Saturday, October 16, 1999
Cooper lyin' low for Penn State
BY SCOTT MacGREGOR
The Cincinnati Enquirer
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Ohio State as the underdog. Get used to it. Not even Buckeyes coach John Cooper says his team will beat Penn State today if the second-ranked Nittany Lions take care of business in Happy Valley.
That doesn't mean the Buckeyes, playing an unaccustomed role as Big Ten spoiler, can't win. It's just not likely.
It hasn't been an easy start for No.17 OSU (4-2, 1-1 Big Ten), and it doesn't get any easier. Though the Bucks play winnable games at Minnesota and at home against Iowa and Illinois, today's noon start at Penn State (6-0, 3-0) begins a brutal stretch in which they must play at the nation's second-, fifth- (Michigan State) and 10th-ranked (Michigan) teams to close out the regular season.
Today's matchup is Ohio State's first road game since the Aug.28 season-opening loss to Miami at the Meadowlands and is its first at an opponent's home stadium.
Penn State poses a challenge the Buckeyes haven't seen yet: A top-caliber team with a multidimensional offense and a crushing defense. The Lions are first in the Big Ten in total offense (465.5 yards a game), and are fourth in total defense (325 yards).
Though Penn State has un derwhelmed at times for the No.2-ranked team — it almost lost to Pitt at home and didn't play spectacularly last week in beating Iowa 31-7 — the Lions, as Cooper says, have “looked great when they've had to play.”
Cooper's mantra early this week — that Penn State is a better team — was a motivational tool the coach probably hopes will spur the Buckeyes to play smarter. Even in last week's comeback win over Purdue, OSU fumbled (and recovered) twice on its game-winning drive, suffered two interceptions and missed too many tackles.
“We can win this game ... but we can't turn the ball over. We can't have mistakes in the kicking game; we can't have missed tackles,” Cooper said.
The missed tackles especially bothered Cooper. “Tackling is an attitude,” he said.
“When you miss tackles, big plays happen, bottom line,” safety Donnie Nickey said.
Lions coach Joe Paterno is expecting the same kind of Ohio State team he has seen beat PSU four of its six years in the Big Ten. “They're younger. They have the same kind of ability,” Paterno said.
The comparisons between the star players on each team are too good to ignore:
• Outside linebacker: OSU's Na'il Diggs and Penn State's LaVar Arrington. Both are among the best in the Big Ten.
Arrington is a combination pass rusher/run stuffer who lines up all over the field. Diggs, called on to provide more leadership by Cooper two weeks ago, is the best player on OSU's defense.
Of Arrington, OSU tackle Henry Fleming said: “First, you've got to find where he is. He lines up all over. Everyone knows what he can do.”
• Quarterback: OSU's Steve Bellisari and Penn State's Kevin Thompson and Rashard Casey. Bellisari is a combination of the Lions' dual-quarterback system but is not as effective. Thompson (894 yards) is a pure pocket passer; Casey (177.36 efficiency rating, best in the Big Ten) is mobile and athletic and can throw the ball once in awhile. Each has made crucial plays, and each has five touchdown passes.
Bellisari has made big plays too but lacks the consistency of Penn State's tandem and needs to make more accurate throws.
• Running back: OSU's Michael Wiley and Penn State's Eric McCoo. Wiley hasn't run particularly well or held on to the ball, while McCoo has given Penn State solid yards.
• Wide receiver: OSU's Ken-Yon Rambo and Reggie Germany and Penn State's Chafie Fields. Rambo and Germany have shown flashes of stardom, but their playmaking hasn't been as consistent as that of Fields, who is a big-play threat (20 catches for an average of 20 yards.)
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