Season Gets Serious for Penn State

By CHRIS DUFRESNE

Oct. 10, 1997 12 AM PT

The riotous fun is over for the second-ranked Nittany Lions, who averaged 46 points and tons of yardage in lopsided victories over Pittsburgh, Temple, Louisville and Indiana.

The victories came so easily that it hurt the Heisman chances of starting tailback Curtis Enis, who hasn’t been in any game long enough to rack up impressive numbers.

Enis figures to play in the fourth quarter Saturday, when Penn State hosts No. 7 Ohio State in Happy Valley.

“We’re going to have to almost change our character,” Nittany Lion Coach Joe Paterno said. “We’re not going to be able to get by with bombs all over the place.”

Ohio State is 3-1 against Penn State since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten. Last year’s game in Columbus was almost over before it began, Ohio State winning, 38-7. It was Penn State’s worst loss in 12 years.

“Last year was a different year,” Enis said. “We’re not going to worry about that.”

Ohio State won its “prove it” game last week against highly touted Iowa, mostly with its defense led by linebacker Andy Katzenmoyer, who had 11 tackles, an interception and a lead block as a fullback on Michael Wiley’s touchdown run.

The Buckeyes continue their two-quarterback system, even though it’s clear neither Stanley Jackson nor Joe Germaine is crazy about the arrangement.

Germaine, last year’s Rose Bowl most valuable player, did not play in the second half of last week’s victory over Iowa.

“We have a system that works,” Jackson said. “If you have a watch that works, and tells you the right time, you don’t break it.”

Ohio State is 16-0 with Jackson as the starter. The only time in the last two years that Cooper did not start him was last year’s loss against Michigan.

* The line: Penn State by 6 1/2.

ON TV

* Air Force (6-0) at Navy (2-2), FSW, 9 a.m.: It’s the battle of the option quarterbacks as Air Force’s Blane Morgan takes on Navy’s Chris McCoy in this service-school special. Look out, Air Force doesn’t have another tough game until Nov. 8 against Army.

* The line: Navy by 1.

* Michigan State (4-0) at Indiana (0-5), ESPN2, 9:30 a.m.: After the Spartans dust the Hoosiers, and then Northwestern next week, they hunker down for consecutive Rose Bowl deciders at home against Michigan Oct. 25, and Ohio State Nov. 1.

* The line: Michigan State by 19.

* Northwestern (2-4) at Michigan (4-0), ESPN, 9:30 a.m.: Gary Barnett’s Wildcats have stunned the Wolverines each of the last two seasons on their way to the Big Ten crown, but have frankly tapped out their miracle supply.

* The line: Michigan by 24.

* Southern Mississippi (3-2) at East Carolina (1-3), FSW, 12:30 p.m.: The battle cry for East Carolina is “Score a point,” after being shut out the last two weeks by South Carolina and Syracuse, 82-0.

* The line: So. Mississippi by 10 1/2.

* Notre Dame (1-4) at Pittsburgh (3-2), Channel 2, 12:30 p.m.: In Notre Dame’s fourth consecutive loss last week, the Irish were physically overmatched against Stanford.

* The line: Notre Dame by 11.

* Virginia (2-2) at Clemson (3-2), ESPN2, 3 p.m.: Neither school should be ashamed of its losses. The Cavaliers were beaten by Auburn and North Carolina, and the Tigers have lost to Florida State and Georgia Tech. This game will have bowl implications.

* The line: Clemson by 5 1/2.

* Florida (5-0) at LSU (4-1), ESPN, 4 p.m.: Gator Coach Steve Spurrier took a chance leaving quarterback Doug Johnson in last week with a 35-0 lead. Johnson’s calf was stepped on as a result, but Spurrier insists he’ll be fine.

* The line: Florida by 15 1/2.

* Colorado (2-2) at Oklahoma State (5-0), FSW, 4 p.m.: Get this, Rick Neuheisel has a great defense but no offense.

* The line: Colorado by 3.

* BYU (3-1) at Rice (3-2), ESPN2, 6 p.m.: A WAC battle between schools with polar-opposite styles. The Cougars have the nation’s sixth best passing attack while the Owls’ option operation ranks second behind Nebraska in rushing.

* The line: BYU by 2 1/2.

* Stanford (4-1) at Arizona (2-3), FSW, 7:15 p.m.: Stanford needs the victory to remain a key player in the Rose Bowl race.

* The line: Stanford by 3 1/2.

* Fresno State (2-3) at Hawaii (2-3), FSW2, 10 p.m.: These teams are tough to figure. The Bulldogs lost to Oklahoma State one week, 35-0, then took Oregon to overtime the next. The Rainbows defeated Minnesota in their opener, but last week were blown out at Colorado State, 63-0.

* The line: Fresno State by 11.

5 THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. Colorado (2-2) goes to Stillwater to play Oklahoma State (5-0) in a game that might mean sweet revenge. Cowboy Coach Bob Simmons was a longtime assistant at Colorado but was bypassed for Bill McCartney’s job by Neuheisel, the young quarterback coach. Who has the better team now? Oklahoma State is 5-0 despite losing five starters to academic problems in summer.

2. Nebraska at Baylor pits maybe the nation’s best team against perhaps the nation’s worst. Says who? First-year Baylor Coach Dave Roberts said after last week’s loss to Texas Tech that there might not be a more pitiful squad than his Bears. It could be worse, Dave. You could still be the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame.

3. Auburn is in an all-time look-ahead situation this week when it hosts scrappy Louisiana Tech with the Florida game looming a week later. Louisiana Tech is no slouch. The 4-1 Bulldogs’ lone defeat was a four-point loss to Arkansas, and last week they beat up on California. Auburn is 5-0-1 against Tech, but narrowly escaped with a 16-14 victory in 1990.

4. Florida’s quest for a second consecutive national championship will probably be judged in the next three games, when the Gators dig into the meat of their schedule against LSU, Auburn and Georgia. And none of the three games is at the Swamp. Florida plays at LSU and at Auburn and then, after a bye, hosts Georgia in Jacksonville on Nov. 1.

5. Washington should have no trouble winning its 15th consecutive game against California in Berkeley, the first of three consecutive road games for the Huskies.

THE REST

* Washington (-16) at California, 12:30 p.m.

* Utah St. (OFF) at Oregon St., 1 p.m.

* Boston College (+19) at Virginia Tech, 9 a.m.

* Florida St. (-35) at Duke, 4 p.m.

* North Carolina State (+5 1/2) at Georgia Tech, 12:30 p.m.

* Kentucky (+2) at South Carolina, 10 a.m.

* Georgia (+9 1/2) at Tennessee, 12:30 p.m.

* West Virginia (-9 1/2) at Maryland, 10 a.m.

* Wake Forest (+24) at North Carolina, 9 a.m.

* Iowa St. (+33) at Texas A&M;, 11 a.m.

* Illinois (+13) at Wisconsin, 9:20 a.m.