Big Ten says Ohio State, Penn State still could get trophy

By Rob Leifheit,, U.S. Presswire

Quarterback Braxton Miller and the rest of the Ohio State Buckeyes still could earn a trophy this season as champion of the Big Ten Leaders Division.

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Florida State DE Jenkins to miss remainder of the season

TALLAHASSEE – Senior defensive end Brandon Jenkins, the biggest star on Florida State's star-studded defense, has been lost to a season-ending foot injury.

By Sam Sharpe, US Presswire

Florida State's Brandon Jenkins, seen here at ACC Media Day in July, suffered a season-ending foot injury on Saturday.

By Sam Sharpe, US Presswire

Florida State's Brandon Jenkins, seen here at ACC Media Day in July, suffered a season-ending foot injury on Saturday.

Jenkins, a Florida High graduate who led FSU in sacks each of the past two seasons, went down in the second quarter of Saturday's season opener against Murray State. After tending to him on the sideline, team trainers tried to give Jenkins crutches to help him get back to the locker room, but he tossed them aside and walked back under his own power.

After the game, Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher told reporters that X-rays of Jenkins' foot were negative, and that team doctors believed it was just a deep bruise. During his weekly press conference Monday afternoon, Fisher opened the door slightly that it could be worse.

"We'll probably MRI it, check it, just to make sure for his sake," Fisher said.

That MRI, as well as a "weight-bearing" X-ray, revealed that Jenkins had sustained a Lisfranc injury. The most common description of a Lisfranc injury refers to a broken bone (or bones) or torn ligaments in the "midfoot" area, according to medical websites.

"Brandon is not only a tremendous player, but a great person, teammate and leader that we will miss," Fisher said in a statement late Monday. "I know he'll bounce back and recover to continue a great career."

Jenkins' injury is the second major blow to a Florida State defense that was projected to be among the best in the country. Senior cornerback Greg Reid was dismissed from the team during the summer for a violation of team rules. The Seminoles now have lost their most experienced defensive back and top pass-rusher.

Jenkins earned first-team All-ACC honors as a sophomore after racking up 13 1/2 sacks. He posted a team-high eight sacks in 2011 and was named second-team All-ACC.

He likely will be replaced in the starting lineup by senior Cornellius Carradine, who came off the bench Saturday to lead the team in tackles. And the Seminoles likely will go with a four-man rotation at the two defensive end spots — with Carradine and junior Bjoern Werner backed up by senior Toshmon Stevens and redshirt freshman Giorgio Newberry.

Fisher said Monday he hoped to redshirt freshman defensive ends Mario Edwards Jr. and Chris Casher, but that approach might have to be adjusted.

Earlier this year, Jenkins planned on skipping his senior season and making himself available for the NFL Draft. He was projected to go in the second round but changed his mind after a heart-to-heart with Fisher.

Jenkins said he wanted to come back to pursue his degree, help the Seminoles win a national championship and improve his draft status. Because Jenkins played as a true freshman in 2009, he would be eligible to take a medical hardship and return to the Seminoles next season. He also could make himself available for the 2013 draft.

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Eight North Dakota State players charged with petition fraud

FARGO, N.D. (AP) – Eight North Dakota State University football players, including four starters, will remain on the roster while criminal charges against them for forging signatures on ballot initiative petitions are resolved, their coach said Tuesday.

By LM Otero, AP

North Dakota State coach Craig Bohl says the eight players allegedly involved in the petition fraud will be eligible to play Saturday.

By LM Otero, AP

North Dakota State coach Craig Bohl says the eight players allegedly involved in the petition fraud will be eligible to play Saturday.

The players were paid $9 an hour to gather signatures for two citizen initiatives, one sought to set up a state conservation fund and another to make marijuana legal for medical treatments. Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said many of the petition signatures were copied from phone books or fabricated.

North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger said the alleged fraud made both initiatives ineligible for a statewide vote in November.

Stenehjem said 11 people have been charged in the case, including the eight players for the defending Football Championship Subdivision champion.

Four are starters: running back Samuel Ojuri, defensive backs Marcus Williams and Brendin Pierre, and offensive lineman Josh Colville. Backup defensive backs Bryan Shepherd and Aireal Boyd, reserve middle linebacker Antonio Rodgers and Demitrius Gray, a freshman wide receiver, also face charges. Gray is redshirting and does not travel with the team.

Bison coach Craig Bohl said the players have cooperated with investigators and any team discipline will be decided after legal proceedings are finished. The players will be eligible to play this weekend against Colorado State, he said.

"I think they are very fully aware of their situation and thus far they've been very focused," Bohl said.

NDSU athletics director Gene Taylor said the school takes all charges seriously, but he did not believe the latest case warranted immediate discipline.

"In terms of other issues across the country that student-athletes get in trouble for, this doesn't rank to the level where I think they need to be suspended for a certain amount of time," he said.

The citizen initiatives advocated creating a new state conservation fund, financed by a share of North Dakota's burgeoning oil tax collections, and the legal use of marijuana to treat symptoms of debilitating illnesses.

Supporters of the conservation initiative paid a consulting firm $145,000 to collect signatures it needed to qualify for the ballot. The measure's chairman, Stephen Adair, a regional director for Ducks Unlimited in Bismarck, N.D., said about $500,000 in television advertising time had already been booked for the fall campaign.

Adair said he felt "sick to my stomach" when he learned of the alleged fraud over the weekend. Stenehjem said the sponsoring committees of the conservation and marijuana initiatives were not themselves suspected of fraud.

The attorney general said the 11 people face misdemeanor charges in connection with the alleged fraud. The charges carry a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Aside from the eight NDSU football players, those accused include a former Bison footballer, a woman and a man who is not connected with NDSU's football program.

"Several petition circulators had forged signatures on the two petitions, either by taking the names from the telephone directory, from cellphone contact lists, or by simply fabricating the names," Stenehjem said.

Jaeger said workers checking the petitions noticed repeated ZIP code mistakes, names "signed" in the same hand and other indications the signatures were faked. In one instance, a person signed the name of Hillary Rodham, who is better known as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and listed her as living at the White House, he said.

Bureau of Criminal Investigation agents interviewed the circulators, who said they could not say which signatures on their petitions were genuine and which were not, Stenehjem said. Petition circulators are required to sign a statement declaring the signatures they gathered were properly obtained.

Telephone and email messages left with Terra Strategies LLC of Des Moines, the consulting firm that supervised the conservation campaign, were not returned Tuesday.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Long season ahead? Penn State falls to Ohio

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – A white towel draped over his shoulder, the new Penn State coach in the white polo shirt donned headphones to communicate with his assistants in the press box as he paced the sideline.

Andrew Weber, US Presswire

Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton celebrates after rushing for a touchdown in the third quarter against Penn State.

Andrew Weber, US Presswire

Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton celebrates after rushing for a touchdown in the third quarter against Penn State.

These are now Bill O'Brien's Nittany Lions — and they are off to a disappointing start.

In front of 97,000 vocal fans eager to just watch football again, Penn State let an 11-point halftime lead slip away and Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton accounted for three second-half touchdowns to hand O'Brien a 24-14 loss in his coaching debut.

"I thought it was a great atmosphere in the stands," O'Brien said before stoically taking responsibility for the loss. "Again, it starts with me and coaching better and making sure we play better next time."

