PENN STATE 17 MICHIGAN STATE 13
Nittany Lions overcome mistakes to win
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Genaro C . Armas
ASSOCIATED PRESS
</IMG> JOHN BEALE ASSOCIATED PRESS Penn State?s Anthony Scirrotto, left, blocks a punt by Michigan State?s Brandon Fields.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. ? From his perch in the press box, Joe Paterno looked pensive, even a little nervous at times.
He had reason to worry.
Anthony Morelli threw for two touchdowns and the defense clamped down after halftime as the Nittany Lions overcame four first-half fumbles to defeat Michigan State 17-13 in a Big Ten game yesterday in Beaver Stadium.
It wasn?t until Tim Shaw?s sack of Spartans quarterback Brian Hoyer with less than three minutes left in the game that Paterno and his Nittany Lions (8-4, 5-3) could breathe easy. It was Paterno?s first game back in the stadium since the 79-yearold coach broke his left leg on Nov. 4.
"To drop the ball four times and to be in that football game, it?s a tribute to our defense and how they played," said offensive coordinator Galen Hall, who was joined in the press box by Paterno.
Michigan State finished the regular season having lost four straight. The Spartans (4-8, 1-7) were foiled by mistakes of their own ? including a couple of dropped passes, a blocked punt and two missed field goal attempts ? and coach John L. Smith?s four-year tenure ended on a down note.
"A couple of little different things and of course we win," Smith said. "That?s kind of been the story the whole year."
Trailing the entire first half, Penn State took a 14-13 lead after Morelli found Jordan Norwood on a 6-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter. Kevin Kelly booted a 45-yard field goal with 4:28 remaining.
Paterno watched from the press box after missing the game last week against Temple ? the first JoePa-less contest for Penn State since 1977. The coach broke the shinbone and tore two knee ligaments in his left leg on Nov. 4 at Wisconsin.
Doctors have said Paterno must stay off his feet for at least another month.
Penn State fumbled four times in the first half, and Michigan State?s offense was able to move the ball easily at times on the stingy Penn State defense, even without injured starting quarterback Drew Stanton, who missed his final collegiate game.
Stanton?s streak of 24 straight starts was snapped. He had dizziness and headaches after getting knocked out last week in a loss to Minnesota by a hit so hard that it collapsed part of his helmet. Hoyer filled in admirably, completing 30 of 61 passes for 291 yards and a touchdown.
