With Penn State’s 26-14 loss to Iowa last week, Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno fell into second place behind Florida State’s Bobby Bowdon for the most wins ever in Division I-A football history. While that is hardly a dubious distinction, Penn State’s 2-6, 0-4 Big Ten record this season has prompted many to assert that the 76-year-old Paterno should retire at the end of this year.
But the other coaches of the Big Ten emphatically disagree.
“I think it’s ludicrous,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “There’s not going to be another man like Joe, and you can write that down in permanent ink. The day where you have a guy who is able to coach at his institution for 50-plus years? Those days will never happen again. I’m not here to tell anybody their business, but I sure would hope it will be coach Paterno’s call. To me, that would be the right thing.”
There is no disputing the magnitude of Paterno’s accomplishments over the course of his career. He led Penn State to two national titles in 1982 and 1986 and was named coach of the year four times in three seperate decades (1968, 1978, 1982 and 1986). He has ammassed a 20-9-1 bowl record and coached three teams that went undefeated yet did not finish No. 1.
Paterno’s recent achievements, however, have been quite disappointing by comparison. In 2001, the Nittany Lions finished with a 5-6 (4-4 Big Ten) record, followed by a 9-4 (5-3 Big Ten) effort in 2002. Penn State has now lost four straight games for the second time in three years, and Paterno has declared this season the toughest ever in his 54 seasons of coaching.
What has made this season especially difficult, Paterno said, are the off-field exploits of some of his players, including the suspension of his best receiver, Tony Johnson for drunk driving, and the dismissal of offensive lineman Tom McHugh for an Oct. 17 arrest for harassment, public drunkeness and underage drinking.
Despite the turmoil, Paterno has made shown no indication of walking away come season’s end.
“I don’t know what else I would rather do,” Paterno said. “It’s an exciting life. There’s always hopes and there’s always planning, and I think I would miss that.”
STATE OF AFFAIRS: The Michigan/Michigan State game is always an eagerly anticipated event. But with both teams vying for Big Ten supremacy this season, the stakes — and the intensity — have been raised.
“A rivalry is a rivalry, and any in-state rivalry is the biggest thing there is,” Michigan State coach John L. Smith. “To those people within that locker room and us coaches, it’s the biggest thing in the world to us. The thing that makes this bigger is that there are a lot more people outside the locker room that make a big deal of it.”
The Spartans lead the conference with a 4-0 record, but Michigan follows right behind at 4-1. The programs feature the Big Ten’s top two quarterbacks: the Wolverines’ John Navarre has completed 183 passes for 2,271 yards and 16 touchdowns, while Michigan State’s Jeff Smoker has connected on 180 throws for 2,070 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Spartans have been on a roll, winning their last five straight games by an average of 16 points, but Michigan produced one of its strongest showings of the season in last week’s 31-3 blowout over Purdue.
This will be Smith’s first rivalry game with Michigan State, but all indications show that he knows how to prepare.
“We’re supposed to yell at each other and go crazy during this week, aren’t we?” Smith said.
THREE’S COMPANY: After last Saturday’s game, Purdue coach Joe Tiller made no secret of how impressed he was by the Wolverines receivers.
“Michigan has the best core of receivers that I’ve ever seen,” Tiller said. “These guys could start at Miami of Florida, or wherever you want to pick.”
Depth has been a key reason for the Wolverines’ success through the air this season. Sophomore Jason Avant and junior Braylon Edwards have averaged 76.9 and 76.2 yards per game, ranking third and fourth in the Big Ten respectively. Despite these gaudy numbers, the most dangerous wide receiver on Michigan’s roster may well be its third option, freshman Steve Breaston, and not for anything he does on offense. Breaston has quickly made a name for himself as one of the nation’s premiere special teams weapons, having returned two punts for touchdowns already this season. His 16 yards per punt return average tops the Big Ten, and according to Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, it is merely an indication of things to come.
“This kid’s going to be better than excellent,” Carr said. “Steve is a very bright guy, a very competitive guy and a very unassuming guy. If you know him, you would never guess he possesses special abilities. He’s going to be a great football player and a very successful individual when he leaves Michigan.”
