STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -Greg Paulus broke his share of fullcourt presses and halfcourt traps when he played basketball at Duke.
He never encountered a pressure defense like the one he’ll face Saturday in Happy Valley.
Sidestepping No. 7 Penn State’s athletic defenders before 100,000-plus fans at Beaver Stadium will be the most daunting football challenge yet for the former point guard-turned Orange quarterback.
Paulus seems up for the task. He didn’t seem to notice the boos and taunts as a Blue Devil playing at hostile road venues such as North Carolina and Maryland.
“That type of environment helps kind of settle you down a little bit. It’s about maintaining what’s in the game plan,” Paulus said. “It’s about keeping the crowd out of it, making sure you and the guys are thinking about what you need to do.”
ast year at the Carrier Dome – a 55-13 rout by Penn State – but hadn’t squared off before that since 1990.
There are no plans to renew the series soon, so Saturday will probably be the last meeting for a while. The Nittany Lions have dominated the Orange since Joe Paterno took over as head coach in 1966, going 22-4.
What rebuilding Syracuse (0-1) must do to have any chance of breaking through this year is protect Paulus from the Nittany Lions’ front four.
Paulus showed a knack for scrambling when he got into trouble during last week’s season-opening loss to Minnesota. Going 19 for 21 for 167 yards passing and one touchdown, Paulus played well for someone who hadn’t been involved in competitive football since he was national high school player of the year in 2004.
“I think he’s obviously an awfully good athlete. He’s not quite as comfortable in the pocket, and you would expect him not to be. He hasn’t been there for a while,” Paterno said. “So he scrambles a little more than probably they want him to, but he’ll get better.”
It was in the second half against Minnesota that Paulus’ performance slipped, including an interception in the end zone in overtime that allowed the Golden Gophers to win on a field goal.
Penn State may be more unforgiving on both sides of the ball.
eason-opening victory over Akron.
The defense can wreak havoc without blitzing, with monstrous 6-foot-5 defensive tackle Jared Odrick leading the push up front and Sean Lee calling the shots at linebacker.
Paulus has a nice target in receiver Mike Williams, who has caught touchdowns in a school-record 10 straight games, the longest active streak in the FBS. Penn State’s revamped secondary, which features four new starters, would like that run to end in Happy Valley.
Having played hoops himself in high school, Lee is impressed with Paulus’ transition to the gridiron.
“We got to be ready for him, cover our routes, keep contain,” said Lee, who’s back on the field after missing 2008 with a right knee injury. “If he gets out, we got to bring our linebackers, and the defensive ends have to run him down.”
In just one week, Paulus has become the face of Orange football, his scrappy play inspiring fans hoping Syracuse can claw its way out of the Big East basement. He’s accomplished all this after just one month of official practices with his teammates.
“When you think about the type of information we had to give him … To me, as a head coach, that’s the most impressive thing,” said Orange coach Doug Marrone. “Are there things that he’ll do much better in the future? Absolutely. Greg will be the first one to tell you that.”
Paulus could get one break if Penn State linebacker Navorro Bowman, the Nittany Lions’ leading tackler last year, can’t play because of a sore right groin. Paterno said at midweek there was an “outside chance” Bowman could go.
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