For many fans, just watching a game at Beaver Stadium represented a small victory following a trying offseason that included the death of former coach Joe Paterno and crippling NCAA sanctions placed on the program for the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal.

"We are … Penn State," the eager crowd roared in the fourth quarter, even in the final minutes with defeat assured. It was the first loss to open a season for Penn State since falling 33-7 to Miami in 2001.

"It got everyone back together," fan Lisa Weller, 48, of Charlotte, referring to the team and the massive Penn State fan base, said about Saturday's game. "Everyone is going to move forward."

Matt McGloin threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns guiding Penn State's new-look offense.

There were some other changes, too: players' names on the backs of the uniforms and blue ribbons on the back of the helmets to show support for victims of child sexual abuse.

Long a model for stability, the Sandusky scandal lurched the program into a rebuilding project no one expected a year ago.

Now Penn State is playing without someone named Paterno on the sideline for the first time since 1949. The late Hall of Famer arrived in Happy Valley as an assistant in 1950 and took over as head coach in 1966.

The man known in these parts as "JoePa" stayed on the job for 46 seasons before his firing last November days after Sandusky, his former defensive coordinator, was arrested.

Paterno's widow, Sue Paterno, watched the game from a stadium suite. Paterno died in January, and as part of his employment agreement the family got use of the suite for 25 years.

O'Brien took over in January after serving as offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. From his first day on the job, promised to stay focused on the present and the future of Penn State football.

O'Brien spent much of the afternoon pacing the same sideline that Paterno once walked with his trademark khakis and jet-black sneakers.

With the towel, the new coach sported a look reminiscent of Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson.

Even in defeat, Saturday was a huge first step.

"We were obviously emotional," guard John Urschel said. "We've been extremely excited to get back to playing football, but at the same time, we managed our emotions once the game got going. We got back into football mode, just playing the game."

Ohio coach Frank Solich knew Saturday would be unlike an average game day.

"We knew that we were going to have to take on a surge. That surge would come from their fans, come from their players, the atmosphere. We knew it would be a difficult atmosphere to play in," Solich said. "What we told them is, 'We just have to keep pounding fellas. This is a game that's going to be a four-quarter football game.'"

McGloin was 27-for-48 passing with one interception, while sophomore Allen Robinson had a nice debut as the No. 1 wideout with nine catches on 97 yards.

But the pesky Bobcats weren't the typical season-opening pushover for Penn State.

"I thought there was some definite good out there," O'Brien said. "But we've got to be able to string plays together, and coaching on offense, it starts with me … When the defense is on the field, we've got to get stops."

Trailing 14-3 at halftime, Tettleton hit Landon Smith on a 43-yard touchdown pass that had first tipped off the hands of Penn State defensive back Stephen Obeng-Agyapong with 10:40 in the third quarter.

Tettleton scampered in from a yard out to take a 17-14 lead almost seven minutes later.

Tettleton finished 31 of 41 passing for 324 yards and two scores, and added 47 yards and a score on nine carries on the ground. Beau Blankenship had 109 yards on 31 carries.

Penn State's front seven — thought to be the strength of the team — got dented by Ohio's fast-paced offense. Warm, humid conditions also seemed to tire players, and cornerback Stephon Morris later left with an ankle injury.

"I think the line was able to take control of the game. I think we wore them down a little bit," Solich said. "I think maybe our pace took a toll and did help us in the game."

Freshmen and other new faces played key roles all over the field for Penn State, necessitated in part by some transfers following the NCAA sanctions and other offseason departures.

A huge cheer erupted after freshman linebacker Nyeem Wartman burst up the middle to block an Ohio punt that Penn State recovered at the Bobcats' 18.

Three plays later, junior tight end Matt Lehman, playing his first game, nearly lost his footing along the sideline before bursting into the end zone for a 14-yard score and a 14-3 lead.

An offense that used a lot of no-huddle looked OK without running back Silas Redd and receiver Justin Brown, who elected to transfer following the NCAA penalties.

But McGloin and the offense went scoreless after halftime, and second-half defense hurt Penn State. A missed tackle by safety Malcolm Willis helped Smith get free for a 31-yard gain to the Penn State 5 on third-and-2 with less than four minutes left, one of several key third-down conversations for the Bobcats.

Tettleton's 5-yard touchdown pass to Donte Foster in the corner of the end zone with 2:55 left put an exclamation point on Ohio's first win against a Big Ten opponent since a 20-17 victory against Illinois in 2006.

Ohio returned eight starters on defense, while Tettleton is one of the MAC's top quarterbacks after setting 12 new school records last season.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Braxton Miller makes Urban Meyer's Ohio State debut a winner

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Braxton Miller made Urban Meyer's debut even more memorable.

By Rob Leifheit, US Presswire

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller (5) carries the ball during the game against the Ohio Redhawks at Ohio Stadium.

By Rob Leifheit, US Presswire

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller (5) carries the ball during the game against the Ohio Redhawks at Ohio Stadium.

Miller rushed for 161 yards, a record for an Ohio State quarterback, and threw for two scores to lead the 18th-ranked Buckeyes to a 56-10 victory against Miami (Ohio).

Meyer, who won two national titles at Florida, is unbeaten in 11 season openers. He had worked as a TV analyst a year ago after stepping down from the Gators job due to health and family considerations.

He was hired last November to revive the beleaguered Buckeyes.

Slow-starting Miller, who stutter-stepped for a 65-yard score just 17 seconds into the second half, was 14 of 24 passing for 207 yards. He connected with Devin Smith for one highlight-reel score and also hit Corey Brown on a 5-yard TD pass.

After Miller's long run made it 28-3, Bradley Roby recovered a high Miami punt snap in the end zone and the rout was on.

Travis Howard had two interceptions and Carlos Hyde scored on 4- and 8-yard runs for Ohio State.

Miller and Hyde, who had 82 yards on 17 carries, helped the Buckeyes roll up 294 yards on the ground and 244 through the air.

Much like during the early spring — when Meyer called the attempts to learn his new hurry-up, spread offense a "clown show" — the Buckeyes struggled at the outset. With Miller completing just one of his first seven passes, Ohio State was outgained 172-48 in the opening quarter before a stunned crowd of 105,039 at Ohio Stadium that came expecting to see a refurbished and cutting-edge offense. The first four possessions ended with punts.

Meanwhile, the RedHawks bumbled despite taking a 3-0 lead after the first 15 minutes.

Zac Dysert, who completed 31 of 53 passes for 303 yards and one touchdown with the two interceptions, was victimized by dropped catches again and again. Three times it appeared the RedHawks had a first down after a catch when the ball abruptly came loose.

Smith's spectacular reception turned the tide.

Taking over at their own 17 after a punt, the Buckeyes needed just four plays to cover the distance and take the lead for good. Miller used a play-action fake to freeze the defense before hitting Brown for a 38-yard gain to the Miami 23. Miller then threw high and hard into the right corner of the end zone where Smith leaped, snagged the ball with his right hand and, while twisting, tucked it in as he crashed to the ground.

Once they figured out how to score, the Buckeyes kept it up.

Miller rolled right and flipped a short pass to Brown for a TD before Hyde burst in off right tackle for a 21-3 lead.

A 44-yard throw from Miller to Evan Spencer with three seconds left in the half gave Ohio State the ball at the 1, but Hyde was stopped by Miami's Justin Bowers short of the goal line.

