Saturday, October 04, 2003

By Ray Fittipaldo, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Zack Mills threw low and wide to Tony Johnson on third down on the opening series last week against Minnesota. When the pass skipped along the grass and the punt team came onto the field, boos cascaded down from the 100,000-plus fans inside Beaver Stadium.

The Penn State faithful have been conditioned for such starts this season, from the offense and the defense. And the special teams.

	More on Penn State: SCOUTING REPORT Matchup: Penn State (2-3, 0-1 in Big Ten) vs. Wisconsin (4-1, 1-0), noon today, Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pa. Wisconsin by 1. TV, radio: WTAJ, WEAE-AM (1250) and the Penn State Radio Network. Penn State: Coming off 20-14 loss against Minnesota in the Big Ten Opener. ... Looking to avoid a third 0-2 start to conference play in the past 11 years. ... QB Michael Robinson was 16 for 27 for 178 yards against Minnesota as the replacement for injured starter Zack Mills. ... RB Austin Scott has 195 yards in the past two games. ... LB Gino Capone is second in the conference in tackles with 52. ... Has 11 turnovers and just four takeaways in the first five games. Wisconsin: Coming off 38-20 victory against Illinois. ... Also beat West Virginia, Akron and North Carolina. Lost to UNLV. ... RB Dwayne Smith rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns against Illinois. ... Starting RB Anthony Davis is questionable. ... Leads the series, 5-3, with the teams splitting six meetings since Penn State joined the league in 1993. ... The road team has won four of past six meetings, including last year's 34-31 Penn State victory at Camp Randall Stadium. ... Coach Barry Alvarez is in his 14th season with the Badgers and is 96-62-4. He has a 3-3 record against Penn State. Hidden stat: Penn State is 8-1 in homecoming games against Big Ten foes.

The Penn State offense has gone three-and-out on the opening series in the first five games this season and has managed seven points in the rest of its first-quarter drives. The defense has been equally languid early in games. Boston College built a 21-0 first-quarter lead; Minnesota, 14-0. Kent State had a 10-0 lead before the Nittany Lions awoke from their slumber and came back to win.

They have been outscored, 48-7, in the first quarter by their first five opponents. In every game but one, they have failed to overcome the early deficits.

Last week Penn State's early troubles were exemplified by Minnesota calling for and executing an onside kick to open the game. It caught the Lions by surprise and set the tone for what was to come.

"We thought we were ready to play last week," senior linebacker Gino Capone said. "Then the onside kick happened. That had a lot to do with it."

The 48 points Penn State has allowed in the first quarter this season is one fewer than the Lions gave up last season in the first quarter in 13 games.

What hurts is that the Lions have bounced back to play well later in games. They have outscored the opposition in every other quarter, including a 48-15 advantage in the second quarter, an 18-9 advantage in the third quarter and a 20-13 advantage in the fourth.

But they haven't been able to overcome their slow starts.

"We still have a home-field advantage," senior center David Costlow said of the impatient fans. "The crowd wants to win like we want to win. Penn State has been good for a long time and they expect us to win."

That has not happened as often as it once did. The Lions are 2-3 entering today's home game against Wisconsin, the final game of the first half and the fifth of six games at home to begin the season. They are 2-2 in games at Beaver Stadium with their final two home games against Ohio State and Indiana.

Penn State has done poorly in games that start at noon, but the players pass that off as coincidence. Coach Joe Paterno said he is worried about the slow starts. He has acknowledged that his players appear slower early in games and has shortened practice times and cut back on the mental aspect of the game plan to better serve his young players.

"I keep cutting back on practice time because I worry about whether we do too many things that are physical things that tire them out," Paterno said. "I don't know. I am really concerned about that. I am concerned that we have not looked quite as quick as we should be. ... We have looked tired at times and haven't played with as much bounce. I have to be self-critical as to how we are doing some things."

Paterno this week said he was disappointed in his team's tackling. That will have to improve if the Lions are to stop Wisconsin. The Badgers are No. 9 in Division I-A in rushing offense, with 220 yards a game. Penn State is No. 106 out of 117 teams, giving up 213 yards a game.

Minnesota rushed for 250 yards against the Lions last week.

"From now on, I expect people to pound the ball on us," sophomore defensive end Lavon Chisley said. "We've been having a lot of trouble with some running plays."

Wisconsin got back to its running roots last week in a 38-20 victory against Illinois. The Badgers ran for 307 against the Fighting Illini. Running back Dwayne Smith, playing in place of injured starter Anthony Davis, rushed for 193 yards and scored three touchdowns. Wisconsin ran the ball 63 times and attempted only 13 passes. Davis, who rushed for 1,555 yards last season, will dress for today's game, but his status won't be known until after pregame warm-ups.

"Last week they went to more of a rushing attack," Capone said. "So I think they're going to do that against us, too. We've been giving up a lot of yards, so we expect them to run. We're going to have to stop it."

If there was ever a game in which Penn State wanted to get off to a good start, it would be today's. Wisconsin has been a strong second-half team, outscoring opponents, 48-14, in the fourth quarter. The Badgers' defense has stopped 15 of 17 third-down conversions in the fourth quarter this season.

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