STATE COLLEGE, Pa. —
The Steve Miller Band would’ve appreciated Indiana State’s trip to Penn State.
Perhaps the Space Cowboy even saw into the future and had the Sycamores in mind when he penned the lyrics to his popular 1970s hit “Take The Money And Run.”
“They got the money, hey, you know they got away …
… they headed down south and they’re still running today ...”
Change “down south” to “out west” and it fits the Sycamores perfectly. Penn State handed ISU a check for $450,000 to open the 2011 season. Then the Nittany Lions handed it to the Sycamores in an entirely different and unpleasant way.
There was very little in the game that was memorable about ISU’s sojourn to Beaver Stadium, which ended in an easy 41-7 victory for the Nittany Lions. From the opening kickoff onward, there was only one set of blue-clad fans who were happy in this valley.
The highlights for ISU? Punter Santino Davis did well and had plenty of practice (eight punts, 40.8 average) in which to ply his trade. Larry Carter got a sack on a third-down cornerback blitz in the second quarter. Quarterback Ronnie Fouch briefly gave ISU hope with a 29-yard connection to Alex Jones in the first half when it was still 14-0.
With the game well in hand, ISU put together its lone sustained drive of the game, ending in a 20-yard Fouch-to-Justin Hilton touchdown connection with 2:16 left against Penn State’s reserves.
That’s about it. Such was Penn State’s physical domination of the Sycamores. The Nittany Lions thoroughly dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
Because of Penn State’s impregnable front four, ISU had no running game to speak of, gaining six yards on the ground through three quarters on its way to a 2.2 average overall. When ISU tried to pass, Fouch was under pressure and had no time to pass. It was a lethal combination.
But no less lethal than the similar potency Penn State’s offensive line had in driving the Sycamores out of the way to the tune of 245 rushing yards and all five of its touchdowns on the ground.
Injury-wise, it could have been worse. Defensive tackle Lawrence Young was lost early to an ankle injury. Young and offensive tackle Paul Patrick both left the field with a boot on, but ISU came out unscathed otherwise.
So was the $450,000 worth it?
“It’s worth it. The opportunity to allow guys to come in and play at this level? It’s a wonderful experience for them,” ISU coach Trent Miles said. “They got to play in front of a huge crowd [96,461, largest ever to witness an ISU game] in one of the all-time greatest programs in college football against the all-time winningest coach in college football. They’ll have that the rest of their lives. And we get paid to do it too? That’s a win-win.”
Miles accentuated the positive in the aftermath of the loss. He reserved special praise for the defense, which was left on the field for long stretches in humid mid-day sun.
“In the grand scheme of things, we battled, especially defensively. We gave up a special teams touchdown, we had a fumble deep in our territory after stopping them and an interception deep in our territory. That’s 21 points the defense wasn’t responsible for,” Miles said.
In his comments, Miles also put the game into perspective without conceding that he didn’t expect to win. The truth is that little can be culled in terms of long-term trends for either of these teams from this money game (or others like it). For Penn State, it was a glorified scrimmage. For ISU, it will not see another team like this again on its 2011 schedule.
“I told [the team] a story after the game. Stanford went to play Texas at Texas in the [1999] opener and got beat [69-17]. [Then-Stanford coach] Tyrone Willingham told his team in the locker room that he had a championship football team. They went on to play in the Rose Bowl and won the Pac-10,” Miles said.
“I believe we’ll still have that opportunity. I’m not going to judge our season by this one game. I don’t have any doubt in my football team,” Miles added.
Well put. On this day, and on nearly any day, Penn State is the better football team.
But in the grand scheme of things, it really doesn’t matter. ISU can take its money and run … away from (un)Happy Valley to the Missouri Valley Football Conference part of its schedule that matters most to them come late-September.
Todd Golden is sports editor of the Tribune-Star. He can be reached at todd.golden@tribstar.com or at (812) 231-4272. Please read his blog at http://blogs.tribstar.com/downinthevalley and check out his Twitter feed @TribStarTodd.
College
Related Photos
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Indiana State defender Jonny Towalid (28) breaks up a pass intended for Penn State receiver Justin Brown (19) during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game in State College, Pa., Saturday, Sept. 3, 2011. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Discussion
TODD GOLDEN: And now on to the normal part of the schedule
- College
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ISU claims Missouri Valley Conference baseball title
Entering Thursday’s game against Indiana State, Missouri State starting pitcher Nick Petree had gone 72 1/3 innings without surrendering an earned run, an unofficial NCAA record.
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ISU baseball in familiar territory with MVC title on line
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Major Clay takes fourth straight MVC high jump title
For the fourth straight year, Indiana State’s Major Clay will climb to the top spot on the awards podium as the Sycamore captured his fourth high jump championship at the 2012 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday.
The competition was conducted at Cessna Stadium on the campus of Wichita State University. -
Edgewood takes Western Indiana Conference golf crown
Edgewood and senior Jackson Cowden took top honors in the Western Indiana Conference boys golf championship played Saturday at Idle Creek.