Miller scored just 17 seconds into the second half, juking and then speeding past the Redhawks' D.J. Brown down the left sideline for the lengthy score. Moments later, a high snap tipped off the fingertips of Miami punter Zac Murphy, with Roby winning a scrum in the end zone for the touchdown and a 35-3 lead.

Miami's Nick Harwell, fourth in the nation a year ago in yards receiving per game, had a couple of the drops but still finished with 120 yards on eight receptions. Harwell caught a 44-yarder from Dysert for the RedHawks' touchdown early in the third quarter.

The RedHawks had taken advantage of Ohio State's early offensive misplays to take the lead on freshman Kaleb Patterson's 22-yard field goal — not long after he had missed a chip shot from almost the same distance.

Miller's rushing total eclipsed the previous record of 146 yards set by Cornelius Greene against Wisconsin in 1974.

Brown finished with seven catches. The Buckeyes' leading receivers a year ago had 14 receptions in 13 games.

Meyer took over a battered program that was nailed by suspensions and NCAA investigations last year while going 6-7, the program's first losing record since 1988. As a result of NCAA violations committed under the Jim Tressel regime, the Buckeyes are banned from playing in a bowl game after the season.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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BYU routs Washington State to spoil Leach's return

PROVO, Utah (AP) – Riley Nelson threw for two touchdowns and third-string quarterback Taysom Hill added another on his first collegiate pass as Brigham Young beat Washington State 30-6 on Thursday night to spoil Mike Leach's return to coaching.

By Jake Roth, US Presswire

Riley Nelson threw for 285 yards and two TDs as BYU won its opener going away.

By Jake Roth, US Presswire

Riley Nelson threw for 285 yards and two TDs as BYU won its opener going away.

BYU intercepted Jeff Tuel twice and sacked him three times while limiting Leach's vaunted "Air Raid" attack to 224 yards total offense.

Washington State finished with minus-5 yards rushing.

Nelson finished 25-of-36 for 285 yards. Tight end Kaneakua Friel led BYU with six catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

Washington State came out passing as expected, with Tuel starting 8-of-9. But his 10th pass was intercepted by Uona Kaveinga, and the momentum shifted to BYU before a "white-out" crowd.

It was Leach's first game since being fired by Texas Tech in 2009 amid allegations he mistreated a player with a concussion.

While there was much buzz about his return, against his alma mater, the results were the same for Washington State.

Leach never played football at BYU, but he gained inspiration for his spread passing attack from LaVell Edwards, for whom BYU's stadium is named.

At one point in pre-game interviews, Leach said his team looked more like BYU of old than BYU.

Not on Thursday.

The BYU Cougars rolled up 426 yards offense, nearly twice that of Washington State.

Nelson started slow but finished strong.

After Kaveinga's interception, Nelson engineered a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to give BYU a 7-0 lead. He had two big third-down completions to Cody Hoffman on the drive, for 28 and 12 yards, and found Skyler Ridley open for the 7-yard scoring pass.

Hoffman, BYU's leading receiver in 2011, bruised his left quad on the 12-yard catch and did not return.

BYU's second touchdown came with Hill in shotgun formation as the wildcat quarterback. The freshman faked to the runner in motion left then scrambled right, and found tight end Friel wide open for an 18-yard touchdown. It gave BYU a 14-0 lead with 13:26 left in the half.

Andrew Furney's 47-yard field goal put Washington State on the board with 10:42 left in the second quarter and he added a 41-yarder just before halftime after a touchdown pass to Marquess Wilson was nullified by holding.

BYU found one way to keep Leach's offense off the field — long drives. BYU's three first-half scoring drives were all 10 plays or longer, the third going for 16 and capped by Riley Stephenson's 28-yard field goal.

BYU's defense, meanwhile, played up to its billing, holding Washington State to just 3 yards rushing in the first half, and limiting Tuel to 108 yards passing.

Brigham Young had some new players step up.

Ridley, a former scout team player, was in only because Hoffman was injured midway through the first quarter.

And Jordan Johnson, who returned an interception 64 yards to set up a third-quarter field goal, was making his first-ever start at cornerback. His last start, in 2009, had been at quarterback in high school.

On the other sideline, Leach wasn't having much fun.

The Air Raid attack had served him well at Texas Tech, where he was 84-43 with 10 bowl appearances. It went nowhere. The last time a Leach team failed to score a touchdown was in Texas Tech's 12-3 loss to TCU on Sept. 16, 2006.

The man dubbed the "Pirate of the Palouse" has a $2.25 million contract, but there is a ways to go to bring Washington State back to respectability in the Pac-12.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Stanford survives scare from San Jose State, wins 20-17

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) – Jordan Williamson kicked a career-long 46-yard field goal and the go-ahead score from 20 yards, and No. 18 Stanford survived a 20-17 win over San Jose State on Friday night in its first game since Andrew Luck left.

Kyle Terada, US Presswire

Stanford wide receiver Drew Terrell catches a touchdown pass in front of San Jose State cornerback Ronnie Yell during the first quarter Friday night.

Kyle Terada, US Presswire

Stanford wide receiver Drew Terrell catches a touchdown pass in front of San Jose State cornerback Ronnie Yell during the first quarter Friday night.

Former backup Josh Nunes threw for 125 yards and a touchdown in his first start in place of Luck, the No. 1 overall draft pick. But the redshirt junior struggled to move the offense when it counted and it almost cost the Cardinal (1-0) dearly.

The David Fales-Blake Jurich quarterback combo gave Stanford fits until De'Leon Eskridge fumbled in Spartans (0-1) territory late in the third quarter. That set up Williamson's tiebreaking kick, giving the redshirt sophomore who missed three field goals in a 41-38 loss to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl a small stroke of redemption.

Nunes finished 16 for 26 with no interceptions. Fales threw for 216 yards with one touchdown and an interception that landed in the hands of Ed Reynolds to seal Stanford's win in the final minutes. Jurich ran for 32 yards and a score.

The fight Stanford showed so many times behind Luck disappeared.

With the two-time Heisman Trophy winner now with the Indianapolis Colts, the Cardinal converted only 2 of 2 third downs (although it was 2 for 3 on fourth downs) and allowed the Spartans to move methodically at times down the field. San Jose State outgained Stanford 288 to 280 total yards.

Stanford beat San Jose State 57-3 last year and has won five straight meetings.

Stepfan Taylor, who finished with 116 yards rushing, ran for 38 yards almost untouched until a defender tackled him on the game's first drive. Remound Wright converted a fourth-and-1 from the 10-yard line, and Taylor dived over the pile for a 1-yard TD on fourth down to give Stanford a 7-0 lead.

The Cardinal followed the 13-play, 81-yard drive with a quick three-and-out by the defense. Nunes quickly led Stanford down field and tossed a perfect ball in the corner on a stop-and-go route by Drew Terrell for an 11-yard score and his first career touchdown pass.

The first-game hiccups eventually surfaced, bubbling later than expected until they almost completely popped Stanford's season.

San Jose State drove deep into Stanford territory in the second quarter until Jurich, the backup quarterback, recovered his own fumble for a 2-yard loss on third down. Austin Lopez kicked a 38-yard field goal to slice Stanford's lead to 13.

Game-clock management became an issue on Stanford's final drive of the first half, tossing a short pass over the middle to tight end Zach Ertz, then throwing incomplete and running on third down to settle for a field goal. Williamson made his career-high 46-yarder as time expired to extend Stanford's lead to 17-3.

