Lydell Sargeant

The reports were a little misleading. Yes, Lydell Sargeant committed to play football for Penn State one day after his former high school teammate and best friend, Justin King, did the same in November. And yes, King - considered by many the nation's top defensive back to come out of the class of 2005 - had the reputation and press coming out of Gateway High in Western Pennsylvania to be considered the key to Penn State's impressive recruiting coup. And sure enough, the immediate speculation was that Sargeant - a speedster who made a name for himself at Cabrillo High in California - followed his good buddy into the Nittany Lions' fold.

As heat waves floated off the artificial surface at the Gateway High School football stadium, Lydell Sargeant lined up at the flanker position. At the snap of the ball, the 5-foot-10, 188-pound chiseled 18-year-old took five steps and cut right, toward the corner of the end zone. He was two steps ahead of his defender, but the poorly thrown ball sailed way over his head. That didn't matter to Terry Smith. "Good route! Good route!" the Gateway coach yelled. "That was a good route, Lydell.

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno sent a memo to university president Graham Spanier in May saying he would reduce the playing time and change the roster positions of several players accused of being involved in an April off-campus fight, according to a published report. However, some of those players have seen little, if any, change in their roles this season. The memo, dated May 7 and obtained by the Centre Daily Times, said the players would be reprimanded by Paterno regardless of what punishments were handed out by State College authorities and Penn State's judicial affairs office.

When Penn State football players were accused of being involved in an off-campus fight last spring, coach Joe Paterno wrote a memo to university president Graham Spanier saying some players would have their playing time reduced and roster positions changed, a newspaper reported. Some of those players have seen significant action this season. The May 7 memo said the punishment would be meted out regardless of what actions were taken by authorities or the university's judicial affairs office over the April 1 fight, the Centre Daily Times reported in yesterday's editions.

Big Ten champion Penn State hauled in a school-record 10 first-team selections in all-conference voting by coaches and media announced last night. Four more Nittany Lions were named to at least one second team and an additional seven made honorable mention. Also, Joe Paterno was named coach of the year for the third time and senior center A.Q. Shipley was selected as offensive lineman of the year. Joining Shipley on the first-team offense were junior quarterback Daryll Clark, senior wide receiver Derrick Williams (coaches only)

Lydell Sargeant, a running back/defensive back at Cabrillo High School in Lompoc, Calif., yesterday made an oral commitment to attend Penn State next fall. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Sargeant lived in the Gateway School District in suburban Pittsburgh and went to Gateway High as a freshman before moving. Another highly touted high school player, cornerback Justin King of Gateway, committed to Penn State on Tuesday. Sargeant chose Penn State over Oregon and Stanford. He has totaled 1,600 yards and 24 touchdowns this season.

The links between Penn State football and its home state are as deep and strong as the Nittany Lions' rosters traditionally have been in Joe Paterno's 40-year reign. During Penn State's victory over Cincinnati on Saturday, the Pennsylvania flag quivered softly above Beaver Stadium; 70 to 80 state legislators watched the game, for free, in seats and suites; and on the sideline below, pacing nonstop, was Paterno, whose bespectacled face has become, like the Liberty Bell, a cherished state symbol.

With the sun setting and Penn State's Big Ten title hopes fading, Rodney Kinlaw sat alone on the sideline. The last Nittany Lion to leave the field, Kinlaw was engulfed by jubilant Michigan players after the Wolverines prevailed, 14-9, yesterday in an old-fashioned - some might say ugly - slugfest. As he headed to the locker room, Kinlaw took one last moment in the Big House, a place where Penn State has endured so much misery. "We haven't beat Michigan since I've been here," Kinlaw said of the Lions' ninth straight loss to the Wolverines.

Two down, one to go. The problem is that one may not be enough. With their blas? 31-0 win over Temple on Saturday, the Nittany Lions moved one step closer to perhaps realizing a goal they set after losing to Ohio State on Oct. 27. Once the Buckeyes wiped out any remaining hopes for a Bowl Championship Series bowl bid, Penn State lowered the bar and set its sights on reaching a New Year's Day bowl. If the Lions win out over Purdue, Temple and Michigan State, a return trip to the Outback Bowl is possible.

It's not true that when Joe Paterno started coaching at Penn State, the Nittany Lions traveled to road games by way of horse and buggy. But it is a fact that the trek teams now make is significantly different from the way it was when Paterno arrived at State College 57 years ago. That doesn't necessarily mean it's easier. "Well, you've got to get on a bus, get on a plane," Paterno explained earlier this week. "You've got to check in, get screened like everybody else does these days.

