Penn State falls short without JoePa
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CBSSports.com wire reports
Nov. 12, 2011
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- If they didn't know better, fans in Happy Valley would have thought they were watching Joe Paterno's team.
No. 12 Penn State played tough defense and basic offense. The Nittany Lions fought back when they were down, trying to rally from a 17-point deficit against No. 19 Nebraska on Saturday.
But on a day when the outcome was secondary, Penn State began the journey forward from a devastating scandal and the firing of Paterno with a draining loss, 17-14 to the Cornhuskers.
The game closed a tumultuous week that began with the arrest of former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky on shocking child sexual-abuse charges. Major college football's winningest coach was pushed out in the aftermath.
"I was awful proud," said interim coach Tom Bradley, who took over for the 84-year-old Paterno. "They got down 17-0. They didn't quit. They hung tough."
No one would have blamed the Nittany Lions (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten) if they decided to pack it in. But they didn't.
Time expired after a fourth-down pass by Matt McGloin fell harmlessly to the ground. McGloin and his teammates soon turned toward the tunnel to file back to the locker room. Most were silent. Some had blank stares.
Afterward, linebacker Nate Stupar was heartened the team ended up following Paterno's advice.
"[Bradley] kept saying, 'Beat Nebraska. Do what JoePa said,'" said Stupar, who had a team-high 13 tackles. "Be a team and you'll be teammates for life and just keep that goal in mind. No matter what, stick together. That's what we did today."
Rex Burkhead ran for 121 yards and a touchdown for Nebraska (8-2, 4-2) before the Nittany Lions scored 14 points on two second-half touchdown runs by Stephfon Green. But a key drive ended when Silas Redd was stopped on the fourth down with 1:49 left at the Penn State 38.
School president Rod Erickson met the Nittany Lions in the locker room afterward and praised, "how much courage, how much heart, and how much character" the players had, he said.
Most Penn State fans heeded calls for a "blue-out," wearing the school's familiar dark blue in support of victims of child sexual abuse. Fans formed the outline of a blue ribbon in the student section.
"We are ... Penn State," roared the crowd through the afternoon, the signature State College cheer.
But this school's identity has forever changed.
"I think today it just made the healing process start to begin," Bradley said.
Sandusky, architect of the "Linebacker U" defenses, was charged last weekend with sexually abusing eight boys over 15 years. The athletic director and a university vice president were charged with perjury and failure to report a 2002 allegation to police, and Paterno was fired following mounting fury he did not do more about the charge -- that Sandusky assaulted a boy in the Penn State football showers -- than pass it along to his bosses. President Graham Spanier also was ousted for similar reasons.
The last time Penn State played a game at Beaver Stadium, on Oct. 29, Paterno was feted by Spanier for his 409th career victory, the most in Division I history.
On Saturday, he was nowhere to be found -- save for a few fleeting images on the video boards overhead. That was enough to get spontaneous cheers of "Joe Paterno!" ringing through the stands.
"In my opinion and a lot of others' opinion he's still going to be the best football coach who ever coached in college," receiver Derek Moye said. "It was an honor for me to play for him."
Paterno started as an assistant in 1950, then took over as head coach in 1966. It was Penn State's first game without Paterno on staff since Nov. 19, 1949, a 19-0 loss at Pittsburgh.
But in many respects, it was like any other fall Saturday in Happy Valley. Massive 6-foot-5 defensive tackle Devon Still hit ball carriers with typical ferocity and the Nittany Lions played another close, low-scoring game -- as they have all year.
Penn State's first play from scrimmage was a fullback run up the middle -- a Paterno favorite.
But the Nittany Lions' conservative offense struggled again. In the late-game sequence that ended with Redd getting smothered on fourth down, Penn State called four straight running plays.
Meanwhile, someone named "Paterno" wore a path on the sideline wearing jet black Nike sneakers.
Just not that Paterno.
Paterno's son, quarterback coach Jay Paterno, moved down from his usual spot in the press box to relay plays from the sideline -- a job once held by assistant coach Mike McQueary.
Where was Joe? It's uncertain, though he pulled into the garage at his home a couple of hours after the final gun.
"He wanted to make sure that the guys he coached and the guys he felt very close to would understand that he was part of us," Jay Paterno said. "He still wanted to be part of this and he was pulling for them and cheering for them."
