Penn State looking to end frustration at the Horseshoe

Oct 22, 2008 - 6:44 PM By Bob Birge PA SportsTicker Staff Writer

There isn't much Joe Paterno has not accomplished in his 43 seasons at Penn State.

His resume includes two national championships, five undefeated seasons, a record 23 bowl victories and 380 career wins - the most for any coach in the history of the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Yet "JoePa" has not enjoyed much success at Ohio State, where some would say the ghost of Wayne Woodrow Hayes still haunts the famed Horseshoe.

The 81-year-old Paterno is only 1-7 at Ohio Stadium, his only win being a 19-0 victory in 1978, Art Schlichter's freshman season at Ohio State. Since joining the Big Ten Conference in 1993, Penn State is 0-7 in Columbus.

This is the historical hurdle the third-ranked Nittany Lions (8-0) will have to overcome Saturday, when they face the 10th-ranked Buckeyes (7-1) in what shapes up as the program's biggest game in years - possibly since Penn State won its last national championship in 1986.

Certainly it's the biggest game in the Big Ten this season, as the winner will be in the driver's seat to win the conference title. Penn State's only outright Big Ten championship came in 1994.

"To be honest, I couldn't tell you about the last time we won there," Paterno said. "It's a different situation. That was the first game (Schlichter) ever played. He started as a true freshman. It was their first game (of the season)."

Three decades later, Penn State will be looking for a signature win against another Ohio State freshman quarterback. Terrelle Pryor has led the Buckeyes to five straight victories since replacing Todd Boeckman against Troy on September 20.

"I think he is a heck of a player right now," Paterno said. "I think he's got everything to be a great player. He's a good kid. He's got a lot of poise and he handles pressure not only on the field, but also off the field. He knows what's going on, and each week he's getting better."

After playing poorly in a 16-3 win at Purdue the week before, Pryor actually asked Ohio State Jim Tressel to bench him if he continued to struggle, but that wasn't necessary.

Pryor, a Pennsylvania native, threw a touchdown pass and rushed for a score in the first quarter as Ohio State built a 21-point lead before coasting to a 45-7 victory over Michigan State and possibly sending a message - the two-time defending Big Ten champions aren't going to give up their title without a fight.

"(Pryor) loves the big stage and the big challenge," Tressel said.

While Ohio State's offense has been up and down, Penn State has performed at a consistently high level throughout the season.

Last week against Michigan, the Nittany Lions may have been caught looking ahead. But after trailing at halftime, they erupted in the second half for 32 unanswered points and blasted the Wolverines, 46-17.

Penn State's efficient offense has plenty of depth but as far as Tressel is concerned, the difference is junior quarterback Daryll Clark.

"The fact that Daryll Clark has taken over as quarterback, he adds that dimension of excellent passing like the Penn State quarterbacks always do, but he gives you that run dimension like Michael Robinson did for them a few years ago," Tressel said.

While the Big Ten crown could be decided Saturday, the game also has huge BCS implications - more so for Penn State, which is third in the BCS standings.

Ohio State is ninth, but would move up with a win over Penn State and stay in the running for a third straight appearance in the BCS title game.

"Let's not get into that," Paterno said. "You know where I stand on it. I'm for a playoff. That's not going to happen. What we have, we have. We've got to try to do the best we can, so we'll see if we're good enough to get the kind of recognition you'd like your team to get.

"We're playing Ohio State this week. We're not playing the BCS."

With a win, however, Penn State would have a clear path to an undefeated season and a legitimate chance to play in the BCS title game. The Nittany Lions finish with a road game at Iowa and home contests against Indiana and Michigan State.

In that case, they would only need either No. 1 Texas or No. 2 Alabama to lose once to book their spot in the January 8 BCS title game.