It’s almost time for awards season in college football.
None, though, can compare with the 2007 George Paterno Memorial Awards, recognizing the highs and lows of Penn State’s 8-4 regular season and remembering perhaps the greatest ambassador the Nittany Lions have ever had.
Offensive player of the year: Rodney Kinlaw never complained about waiting four years to get his opportunity. When it finally came, he became the 11th back in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He’s run for 1,186 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
Defensive player of the year: Dan Connor gets the nod over Sean Lee and Maurice Evans. While Lee and Evans have had outstanding seasons, Connor’s leadership and will personify the defense. He leads the Big Ten in tackles and ranks among the conference leaders in sacks and tackles for loss.
Rookie of the year: Evan Royster saw little action before tailback Austin Scott was suspended indefinitely after being charged with sexual assault in midseason. Royster rushed for 448 yards and four touchdowns as Kinlaw’s backup before an ankle injury limited his playing time in the last two games.
Unsung hero of the year: A.Q. Shipley has anchored the offensive line at center and helped that unit make the biggest in-season improvement for Penn State. It’s hard to gauge how well centers and guards play, but the Big Ten coaches, the guys who watch hours of game film, voted Shipley to their all-conference first team.
Special teams player of the year: Jeremy Boone became the first Penn State punter to be named to an All-Big Ten first team. Boone has averaged 42.4 yards a kick, helping the Lions lead the conference in net punting. Of his 54 punts, he has dropped 23 of them inside the 20-yard line and has produced 14 fair catches. He has had just three touchbacks.
Best game: Michigan State 35, Penn State 31. Another thriller for the Land Grant Trophy ended in unhappiness for the Lions, who lost after leading by 17 points for the first time in Joe Paterno’s 42 seasons as head coach. It had great performances, trick plays and decisions that left fans second-guessing the coaches.
Worst game: Ohio State 37, Penn State 17. Happy Valley was cranked up and hoping for the Lions’ first win over a No. 1 team in 17 years. The Buckeyes didn’t cooperate, rolling past Penn State with a balanced attack that netted 453 total yards. It wasn’t that the Lions played poorly; they were overmatched.
Best play: Indiana was driving for the go-ahead touchdown when Penn State defensive end Maurice Evans sacked Kellen Lewis, forced a fumble and returned it 55 yards to set up a field goal.
Worst plays: Quarterback Anthony Morelli lost a fumble at the Penn State 10-yard line, which led to a Michigan touchdown in a 14-9 loss. In the third quarter, Scott lost a fumble at the Wolverines’ 9 with the Lions trailing 7-3.
Surprise of the year: Kinlaw’s emergence.
Disappointment of the year: The secondary began the season as one of the team’s strengths and gradually has become one of its weaknesses.
Missing in action: Penn State tight end Andrew Quarless has been ignored the second half of the season.
Safety Patrol Award: Five days after the Oct. 5 incident, Penn State coach Joe Paterno admitted that he had an encounter with another driver on Bigler Road near the McCoy Natatorium.
According to what he said at the State College Quarterback Club weekly luncheon, he told a woman that he had seen her commit a traffic violation and that he had her license number.
According to Paterno, a man got out of her car and told Paterno that he was her husband.
Paterno said he responded, “That’s your problem.”
Law and Order Award (Happy Valley Unit): Ten Penn State players have faced criminal charges this season.
State College police initially charged six players after an April 1 fight inside an off-campus apartment, but charges against four of the players were dropped. Anthony Scirrotto and Chris Baker are expected to stand trial next month.
Austin Scott was suspended from the team in early October and later charged with sexual assault in October. He has pleaded not guilty and will stand trial.
Last week authorities charged Navorro Bowman, Baker and Knowledge Timmons for their roles in a campus brawl Oct. 7 outside the Hetzel Union Building.
At least four other players have received citations for underage drinking.
American Idol Award: The FOX reality show might have an 80-year-old contestant for its next season in January. At Penn State’s Football Eve at Beaver Stadium, Paterno offered an impromptu version of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” with his own lyrics. Tony Bennett doesn’t have to worry.
Dick Honig Award: Big Ten referee Dave Witvoet had a bad day last weekend in East Lansing, Mich.
Witvoet marked off a penalty in the wrong direction and pointed in the wrong direction after Michigan State called a late timeout. He also nearly gave Penn State an extra down in the first quarter, saying it was third down after a play was reviewed when it should have been fourth down. Then he had to talk to the replay official to figure it out.
Best call: Penn State led Michigan State 17-7 and faced fourth-and-goal from the 5 when Kevin Kelly lined up for a field goal. Kelly took a direct snap and followed Rich Ohrnberger’s block into the end zone for the Lions’ first touchdown on a fake field goal in 12 years.
Worst calls: Penn State trailed Michigan State 35-31 in the fourth quarter and had a first down at the Spartans’ 24 with 1:50 and two timeouts left. Even though the Lions had just run for 30 yards on the previous four plays, they panicked and called four straight pass plays, three to the end zone. All four fell incomplete.
State Farm Award: Only Penn State’s offensive linemen gave Anthony Morelli better protection than coach Paterno and other school officials. Anthony Morelli was not available the week between the Michigan and Illinois games and was not available after a 27-20 loss to the Illini, a game in which he threw three interceptions.
Best quote: “(LaVar) Arrington wanted to go (to the NFL) early and I said: ‘You’re nuts. Your fundamentals are lousy. You’re going to get killed in that league. You start jumping over people, and you’re not going to have any kids.’ ” — Penn State coach Joe Paterno, when asked about linebacker Sean Lee’s decision to stay in school for his senior season.
