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Pastimes : College Football: Nits, Gators, Bruins, Vols - Whoever! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nittany Lion who wrote (3712)	7/10/2001 6:14:02 PM
From: MythMan	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 11146

Struggles ahead for JoePa, Lions There’s a bad rumor floating around State College these days. It goes something like this: Can legendary Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno get victory No. 324 - and pass Bear Bryant for first place on the all-time list - before Penn State athletic director Tim Curley is forced to make a coaching change? Take a look at the Penn State schedule. JoePa - who isn’t going anywhere until he says so - might be lucky to get his second win of the season and pass Bryant by second week of November. By that time, Florida State coach Bobby Bowden (who currently sits at 315) could be one game behind. And Penn State will be into the third month of the Big Ten’s toughest schedule. There are no Toledos here. (Memo to PSU: Gary Pinkel thanks you for the Mizzou job). The season opens with a national title contender and includes a road game at Big Ten favorite Northwestern. In between, there are potential obstacles everywhere. Penn State returns just four starters from last year’s predictable, painful offense, and desperately needs quarterback Matt Senneca to blossom into an efficient drop back passer. If he can, the running game, with improved junior Larry Johnson, will help the Lions compete through a brutal schedule. Competing and winning, however, are separate issues, however. PSU opens with Miami in Happy Valley, and even the excitement of a new season, a renovated stadium and a sense of urgency might not be enough to overcome the Hurricanes’ talent. The Lions then travel to Virginia, where the Cavs could be 1-1 under new coach Al Groh and desperate for a victory before the beginning of the ACC season. The Big Ten schedule then begins in full force. Wisconsin, one of the Big Ten’s top teams over the last decade, comes to Happy Valley for the first time since 1997. The Lions then travel to Iowa, which won at Penn State last season. If Penn State doesn’t get two wins somewhere in the first four games, it won’t happen until November. The next three games - Michigan, at Northwestern, Ohio State could be season-breakers. Even though two are in Happy Valley, all three teams have more talent than Penn State. All three teams also have passing games that can confuse and cripple Penn State’s shaky secondary. The Lions finish with a November run that includes a non-conference game against giant killer Southern Mississippi, a game at Illinois and pass-happy quarterback Kurt Kittner, a home game against Indiana and a road trip to East Lansing, Mich., to wrap up the season against Michigan State. November will ensure JoePa gets No. 324. If the Lions can steal a couple of wins early, November will ensure JoePa returns to a bowl game -- and will quash the rumors and rumblings in the process. At least for a year. Or until Bobby Bowden passes him. Whichever comes first. Matt Hayes is a projects editor for The Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com. << the yahoos on the BWI board are of course discrediting this right and left.