Penn State Football

Lions looking to finish strong

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Jeff Rice - jrice@centredaily.com

Running out of the tunnel in the south end zone of Beaver Stadium is a weekly autumnal thrill for those who wear the blue and white of Penn State.

It’s probably not the best way to mark time, however.

“I can remember running out the first time,” linebacker Josh Hull said. “And now I’ll be running out the last time.”

The Millheim native will be one of 18 Nittany Lion seniors honored today before No. 19 Penn State (8-2, 4-2 Big Ten) hosts Indiana (4-6, 1-5). Few of the numerous Penn State seniors made available to the media this week seemed willing to believe their careers are nearly over.

“When you look back, it really did go fast,” left tackle Dennis Landolt said.

Ten of the seniors were redshirted in 2005 and are the last links to the team credited with turning Penn State football back around after a disastrous 26-33 start to the decade. The freshmen studied under veterans like Michael Robinson, Alan Zemaitis, Levi Brown and Chris Harrell.

“They gave us the blueprint on how college football is supposed to be played,” defensive end Jerome Hayes said. “We really had a first-row seat on how to do things the right way, and we really carried it on for the next four years.”

These seniors crafted some impressive blueprints of their own. Quarterback Daryll Clark, in less than two full seasons as a starter, ranks among the school’s career top 10 in six offensive categories. Linebacker Sean Lee, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, ranks fifth in career tackles. Defensive tackle Jared Odrick has developed into one of the country’s premier linemen.

The Nittany Lions are coming off a resounding 24-7 defeat to Ohio State but, with wins today and in next week’s regular-season finale at Michigan State, would finish 10-2, with a New Year’s Day bowl virutally guaranteed and an at-large berth in a BCS bowl (most likely the Orange) not entirely out of the question.

Hayes and co-captains Clark and Lee did their best to pick up their teammates this week after Saturday’s disheartening defeat.

“We let guys know that the season is not lost,” Hayes said. “We lost two big games, but we can still finish on a high note.”

Saturday could potentially be the Beaver Stadium finale for a pair of fourth-year juniors. Linebacker Navorro Bowman and tailback Evan Royster could both pass up their final season of eligiblity to enter April’s NFL Draft.

The rest of that group of redshirt juniors, including defensive tackle Ollie Ogbu, will savor their last chance to play with the guys they’ve spent nearly every day with over the last four years.

“These are the guys I came in with, been with and bled with and had sweat and tears with,” Ogbu said. “It’s kind of like you’re losing all your best friends all at once. But you’ve got to go on.”

Notes: The Big Ten Network (Comcast Ch. 55) will televise the game. ... Penn State leads the all-time series 12-0. Indiana is the only Big Ten team without a win against the Nittany Lions. ... The Nittany Lions have won each of their last nine games on Senior Day and 18 of their last 19. ... Indiana has allowed at least 13 points in all 10 of its games this season. Penn State has allowed more than 13 points in two of its 10 games. ... The Hoosiers have led at the half and at the end of three quarters in each of their three previous Big Ten road games, but went on to lose all three games.