Zack Mills was red meat for Miami. He survived.
Young Penn St. quarterback giving fans a reason for hope
By Ray Parrillo
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
When Zack Mills unexpectedly hustled onto the field at Beaver Stadium late in the first quarter of Penn State's Sept. 1 opener, the first instinct was to cover your eyes.
At 19, after a year away from the angry clutches of hard-charging linebackers, and having thrown his last pass as a senior at Urbana High School in Ijamsville, Md., the redshirted freshman quarterback couldn't have been tossed into a more harrowing situation.
After all, the powerful Miami Hurricanes were the opponent. They were riding the emotional high of a quick 10-0 lead, and their swift defenders were hot on the scent of an early kill.
Moreover, Mills, who came in after the starter, Matt Senneca, was injured, was looking at third and 11 from the Nittany Lions' 19-yard line, and was fresh meat for the Hurricanes.
"I was pretty nervous," Mills conceded.
Mills took his licks and at times played like the inexperienced freshman he was. Yet he survived with all limbs intact and emerged as one of Penn State's few bright lights on a dark night that ended with Miami rolling to an easy 33-7 victory.
After Senneca, a junior making his first start, reinjured a nerve in his throwing arm at the end of the half, Mills played the rest of the way. The lefthander finished with 12 completions on 24 passes, including a 44-yard touchdown strike to Bryant Johnson that prevented the indignity of a shutout.
Mills was intercepted twice and sacked twice but flashed mobility, and his 240 passing yards were the most ever by a Penn State freshman, breaking Tony Sacca's 215 against Syracuse in 1988. Sacca was a true freshman.
As the game progressed, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Mills became more evidently poised and confident.
"It was a good experience for me," he said. "You're always unsure of your abilities until you get to play in a game. I think I now have more confidence in myself."
Senneca has had plenty of time to recover and will start when Penn State (0-1) plays Wisconsin (1-2) in a Big Ten Conference opener Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Penn State's game at Virginia, scheduled for Sept. 13, was postponed to Dec. 1 because of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11.
"Matt will be fine, and now with Zack getting some experience in a tough game, I think our quarterback situation is pretty good," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said.
Still, Senneca has as much to prove as Mills. Senneca returned as the lone Penn State quarterback with game experience, little as it was. Against Miami, Senneca, from Allentown, misfired on his first six passes before finishing 1 for 7 for 1 yard. Until the completion, he had thrown 14 straight incomplete passes dating back to last season.
Alluding to the long layoff, Senneca said earlier this week: "I'm really anxious to get going again. I got knocked out of the Miami game early, and not playing for so long has been a little frustrating. I'm really looking forward to Saturday."
At Penn State, the backup quarterback is frequently the people's choice. Traditionally, Penn State quarterbacks struggle. Those who succeed typically don't do so until their senior seasons. It's a mystery that frustrates Nittany Lions fans.
Mills said he was aware that Penn State was far from a quarterback factory when he committed to the school before his senior year in high school. Obviously, that didn't discourage him.
"I've been aware of that, but I tried not to let that bother me," he said. "I just don't think about negative things like that. If you let that get into your head, it'll bother you."
Unfortunately for Senneca and Mills in this time of Penn State difficulties, their presence often reminds followers of two highly touted quarterbacks from the school's traditional recruiting grounds whom they didn't get. They are Chris Simms, who went to Texas after playing in northern New Jersey, and Jeff Smoker, a sophomore starter at Michigan State from Manheim, Pa.
Smoker was among three quarterbacks Penn State went after two years ago. The others were Mills and Zac Wasserman, who was also redshirted by the Nittany Lions last season.
Penn State's recruiters told the three quarterbacks that they would give grants to the first two who committed. Mills said he wanted more time to make a decision. So did Smoker. But when Mills learned in April 2000 that Wasserman had given a commitment, he did the same. At the time, the only other school to offer him a grant was Pitt.
Wasserman, a Californian who had fallen behind Mills on the depth chart, left Penn State before this season.
The loss of Smoker will become more palatable if Mills builds on his encouraging debut. How soon he'll get the chance to do so depends on two people: Senneca and Paterno.
Note. The Federal Aviation Administration has granted Penn State's request to forbid flights within a 11/2-mile radius of Beaver Stadium for Saturday's game. The restriction is part of a series of tighter security measures at the stadium.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