All the same problems that plagued the Cardinal defense in losses last year to Oregon and Oklahoma State — no cornerback coverage, poor open-field tackling and quarterback pressure when it counts — looked even worse with two new starting safeties.

Jurich ran for a short touchdown on San Jose State's first possession of the third quarter and Fales floated a 21-yard touchdown pass to Noel Grigsby to tie the score at 17-all late in the third quarter

Fales, who transferred from Monterey Peninsula Community College in the spring, redshirted at Nevada in 2009. Between him and Jurich keeping the Cardinal guessing, San Jose State was outplaying Stanford and in position for the season's first shocking upset.

One mistake ended all that.

Reynolds stripped Eskridge on a pitch play, and Usua Amanam recovered the fumble at San Jose State's 38-yard line. Stanford's offense stalled again, and Williamson made his second field goal.

San Jose State stuffed Taylor on fourth-and-1 with fewer than 7 minutes to play, sending third-year coach Mike MacIntyre jumping and high-fiving all over the sideline and on the field. The Spartans took over at their own 15-yard line, but Chase Thomas tackled Fales as he threw on third-and-6 to force an incompletion.

Fales and the offense failed to even get a first down on the next two possessions and Reynolds stepped in front of his final pass to close out San Jose State's rally.

San Jose State, which went 5-7- last year after posting a 1-12 record in 2010, last win over a ranked team was 27-24 over No. 9 TCU at Spartan Stadium on Nov. 4, 2000. The Spartans are winless against 20 ranked teams since.

———

Follow Antonio Gonzalez at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP

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Tennessee opens with impressive 35-21 win over N.C. State

ATLANTA (AP) – Derek Dooley says he knows Tennessee fans are eager to grasp any sign that the Vols are ready to return to glory.

Daniel Shirey, US Presswire

Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (84) celebrates with Justin Hunter (11) after catching a touchdown pass in the first quarter against North Carolina State on Friday.

Daniel Shirey, US Presswire

Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (84) celebrates with Justin Hunter (11) after catching a touchdown pass in the first quarter against North Carolina State on Friday.

The coach said his team's opening win wasn't such a sign. It was just a good first step.

Cordarrelle Patterson scored two first-quarter touchdowns — one a 41-yard catch, the second a 67-yard run — and Tennessee beat North Carolina State 35-21 on Friday night in the opening game for both teams.

"It's one game," Dooley said. "I already know you are going to say we were there, we're on our way. It's one game. It really doesn't mean anything other than we won the first game."

Patterson helped make it a successful start to Dooley's third season, following a 5-7 finish in 2011, when the Vols were last in the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division at 1-7.

Patterson, a 6-foot-3 wide receiver who transferred from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, played like a star in his Tennessee debut. Patterson had six catches for 93 yards as the Vols won the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game.

"He's got a chance to be one of the best in the league," Vols linebacker Dontavis Sapp said.

Dooley said Patterson has more to learn.

"I'm not sure he ran the right route," Dooley said of Patterson's touchdown catch.

Patterson called his first game "just a great feeling" before he seemed to confirm Dooley's review.

"I need to get the routes better and continue to learn the offense," Patterson said.

Patterson was a surprise to the Wolfpack.

"We didn't know a lot," N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien said. "He obviously is a heck of a player."

O'Brien said Patterson's height is especially difficult to defend when the Vols lined up 6-4 receiver Justin Hunter on the other side of the field.

"When you've got 6-foot-4 on either side and running like they do, that puts a lot of stress on a defense," O'Brien said.

Tennessee (1-0) scored 16 points on two touchdowns and a safety in a span of 38 seconds late in the first quarter.

Mike Glennon threw four interceptions with one touchdown for North Carolina State (0-1).

A 20-year-old man was taken to a hospital after falling approximately 35 feet from the upper level of the Georgia Dome.

The Georgia World Congress Center Authority, which operates the downtown football stadium, said in a statement that the man fell on another fan seated in the mezzanine area.

The fan who was hit while seated was taken to a hospital.

Wolfpack cornerback David Amerson, who led the nation and set an ACC record with 13 interceptions in 2011, was beaten for two long touchdown passes.

Amerson gave up the 41-yard pass from Tyler Bray to Patterson for the Vols' first touchdown and a 72-yard pass from Bray to Zach Rogers later in the first quarter.

"On the 72-yarder I thought I had help," Amerson said, adding he "just didn't play well."

Bray completed 27 of 41 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

"It just came down to too many big plays that we gave up on defense," O'Brien said. "We turned the ball over too many times. … We have to find a way to get ourselves back together, get our minds right and win a football game."

Glennon was 27 of 46 for 288 yards.

"This is definitely a confidence-building win, especially with shutting down a great quarterback," Vols safety Brian Randolph said.

With N.C. State leading 7-6, Bray's long pass to Rogers started the Vols' scoring surge.

On the Wolfpack's first play after Rogers' touchdown, Glennon was moving back from the 19-yard line when he was hit by Curt Maggitt and fumbled out of the end zone for a safety.

On Tennessee's next play, Patterson ran 67 yards — first running left and then crossing the field to his right for his second touchdown.

The Wolfpack answered with a 67-yard drive capped by James Washington's 2-yard run. Washington hit the line, remained on his feet and bounced into the end zone for the only touchdown of the second quarter.

The Vols were denied a touchdown late in the first half when a review confirmed the officials' ruling that Bray fumbled when he reached the ball across the line while trying to score. N.C. State linebacker Rickey Dowdy recovered the fumble, despite the protests from Tennessee fans and players.

An 8-yard touchdown run by Rajion Neal and a 20-yard field goal by Michael Palardy in the third quarter pushed the Vols' lead to 32-14.

The Wolfpack tried to rally in the final quarter. Bryan Underwood made a leaping, 5-yard touchdown catch from Glennon, but the senior quarterback threw his third interception later in the quarter.

Parlardy added a 35-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

Marlin Lane led the Vols with 75 yards rushing on nine carries. Neal was the workhorse with 22 carries for 53 yards.

Glennon's fourth interception came with 5 seconds left as he threw deep into the end zone.

Attendance was 55,529, about 17,000 below a sellout.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Instant analysis: MSU 17, Boise State 13

Michigan State overcame four turnovers and rode Le'Veon Bell and a stifling defense to edge a plucky Boise State squad 17-13 in the opener.

Let's take a closer look.

It was over when: Michigan State converted two third downs and received a first-down run from Bell inside the Boise State 5-yard line with 1:37 left. The Spartans then ran out the clock.

Game ball goes to: Bell. Who else? The junior was Michigan State's offense Friday night, recording an insane 50 touches. He had a career-high 44 carries for 210 yards and a touchdown. He added six receptions for 55 yards and provided a huge help to shaky quarterback Andrew Maxwell in Maxwell's first start. Forget Montee Ball or Denard Robinson. Bell might be the Big Ten's top Heisman Trophy candidate. He helped his cause and earned a long soak in the tub.

Stat of the game: Michigan State outgained Boise State 348-179 in the first three quarters and held the ball for more than 28 of the first 45 minutes but trailed 13-10 entering the fourth quarter thanks to the turnovers, one of which led directly to a Broncos touchdown (Jeremy Ioane interception return).

