CFI: 'CATS BOUNCIN’ BACK

BY PAUL ASPAN
PENN ST. INSIDER

Penn State (6-3, 3-3) looks for its defense to reassert itself this weekend when it hosts Big Ten opponent Purdue (7-2, 3-2). The Lions showcased a top ten defense for the first seven games of the season, but the last two weeks have been a different story. PSU’s defense has given up 63 points and 839 yards in its last two games. They’ve been a bit banged up – losing defensive end Jerome Hayes (knee), defensive tackle Jared Odrick (ankle) and safety Tony Davis (appendectomy) - but they didn’t even force a punt against Ohio State last week.

The Lions were equally bad against the run and the pass against the Buckeyes, but the secondary has been a real question mark lately. They’ve given up 571 yards in the air the last two weeks. Losing Davis hurt, and defensive backs Justin King and Lydell Sargeant have struggled. Indiana’s Jeff Hardy (142 yd, 2 TD) had a monster day against the Penn State secondary. And after the Lions went up 7-3 against OSU, they allowed a 60-yard pass from Todd Boeckman to Ray Small, which led to Ohio State retaking the lead. It’s not going to get any easier for the secondary this week as they’ll go up against the Big Ten’s leading receiver Dorien Bryant.

Bryant is part of a Boilermaker offense that passes the ball almost 45 times and averages 285 yards per game through the air. King and company could use some help from the Penn State pass rush to throw off Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter. Led by Maurice Evans, the Lions are second in the nation with four sacks per game, but got to Boeckman only once last week.

These two teams are similar in that they have decent records, but neither one has a marquee win. The Lions have a chance to close out the home portion of its schedule strong after a poor showing against top ranked Ohio State a week ago. Senior Linebacker Dan Connor will headline the senior day atmosphere as he enters the game just four tackles short of the school record of 372 set last year by Paul Posluszny.