Northwestern's loss to a Division I-AA school has not gone unnoticed.
By PETE MOLLICA
YOUNGSTOWN — Despite how the Nittany Lions looked last Saturday against Notre Dame, Penn State coach Joe Paterno still feels he has a pretty good football team.
Penn State (1-1), which lost to Notre Dame, 41-17, will play host to Division I-AA Youngstown State (2-0) Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. for the game between the Penguins, ranked No. 6 in Division I-AA, and the Nittany Lions, No. 25 in this week's Associated Press poll.
"We are still pretty good," Paterno said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. We've got to learn to win a big game. That comes with experience.
"We have a good, solid football team. We made too many mistakes," Paterno said. "Overall, we hung in there. We had a good practice [Monday]. I think we are all right."
Saturday's game marks YSU's first against a Big Ten team. The Penguins also have games scheduled against Ohio State each of the next two seasons.
Schedule change
Paterno said YSU was added to the Penn State schedule after Louisiana Tech backed out because of a scheduling conflict in the Western Athletic Conference.
He isn't taking the game lightly.
"Northwestern just got licked by New Hampshire, at Northwestern, by a I-AA school," Paterno said. "Youngstown is a good football team.
"They have a good program and good tradition," Paterno said. "I think that when we start labeling people I-A and I-AA and that kind of stuff, that bothers me a little bit.
"Youngstown has won four or five national championships and I think they won their conference last year, which includes some people that through the years have had good football tradition," Paterno said.
Since 1991, the Penguins have won four I-AA championship and played in two other title games.
Seven home games dilemma
"Our problem is always going to be, how do you get the seventh home game," Paterno said. "Because we have to have seven home games, not necessarily because we need them, for football. We need it for the money to take care of all the other programs we have."
Paterno was asked how he would prepare for the game if he was in the shoes of YSU coach Jon Heacock.
"I have been on the other end of it years ago," Paterno said. "I think he has a good, solid football team. They have an outstanding quarterback [Tom Zetts], a kid that we had looked at.
"The tailback is a fine tailback," Paterno said. "They have a heck of a punter. They have a good operation.
"I think he wants to come out, come up here and let's play and have a little fun and find out what kind of football team we have," Paterno said. "I think that is what will happen.
"We are going to have a good, tough football game, I don't think they are going to come up here and say, 'Whoooooh.' They are coming up here and saying, 'Show me.' That is what is great about the game of football."
Local connections
The Nittany Lions will have a couple of area players who could see some action Saturday — starting cornerback Tony Davis of Howland and backup quarterback Daryll Clark of Ursuline.
Clark (6-foot-2, 224 pounds) saw some action against Notre Dame, completing 3-of-8 passes for 36 yards. He also rushed four times for 28 yards and scored a touchdown.
"I think Daryll is going to be good one of these days, but our quarterback is Anthony Morelli and I thought he did a heck of job," Paterno said.
In two games, Morelli has completed 37-of-65 passes for 395 yards and four touchdowns with one interception.
Davis, a 5-10, 193-pound sophomore, has recorded eight tackles in two games, with three pass breakups.