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North grad wins 10,000 at Big Ten Championships
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Terre Haute native getting national attention as freshman for Kentucky
On a day where Terre Haute native A.J. Reed returned home to continue his college career, he got plenty of time to be on-stage.
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Top seed, home field doesn’t guarantee Rose success
On the surface, serving as host for the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball tournament would appear to benefit Rose-Hulman’s No. 1-seeded team, which finished the regular season 27-12 overall and 18-6 in the conference.
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Metro roundup: ISU’s Lucas honored by Missouri Valley again
For the fifth time in the last nine weeks, Indiana State junior catcher Jeremy Lucas has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week.
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Sycamores top Shockers in 10 innings in MVC series opener
If free baseball is what you want, Indiana State has what you need. For the sixth time in the span of a month, ISU’s series opener went extra innings.
- METRO ROUNDUP: Rose baseball team takes first game of doubleheader
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ISU starting pitchers in rhythm heading into Wichita State series
“Gettting into rhythm” is such an oft-used cliché in sports that it’s hard to hear the term and fight the urge to not let it enter one ear and escape another.
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ISU goes to well too many times
Perhaps the most unnecessary pursuit for a Wabash Valley sports fan during the now-completed weekend was watching the first few innings of nonconference college baseball between Indiana State and visiting Nebraska-Omaha.
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ISU baseball living on the edge
Indiana State’s baseball team got its game against Nebraska-Omaha in Saturday between morning and evening rain showers. But in the wake of another walk-off 3-2 victory against the struggling Mavericks, one might be forgiven if they felt the Sycamores are walking between the raindrops a bit.
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PREP ROUNDUP: North Central baseball improves to 10-2
North Central lost a 7-1 game to Vincennes Rivet, and then Nolan Kinnett pitched the Thunderbirds to victory, adding a double and three RBIs against Riverton Parke in a pair of high school baseball games on Saturday.
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METRO ROUNDUP: Jenkins, Goatee win inaugural Rush the Punter 5K
Steve Jenkins and TaPring Goatee were the 5K winners in the inaugural Rush the Punter event on Saturday at Fairbanks Park.
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Providing perspective: ISU’s vets have 2009 as window into 2012
Indiana State’s baseball team has reached dizzying heights, but if the Sycamores have any trouble keeping their feet on the ground, they can turn to three teammates who can remind them how dangerous it can be to get complacent.
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Missouri State wins MVC golf championship as expected
Missouri State was a unanimous pick to win the Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Golf Championship, the pollsters citing their experience with four upperclassmen.
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Uphill Battle: ISU 23 strokes back of MVC leader No. Iowa
Indiana State maintained sixth place after two rounds of the Missouri Valley Conference Golf Championships, but the Sycamores face a tough challenge to move into the top half of the league after today’s final round at the Country Club of Terre Haute.
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Enter Cummings, exit McWhorter
All it took was a stat sheet to show Indiana State men’s basketball coach Greg Lansing the glaring need the Sycamores had as they built their 2013 team.
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TH golf community steps up for ISU
The Terre Haute golf community and the Indiana State women’s golf program can be a thriving partnership, and this week’s Missouri Valley Golf Championships have put that potential on display.
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ISU blue after football scrimmage
One of Indiana State football coach Trent Miles’ stated goals for Saturday’s Blue-White spring football scrimmage was to get through the game unaffected by injuries.
As the 12-minute running clock ticked down — one of the concessions made by the football staff to speed the scrimmage up and get players off the field unscathed — it appeared ISU would make it through its spring game more-or-less unscathed.
But on the last play of the scrimmage, disaster struck. -
Hosting Missouri Valley Conference meet, ISU golf heading in right direction under Towne
It’s been a loooooong time in the making.
When the Indiana State women’s golf program was resurrected in 2005, it had already been on a 28-year hiatus. Since then, the Sycamores have enjoyed modest success, but have not hosted a golf match or invitational.
That changes beginning today — in a big way. -
ISU golfers step up after injury sidelines top player
Indiana State will be missing its best player, junior Reece Feducia, in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Golf Championships at the Country Club of Terre Haute from today through Tuesday.
Feducia was the team’s medalist in their first five tournaments of the fall season, but is still recovering from complications due to gall bladder surgery. She was all-MVC a year ago, finishing tied for third in last year’s MVC tournament. -
Walterhouse blast keys ISU to victory vs. Dallas Baptist
Ryan Walterhouse couldn’t have picked a better time to get a pleasant surprise.
The Indiana State senior lofted what looked like a routine towering fly to right field with two out in the bottom of the first inning Saturday at Bob Warn Field only to see it disappear — maybe a yard fair, possibly less than that beyond the fence — for a three-run homer that was the big blow in the Sycamores’ 6-3, series-tying victory over Dallas Baptist. -
ISU baseball drops weekend series opener to DBU
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The first statement was made by the visiting Patriots. - ISU football hopes to survive as well as evaluate
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