Statue of Liberty Plays This Time

There was anticipation. There was tension. Then the USC players stepped outside to an unusually mild, dry Friday in New Jersey.

“I’m ecstatic,” defensive tackle Ennis Davis said. “It’s cooler than Irvine.”

All summer long, Davis and his teammates had expected hot, sticky weather for Sunday’s game against Penn State in the Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. But the forecast calls for comfortable conditions through the weekend, with temperatures in the mid-80s and low humidity.

That would stand in marked contrast to the last time USC played Penn State in the 1996 Kickoff Classic. Davis was a freshman and recalls it was so humid the players lost interest in their sightseeing trip to the Statue of Liberty.

“We got off the boat and there were benches outside,” he said. “Half the team just sat there. We didn’t even go in.”

The game was even worse. Davis remembers the artificial turf felt as if it was burning.

“It was horrible,” he said. “Already this trip is better.”

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Penn State Coach Joe Paterno can’t understand why everyone keeps talking about that 1996 game, which he claims he can barely recall. The USC-Penn State matchup that sticks in his mind is the 1982 Fiesta Bowl.

The Nittany Lions won that game, 26-10, with a team that would be national champions the following season. Todd Blackledge played quarterback and Curt Warner was at tailback.

USC had future NFL stars in tailback Marcus Allen and tackle Bruce Matthews.

“It was a great football game to be involved in,” Paterno said. “I’m talking about some great players.”

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Just because it seems as though Paterno has been around since the days of leather helmets, don’t think he isn’t as sharp as ever.

“He’s always right on top of things,” Penn State tailback Eric McCoo said. “He’s not a step behind at all.”

Said free safety Titcus Pettigrew: “I call him the youngest 73-year-old I know.”