McQueary was among the missing after being placed on indefinite paid leave Friday by the school. His name surfaced as a grand jury witness to the 2002 abuse charge. Sandusky, who retired in 1999 but lives in the area and had access to school facilities, maintains his innocence.
McQueary, Joe Paterno says, told him that Sandusky had behaved inappropriately, but not to the extent of the detailed testimony. Paterno then passed the information on to Curley, but the report was not given to police.
News of the scandal elicited threats to McQueary, the school said, and brought heightened security.
But there were no visible problems during the game.
"I'll be honest with you, going into this football game, I didn't think the game should have been played -- for a lot of different reasons," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. "I look at my job as a football coach is to educate, and to prepare the kids that come into the program for life."
By the second half, most Penn State fans seemed most concerned about whether the Nittany Lions could get back into the game.
The Corhuskers had surged early, with Burkhead gashing Penn State's staunch D on 25 carries. He motored 14 yards into the end zone with 8:51 left in the third quarter for a 17-0 lead.
Then came the second-half push from Green on Senior Day - his last game at Beaver Stadium.
The senior scored from 5 yards out with 5:07 in the third quarter, then added a 6-yard run at 5:42 of the fourth to get Penn State within three. Green finished with 71 yards on 17 carries.
But the offense faltered on two late drives, including the fourth-and-1 stop of Redd. Out of timeouts with 49 seconds left, the Nittany Lions got the ball back but could get no farther than their own 46 before McGloin's final incompletion as time expired.
The fans cheered anyway, and greeted the Nittany Lions with one more chorus of "We are ... Penn State."
US soccer team falls to Belgium; Coach Klinsmann now 0-2-1
Brussels - the U.S. national team lost Belgium 1-0 Tuesday, Jürgen Klinsmann without a win in three games left, because he was busy as the American coach.
This was the first road game for the United States since Klinsmann on board. The Americans already bound Mexico and lost after Costa Rica.
Jürgen Klinsmann, in his first game of the road as the U.S. not clinch victory no. 1 with the team. (AP) Nicolas Lombaerts half volleyball in the 55th minute was the only goal in an exhibition, dominated the Belgians in the rain getränkten.
"It was an interesting game for both sides," said Klinsmann. "For the first 25 minutes the United States a good had passing game going, but then began to show the individual Belgian class." "The players have learned a lot from the game."
Klinsmann, a former German star and coach, is looking to assemble players that will play in the World Cup qualifiers, to begin the June of next year. He referred to the promising players such as Juan Agudelo, Jose Torres, Brek Shea and Timmy Chandler.
An inexperienced US team rarely threatened, and replacement of the second half did Agudelo and Kyle Beckerman to revive little game.
However, the Americans had their best chance five minutes before the end. A midfield cross found its way to the edu, the the ball past Mignolet. But the referee prevented the goal as Clarence Goodson was ruled to have handled the ball inside the box.
The United States aggressively played only in the first minutes. Clint Dempsey was in the sixth minute free kick by Belgian goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was looking for. Ten minutes later Torres curled free kick from the right side, just behind the post.
In the 25th minute beat Timmy Simons of a low ball from the right edge of the area, that U.S. goalkeeper, which Tim Howard deflected. Seven minutes later, dries Mertens crossed the ball into the area to an unmarked Marouane Fellaini, whose Schuss was stopped by Howard.
Belgium coach of Georges Leekens said United States also played for the first 15 minutes.
"Then we have a grip and we wanted to really home to win the Azarbaijan game", he said.
Belgium has against Azerbaijan on Friday, to weaken his chances of qualifying for next year European Championship.
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Lineups:
Belgium: Simon Mignolet, Laurent Ciman, Toby Alderweireld, Vincent Kompany, Nicolas Lombaerts, Timmy Simons, Eden hazard (Marvin Ogunjimi, 61), Marouane Fellaini (Romelu Lukaku, 61), Igor de Camargo, Axel Witsel, dries Mertens.
United States: Tim Howard, Steve Cherundolo, Timmy Chandler, Clarence Goodson, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey, Robbie Rogers (Kyle Beckerman, 46), Maurice edu, Jozy Altidore (Juan Agudelo, 46), Jose Torres (Jeff Larentowicz, 75), Brek Shea.
