Nittany Lions

Howard's Gerald Smith, the first county football player ever to orally commit as early as his junior season, wants to play running back at Penn State.He has been made no promises by the Nittany Lions. And that's one of the things that attracted him to Penn State."I like the things they talked about. They didn't tell me any off-the-wall stuff, like I was guaranteed a position. They told me reasonable stuff, like I'd have to work to get a position," said Smith, who has a 3.7 grade-point average, grew up in a tough neighborhood in Washington, D.C., and will be the first member of his family to attend college.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The only question left unanswered by Penn State's 41-7 victory over Arizona at Beaver Stadium yesterday was this: Are the third-ranked Nittany Lions that good or are the fourth-ranked Wildcats that bad?In as dominating a performance as any of Joe Paterno's 34 teams have had against a nationally-ranked opponent, Penn State turned the Pigskin Classic into an afternoon highlight reel.Which play would you like to see again?Was it wide receiver Chafie Fields taking a short pass over the middle from senior quarterback Kevin Thompson and turning it into a 37-yard touchdown on the game's opening possession, or was it Fields taking an inside handoff from reserve quarterback Rashard Casey and scooting by the Wildcats for a 70-yard touchdown less than three minutes later?

MIAMI -- In his mother's embrace 20 minutes after the game, still with a disbelieving look on his face, Penn State wide receiver Chafie Fields said, "That was the biggest catch of my career."No doubt.Fields' 79-yard reception with 1: 41 left, on a pass from Kevin Thompson and a run down the sideline with the Orange Bowl decibel level approaching an airplane landing, gave the No. 3 Nittany Lions a 27-23 win over No. 8 Miami yesterday before 74,427.It also put to rest those doubts that Penn State cannot win a big game on the road.

MIAMI -- Penn State junior linebacker LaVar Arrington gets his chance today to punish offensive players on the same Orange Bowl turf where Ray Lewis, now a Pro Bowler with the Ravens, became his idol by doing the same thing.Arrington will start showing his moves at 3: 30 p.m., when the No. 3 Nittany Lions (3-0) face the No. 8 Miami Hurricanes (2-0).When Lewis was a senior at Miami, Arrington, then a Pittsburgh-area high school player, met the man whose reckless style he studied and imitated -- and still does.

The 13th attempt did not prove lucky for the UMBC lacrosse team yesterday.Since 1986, the Retrievers have suffered one defeat after another -- most of them close -- to Penn State, and their latest meeting was no different at UMBC Stadium.By virtually mirroring last season's 6-0 finishing kick, the Nittany Lions scored the final five goals to defeat UMBC, 11-9, for their 13th consecutive victory in the lopsided series.Not that the No. 9 Retrievers (3-3) didn't have their chances down the stretch.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The difference in Penn State quarterback Kevin Thompson can't be seen, at least not yet. Joe Paterno has been closing practices here for most, if not all, of his 33 seasons as coach and now coaching legend.Those outside the program won't get their first sustained look of the more experienced, more confident Thompson until tomorrow's season-opening Pigskin Classic between the third-ranked Nittany Lions and fourth-ranked Arizona Wildcats at Beaver Stadium.For now, there are only snippets from the spring game and sound bites at 6 and 11."

Jesse Hubbard collected four goals and an assist to lead top-ranked Princeton to a 15-5 win over Cornell yesterday in an Ivy League game before 2,604 at Class of 1952 Stadium in New Jersey.Hubbard's goals gave him 64 for his career in Ivy League games, eight off the all-time record held by Jon Reese (Yale '92).Princeton (7-1, 4-0) broke from a one-goal lead at halftime by scoring six times in the third quarter and shutting out the Big Red (4-7, 3-2).Hubbard and Chris Massey each scored two goals in the period as the Tigers held their opponent scoreless in the third quarter for the fourth time in the past five games.

COLLEGE PARK -- Whether Maryland coach Dick Edell likes it or not, the Terrapins can't motivate themselves as being the underdogs. It's an unwanted reversal of roles this year, where Maryland is the motivation.But the No. 3 Terps showed their talent can be more troublesome than their emotion yesterday, putting together a mediocre effort yet still coasting past Penn State, 14-6, before 317 at Byrd Stadium. Andrew Whipple was involved in six of Maryland's first nine goals with two goals and four assists, and Matt Hahn added three goals.

Sophomore attackman John Chescavage scored four goals to lead Penn State to an 11-5 win last night over No. 17 UMBC at UMBC Stadium.The Nittany Lions (3-3) never trailed, taking a 4-0 lead before Jeffrey Radcliffe scored for the Retrievers 21 minutes into the game. The Lions led 6-3 at halftime.The Retrievers (4-2) had a chance to seize momentum early in the second half when Tim Moltisanti fired a close-in shot, but goaltender Kevin Keenan made the save and started a fast break that resulted in a Chescavage score 39 seconds into the half.

COLLEGE PARK -- The Maryland women's lacrosse team heads off to its home away from home.Behind Sascha Newmarch's three goals and a strong second-half performance, top-seeded Maryland pulled away from No. 8 Penn State, 6-2, yesterday in an NCAA first-round tournament game at Ludwig Field.The two-time defending national champion Terrapins (19-1) advanced to the Final Four in Bethlehem, Pa., against Temple, a 17-10 winner over James Madison yesterday.Maryland is 4-0 in Bethlehem, winning the NCAA title at Lehigh in 1992 and 1996.

