2011 Penn State Football

Penn State vs Eastern Michigan Football Recap

Penn State 34, Eastern Michigan 6

This was definitely an instance in which a victory proved to be very, very costly. Penn State won a game and didn’t need last-minute drama to do the deed against a Mid-American Conference foe. The Nittany Lions looked appreciably solid and put-together in terms of their performance, but they left this game being anything but.

In head coach Joe Paterno's return to the sideline, the Penn State Nittany Lions blew out the Eastern Michigan Eagles Saturday at Beaver Stadium. However, the Blue and White did not leave this game intact. Two injuries to prime defensive players cast a pall over the proceedings in University Park, Pennsylvania.

The Lions' win was marred by a season-ending knee injury to leading tackler Alex Mauti. The game was delayed in the third quarter when cornerback D'Anton Lynn was carried off the field on a backboard with a neck injury. Mauti and Lynn are dependable tacklers and complete defensive players with great instincts and the ability to shrink the field for opposing offenses. Going without each of these two young men for the rest of the season (it’s certain for Mauti and is likely for Lynn) will dramatically decrease PSU’s margin for error, and that margin for error was relatively small to begin with. Penn State has to be a lockdown defensive team, the kind of team that can win 13-10 and 14-13 games with minimal offensive production. Now that Mauti and Lynn are out of commission, the Nittany Lions are going to find it very hard to have any success over the next two months.

Penn State's two-quarterback rotation continued in this game against Eastern Michigan, and although the opposition was not exactly robust, the results were reasonably encouraging. Matt McGloin completed 14 of 17 pass attempts for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Rob Bolden completed seven of 13 for 115 yards and an interception. (That wasn’t quite so encouraging.)

FindPenn State hats & Apparel online through Big Ten Fans as well as theBig Ten Football Scoreboard!

The Nittany Lions held the Eagles' powerful rushing attack to 68 yards. EMU's running game was sixth-best in FBS entering the game. Penn State's defense dominated, forcing the Eagles to throw more than usual. Alex Gillett completed 18 of 31 passes for 202 yards, and was picked off once.

Penn State built a 17-0 halftime lead on two McGloin touchdown passes during the second quarter, McGloin hit Joe Suhey for a 27-yard touchdown with 8:19 left in the second, and hit Derek Moye for a five-yard score with 56 seconds to play.

On Penn State's first drive of the second half, Bolden hit Devon Smith for a 71-yard catch-and-run touchdown that gave the Lions a 24-0 lead. McGloin re-entered the game and hit Moye for a 20-yard touchdown late in the third.

Moye finished with six receptions for 65 yards. Smith caught three passes for 104 yards. Silas Redd was Penn State's leading rusher with 48 yards on 12 carries. The Lions finished with 468 yards of total offense.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Staff Writer

> Find more Big Ten football news online at Big Ten Fans!