When No. 12 Penn State (8-1, 5-0 Big Ten) faces No.19 Nebraska (7-2, 3-2 Big Ten) at Beaver Stadium, it will do so without Joe Paterno on the sidelines or the press box as head coach for the first time since 1965.
Instead, interim head coach and defensive coordinator Tom Bradley will lead the Lions out on senior day in Happy Valley.
Among the seniors taking the field at Beaver Stadium include Drew Astorino, Quinn Barham, Jack Crawford, Andrew Goodman, Stephfon Green, Eric Latimore, Evan Lewis, D’Anton Lynn, J.D. Mason, Derek Moye, Chima Okoli, DeOn’tae Pannell, Chaz Powell, Jon Rohrbaugh, Devon Still, Nate Stupar, Joe Suhey, Nick Sukay, Andrew Szczerba and Johnnie Troutman.
The 20 Nittany Lion seniors will be honored prior to kickoff before running out the tunnel for the last time.
Amidst the child abuse scandal that has rocked Happy Valley, lost is the fact that these seniors will close out their careers without a man that has guided them through their years at the school, that man is Joe Paterno, who was fired by the universities board of trustees late Wednesday.
“Can’t even shake my own head coach’s hand when I run out into beaver stadium for the last time…y’all dk how much this man has done,” said senior defensive tackle Devon Still on his twitter late Wednesday.
[Godfrey: Previewing Week 11 in the Big Ten]
Emotions will be running high for the Lions, who will be playing the rest of the season in honor of their former coach and mentor.
“It’s been an absolute honor to play for such a selfless man,” running back Silas Redd posted on his twitter regarding Paterno.
Coach Tom Bradley said during his press conference on Thursday that he told the team that it was “their team” now, not the coach’s of the universities, but theirs going forward.
That starts this Saturday when the Lions begin a challenging stretch to end the season, with game against No.19 Nebraska, then on the road at Ohio State and at No. 20 Wisconsin.
Key Players:
- Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska: The Lions have had fits in years past including this year containing dual-threat quarterbacks, and Martinez is one of the best in the country. He’s averaging over five yards per carry on the ground this season and has combined with running back Rex Burkhead to rush for over 1,600 yards combined in 2011.
- Silas Redd, RB, Penn State: What else is new? Redd has been on the key player list all season. With over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns, Redd is the most dangerous threat on the Lion offense. He’s also rushed for 100+ yards in five-straight games for the Nittany Lions.
PSU's Silas Redd hopes to send out the teams seniors out with a win in their final home game of their Penn State careers.
- Devon Still & Jordan Hill, DT’s, Penn State: The big men in the middle have to control the line of scrimmage and contain the Cornhuskers run game. If they do, the Lions will head in the Horseshoe at 9-1, if not, the Lions could be looking at a late-season collapse.
- Penn State’s defense vs. Nebraska’s running game: Nebraska runs the ball well (237 yards per game). Penn State stops the run (111 yards allowed per game). Somethings gotta give. Which team wins this battle will undoubtedly win this matchup.
- The emotion of the game could either turn the Lions into an unstoppable force or break them down by the opening kickoff. Which one it is remains to be seen as all the players are saying all of the right things, but even they won’t know what the emotions will be like until they hit that field on Saturday. Despite, I think this team has “it” and is destined for great things, good teams win ugly, and this team does it week in and week out.
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