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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
MIAMI (AP) -- As quickly as you can say 4th-and-2, No. 3 Penn
State turned a soggy Saturday into a victory celebration at the
Orange Bowl.
First, the Nittany Lions stopped Miami a yard short of a
first down. Then, on the next play, Kevin Thompson threw a 79-yard
touchdown pass to Chafie Fields with 1:41 left and Penn State had a
27-23 victory over the Hurricanes (No. 9 ESPN/USA Today, No. 8 AP).
|  | | QB Rashard Casey and Penn State had a tough time shaking off Miami on Saturday. |
"It's games like these that are the reason I stay in the
game," Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno, drenched but smiling,
said. "We were a little lucky today. You got to feel great for
these kids."
After Fields shook off two tacklers and raced into the end zone,
Penn State players ran onto the field, jumping and thrusting their
helmets into the air. The rain-soaked crowd of 74,427 was stunned.
Just seconds earlier, they were cheering what they thought would be
Miami's biggest win since coach Butch Davis took over five years
ago.
"We had the taste in our mouths," Miami cornerback Leonard Myers said, "and then it was gone."
Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington, who had another shoving
incident with a punter, said he thought his team could lose but
when the game turned, "it was the greatest feeling in the world. I
love Miami!"
This was a game, played in a steady rain, the Hurricanes (2-1)
hoped would mark their return to college football's elite. It
looked that way after Miami roared back from a 17-3 deficit and led
23-20 on James Jackson's 39-yard TD run with 7:42 left.
And when Miami's Edward Reed intercepted a pass by Rashard
Casey, who alternated at quarterback with Thompson, it looked like
Penn State (4-0) was finished.
But Jackson, who carried 33 times for 129 yards and two TDs, was
stuffed by linebacker Maurice Daniels on fourth-and-2 at the Penn
State 21 after a 1-yard gain. A measurement was called for, but the
ball was a yard short.
"Fourth and two was a big thing," Paterno said. "They make a first down and it's over. But I thought we did stop them."
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BROWN DOES THE JOB
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LaVar Arrington might get all the headlines, but Saturday at the Orange Bowl, Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown was the star.
Brown, who had a sack and three tackles for loss, made the key play with 1:59 remaining and the 'Canes up 23-20. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive end blew past left tackle Robert Hall to disrupt a fourth-and-2 play from the Lions' 22, giving Penn State one last chance.
"We were running a zone," Miami offensive Larry Coker said. "That's where James Jackson has the option to read it (the defense) and then break off."
Instead, Brown forced Jackson to change his path -- right into inside linebacker Maurice Daniels, who stopped him a foot short of the first down.
"That guy is so strong and so fast and has such a great first step," said Hall. "I don't know what else to say. He made the plays when he had to, and he's the best player I've ever faced -- and that includes any of the guys from Florida State."
-- Bruce Feldman, ESPN The Magazine
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Davis, questioned about not going for a field goal and a six-point lead instead, said: "A field goal would not have won it. ... We thought we would make the first down."
Thompson wasted no time when the Lions took over. He dropped
back and found Fields, who had five catches for 177 yards, near the
40-yard line. Fields shook off the attempted tackle of Mike Rumph
at the 50, and headed toward the end zone. Reed lunged to reach
Fields, but was left face down on the wet grass as the flanker
raced into the end zone.
"I say that every time I get the ball I've got a chance to make big play," said Fields, who also caught a 49-yard TD pass from Casey on the final play of the first quarter.
Miami got the ball back twice more, but each time Kenny Kelly
threw interceptions. The final one was by Bhawoh Jue with 35
seconds left, and the Lions ran out the clock.
"This is a disappointing outcome to this game," Davis said.
"You can't go into this type of game against a quality opponent
like Penn State and make the fundamental mistakes we made and
expect to win."
Thompson, who started, was 9-of-15 for 147 yards and a TD, while
Casey was 7-of-9 for 99 yards and a TD.
For Miami, Kelly was 11-of-21 for 160 yards and a TD, but had
four interceptions and lost a fumble.
Penn State moved to a 17-3 lead to open the third quarter. Kenny
Watson's 52-yard kickoff return gave the Lions the ball on the
Miami 46 and Eric McCoo capped the short drive with a 2-yard TD
run.
Miami, which got its initial first down with 4:37 left in the
first half, struck back late in the third quarter. Jackson took a
pitchout from Kelly and ran 18 yards for a TD to make it 17-10 with
3:56 left in the period.
Penn State was on its way for another score, but Casey's 74-yard
run to the Miami 6 was called back when tight end Tony Stewart was
called for clipping. The Lions punted, and on the first play of the
fourth quarter, the game was tied 17-all on Kelly's 40-yard TD pass
to Santana Moss.
Penn State moved ahead 20-17 on Travis Forney's 26-yard field
goal with 10:40 left, but Jackson's second TD -- thanks to a
crushing block by guard Richard Mercier -- put Miami ahead by three
points. Andy Crosland, who kicked a 29-yard field goal late in the
first half, was wide left with the extra point, and Miami led
23-20.
Trailing 10-0, Miami was unable to take advantage of a fumbled
punt by Watson at the Lions 34. The Hurricanes blew another scoring
chance when Kelly fumbled after running 23 yards to the Lions 8.
Arrington recovered.
Arrington stirred things up on Miami's first series. He fought
off a block and collided with punter Crosland, who retaliated by
pushing the linebacker away. Both players were called for personal
fouls -- offsetting penalties -- and the Nittany Lions took
possession after the 40-yard punt.
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ALSO SEE
College Football Scoreboard
Penn State Clubhouse
Miami (Fla.) Clubhouse
Knee surgery ends Hurricanes LB Smith's season
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