SENIOR CORNERBACKS A.J. Wallace and Knowledge Timmons are vying for the same spot in Penn State's starting lineup, but, as individual competitions go, this one couldn't be any friendlier. Good thing, too, because Wallace and Timmons are roommates and former occupants of coach Joe Paterno's famously spacious doghouse. Maybe the latter of those shared similarities is the tie that most closely binds them. "He's a cool, down-to-earth person," Wallace said of his kindred-spirit relationship with Timmons.

TODAY IN PASADENA, CALIF., 5 P.M., 6ABC THE MATCHUPS TONY DAVIS VS. PATRICK TURNER It?s safe to say Penn State has not faced a quarterback as good as Mark Sanchez and has not had to defend against a wide receiver as big as Patrick Turner. At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Turner, who has 45 catches for 667 yards and 10 touchdowns, does a remarkable job of using his height to his advantage. Penn State cornerbacks Tony Davis and Lydell Sargeant - both 5-10 - look like peewee football players compared with Turner.

After the last of the Penn State Nittany Lions land in Los Angeles today to begin preparations for the Rose Bowl, it may seem as if there is a star football player on every corner. Penn State's opponent is hometown Southern Cal, and the Trojans, over the last decade, have become as visible as the young actresses that patrol Sunset Strip. For the many Lions who have traveled no farther than last year's Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, a trip west is the perfect opportunity to explore a town they've glimpsed only in movies.

Big Ten champion Penn State hauled in a school-record 10 first-team selections in all-conference voting by coaches and media announced last night. Four more Nittany Lions were named to at least one second team and an additional seven made honorable mention. Also, Joe Paterno was named coach of the year for the third time and senior center A.Q. Shipley was selected as offensive lineman of the year. Joining Shipley on the first-team offense were junior quarterback Daryll Clark, senior wide receiver Derrick Williams (coaches only)

When you think about Penn State's best teams over the last decade or so - which shouldn't take long - 2005 was a good year, 1999 not so much. This year's team is hoping to drink the wine from three seasons ago as opposed to the vintage nine years old. All three teams suffered devastating, last-second defeats as their first losses. Last week, the Nittany Lions fell to Iowa. In 2005, it was Michigan. And in 1999, Minnesota delivered the blow. Each time, their national championship hopes were crushed.

Quarterbacks draw lots of attention at Penn State, like most teams, but the 16 returning starters at other positions, 14 of whom are seniors, give No. 22 Penn State its greatest hope this season. The Nittany Lions, who take the field tomorrow against Coastal Carolina, will be the most experienced group since 2005, when an unheralded team put State College back on the map with an 11-1 record. Understandably, the seniors who were freshmen three years ago are eager to carry that team's professionalism into the now. "With that team, there were no distractions.

Two down, one to go. The problem is that one may not be enough. With their blas? 31-0 win over Temple on Saturday, the Nittany Lions moved one step closer to perhaps realizing a goal they set after losing to Ohio State on Oct. 27. Once the Buckeyes wiped out any remaining hopes for a Bowl Championship Series bowl bid, Penn State lowered the bar and set its sights on reaching a New Year's Day bowl. If the Lions win out over Purdue, Temple and Michigan State, a return trip to the Outback Bowl is possible.

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno sent a memo to university president Graham Spanier in May saying he would reduce the playing time and change the roster positions of several players accused of being involved in an April off-campus fight, according to a published report. However, some of those players have seen little, if any, change in their roles this season. The memo, dated May 7 and obtained by the Centre Daily Times, said the players would be reprimanded by Paterno regardless of what punishments were handed out by State College authorities and Penn State's judicial affairs office.

When Penn State football players were accused of being involved in an off-campus fight last spring, coach Joe Paterno wrote a memo to university president Graham Spanier saying some players would have their playing time reduced and roster positions changed, a newspaper reported. Some of those players have seen significant action this season. The May 7 memo said the punishment would be meted out regardless of what actions were taken by authorities or the university's judicial affairs office over the April 1 fight, the Centre Daily Times reported in yesterday's editions.

T HERE IS A SCENE in a pretty good 1983 movie about high school football, "All the Right Moves," in which head coach Craig T. Nelson angrily grabs cornerback Tom Cruise's facemask and upbraids him for giving up a short pass completion in practice instead of aggressively breaking on the ball. "Always go for the interception!" Nelson screams. Over the last two games, during which the Penn State secondary seemingly has allowed receivers more cushion than an overstuffed sofa, not to mention 571 passing yards, it's been pretty obvious that Nelson is not issuing the directives.