Paterno knows how to get PSU players' attention

STATE COLLEGE - Upset by his team's loss at Alabama on Sept. 11, Penn State coach Joe Paterno responded by turning up the heat in practice the following week.

"I had felt that we were not intense enough at practice. So we tried to set a different tone," he said. "Got around in more drills. Pushed some kids, literally threatened a couple of them: 'If you don't start hitting some people a little tougher than what you're doing, I'm going to drop you.' That kind of thing. And I intended to."

Really? Threatened?

"I never should have used the word threaten," Paterno said later. "Challenge would have been a better way to express it."

Threatened, challenged; however Paterno wishes to say it, the message got through to his Nittany Lions that no one's job is safe. And that remains the theme as they prepare for today's home game against Temple. The Owls, coached by former Penn State tight end Al Golden, are 3-0 and coming off a victory over Connecticut.

Penn State (2-1) is coming off a 24-0 victory over Kent State that featured four new starters - defensive ends Pete Massaro and Sean Stanley, wide receiver Justin Brown and left guard Johnnie Troutman. The lineup changes were partially due to left defensive end Jack Crawford's hip injury, but Crawford and right end Eric Latimore had no sacks in the first two games.

Troutman said he missed 10 preseason practices after reporting to camp 12 pounds overweight, at 317. He said he feels quicker at 309, and he has reclaimed his starting spot ahead of DeOn'tae Pannell, who started the season's first two games.

Last Saturday also featured a new strong safety, Andrew Dailey. He didn't start, but he played extensively in many of the defense's base packages while Drew Astorino nursed a left shoulder injury.

The game also featured the second- and third-string running backs carrying the ball for much of the second half while Evan Royster was left on the sideline.

"I think [Paterno's] trying to send a message that we have a lot of depth," said wide receiver Graham Zug, another returning starter who has seen his playing time decrease with his production. "We have a lot of guys that can play. We're all athletic here. Coaches have done a great job recruiting and brought in a lot of good guys and a lot of talent, so I think he's just trying to make a point, that you can't settle down, and [if] you get settled in and think that you're gonna play no matter what, you have to practice hard and play hard to play here at Penn State."

Zug, a fifth-year senior, made his first two catches of the season against Kent State. Brown, a sophomore, entered the Kent State game with four catches and made his first career start. *