Sep 10, 2005 4 min read

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – Penn State head coach Joe Paterno and his counterpart at Cincinnati, Mark Dantonio, have been thinking about 2002 a lot lately. That’s when Ohio State defeated Penn State, 13-7, on the way to winning the national title behind a good defense led by then-defensive coordinator Dantonio.

Fast forward three years. Dantonio, now in his second season as head coach at Cincinnati (1-0), comes to Happy Valley on Saturday to face Penn State (1-0).

“He knows us and knows what we are all about,” Paterno said.

After beating Eastern Michigan at home last week, the Bearcats face a tougher assignment on Saturday. Penn State hasn’t allowed an opponent to score more than 21 points in a game in nearly two years. Last week, a senior-laden defense came up with a fumble return for a score and an interception deep in South Florida territory in a 23-13 win over the Bulls.

“They remind me of our Ohio State defense in 2002. Teams are not going to score on them,” said Dantonio, who has also been an assistant coach at Michigan State. “They don’t give up big plays. They pressure the ball and force turnovers.”

That could pose a problem for a young Bearcats offense led by freshman quarterback Dustin Grutza, though he did garner 225 yards in total offense, two passing touchdowns and one rushing score versus Eastern Michigan. It was an impressive enough collegiate debut to nab him Big East Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Five Bearcats, including Grutza, gained at least 49 rushing yards last week.

The Nittany Lions are hungry for a win that would make Penn State 2-0 for the first time since – drum roll, please – 2002.

“We’ll challenge our players in a couple of ways. We’ll talk to them about what TCU did to Oklahoma. We’ll talk to them about what Air Force did to Washington,” said Dantonio, referring to upset wins by TCU and Air Force last week.

Paterno’s offense, buoyed in the offseason by newfound speed from freshmen Derrick Williams and Justin King, had hints of success but also struggled for much of the South Florida game. Quarterback Michael Robinson felt a lot of pressure and Paterno said the blocking needed to improve, though he didn’t name names on the offensive line.

As a result, Penn State’s defense was on the field for 75 plays, 21 more than the offensive unit, and some defenders said they got a little tired.

Cornerback Alan Zemaitis, a captain, says he relishes the playing time.

“We love being on the field. Every time we get called on the field, we love it, we can’t wait,” said Zemaitis, who had the fumble return TD last week.

Nevertheless, offensive players say they hope to play with more consistency. Wideout Terrell Golden stressed the need for long drives of 13-to-15 plays to give the defense a breather. Robinson said the offense concentrated on securing the ball in practice to prevent turnovers.

While Penn State’s wideouts are fast, Williams, King and their colleagues are also inexperienced. Paterno said he has limited the playbook so far, though that could change as the year progresses.

“I think they did well, showed a lot of poise, but are going to have to do a lot more if we are going to be really good,” Paterno said. “Hopefully, we can do a little bit more this week, a little bit more the following week and a little bit more the following week.”

The Bearcats are one of the youngest teams in the nation, with just six starters back from last year’s team, including three on defense. Adam Roberts, the lone senior defensive starter, had a career-high two sacks last week.

NOTES : Penn State student-athletes will join American Red Cross volunteers outside Beaver Stadium again to collect donations for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The collections will start at 10 a.m., two hours before kickoff. … Penn State is 7-1 against the Bearcats, though its lone loss was a big one. Cincinnati defeated the then-defending national champion Nittany Lions, 14-3, on Sept. 10, 1983. … Penn State handed the Bearcats its worst loss ever, an 81-0 drubbing in 1991 at Cincinnati.