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

To: MythMan who wrote (6630)	9/18/2002 8:32:38 AM
From: Nittany Lion	Respond to of 11146

Yep, be careful what you wish for, it might come true: Johnson seizes opportunity for Penn State By Dustin Dopirak Daily Collegian (U-WIRE) UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- He asked for it, and he got it. But in the weeks leading up to the Penn State football team's game against Nebraska, and in the first half of Saturday's game, tailback Larry Johnson was starting to wonder if he should have been a little more careful about what he wished for. After the Nittany Lions' 24-6 loss to Toledo in 2000, Johnson told reporters he thought the Lions' offensive system was far too predictable, and blamed the system for what was the Lions' second consecutive loss. However, with the Lions opening up the offense this season, he knew his carries would be somewhat limited in his senior season, his first as the lone featured back. He wasn't too thrilled about that going into Saturday night's game. "I knew all practice that we were going to pass," Johnson said. "I kind of wanted to show that I could run against these guys. Most people said that the running game was gone. I kind of wanted to prove to the whole world that the running game isn't gone, it's back." Even with limited first-half carries, Johnson proved that. He rushed for 128 yards -- his first career 100-yard performance -- and two touchdowns. He also had four receptions for 35 yards in the Lions' 40-7 win over Nebraska. The Lions tried to use the passing game to open up the run in the first half. Though Johnson did take a pitch into the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown in the second quarter, he only had seven carries for 37 yards in the first two quarters. Quarterback Zack Mills actually had more, with nine. Though he also had five receptions for 38 yards, including a 21-yard reception that set up his touchdown, Johnson was less than pleased. "My teammates had to calm me down," Johnson said. "I was frustrated. I wanted to get out there and show that I could do things individually to help this team win. I had to take a backseat in the first half. They talked to me and said, 'Hey, when we need to run this clock out, we need for you to run the ball.'" As they predicted, Johnson's time came in the second half. He missed a few plays with leg cramps, but in the Lions' second drive of the half, he broke open a 35-yard run on a draw play that would set up a touchdown. Two possessions later, he took over. He carried the ball on each of the first five plays, gaining 34 yards and getting the Lions to the five-yard line. The crowd began chanting Johnson's name, and he scored on a two-yard run. "I loved it," Johnson said. "I kind of liken it to the guy I most look up to, [Tennessee Titans running back] Eddie George. When he's on the drive they always chant, 'Eddie, Eddie,' I kind of felt a likeness to that. To actually go out there and run hard and play up to my ability, it was great to hear the fans get into it." Though he would like to have more carries, Johnson still complimented the coaches by saying that these were the type of changes he was hoping for two years ago. Penn State football coach Joe Paterno was just as complimentary of his player. "I thought he did really well," he said. "He had to take himself out with those cramps, but he went back in there and he ran hard and he ran smart and hung on to the ball." Though his role as the featured running back might not entail quite as many opportunities for glory as some of his predecessors, Johnson still recognized the shoes he has to fill and showed appreciation for those who came before him. Many of them, including former running backs Curt Warner and Ki-Jana Carter, were in attendance Saturday night. "My overall performance is not dedicated to me," Johnson said. "It was dedicated to [former Penn State tailbacks] D.J. Dozier, Curt Warner, Curtis Enis and Ki-Jana Carter and all of those guys that were out there supporting me before the game. It was kind of a dedication to them."