they have only beaten the likes of Temple and Kent State, in all three of their losses they have had many chances to be on the upper end of the scoreboard. When it has appeared that Penn State has been one play away from throwing in the towel, they have rallied to make a game of contests which could have easily been blowouts. Unfortunately, often it has proved too little, too late.
In last week’s Big Ten opener against Minnesota, the Nittany Lions rallied from a 14-0 deficit to pull within 17-14, but were unable to generate any offensive fire power in the second half as the Golden Gophers escaped Beaver Stadium with a 20-14 win. Penn State still had one last chance to escape with a victory, but with the Nittany Lion’s on the Gophers’ 13-yard line, Gerald Smith narrowly missed a catch on fourth down with 15 seconds left.
It’s safe to say that Penn State has endured its ups and downs so far this season. The Lions’ defense has been the one bright spot this season, only giving up over 20 points once this season while holding the second-leading scoring team in the nation in Minnesota to 26 points below their average last Saturday. Even though Penn State’s record may not indicate it, the players have shown that when called upon they can answer. PSU’s backup quarterback Michael Robinson will look to build off a successful performance last weekend in which he replaced the injured Zach Mills at the start of the second quarter and went on to set career highs with a 16 of 27 passing effort with 176 yards. He also ran for 42 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown burst.
Penn State’s deep and talented secondary has been a big reason why they have provided a challenge to opponents by shutting down passing attacks as the Lions’ lead the nation in pass defense, giving up just 115.2 yards per game. Sophomore cornerback Alan Zemaitis has been a standout in first five games in effort to leading the Big Ten in passes defended with 11 and his two interceptions rank fifth in the Big Ten.
The Badger offense will need to keep a watchful eye on senior middle linebacker Gino Capone. He has shown his experience by continuing the same tackle output that saw him earn second team All-Big Ten honors in 2002. He had a game-high 14 tackles in Penn State’s 18-10 loss at Nebraska, and was one shy of his career high. Capone currently places second in the Big Ten with 10.4 tackles per game. The Lions also seek a primary ball carrier to replace Doak Walker Award winner Larry Johnson.
“We are certainly going to work hard to try to get somebody that can give us some of the things that Larry could give us. I don’t think we are going to have anybody that good, yet,” Penn State head coach Joe Paterno said.
When not playing at its best, Penn State has still had its opportunities, but has failed to capitalize on them during the critical juncture of the game. Robinson remains positive and looks forward to Saturday’s game with the Badgers.
“We’re 2-3 and we need to win games,” Robinson said. “I want to go in and make plays and start winning some games. Our offensive line has really stepped up lately, and I think we’ll be a team to contend with.”
