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Saturday, Sep. 25 12:10pm ET
Casey shines as Penn State tops Indiana | |||||
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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Everybody marveled about the quarterback making those dazzling runs and hitting his receivers in Saturday's Penn State-Indiana game. They weren't, for a change, remarking about Indiana's phenomenal Antwaan Randle El. This time, the subject was Penn State's Rashard Casey.
Casey completed 13 of 15 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 66 yards and a spectacular, scrambling touchdown as No. 2 Penn State beat Indiana 45-24 Saturday. He dashed to his left on a naked bootleg, dodged a couple of tacklers, reversed field, sprinted right up the sideline and dove into the end zone for the 31-yard score. "If I add it up, I probably ran about 80 yards instead of 30-something. I don't know what happened. I just see people flying here and there, and I was just trying to come free. All of a sudden, I'm just running down the sidelines trying to beat the safety," he said. The No. 2 man in Penn State's quarterback platoon was on the field for all five of the team's offensive scores as the Nittany Lions (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) beat Indiana (1-3, 0-1) for the fifth straight time. Casey said he's more comfortable this year sitting in the pocket and making reads, instead of taking off at the first sign of trouble. Paterno has noticed improvements in his understanding of the offense, and that's why he has given Casey so much playing time. "He made up his mind in the offseason that he was going to be a quarterback, not an athlete who happens to play quarterback," Paterno said. As he showed Saturday, he's not a typical Penn State quarterback and he's not shy about scrambling. "I always have happy feet, because I don't like getting hit," he admitted. "That's just Rashard," offensive guard Greg Ransom said. "I'm from New Jersey and I got to watch him in high school. That touchdown run brought me back." Randle El kept Indiana within striking distance with two passing touchdowns in the second half. He finished 11-of-23 for 204 yards, and ran for 67 yards and a touchdown. Casey countered each time. He hit Eric McCoo for a 20-yard TD in the third quarter, then found Sam Crenshaw for a 9-yard TD with 6:18 left to put the Lions ahead 45-24. Thompson, Penn State's starter, was 7-of-12 for 86 yards. "What a luxury it is to have two good quarterbacks," Indiana coach Cam Cameron said. Added Randle El: "Kevin doesn't make mistakes, and Casey keeps the offense moving." Special teams helped Penn State pull away in the third quarter. Bruce Branch returned a punt 90 yards for a TD, the Lions' longest since Mark Robinson's 92-yarder against Rutgers in 1982. Askari Adams recovered a fumbled punt at the 31 to set up Casey's run that put the Lions ahead 31-10 with 8:00 left in the third quarter. "It doesn't take but one or two plays to cost you a ball game," Cameron said. Adams also had Penn State's first score, intercepting Randle El's pass in the first quarter and returning it 37 yards. Randle El twice engineered scoring drives with Penn State threatening to blow the Hoosiers out in the second half. He hit Jerry Dorsey with a 34-yard TD to cap an eight-play, 81-yard drive. Then he found Versie Gaddis for a 27-yard TD that pulled Indiana within 38-24 with 11:17 left. Paterno was none too pleased with the Lions' defense, which gave up 385 yards. Neither was linebacker Brandon Short. "We looked pretty bad at some points out there," he said. "But keep it in perspective: We're not that bad." The Lions led only 17-10 at halftime despite outgaining Indiana 232 yards to 97. Casey's 30-yard pass to John Gilmore over the middle set up Penn State's second touchdown, a 1-yard run by Harris. They combined for 26 yards on the next drive, but the Lions stalled at the 9 and settled for a 26-yard field goal from Travis Forney. Stewart caught five passes for 89 yards. Randle El scored from the 1 for Indiana's only first-half touchdown.
O.J. Spencer sacked Thompson at the Lions 1 on the first series
of the game, leading to Andy Payne's 40-yard field goal.
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AUDIO/VIDEO Penn State's Rashard Casey scrambles 31 yards and dives into the end zone. avi: 741 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN Antwaan Randle El high-steps his way into the end zone. avi: 584 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN Eric McCoo knocks over defenders for six points. avi: 507 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN |