It was a crazy week for the Penn State football team. Despite a ton of off-the-field distractions, the Nittany Lions were able to pull it together for a 38-7 pasting of No. 19-ranked Wisconsin at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.
But the win was earned under a dark cloud that hovers over the program. Running back Austin Scott was formally charged with rape late last week and a preliminary hearing will be held this week.
In this week’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a look at the off-the-field woes, a look back at the 31-point win over the Badgers, look ahead to next week’s game at Indiana and have another non-rev roundup.
(Austin Scott was formally charged with rape. Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Scott Charged
Scott, a senior back who was expected to be the backbone of the PSU ground game, was charged with raping a woman at his campus apartment after meeting her in a bar.
He was arraigned Friday on charges of rape, sexual assault and two counts of aggravated indecent assault. Those are all felones.
The encounter took place on Oct. 5. According to court documents, Scott told investigators the woman did not initially want to have sex.
Scott has declined comment on the charges, but Penn State coach Joe Paterno was asked about his status following Saturday’s game.
“I’m not gonna even make a comment on that,” an agitated Paterno said. “And I’m annoyed. Simple as that. I had a bunch of kids play a good football game today against a good team.”
Paterno can try to run from the subject, but reporters are going to continue to ask questions about it.
The charges against Scott are just the latest. Remember, several players have been cited for underage drinking and two players are still facing charges for their roles in a fight back in April.
If Paterno would truly address these off-the-field issues, perhaps the questions would stop.
(Sean Lee had a big game against Wisconsin. Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Looking Back: Wisconsin.
The Lions played their best game of the season on Saturday, and it showed on the scoreboard in the form a 38-7 rout.
If the Lions had played like this at Michigan and Illinois, they would probably be the No. 2 team in the nation. Instead, they are a team on the outside looking in at that AP Top 25.
But there was plenty to be happy with on Saturday. Let’s take a look at Morelli OnLion’s three stars of the afternoon.
1. Anthony Morelli — Yes, we are going to give our No. 1 star to the much-maligned senior QB. He played about as well as he can play on Saturday, completing 16-of-28 for 216 yards and a touchdown. Most importantly, he didn’t throw a pick or put the ball on the ground. As Nittany Lion fans know, turnovers can kill you in the big game.
Morelli didn’t make any mistakes on Saturday, and look at the scoreboard.
2. Rodney Kinlaw — With Scott out of the lineup, the senior running back continues to thrive. Against the Badgers, he rushed 23 times for
113 yards and one TD. He’s seeing the holes extremely well, and he is the clear No. 1 back. It appeared as if Kinlaw was stacking up as a bust.
Not anymore.
3. Sean Lee — The junior linebacker was all over the field, racking up 12 tackles. He had two tackles for loss, including a sack. What is nice about Lee is that he’s the complete package. In addition to being a stellar addition to Linebacker U, Lee is just a solid off the field.
In the media room, he looks reporters in the eye when he answers questions.
As far as football skills are concerned, he’s right up with Paul Posluszny and Dan Connor. Expect big things from him next season.
Looking Ahead: Indiana
Penn State (5-2 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) will face an Indiana team (5-2, 2-2) that has enjoyed new found success under first-year coach Bill Lynch.
What Penn State team will show up on Saturday in Bloomington? The team that has outscored its opponents 65-17 over the past two weeks, or the team that laid eggs on road trips to Ann Arbor and Champaign earlier this year?
One thing to watch: IU loves to blitz. The Hoosiers led the nation in sacks through six weeks of the season. That could be bad news for Morelli.
Still, we like the Lions in this one.
Gantdaily. com prediction: Penn State 30, Indiana 14.
Non-rev roundup: Men’s Tennis
Senior Michael James and junior Adam Slagter both competed at the 2007 ITA Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Tennis Championships in Tulsa, Okla., on Oct. 4 through Oct. 7. James, ranked No. 35 in the nation in singles, dropped his first round match in the main draw, but scored a big three-set victory over 27th-ranked Elliot Wronski of UNLV, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, in the first round of the consolation draw to remain alive.
On Oct. 5, James defeated Florida State’s Sam Chang, 6-3, 6-4, before finally falling to Georgia’s Nate Schnugg, 6-4, 6-1, on Oct. 6.
James was especially busy at the championships, also competing in doubles, pairing with Slagter. The duo, ranked 36th nationally by the ITA, took a tough 8-4 loss to Georgia’s Travis Helgeson and Schnugg in their opening match. James and Slagter then battled No. 2 Dimitar Krutrovsky and Josh Zavala from Texas in the consolation draw on Oct. 5, a match they lost, 8-4.
In addition to writing for gantnews.com, Chris Morelli is the editor of Blue White Illustrated, a sports publication devoted to Penn State sports. He is also a regular on “Front and Center,” which airs on ESPN Radio in State College and Altoona. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com.
