Orange hoping for better result

Jeff Rice

By Jeff Rice jrice@centredaily.com Penn State’s reunion with Syracuse got off to a painful start last September.

The hard surface under the Carrier Dome Fieldturf was awful on Joe Paterno’s aching hip; he would coach from the press box for the first time the following week. Center A.Q. Shipley, suffering from a stomach virus, couldn’t stop cramping in the steamy dome heat. Wideout Derrick Williams, already sore from a strained abdominal muscle, played through a shoulder sprain.

The 55-13 drubbing the Nittany Lions laid on the Orange made it painful for anyone on the other sideline. This afternoon, when the teams meet again at noon in Beaver Stadium (Big Ten Network), No. 7 Penn State (1-0) will be healthier and should see a Syracuse team (0-1) poised to give them a stiffer challenge on both sides of the ball.

Former Duke point guard and current Orange quarterback Greg Paulus has brought renown and playmaking abilities to the offense, which also got a boost from the return of wide receiver Mike Williams, the team’s leading receiver in 2007.

“It’s a lot different,” Penn State linebacker Sean Lee said. “A lot more looks, they have a Wildcat formation. Paulus is dropping back, rolling out, that’s going to be challenging for us, especially in the second game. We’re going to have to be on our game and well-prepared.”

With the exception of Nathan Stupar, who made 12 tackles, Penn State’s linebackers had mostly quiet days against an Akron offense that ran mostly perimeter plays and couldn’t get past the Nittany Lions’ defensive line last week. Watching film of Minnesota defending the Orange in a 23-20 overtime win revealed that the Gophers linebackers did a lot more to stop an array of Syracuse formations.

Penn State’s offense, which rolled up 379 yards through the air but just 136 on the ground against Akron, will look to establish a more consistent running attack, taking care to block defensive tackle Arthur Jones, a first-team All-Big East selection in 2008.

The Orange did a solid job of containing quarterback Adam Weber and a dangerous Gopher passing attack early on last week and hope to give Penn State’s offense more to worry about than it did when the Nittany Lions totaled 560 yards of offense in last year’s game.

“They’re reacting to the run and they’re playing pretty good pass defense with their linebackers,” Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark said.

First-year coach Doug Marrone, a former Syracuse offensive lineman who coached seven seasons in the NFL before returning to his alma mater to replace Greg Robinson, mixed nine freshmen into his lineup last week and is trying to bolster an old Eastern power that has won a combined 10 games over the last five seasons.

“I think they’re on their way back,” Paterno said. “I don’t think there’s any question about that. They’ve got the right combination up there now.”

Notes: Penn State leads the all-time series 41-23-5 and has won 21 of the last 23 meetings. ... Today is “Classic Day” in Beaver Stadium. Penn State is encouraging fans to wear clothing from the 1960s, and music from that era will be played in the stadium during the game. ... Williams has caught a touchdown pass in 10 straight games.