Best call: Despite Bell's dominance, Michigan State needed to mix in passes down the stretch and featured its tight ends. On third-and-3 from the Michigan State 49-yard line in the closing minutes, offensive coordinator Dan Roushar called a nifty pass to tight end Andrew Gleichert, who recently received a scholarship. Top tight end Dion Sims also had a big performance (7 receptions, 65 yards).

What Michigan State learned: It has a championship-level defense with a ferocious line and two talented cornerbacks in Johnny Adams and Darqueze Dennard. It also has a championship-level running back in Bell. It doesn't have a championship-level quarterback or offense yet, although Maxwell can build off the opener. But the Spartans can't expect to give Bell 50 touches each game.

What Boise State learned: The rebuilding process isn't easy when you lose a player such as Kellen Moore. The Broncos' defense certainly came to play, but they couldn't run the ball between the tackles and failed to hit on several big-play opportunities against the Spartans. Boise State's Joe Southwick will get better and should take some positives from Friday night's game, but the Broncos have some work to do.

What it means: Boise State showed it still can hang with the big dogs, even after going through a dramatic roster overhaul. But Michigan State is the better team and proved it in the fourth quarter. First-time starting quarterbacks Maxwell and Southwick both looked the part and will need to improve going forward, although there were some bright spots. Michigan State secured a signature victory it absolutely had to have with Rose Bowl aspirations. Boise State's chances to bust the BCS again likely went up in smoke, as it failed to score an offensive touchdown.

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Instant analysis: Tennessee 35, NC State 21

A flurry of explosive offensive plays in the first half and a defense that intercepted North Carolina State quarterback Mike Glennon four times steered Tennessee to a season-opening 35-21 victory on Friday in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at the Georgia Dome.

The Vols’ pass defense looked shaky early, but they regrouped and held the Wolfpack to just one touchdown in the second. Glennon was repeatedly harassed by Tennessee’s pressure, and Prentiss Waggner, Byron Moore, Eric Gordon and Marsalis Teague all had interceptions for the Vols.

Tennessee rolled up 528 yards of total offense and won the battle up front most of the night.

It was over when: Tennessee held North Carolina State on fourth-and-9 with a little more than five minutes to play. Glennon’s pass sailed incomplete. The Vols took over at the Wolfpack 39 and moved into position for Michael Palardy's 35-yard field goal to build a two-touchdown lead with fewer than two minutes to play.

Game ball goes to: Cordarrelle Patterson showed off in his debut for the Vols. The junior college newcomer caught a 41-yard touchdown pass and also ran for a 67-yard touchdown on a reverse where he made a wicked cut across the field and then out-ran everybody, including North Carolina State All-America cornerback David Amerson, to the end zone.

Stat of the game: The Vols just missed 200 yards rushing and averaged 5.1 yards per carry after finishing 116th nationally out of 120 teams in rushing offense last season.

Star watch: Amerson, who had 13 interceptions last season for the Wolfpack, had a forgettable outing. He was beaten twice on long touchdown passes by Patterson and Zach Rogers and also couldn’t catch Patterson on his long touchdown run.

What it means for Tennessee: The Vols absolutely had to have this game, especially with Florida coming to Knoxville in two weeks. Neyland Stadium is sure to be rocking for the Gators’ visit, and this appears to be a Tennessee team that could make some noise in the East race this season.

What it means for North Carolina State: The Wolfpack have to get better up front offensively, and Glennon needs to get over this one in a hurry. After a good start, he appeared to lose his poise after making some poor throws on interceptions. The Wolfpack were forced to throw it 48 times. They’ve got to find some better balance on offense.

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New Penn State staff prepares for opener

Editor's note: Ivan Maisel has the latest from Penn State as the Nittany Lions prepare for their season opener versus Ohio.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Shortly after 1 p.m. Monday, defensive coordinator Ted Roof conferred with head coach Bill O'Brien to change the game plan and put the Nittany Lions in shoulder pads for practice Monday. Roof wanted his defense to get some short-yardage and goal-line work as Penn State prepares to open the season against Ohio.

It's unusual to hit on Monday. But as Roof explained, "I don't know what normal is. This is the first one."

Lost in the discussion of everything else that has surrounded Penn State over the Past nine months is the actual transition of a new staff learning to work together. Football is a notoriously who-you-know business, and O'Brien, like most head coaches, called his guys together to come work for him at Penn State. Tight ends coach John Strollo came from Ball State. He and running backs coach Charles London worked with O'Brien for Roof at Duke.

"When he went to the Patriots," Strollo said of O'Brien, "I kept calling him and bugging him. 'Don't forget about me.'"

In the offensive staff meeting, you could tell the coaches had a history. O'Brien, receivers coach Stan Hixon and offensive line coach Mac McWhorter worked together at Georgia Tech. They interjected anecdotes from their days under offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen. Though the staff sat at a long oval table, O'Brien ran the meeting from the corner of the room. He sat at a desktop computer to work the video he had assembled of the Ohio defense.

Roof had never worked with defensive line coach Larry Johnson or linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden, the two assistants whom O'Brien hired from Joe Paterno's staff.

"One of the reasons that I hired Ted," O'Brien said, "is his ability to get along with people."

Roof, like quarterback coach Charlie Fisher, has an accent that you could pour over waffles (for extra thick, listen to McWhorter). He made sure that he, Johnson, Vanderlinden and secondary coach John Butler learned how to work together.

"We've had three dry runs with headsets, sidelines, to rehearse the whole thing," Roof said. "Who's going to make the call, who's responsible for signing it in, who's going to be quiet when they're making a call. They are good guys and good coaches. As long as we're on the same page, we'll be fine. It's my job to tie it all together."

As for practice in shoulder pads, O'Brien liked what he saw. He liked the focus -- perhaps because, for the first time all season, he turned off the music at practice. He liked enough of what he saw that he cut it 20 minutes short.

"I don't know much about what I'm doing," he said afterward, "but I sensed that they had given really good effort to that point. A lot of the things we cut we're going to get to later in the week. It's the first day of school. Some of them have to eat and get to study hall by 7:30."

As study hall began, the offensive staff began a meeting to watch the practice video.

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Video: Kent State running the wrong way

Kent State linebacker Andre Parker picks up muffed punt and runs it 58 yards towards his own end zone before being forced out by Towson.

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Penn State athlete sentenced for sexual assault

The Centre Daily Times reported that a former Penn State wrestler was sentenced to one year in jail for sexually assaulting a sleeping woman.

Andrew Long, 23, pleaded guilty to aggravated indecent assault. He apologized in court to the victim, a mother who had been sleeping after moving her son into an apartment in State College in August 2011.

"My prayer is that you find healing and forgiveness for what I inflicted on your family," he read aloud in the courtroom.

Long, who was a key member of Penn State's wrestling team, has been in a treatment program in Iowa, according to his attorney. He left the wrestling team after he was arrested.

State College police said Long got in bed with the sleeping woman, took off her underwear and touched her. Long's attorney, Tony DeBoef, said his client was drunk and does not remember the incident.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2012/08/30/3316702/former-psu-wrestler-andrew-long.html#storylink=cpyRead more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/30/4774341/penn-state-ex-wrestler-sentenced.html#storylink=cpy

For Penn State football, tomorrow can only be better

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – They are ready at Penn State for tomorrow. Because tomorrow can only be better.

By Rich Barnes, US Presswire

Bill O'Brien leads Penn State into its first season since 1965 without Joe Paterno as head coach.

By Rich Barnes, US Presswire

Bill O'Brien leads Penn State into its first season since 1965 without Joe Paterno as head coach.

