ESPN.com - Kickoff Classic: USC vs. Penn State

ESPN.com: College Football

Saturday, August 26, 2000
Updated: August 27, 11:26 AM ET
Kickoff Classic: USC vs. Penn State

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (Ticker) -- Playing virtually in the shadows of his legal troubles, Rashard Casey leads 16th-ranked Penn State into the Kickoff Classic against Southern California at Giants Stadium.

On May 15, Casey, Penn State's senior quarterback and the only experiened signal-caller on the Nittany Lions, was charged with aggravated assault in his hometown of Hoboken following an early Sunday morning incident outside a local nightclub.

Casey and Desmond Miller, both 22 and former high school teammates at Hoboken High School, were charged with beating Patrick Fitzsimmons, an off-duty police officer in Hoboken, which is a 15-minute drive from the Meadowlands.

USC vs. Penn State

Why to watch
This is an important game for both teams as they try to build momentum for the season. The Trojans have a tough task as the crowd should be heavily for Penn State. We'll see how Joe Pa's team fares without LaVar Arrington and Courtney Brown.
Who to watch
Rashard Casey has been in the media spotlight for an off-season arrest; he'll be happy to take the gridiron, running the PSU attack. USC DT Ennis Davis, who was bothered by a knee injury last season, will be playing at the next level in the future.
Inside the numbers
10: USC defensive starters returning. 41-7: Penn State opened last season with a rout over another Pac-10 team, Arizona. 3: The Nittany Lions have won the last three series meetings. 1990: The last time Penn State lost a season opener (Texas).

Casey, a fifth-year senior, saw extensive playing time last season, completing 67-of-110 passes (60.9 percent) for 1,002 yards and seven touchdowns against four interceptions. He is the leader on a team trying to rebound from losing its last three regular-season games in 1999.

But Casey's off-field circumstances have brought controversy to Happy Valley, where Joe Paterno, just seven wins away from becoming Division I-A's all-time winningest coach, finds himself facing a dilemma. According to everyone, that is, except the legendary coach.

While critics claim that Paterno should keep his program "clean" by sitting the star quarterback, the coach is holding to the old adage of innocence before guilt and does not understand why people are questioning his motives.

"They're just allegations," said Paterno. "You don't expect me to do anything because something is alleged. If people out there are perplexed, I'm perplexed about their perplexion."

Paterno, however, has more to worry about than just his critics. The Nittany Lions' tailspin last season, combined with a severe lack of Penn State-like talent and experience, has some experts picking them to finish in the bottom half of the Big Ten Conference.

Just two starters, end Justin Kurpeikis and tackle Jimmy Kennedy, return on defense, which was the team's strength a season ago.

"I think it's not only a challenge as far as the defense, the whole season is going to be a challenge," Paterno added. "Right now we are talking about a fairly inexperiened offensive line. So, it's going to be very challenging. Whether it's the most challenging or not, I can't remember 25 years ago."

"As far as Penn State is concerned, when you watch them on tape, all I can tell you is that I'm glad we are not playing them last year when we look at that defense because it was really spectacular," USC coach Paul Hackett said.

Paterno admits that his team does not have the speed of the Trojans, who now have a healthy Carson Palmer behind center and are ready to contend for the Pac-10 title and a Rose Bowl berth.

Palmer completed 73.6 percent of his passes in 1999 before suffering a season-ending broken collarbone in the campaign's third game. The junior's presence makes USC one of the nation's elite teams, something it was not without its best offensive weapon.

"I'm a little nervous because I haven't been in a game," Palmer said. "I'm starting to feel more confident with the more reps I get and scrimmage opportunities I get. I learned a lot last year having to go through meetings and stay on the sidelines."

Sophomore wideout Kareem Kelly might be on the verge of stardom for the Trojans, who now also have an experienced backup quarterback in senior Mike Van Raaphorst. The defense is solid, although the kicking game is shaky.

The Trojans will attempt to use this game as both a showcase for a program they hope is about to return to national prominence -- USC has not been to the Rose Bowl since January 1996 -- and to restore a bid of pride to the Pac-10.

"This is a game about two outstanding football teams, two great histories and traditions of universities," Hackett said. "It's once again an honor for us to be coming to New York in Coach Paterno's backyard, but (also) an opportunity to showcase our football team in the 2000 season."

As for the Pac-10's pride, it was only last season that Arizona began the season ranked No. 3 but was humiliated, 41-7, by Penn State in the Pigskin Classic at Beaver Stadium. That loss began a freefall for the Wildcats, who finished 6-6.

"We have a tremendous amount of respect for Southern Cal, a great tradition," Paterno said. "We have played them and gotten beat by them. I think we are looking forward to a very tough football game against a good team. I don't think we care about what happened last year."

Penn State holds a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series between the schools, including a 24-7 victory in the 14th Kickoff Classic in 1996. Penn State running back Curtis Enis rushed for a USC-opponent and Kickoff Classic record 241 yards and three scores in the contest.