COLLEGE FOOTBALL / BOWL REPORT : BLOCKBUSTER : McDuffie in Good Company

Penn State Coach Joe Paterno was waxing poetic about the skills of receiver O.J. McDuffie by comparing him to Lenny Moore, a former Nittany Lion and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

McDuffie has set or tied 15 Penn State records, including receptions in a season (63), yards (977) and all-purpose yards (1,831). McDuffie and Stanford’s Glyn Milburn are the featured player attractions for Friday’s Blockbuster Bowl in Miami.

“I use to think Lenny was the greatest all-around football player I’ve ever been around,” Paterno said. “Lenny was a great tailback, great defensive back, a wideout and could have played quarterback. McDuffie is the same way. He could be a great defensive back or a great tailback. . . . He’s a great player.”

Penn State linebacker Richard McKenzie has been demoted to the second team after violating team rules. McKenzie, a senior from Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., led the team with six sacks and had 40 tackles.

It seems that McKenzie thought he was going to fail a class and skipped a few practices because he believed he would be ineligible for Friday’s game. McKenzie ended up passing the class, but Paterno demoted him for missing practice.

Stanford Coach Bill Walsh’s smug quote of the day: “I’m enjoying this (Blockbuster Bowl) more because I’ve already won a Super Bowl.”