Penn State opening Big Ten season with goal of winning division

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Penn State went 44 days before it realized that all the harsh NCAA sanctions didn't completely crush its 2012 football season after all.

On Sept. 5, in response to a question from ESPN.com, the Big Ten Conference revealed that the Nittany Lions, despite penalties handed down July 23 that included a postseason ban, scholarship reductions, and a $60 million fine, are indeed eligible to win the 2012 Leaders Division title.

Suddenly, the Lions had something to play for.

"That's the main goal right now," senior cornerback Stephon Morris said. "Now that the Big Ten season has started, we have a chip on our shoulder to do that, to have this team, given the circumstances, to be the first team at Penn State under coach [Bill] O'Brien to win its division."

That drive begins Saturday at Memorial Stadium, where the Nittany Lions (2-2) take on Illinois (2-2) in O'Brien's conference debut as head coach. However, the shift to Big Ten play for the balance of the season has not changed the coach's outlook on making sure his team stays focused, one Saturday at a time.

"We try to break it down into 12 one-game seasons," he said this week. "We've played four. Now we're focused on the fifth game, the Illinois game, and we don't think about anything down the road. We just know we have eight more opportunities left to play."

Senior running back Michael Zordich called the Big Ten's decision "cool. . . . It's great and all." But he agreed with his coach.

"Ever since this all broke out, we've just concentrated on each Saturday," he said. "It would be great for me to be able to say we want to win everything, and we want our part of the Big Ten. But at the end of the day, all we really want to do is go out and beat all these teams anyway."

O'Brien and the Nittany Lions have done a good job of underplaying any lingering anger that exists against the Fighting Illini since first-year head coach Tim Beckman sent his assistants to State College, Pa., to see if any Penn State players were interested in transferring following the sanctions.

Whether the fury comes pouring out once the game starts is anyone's guess. Still, O'Brien doesn't want his players to lose their concentration and thinks there are plenty of other factors to drive them, such as their play in last week's 24-13 win over Temple.

"I believe that our players are really focused on building on what they did well in the Temple game and improving in areas where we really need to improve as it relates to the Temple game," he said. "They're not concerned with anything other than playing a tough road game against a good Illinois team.

"The motivation is it's our first Big Ten game on the road. It's going to be a great environment in Illinois, and that's what the players are focused on."

The Fighting Illini committed six turnovers, five on lost fumbles, a week ago in a 52-24 home defeat to Louisiana Tech. They used two quarterbacks - junior Nathan Scheelhaase, who is 1-1 against the Lions as a starter in his career, and sophomore Reilly O'Toole.

Scheelhaase, who is equally dangerous running or passing, is expected to start. O'Toole, who prefers to stay in the pocket, has completed 78 percent of his passes and has thrown for six touchdowns.

Illinois' strength is on defense, where they've given up 329 yards per game. Strangely, the Illini are last in the Big Ten in points allowed (26.0 per game), and they gave Louisiana Tech the ball four times in Illinois territory.

Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin, who leads the Big Ten in passing yards and is tied at the top with nine touchdown tosses, said the line, led by end Michael Buchanan, is the defense's strong point.

"They've got some big-time players, guys that are going to put some pressure on you, especially in the passing game," McGloin said. "So we need to make sure that we're on the same page in terms of protections."

Saturday at noon, Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Ill.

TV/Radio: ESPN; WNTP-AM (990), WNPV-AM (1440).

Records: Penn State, 2-2; Illinois, 2-2. This is the Big Ten opener for both teams.

Coaches: Penn State, Bill O'Brien (first season, 2-2); Illinois, Tim Beckman (first season, 2-2).

Series: Penn State leads, 15-4 on the field, but nine of the wins have been vacated by NCAA sanctions. One of those vacated victories, 10-7, came last year at Beaver Stadium.

Betting line: Penn State by 1.

Three things to watch

It will be interesting to see how much emotion Penn State takes into the game given Illinois' trip east in July to recruit its players following the sanctions. Look for linebacker Michael Mauti, the most outspoken critic of coach poachers, to see what tone he sets.

With Bill Belton, Derek Day, and Curtis Dukes expected to return from injuries, the Nittany Lions will be back to their full complement of five tailbacks. O'Brien will be sure to mix and match the quick ones with the powerful ones.

Field position could play a big role, and the advantage belongs to Illinois punter Justin DuVernois over the Nittany Lions' Alex Butterworth. The Fighting Illini have a net punting average of 41.1 yards (17th in FBS), while Penn State's is 30.9 (116th).

Three things you might not know

Penn State's longest rush from scrimmage in four games is the 19-yard gain by linebacker Glenn Carson on a fake punt at Virginia. The Lions' longest rush by a running back is 16 yards by Michael Zordich last week.

The Nittany Lions are opening on the road for the 12th time in their 20 Big Ten seasons. "I would like some day for that to even out," O'Brien said.

Matt McGloin leads the Big Ten in passing yards and completions and is tied for the conference lead in touchdown passes with nine. - Joe Juliano

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