Tomorrow comes Saturday, with the football season opener against Ohio. The first game post-Joe Paterno death, post-Jerry Sandusky conviction, post-Freeh report, post-NCAA sanctions. The first game with Bill O'Brien as head coach, the first game since the Nittany Lion players each to had choose whether to stay or go.

They are ready, because tomorrow means, finally, a chance to move on.

They are ready on campus. Among the shirts spotted Friday: "We Billieve."

Also, "We are … Pissed Off."

Over at the stadium, more than 20 tents were up, students camping out to be first in line when the gates open, as they always have. Once, Paternoville. Newly renamed, Nittanyville.

"I think it's one of the most important things, that we still continue to do the things we did before, to show the team and everybody at this school that we still support them,'' freshman Christian Bickel said, taking a break from his computer and a math project. "Everybody thinks we're down and out. But we're still here."

One thing new in Nittanyville. Blue and white pinwheels, as symbol of support for child abuse victims.

"A respectful continuation of our traditions," sophomore Mike Piedimonte called it.

"Everyone had a tough summer, being hurt on their own,'' junior Allison Baker said. "Now we have that chance to come back together and show what we really stand for.''

They are ready at the Creamery, the ice cream store in the middle of campus, where Peachy Paterno has remained a popular flavor, and no doubt will be this weekend.

"We've had people call and ask if we were going to get rid of it. We tell them we have no intention of doing that, and they're very happy,'' said office manager Joyce Cingel, who has taken several long-distance Peachy Paterno orders, from those who want to show their support with dessert. "One woman from Florida had us send her five half-gallons."

They are ready at the campus bookstore, where the new Paterno book is prominently displayed near the front entrance, next to the works of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. Selling a lot of them this week? "Oh yeah," said the guy working the checkout.

They are ready at the RV lots, where the vehicles started rolling in Thursday night with alums and life-time fans planting their flags and putting up their tailgating tables in grassy fields, and Beaver Stadium towering in the distance.

To listen is to hear a mixture of enthusiasm for the season and anger at the past. "I hope this weekend is good for the kids and good for Coach O'Brien," Denny Piccirillo said. "I hope the fans turn out and we move on from here. That's all we can do, right?''

In another row, Darrel Peters: "This weekend is crucial to the school and the program. People have got to come out and support this football team. It could make or break this whole structure.''

To provoke emotion, ask one question in the RV lot. What will be the feeling Saturday, walking past the grassy knoll where the Paterno statue once stood, before officials took it down one pre-dawn morning? For the same public opinion runs deep there that showed through in a State College Centre Daily Times poll question this week, asking if the Freeh report was flawed. More than 74% said yes.

Joe Barner, in a "We Are … Pissed Off'' shirt: "My wife still says she doesn't believe Joe had anything to do with it, and even if Jesus Christ came down and told her, she wouldn't believe it.''

John Argonish: "`Sick. I think that was so unjust. It was like the Baltimore Colts. They did it in the middle of the night.

"I just can't believe Joe Paterno and Penn State were tried in the media, not in the court of law. Other than Sandusky, who was convicted and should be in jail. I think it's unjust that they were not even given a hearing. It was based on a report, that we paid for, to have these things happen to us."

Rick Peifer: "A little depressing. A lot depressing. There's nothing there, there's trees planted. You would never know there was a statue there. Then you go 100 yards down the road and there's a big rock for Mr. Beaver (former governor and university president), the guy they named the stadium after. It's kind of a slap in the face to JoePa."

Angela Weigl: "Very sad. I have graduation pictures with my two children standing next to that statue."

Husband Scott, "Maybe the man knew. But he's dead. Leave him alone."

They are ready, too, at Spring Creek Presbyterian Cemetery, a small and quiet resting place next to Jay Paterno's country club, with a nice view of Mt. Nittany.

Back by the trees is a small, flat and unobtrusive grave marker: Joseph Vincent Paterno, 1926-2012. You'd never find it except for the flowers, the placards and cards, the small football and T-shirt and Penn State cap that people have left behind.

Spring Creek president Eric Lorenz said he might put up a chain by the driveway this weekend, to keep the traffic off the grass. "We used to get maybe five people visiting here a month. Since he came, we get 10 a day. Easy. And this weekend we'll get more."

Lorenz said the cemetery normally would sell maybe five plots a year. In the first two months after Paterno's funeral, it sold 12.

Five miles away from the grave, at the grassy knoll and former statue site, someone had put up a most peculiar pre-game monument Friday.

A life-sized cutout of Joe Paterno.

They are ready for tomorrow at Penn State, even if still conflicted about yesterday.

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Several clouds dimming football fortunes in Sunshine State

Empires rise and fall and rise again in college football, as sure and steady as the pouring of mimosas at an SEC frat house on Saturday morning. The life cycle of the sport demands it, a sort of enduring balance among the superpowers. Nobody stays strong forever.

Dwindling attendance — Doak Campbell Stadium was 11,000 shy of capacity for this 2011 game against Louisiana-Monroe — has been a concern in recent years at Florida State.

By Gray Quetti,, AP

Dwindling attendance — Doak Campbell Stadium was 11,000 shy of capacity for this 2011 game against Louisiana-Monroe — has been a concern in recent years at Florida State.

Even still, as the 2012 season begins, a historic malaise has settled over the state of Florida, home to three of college football's biggest brand names and arguably the nation's most fertile recruiting scene.

What was once a domination of the BCS era has become a tidal wave of ineptitude bordering on national irrelevance. A state that sent a team to seven of the first 11 BCS title games and saw all three of its signature programs win national titles ended last season with just one team in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. Florida State finished No. 23 off a 9-4 campaign.

Florida's seven Football Bowl Subdivision programs were 41-46 overall last year and 20-35 in conference games, a blasphemous record for a state that churns more future NFL players than anywhere outside of California and Texas.

"I guess it's kind of like a capitalistic environment we have in this nation," said Howard Schnellenberger, who coached Miami from 1979-83 and built Florida Atlantic's program from scratch before stepping down as head coach after last season. "Business cycles, just like sports cycles, are inevitable.

"If everything is happening good at Miami, Florida and Florida State and (NCAA sanctions) aren't in the picture and you have a good coach, it's inevitable they'll be back up there. They have the tradition, have the know-how, and they have the overall blueprint on how to do it."

But as each of those three schools tries to pull itself out of mediocrity — some are closer than others — there's no getting around the fact damage has already been done.

Just three years removed from a national title, Florida saw a 137-game sellout streak end last season, its first under Will Muschamp, and only sold a little more than half of its 15,000-ticket allotment for its trip to the Gator Bowl despite the game being just 70 miles from campus.

The lack of enthusiasm for Florida football was particularly noticeable on the ledger of athletics director Jeremy Foley. Though it still generated a profit, the athletics department had to take nearly $500,000 out of its reserves to fulfill an annual $6 million contribution to the university, according to a report this month in the Florida Times-Union. Through a spokesman, Foley declined a request to be interviewed.

The situation is more alarming at Florida State, which reported a $2.4 million budget shortfall in May. Though many fans blamed the ACC's new television deal, sparking a grassroots campaign to seek entry into the Big 12, the real culprit was Florida State's football attendance, which topped out at 83,149 a game in 2003, sagged to 66,293 in 2010.

