Tide rolls over Penn State

FROM THE MORNING CALL

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Joe Paterno was correct about his team being outmanned. The miracle he requested never materialized.

Flutstered by three turnovers inside the Alabama 20-yard line and flummoxed by the Crimson Tide's offense, Penn State fell 243 Saturday night in the revived intersectional rivalry that had Tuscaloosa looking forward and back.

The Tide, who have won 16 consecutive games, overwhelmed Penn State with a variety of offensive packages, from power-running to five-wide gunslinging. The Nittany Lions had trouble with both: Alabama's crossing and drag routes produced the first touchdown, and bulldozing back Trent Richardson (22 carries, 144 yards) handled another.

In all, Alabama outgained Penn State 409-283, a performance indicating its offense is even better than last year. And Penn State made all the mistakes it had to avoid to remain competitive against the Tide's scoring machine.



Last week, Paterno, who was seeking his 500th victory in 61 years on Penn State's coaching staff, said the Lions would be "outmanned" by Alabama and might be best served gaining experience from the trip. For his team, and the fans who followed, the whole weekend was an experience.

Alabama ran its wn streak to 16 games at Bryant-Denny Stadium, a venue louder than any in the Big Ten. The huge crowd (101,821) sang "Sweet Home Alabama" 20 minutes before the game, which was introduced by a chilling flyover as the school's band played "Tusk."

Outside the stadium, vendors sold T-shirts that said, "Welcome back JoePa," an indication that fans heeded the admonition of Alabama coach Nick Saban, who urged them not to boo. The Crimson Tide make an awful lot of noise, but booing rarely was part of it.

Not that they had much to boo. Alabama scored on two of its first three possessions to take a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. The first scoring drive, which covered 68 yards in 2:38, featured a superb dose of quarterback Greg MeElroy, a second-year starter who hasn't lost a game since eighth grade.

McElroy went 4-for-4 for 79 yards on the series, in which the Tide went with an emtpy backfield and sent receivers criss-crossing the field. Kevin Norwood completed the series with a 36-yard touchdown run, outrunning linebackers and breaking tackles along the way.

After that, the game belonged to Richardson, playing in place of injured Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram. The 5-11, 224-pound sophomore sliced through exceptional gaps, ran around linebackers and dragged defensive backs downfield. By halftime he was the first back to gain 100 yards against Penn State since Iowa's Shonn Green in 2008.

As its defense struggled, Penn State countered with an offense that leaned heavily on 5-7 sophomore receiver Devon Smith. Hoping to use his speed on the wings, the Lions called Smith's number five time in the pass game and twice more in the run. Alabama actually stunted its defense to handle Smith, which in turn led to a 24-yard reverse by Shawney Kersey, Penn State's longest play of the game.

But as the Lions moved the ball with some success, they also fell victim to three key turnovers, all inside the Alabama 20-yard line. Two were the products of freshman mistakes by a freshman. Another was among the oddest plays Penn State has seen in a while.

In the first quarter, Bolden (13-for-29, 144 yards, 2 interceptions) was picked off at the 3-yard line, the product of a wobbly pass he threw while being hit on a blitz. In the third, Bolden was intercepted inside the Alabama 20 after confusing a route with receiver Graham Zug.

Those two plays halted potential scoring drives, but were not nearly as dramatic as Chaz Powell's second-quarter fumble. Powell, wide open in the flat, was closed on immediately by two Alabama defenders and lost possession.

The Tide's Robert Lester recovered the ball and took off toward the end zone but was caught from behind by Penn State receiver Derek Moye. Moye stripped Lester of the ball, and teammate Brett Brackett recovered.

Penn State regained possession on a sterling effort by two receivers but essentially lost 81 yards on the play. That play underscored the whole night for Penn State.

The Lions even began the game on a bad note. Linebacker Gerald Hodges was injured on the opening kickoff and was on crutches for the second half. He was scheduled to play significantly at outside linebacker, and his speed and pursuit skills might have helped against Alabama's offense.

http://www.mcall.com/sports/mc-psu-game-0911-20100911,0,3778893.story