Wed Sep 3 11:17:55 2008

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Nittany Lions welcome Beavers to Happy Valley

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University Park, PA (Sports Network) - The 19th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions will try to build off their convincing season-opening victory, as they host the Oregon State Beavers at Beaver Stadium this weekend.

The Lions' 2008 campaign couldn't have gotten off to a better start, as they posted an easy 66-10 win over Football Championship Subdivision member, Coastal Carolina. The 66 points were the most scored in an opener by a Penn State club since 1926, as the Lions improved to 36-7 in lid lifters under head coach Joe Paterno. With the victory, Paterno also tied Florida State coach Bobby Bowden for the all-time lead among major college coaches with 373 career triumphs.

While this is quite an accomplishment, Paterno was quick to dismiss any notion that he really cared about tying Bowden.

"You guys should just let me enjoy the game. I haven't even thought about it and I'm not going to. I can only say it so many times. It's not a big deal to me. I just can't seem to get that across."

As for OSU, it opened its season and Pac-10 schedule with a heart-breaking loss, suffering a 36-28 setback at Stanford on August 28th. The Beavers had won eight straight games in the Bay Area, but the loss and a long trek across the country for this game will surely test the character of this team. OSU, though, has had success against ranked foes of late, winning three of its last four road games against Top 25 teams and four its last five overall.

This is the first-ever meeting between OSU and Penn State on the gridiron.

The Beavers rolled up 490 yards of total offense, including 404 through the air, in their opener, but three costly turnovers made the difference in the loss to Stanford. The most crucial of the miscues came in the final minute, as Darrell Catchings tried to stretch the ball over the goal line before having it knocked loose and rolling out of the end zone for a touchback. It was a tough break for Catchings and OSU, which controlled the game and could have tied it with that touchdown and a two-point conversion.

On a positive note, quarterback Lyle Moevao proved he was more than capable of leading this team, as he threw for 404 yards and three touchdowns. He hit on 34-of-54 pass attempts, but was intercepted twice. Sammie Stroughter, back after missing most of last season with a kidney injury, was one of Moevao's favorite targets, pulling down 12 balls for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Shane Morales also had a monster game with 13 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, OSU did a good job in limiting Stanford to 301 total yards, although the unit was burned for 210 of those yards on the ground. The Beavers were one of the top teams against the run in 2007, but with four new starters along the line, this unit is completely different and it showed. The defense also failed to generate a single turnover in the opener and that certainly didn't help the team. Bryant Cornell guided the defense with 11 stops, including six of the solo variety. Victor Butler did a good job getting into the backfield and he finished with six stops and two TFLs. He and three other players also combined for the team's two sacks in the setback.

It was simply a dominating effort last week, as the Lions amassed 334 yards on the ground and 260 through the air in the lopsided win over CCU. The 594 yards gained is the most by a Penn State club since posting 661 against Rutgers in 1995. Redshirt freshman Stephfon Green, in his first game, paced the ground game with 89 yards on 10 carries and he also accounted for two of the team's seven rushing touchdown. Starting tailback Evan Royster wasn't needed much with the game well in hand, but he still went for 64 yards and three scores on only eight totes. At quarterback, Daryll Clark made his first start and he was effective in throwing for 146 yards and a score on 11-of-14 attempts. Clark was involved in a heated race for the starting duties with Pat Devlin, who also saw time and threw for 83 yards on 5-of-8 tosses. Both quarterbacks fared well in the opener, but Paterno stated that Clark was still his guy.

"Both quarterbacks played well," said Paterno. "I think Daryll Clark has earned the job. I'm not going to back away from that, but I think Devlin is very close. Devlin is a good player."

Jordan Norwood was the team's top target, finishing with four catches for 74 yards and a score. It was a solid start for Norwood, who figures to be one of the team's top pass catchers after ranking third with 40 receptions a year ago. With so many weapons, Penn State could have some trouble getting everyone the ball, although that is a problem most teams would gladly accept.

With the offense scoring at will, Penn State's defense didn't need to be at its best, but the unit still did a good job in holding CCU to only 250 total yards. The Lions only gave up 52 of those yards on the ground, while forcing CCU into eight punts. The defense also recorded four sacks, with two coming by Aaron Maybin, who has caught the eye of Paterno despite some struggles in the classroom.

"He's a good football player. He just has to be a better student, otherwise he'll turn out to be a reporter."

Tyrell Sales paced the defense with seven stops and a forced fumble, while Navorro Bowman had six stops. Bani Gbadyu registered the team's lone pick in the win.