Though athletics director Randy Spetman partly blamed the economy, the struggle to sell tickets correlated directly with the program's decline at the end of the Bobby Bowden era, which included three 7-6 seasons between 2006 and 2009. It's also not a coincidence that attendance spiked last year after the Seminoles were No. 5 in the preseason poll, its highest in six years.

While the Seminoles didn't live up to those expectations, pundits are again predicting a return to national prominence for Florida State, which starts at No. 7 in the coaches poll. But with a home schedule that doesn't include many marquee names, it's still not easy for Spetman to fill all 82,300 seats at Doak Campbell Stadium.

"Winning is very important in our program, and we were down," Spetman said. "Our fans are extremely passionate and support us through the good times and bad. But when they have the ability with TV now to access all of our games, if it's not a team or opponent that excites you, it's a little more difficult to get them here. We have to do that, or we'll lose a whole generation."

Even in good years, Miami has had a more difficult time engaging fans than most historically successful programs, a task that gets even tougher for second-year coach Al Golden on the heels of an extended down cycle and the potential for NCAA sanctions. Only once in the past five years have the Hurricanes finished in the Top 25, and now the program awaits the results of an NCAA investigation into booster Nevin Shaprio, who told Yahoo! Sports in August 2011 he gave Miami players thousands of impermissible benefits between 2002 and 2010.

And though there are obvious reasons the state's flagship programs declined —Urban Meyer's health problems and off-field discipline issues at Florida, questionable coaching hires sunk Miami and Bowden's stubborn exit set back Florida State — it's a historical anomaly for all three to be suffering at once. Especially given that Florida's average recruiting class over the last five years was ranked sixth in the country by Rivals, Florida State's was seventh and Miami's was 16th.

But with each year out of the national spotlight, it can become that much more difficult to get back in the conversation — especially when out-of-state programs such as Alabama, Clemson and even Southern California can take advantage of that weakness and compete for elite recruits in the state.

"The way recruiting is going, I could see Florida State making a run for the forseeable future," Rivals recruiting analyst Mike Farrell said. "Last year Florida struck out on a lot of guys down the stretch, big-time wide receiver playmakers they really lack right now. One down year there sends a panic wave throughout recruiting, and kids are very fickle. I don't see the pieces in place to win a championship in the next couple years. And with Miami, we all know the NCAA is going to hit them with something, we just don't know what."

Though it may be a few more years before the Florida programs get back to the level of Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma, history says this is more of a fluke than a trend. As poorly as the state has played recently, the inherent advantages haven't gone away.

"You've got a lot of new coaches that haven't been there very long, and when there's turnover, you have to give them a chance to readjust," said Temple head coach Steve Addazio, an assistant at Florida from 2005-10. "They have great recruiting classes, great talent. It's just one of those things that will cycle through and out."

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As season opens, how will Penn State handle Paterno's death?

When Penn State kicks off the first day of the rest of its football life Saturday at home against Ohio, the score of the game will pale in comparison with the ledger keeping track of Penn State's contrition, humility and sense of perspective.

Gene J. Puskar, AP

Penn State on Saturday plays its first football game since the death of longtime coach Joe Paterno, shown here in October 2011 with former Penn State president Graham Spanier. Both men drew heavy criticism in a report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh for their role in the handling of early reports that assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky had sexual contact with children.

Gene J. Puskar, AP

Penn State on Saturday plays its first football game since the death of longtime coach Joe Paterno, shown here in October 2011 with former Penn State president Graham Spanier. Both men drew heavy criticism in a report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh for their role in the handling of early reports that assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky had sexual contact with children.

After the horrors committed by child rapist Jerry Sandusky, the overwhelming 45-count verdict against him, the devastating Freeh Report, the debilitating NCAA sanctions and the inevitable defections from the program, Penn State has to be a changed place, right?

To be sure, the school's decision to put blue ribbons on the back of the team's football helmets to bring attention to child abuse is a good one. Coach Bill O'Brien's request for Penn State fans to do the same and wear ribbons to every home game is admirable.

Almost every other important dispatch from State College, however, still sounds ominous, from the botched handling of the Sweet Caroline decision to the curious media blitz of disgraced but tenured ex-president Graham Spanier to the loud protestations of alumni and a small group of trustees hellbent on blaming the NCAA, not themselves, for their problems.

And if the school is even remotely considering holding a moment of silence for the late Joe Paterno, the legendary football coach who was found by the Freeh Report to be Sandusky's willing enabler, it should immediately reconsider. Penn State has not said publicly whether it has any pregame plan regarding Paterno.

Paterno died Jan. 22, so remembering him before the season opener would be appropriate under normal circumstances. These are anything but normal circumstances. Since Nittany Lions fans last left Beaver Stadium, they have found out awful truths about Paterno, so the last thing Penn State needs is to start its new year by looking back on the past year in that manner.

Those who wanted to pay their respects to Paterno had months to do so at the statue that used to stand outside the stadium, or in many other ways. Penn State should hold a moment of silence for Sandusky's victims and the atrocious behavior that occurred for years in the name of football at the school. It should not mention Paterno when it does.

Getting that right might be difficult because it still appears to be amateur hour in Happy Valley. My, how they bungled the news that they were taking Sweet Caroline— with its "touching me, touching you" lyrics — off the stadium playlist this season.

The Altoona (Pa.) Mirror first reported that officials were concerned about the lyrics, but Penn State spokesman David La Torre told CNN, "Absolutely no song changes were made based on lyrics," noting the song's popularity and that it "has no real origination here at Penn State."

What the school should have said was this: "These have been horrific times at Penn State, so much so that these lyrics are not going to be played anymore in an official capacity at this university."

The outside world would have applauded.

Those same outsiders would be pleased to see a few other developments, chief among them the final departure of Spanier and those whining trustees, the ones who keep reminding us how out of touch the leadership of Penn State remains from the shocking realities of what happened in that football building, and what was allowed to keep happening.

Spanier, whose career has specialized in the study of dysfunctional families and child abuse, maintains that he thought Sandusky was "horsing around" with a boy in the showers, yet, in the midst of the Penn State coverup, he wrote in an e-mail, "The only downside for us is if the message isn't 'heard' and acted upon, and we then become vulnerable for not having reported it."

If Spanier thought it was only horseplay, why use a weighty word such as "vulnerable"? Then again, why would an academic leader with his expertise think that horseplay in the shower between a middle-aged coach and a young boy was acceptable?

As long as the likes of Spanier have any affiliation with Penn State, the rest of us have every right to wonder if the school still doesn't truly appreciate the magnitude of what happened there. Penn State is now the most notorious and most watched campus on Earth. Let's hope school officials start acting like they know it.

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Penn State senate disputes NCAA allegations

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – While acknowledging "horrible crimes" against young boys, former chairs of Penn State's Faculty Senate issued a statement Tuesday that the NCAA punished the school for a runaway football culture that did not exist at the university.

"The NCAA based its actions on the sweeping assertion that a culture permeating every level of the Penn State community places the football program in 'higher esteem than the values of the institution, the values of the NCAA, the values of higher education, and most disturbingly the values of human decency,' " said the statement issued by 30 former chairs at a Faculty Senate meeting.

The chairs said "these assertions do not describe the culture with which we are so familiar."

The statement went into specifics.

"None of us has ever been pressured or even asked to change a grade for an athlete, nor have we heard any cases where that has occurred," said the statement.

