STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP)—Point guard-turned-Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus got a good look at how to run an offense. Penn State’s own signal-caller, Daryll Clark, and do-it-all tailback Evan Royster provided the lesson.
Clark threw for 240 yards and three scores, Royster had two touchdowns and the No. 7 Nittany Lions contained the pesky Paulus in a 28-7 win Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
Paulus, the former Duke basketball player, performed relatively well for a second straight week, especially for someone who hadn’t played competitively on the gridiron since he was a high school star in 2004.
He finished 14 of 20 for 105 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, both of which came on tipped balls. Alternating at quarterback with backup Ryan Nassib, Paulus threw mostly short, quick passes to counter Penn State’s pressure.
“This is his first crack for him, second game ever,” Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said. “Impressive kid, a lot of poise.”
Still, the Nittany Lions’ overall talent overwhelmed the Orange, even with Penn State playing choppy ball for a second straight week. Coach Joe Paterno’s offense specifically struggled in the running game, especially on short yardage in the red zone.
“We’ve played well enough to win two games, period, that’s all I know,” Paterno said, “and we got to get better.”
Unfortunately for the Orange, Penn State’s passing game was just fine.
In motion out of the backfield, Royster turned a short throw into a 49-yard touchdown on the game’s opening drive, stutter-stepping around a safety to pull away into the end zone. Penn State is trying to throw a new wrinkle in the offense by moving Royster all over the field.
Royster added a 12-yard TD run to give the Nittany Lions a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. He finished with 41 yards rushing on 12 carries, and 61 yards receiving.
“Royster can do it all,” said Paterno, who improved to 23-4 against Syracuse since 1966, when he became head coach. “He’s a heck of an athlete.”
Wide receiver Graham Zug added career-highs of six catches and 79 yards, including a 20-yard scoring strike from Daryll Clark to give Penn State a three-touchdown lead in the third quarter.
More than enough cushion for the Nittany Lions’ active defense.
Jared Odrick led the push from the front four with six tackles and a half-sack. Linebacker Sean Lee had a game-high 13 tackles, and leveled any tailbacks out of the flat for his best performance since returning from a knee injury that kept him out last season.
Orange coach Doug Marrone tried to throw off Penn State by alternating quarterbacks, but it didn’t seem to work—especially in a first half in which the Orange managed just four first downs.
“I believe we’ll need both quarterbacks to help us with this year,” Marrone said.
Syracuse found more success in the second half with Paulus getting more time in the pocket. Going no huddle at times, Paulus hit passes on play-action, screens and rollouts.
“We missed chances to take advantage of some of the opportunities we had,” Paulus said.
A drive to the Penn State 5 in the third quarter ended when open receiver Mike Williams dropped a pass in the end zone on fourth down. Williams’ streak of 10 straight games with a touchdown catch came to an end.
A fourth-quarter drive was snuffed out after Lee sacked Paulus on the blitz for a 13-yard loss to the Penn State 36. Fans rocked the creaky Beaver Stadium stands celebrating another defensive stop.
Then in the fourth quarter, Paulus’ pass attempt deep in Syracuse territory was tipped by Odrick and intercepted by linebacker Nathan Stupar.
Paulus did connect with Donte Davis for a 16-yard touchdown pass for Syracuse’s only score late in the fourth quarter with Syracuse down by four touchdowns. The TD came one play after Penn State backup quarterback Kevin Newsome lost a fumble on a sack by Mikhail Marinovich.
Paulus said it wasn’t tough sharing time with Nassib, who was 4 of 5 for 30 yards.
“We’re both going to do whatever coach asks us to do, and we know that coach is going to put us in the best position for us to be successful,” Paulus said.
One of Syracuse’s most impressive moments came on defense in the first half, when they held Penn State out of the end zone from inside the 2 on four straight plays. The drive ended with a bad snap that led to Syracuse’s Mike Holmes recovering a fumble on his own 2 on fourth down.
Head to Head - Week 2
| Team | Total Yds | Pass Yds | Rush Yds | First Downs | 3rdD% | Pen./Yds | Turnovers | Time of Poss. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse | 200 | 135 | 65 | 13 | 38.5% | 3/13 | 2 | 29:17 |
| Penn State | 318 | 240 | 78 | 23 | 64.3% | 2/15 | 3 | 30:43 |
43 Comments
1 - 25 of 43
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But next year look out !!!!number 1 baby!!! Direct Tv in georgia carries not just the pSU football but also a good number of PSU basketball games.
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How about we leave the name calling to the Junior College drop-outs.
If they get together and form a team, maybe they can be put on the schedule 8^)
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The kid aint going to take you to a championship and he aint going to make the pros. The novelty is wearing thin.
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Penn state got crap when they were independent.they joined the big 10,went undefeated and still got crap.BY the way........ that year......1994.we played USC at home.they had a heisman candidate at QB.we whipped them by 5 touchdowns.I was at that game.USC said they would never play penn state in season again.GO FIGURE!!@!
BTW #2 ...that bowl game last year was a HOME game for USC.penn state also played without their star running back most of the game.we didnt make excuses tho.the better team won the game.....unlike when TEXAS beat USC a couple years back.remember VINCE YOUNG?USC players said after the game the better team didn't win....just sayin
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Penn State played a weaker opponent and won by an appropriate ammount of points. Clark played well and the o-line still needs to get better if the run game is to improve. The defense is beastly.
There, that isn't so hard. How about we leave the name calling to the Junior College drop-outs.
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Another dead giveaway. I heard State Penn had alot of limpwristers, as well as sheep...go figure.
Happy Hunting in Happy Valley ! Or is it Gay Valley?
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They are and have been one of the worst teams in the SEC since 1966, since you used 1966 as a reference point. As far as New Year's Day Bowl games, that term was actually relevant at one time , when only the 4 Big Bowl games were on that day. With bowls like the Gator, Capital One, Citrus(or whatever they call it now) plus I'm sure I'm forgetting one, on Jan 1rst, it has totally diluted the term
'playing in a New Year's Day Bowl'. Nobody cares about 2 &3 & 4 loss teams playing in bowl games,
except the twits who goes to those schools or boosters.
Oh and in your 2 posts you've mentioned viagra & blowhard, you seem to be fixated on things associated with the penis.
Is there a reason for that or are you limp wristed. as well. Enjoyed schooling you !
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creampuff teams.
Yes most schools do schedule guaranteed wins at home , but not to the extent of State Penn. Even nobody in State Penn's conference does it . And try scheduling a non-con road game once in awhile, even if it is at Temple or Colgate. The term is creampuff games or cupcake games not patty-cake games cretin. Or is that because you still play patty-cake when you aren't playing with yourself.
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(cough, cough, cough) and Division 2 Eastern Illinois (cough, cough, cough, cough). Actually Troy is probably better than half the teams in the Little 11. Is that real enough for you? State Penn would be lucky to go .500 in the SEC East. Is that real enough for you?
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1 - 25 of 43