Johns Hopkins rallied late in the second half Saturday and had a chance to force overtime with time winding down, but No. 19 Penn State forced a turnover and the visiting Nittany Lions won, 12-11. The Blue Jays fell to 5-11 overall and 0-4 in the American Lacrosse Conference in their regular-season finale. The Nittany Lions improved to 8-7 and 2-2. Trailing 12-9 with 8:51 to play, Hopkins got goals from juniors Sam Schrum and Angela Hughes to make it a 12-11 game with 2:56 left. Sophomore Brooke Lipinski won the ensuing draw, but Stephanie Ellis forced a turnover with 1:57 remaining, and the Nittany Lions cleared the ball.

No scoreboard-watching necessary for Texas Tech. Less than 24 hours after the Red Raiders gave the national championship race a makeover by defeating then-No. 1 Texas, they received more good news when the Bowl Championship Series standings were released yesterday. Texas Tech was in second place, behind Alabama and just ahead of third-place Penn State. And Maryland, which had last weekend off, unexpectedly jumped into the standings at No. 23. If the undefeated Red Raiders of the Big 12 and undefeated Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference win out, they will likely meet in the BCS national championship game Jan. 8 in Miami.

Penn State surged in the Bowl Championship Series standings after its big victory at Ohio State, closing the gap on first-place Texas and second-place Alabama yesterday. Still, the Nittany Lions are in danger of being unbeaten and left out of the BCS national championship game. The Longhorns were again first by far in all the polls and on top of all the computer rankings. Staying undefeated won't be easy for Texas, which plays at Texas Tech on Saturday, but if Colt McCoy and crew can finish unbeaten, a trip to Miami for the Jan. 8 title game will be theirs.

Joe Paterno coaching from the press box might not be such a big deal after all for the No. 3 Penn State football team. With his team down by three at halftime Saturday to Michigan, the hobbled Hall of Fame coach didn't make it down to the locker room to personally deliver a pep talk, instead relaying messages over a microphone to an assistant coach. It took a little longer than usual, but Penn State delivered another knockout blow. Thirty-two unanswered points and a dominating second half later, the Nittany Lions (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten)

Thousands of white pompoms fluttered and 100,000 Penn State fans broke into a sing-along as night fell on Beaver Stadium in State College. Joe Paterno's greatest nemesis was about to be vanquished by the third-ranked Nittany Lions, and the coach, 81, had a bird's-eye view of party time in Happy Valley. Yep, JoePa's getting a really good look at his latest national championship contender. Behind the running of Evan Royster, who rushed for a 44-yard touchdown, and a few momentum-shifting plays by the defense and special teams, the Nittany Lions withstood the Wolverines' early flurry and ended a nine-game losing streak to their Big Ten rivals, 46-17, yesterday.

When Darrell Givens and Malcolm Willis of Charles County gave verbal commitments to play football for Penn State, they knew they would have much work ahead of them. The first assignment of the two Lackey seniors: get on their cell phones and try to lure some potential teammates to join them in Happy Valley. "I talked to [Good Counsel's] Jelani [Jenkins] once, and he sounded real interested, but he told me he wasn't ready to make a decision quite yet," Givens said. "I called [Dunbar's]

West Virginia running back Steve Slaton is skipping his senior season to enter the NFL draft. "I called the NFL about two weeks ago, and they told me that I was assessed as a second-round selection," Slaton said yesterday in a joint statement with new Mountaineers coach Bill Stewart. In the school-issued statement, Stewart said his conversation with Slaton was "very private and heart-warming" and will remain private. "I believe every student athlete, male or female, should pursue, exhaust and complete their eligibility and academic requirements for graduation at their institution.

Dressed in a sharp black suit accented by a Maryland-red tie, 17-year-old Antonio Logan-El sat before a television camera yesterday at ESPN Zone in Baltimore, surrounded by Maryland football fans waving red pompoms and holding Terps signs. Highlights of his football games at Forestville High School in Prince George's County flashed on a giant screen behind him as the top offensive lineman in the state turned his college commitment into prime-time entertainment. Logan-El first pulled a Florida cap out of a bag before declaring it wasn't the school for him and tossing it aside.

Miami --The stadium was divided in half and the energy level never ebbed. Penn State players bounced out of the tunnel for the biggest game of their lives. Some will be back next year, some won't. Their field general, Joe Paterno, walked to his place on the sidelines. His second home since 1950. No one questions whether he'll be back next year. And that's precisely what made last night's Orange Bowl a bit sad, despite the pageantry and the crowd support and the inspired performances. Paterno, who's as proud as he is grumpy, has doomed his storybook career to a sad, ill-fated ending.

Miami -- The stadium was divided in half and the energy level never ebbed. Penn State players bounced out of the tunnel for the biggest game of their lives. Some will be back next year; some won't. Their field general, Joe Paterno, walked to his place on the sideline - his second home since 1950. No one questions whether he'll be back next year. And that's precisely what made last night's Orange Bowl - Penn State's brightest moment in more than a decade - a bit sad. Despite the pageantry and the crowd support and the inspired performances, you can't help but peek around the corner and wince.