"We know there are no phantom courses or bogus majors for athletes at Penn State. Some of us have privately witnessed swift and unyielding administrative actions against small transgressions taken expressly to preserve academic and institutional integrity. ... It is disturbing to the extreme to have that culture's very existence denied by the NCAA."

The statement addressed the crimes which led to the criminal conviction of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

"We do not dismiss the need to examine the way Penn State operates," said the former chairs.

"The shock of the crimes that occurred here clearly underlines the need for greater vigilance and stronger policies. However, the sweeping and unsupported generalizations by the Freeh Group (the probe of Penn State's handling of the Sandusky crimes) and the NCAA do not provide a satisfactory basis for productive change."

The NCAA did not immediately respond to an email from USA TODAY Sports seeking comment.

The statement was authored by Kim Steiner, professor of forest biology and chair of the Faculty Senate in 2004-05, and John Nichols, retired professor of communications and international affairs and Faculty Senate chair in 2001-02.

"We haven't had an opportunity to give voice to the faculty until this meeting, and I think it occurred here," said Steiner.

Steiner said the 30 past chairs who signed the statment came from a pool of about 38. "Some I have not been able to reach," he said.

Steiner said he sent the statement out for approval at noon Saturday and had the 30 aprovals by noon Monday.

"I don't think that there are any good prospects of changes in the NCAA sanctions," said co-author Nichols.

"And I agree with President (Rodney) Erickson it's time to move forward. We can't change the past. . . . But by the same token, it would probably not be setting a good example for us to sit silent. We're faculty, we're scholars, we're supposed to be dedicated to the search for truth."

Nichols on the 30 who signed the statement: "You can't get 30 faculty to agree that the sky is blue and particularly Faculty Senate chairs who think they know everything about everything. But just the fact that 30 people spread out over a long period of time agreed that the characterization about our culture is dead wrong is, I think, a really important statement."

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Penn State bans song with 'touching' lyrics

Penn State football is going to look pretty different this fall.

A new coach. A big uniform change (last names!). And of course, a major effort to distance itself from the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

Here's one interesting (and probably quite smart) adjustment: Beaver Stadium will not play Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline."

According to the Altoona Mirror, university officials were concerned about the lyrics -- "touching me, touching you" -- and what it would look like for a stadium full of Penn State fans singing those words.

Hint: it wouldn't look good.

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Penn State trustees focus on future

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Penn State trustees Sunday ended a two-day meeting on a positive note, swapping ideas about how the university's looming football season opener could be used as the vehicle for a public-relations extravaganza.

By Matt Rourke, AP

Penn State's trustees will begin searching for President Rodney Erickson's replacement early next year. Erickson will step down in 2014.

By Matt Rourke, AP

Penn State's trustees will begin searching for President Rodney Erickson's replacement early next year. Erickson will step down in 2014.

A presentation by the board's hired public relations consultant sparked a spontaneous discussion about the image-rebuilding potential of the Sept. 1 home game against Ohio University, which trustees said is likely to draw disproportionately heavy national media attention in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

Anthony Lubrano and several fellow trustees urged displaying messages on the scoreboard, buying advertisements and other gimmicks during the game to remind fans not only of Penn State's athletic milestones, but its solid academic reputation.

"When they walk into the stadium, why not prominently display those successes?" Lubrano asked the board. "This isn't football, we're an academic institution. Why not display that?"

"We'll have a captive audience," trustee Kenneth Frazier said.

Lubrano brought up the Ohio game after New York public-relations executive Richard Edelman outlined his firm's multifaceted campaign to repair the university's image. It includes a "Faces of Penn State" piece that will promote individual students, professors and alumni on posters, Internet postings and a video slated to debut during the game.

Trustees also discussed ongoing preparations to recruit a successor to Penn State President Rodney Erickson, who plans to step down when his present contract expires June 30, 2014.

The search for the next president is slated to begin in early 2013 with the goal of selecting Erickson's successor by early 2014. Erickson said he would not participate in the search but urged the trustees to "cast your net broadly" and seek input from diverse sources including students, faculty and alumni.

"I think this could well be one of the most defining activities of the university that will take place for many years to come," said Erickson, who was appointed to succeed Graham Spanier after the trustees forced him out in November for his handling of the Sandusky scandal.

Sandusky, a longtime Penn State assistant football coach, was convicted in June on 45 counts of abusing 10 boys, some on the Penn State campus. He is in jail, awaiting sentencing.

On Friday, a young man whose 2009 allegations of sexual abuse led to the Penn State scandal and Sandusky's convictions filed a lawsuit against Penn State. Lawyers for other alleged victims have also suggested that they plan legal action.

Former Penn State administrator Gary Schultz and athletics director Tim Curley, who is on leave, have pleaded innocent to charges of perjury and failure to report suspected child abuse. They are awaiting trial.

Longtime football coach Joe Paterno, who also was ousted, died of lung cancer in January. Neither he nor Spanier was charged.

On multiple fronts, the trustees have their work cut out for them. But board chairwoman Karen Peetz sought to put the best face on the situation as the trustees headed home two hours earlier than scheduled.

"We've been through a lot in the last two months, but I think what you can feel is the momentum and the focus on the future and the focus on students," she said.

Discussion was limited Sunday about the implementation of changes recommended in a report from former FBI director Louis Freeh, which concluded that top university officials concealed information about sexual abuse allegations against Sandusky to avoid bad publicity.

Also stirring little discussion was an athletic integrity agreement with the NCAA, whose sanctions against Penn State in the case included a $60 million fine and a four-year bowl-game ban.

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Lunt progressing well in OK State camp

Oklahoma State locks up its preseason camp pretty tight, but early returns are good on Wes Lunt after the first half of his fall camp.

Lunt, a true freshman, was named starter after the spring and this camp is his first time taking control of that starting role in organized team practices.

Replacing Brandon Weeden won't be easy, but Lunt seems to be making a big impression already.

"Wes is playing well. He looks like he’s got good command of our offense. He seems to be handling the blitz pretty well," Gundy told reporters after Saturday's scrimmage.

Stats from the scrimmage weren't made available.

"I would expect the first two or three games of the season, (opponents) are going to try to blitz him a lot. He seems to be handling it really well. Our defense is bringing a lot of pressure and he’s making good decisions."

Even defensive coordinator Bill Young has taken notice of Lunt's progression so far.

"He’s doing an awfully good job. He’s so impressive as a freshman quarterback. He has thrown some balls where we’ve had great coverage," Young told reporters. "He got one here on the sideline where we were all over it and he drops it in the bucket. You’ve got to give him a lot of credit, too. Tracy Moore and the other receivers -- all of them are doing a really good job."

Moore told reporters Saturday that, like Young, he doesn't think Lunt looks like a freshman at practice.

"Wes looks great. He doesn’t play like a freshman," Moore said. "You can’t use that excuse that he’s a freshman, because if you give him that excuse, then every time he messes up, you’d say it’s OK. I look at him just like he’s Brandon Weeden."

Lunt's toughness in the pocket has already made an impact on Moore.

"He plays pretty big. He plays like a big athlete that’s not really scared to get hit in the pocket," he said. "A lot of smaller quarterbacks would duck away from the defender as they’re throwing, but he’ll step up like Brandon Weeden did and make that throw then take the hit."

Lunt, in accordance with team rules, won't be allowed to speak with media this season. First-year players (freshmen or junior-college transfers) aren't allowed to speak to media in Gundy's program.

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