He falls 3ds to a quarter of sales last week in Japan
They would think that a 3DS-Preis-Tropfen would encourage sales, but according to the media create sales turnover in Japan have not only suffered, have them fueled.
Where last week 16,415 piece sold the 3ds, it dropped this week to almost 75% to only 4,132. The DSi XL even sold more at 4,176 units with the DSi not far behind with 3,900 units. To say that this is disappointing would be polite.
On top of that, not a 3DS top cracked 20 (9 PSP titles, 6 Wii, 4 DS and 1 PS3) title last week, what not too surprisingly, given the fact that it is still the equivalent of a newborn in the console world. Although the 3 DS has sold 1.3 units so far this year, the DS has sold 32.6 million units and the PSP has sold 17.9 million units in the course of his life in their homeland.
An optimist believes in me, that but not much better will be the 3DS-Preis-Tropfen in America.
South Carolina falls Texas A & M in walk-off style
OMAHA, Neb. - South Carolina won its first game at TD Ameritrade Park dramatic so, how it 2010 won the Championship series game in the last College world is held in the Rosenblatt Stadium.
Scott Wingo drilled a bases loaded from the right field wall at the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the gamecocks a 5: 4-win over Texas A & M on Sunday night.
Last year, the gamecocks won the title at Wingo whit Merrifield Walkoff beat scored in the 11th inning against UCLA.
Scott Wingo sends the gamecocks to a national title after a bases loaded single in the ninth, hitting finished the game. (AP) Wingo was the right man at the right time. He came of his previous 20 at bats bat with hits in 12.
"I knew that loaded the bases with no outs," said he, "so big, you can get if you try, go there and then a good swing on it."
Wingo's gave South Carolina hit his fourth walk-off win of the season and the gamecocks first victory in a CWS opener in five attempts.
Last season, South Carolina staggered from six consecutive wins in Omaha after losing its first game.
"It is to win a very uncommon feeling for me in Omaha and the first game," said gamecocks coach Ray Tanner.
South Carolina (51-14) was promoted to the a bracket 2 winners game against Virginia on Tuesday night. The Aggies (47-21) play California in an elimination game in the afternoon.
Wingo's winning scoring his career best four hit against Nick fleece limited night, and he reached base five times.
Robert Beary doubled from the start right field fence to the inning against Kyle Martin (2-3). Beary was a liner in links from fleece to third parties, if 2010 CWS, play the most outstanding player Jackie Bradley Jr., in two months in his first game cut. Evan Marzilli was called to load the bases before Wingo fleece 1-2 win pitch - hit in the life.
"I really tried to get up the ball in the air," said at Wingo. "If I had two strikes on me, I tried just to battle, and he one inner threw me fastball and I have it up."
Michael Roth, John Taylor and Matt price (6-3) combined to the Aggies hold hitless in the last five innings.
Roth and A & M's Ross Stripling employs duel in a pot after a crazy first inning in which each team runs four scored.
"You think, it will be a football one, but both pitchers pitched down and very well and defense made some big plays," said Aggies head coach Rob Childress. "Ross got out of a few jams and thus also their guy." "Ninth inning, let a Leadoff double happen and just like the South Carolina came and took it from us."
Roth performed magnificently, called when he as a short reliever, at the beginning of two matches in last year's CWS. Now one of the nation's premier starters, he allowed four hits in 7 innings 1-3, and leads the four first inning against him were unearned. His season ERA fell to 0.97, and he has not earned run in 37 1-3 of innings allowed.
Brandon was taken some three run triple to the key in the Aggies big first inning, but Roth allows only two more singles.
"He is definitely better than him," said wood. "I don't know, if it was nerves of the first inning with him or not."
Boys, try A & m since Jeff Granger in 1993 to the first 15-game winner, allowed seven hits over eight innings. He went one and six proposed, and two of the four is acquired against him.
Injured New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain cheered him on from the stands. The former granary of Nebraska wore a cap Texas A & M, undoubtedly a reference to Aggies head coach Rob Childress, who was Chamberlain's coach in the school.
Boys play at Martin turned over to start the ninth, and then wake up South Carolina's offense after he limited to three hits the previous five innings.
Bradley, playing in his first game after date 23 April with an injury to his left wrist, followed with a base hit to help Beary's double set the stage for Wingo.
