Good newspaper article . . .

COLUMBUS, Ohio - In hold 'em poker, often you're dealt a hand that looks like a winner. But after the flop, you find your hand still could rake in the chips, but the outlook may be a little different than before.

After Saturday's 28-6 loss against top-ranked Ohio State, Penn State coach Joe Paterno may be holding that kind of hand.

What were question marks entering this season for his Nittany Lions are proving to be strong cards, while some of the good cards have become question marks.

Let's review.

At the beginning of the season, we all marveled at the talented corps of wide receivers and the accurate, rifle-armed quarterback that was going to step in and get them the ball. It's a wonder the president wasn't concerned by the number of weapons that Penn State had in its arsenal.
Yet, what have those weapons translated to in Penn State's two big games, against then No. 4 Notre Dame and the Buckeyes? They haven't put the ball in the end zone with the game on line.
The Nittany Lions offense, though hampered by conservative play-calling for three quarters on Saturday, netted just two field goals against the Buckeyes. Against Notre Dame, two scores in mop-up time didn't alter the fact that Penn State trailed 41-3 early in the fourth quarter.

What's worse is that in those two big games, the opposing defense has scored three touchdowns thanks to Nittany Lion turnovers.

Entering the season, the big question mark on offense was the offensive line and the running game. After a poor performance against Akron, the question was still there.

Against the Buckeyes, the running game was the only way Penn State moved the ball, especially late. Tony Hunt rambled for 82 of his game-high 135 yards in the final quarter. "I fell like we did a good job moving the ball, especially later on today," said Hunt after his second consecutive game topping the 100-yard mark. We just made some mental mistakes. I think we wore them down and started beating them physically."

Defensively, the question mark was a line with three new starters and an entirely new secondary. That inexperience showed at Notre Dame, but wasn't evident two weeks later against a better team.

Just like it did with veterans on the field last season, the Penn State defense frustrated quarterback Troy Smith (12-of-22 for a season-low 115 yards and two interceptions) and wide receiver Ted Ginn, Jr. (two catches for 15 yards). The Nittany Lions certainly didn't help the Buckeyes' most dangerous threats in their hopes of winning the Heisman Trophy.

Special teams, which figured to be a strength this season, have suffered, especially in big games. When the Nittany Lions are actually able to get a snap down (they've botched several), kicker Kevin Kelly has missed 4-of-12, a couple in momentum-changing positions. The return game hasn't yielded a big gainer in either of the two games against ranked opponents.

Although some might consider Saturday's game - which was 14-6 with Penn State driving with less than three minutes remaining - a flop, Paterno's not ready to fold his hand.

"We were very competitive until at the end when we made some mistakes," he said. "We still have got to learn to make some plays." Certainly, he has some reasons to believe the cards will improve as the season continues.

Paterno believes quarterback Anthony Morelli, who has struggled in his last three starts, will get better. Morelli was 16-for-25 for 106 yards and three interceptions against the Buckeyes, a team that also frustrated then No. 2 Texas in a 24-7 win two weeks ago.

"He just hasn't played a lot of football," Paterno said of Morelli. "You've got to be fair to the kid. He only played 30-some plays a year ago. He's been in two tough football games. ... He'll be alright."

Penn State leaves September behind with a 2-2 record. Given the quality of competition and facing tough crowds, the record is pretty realistic for a young team.
The thing that frustrates both coach and players is the way this team has had a penchant for ruining a good hand.

Leading 3-0 and after getting an interception to start the second half, Penn State gained just one yard and Kelly missed a 42-yard field goal. Trailing 14-3 and with fourth-and-goal from inside the 1-yard-line midway through the final quarter, the Nittany Lions got a false start penalty and had to kick a field goal.

"We just made a few bonehead plays," Hunt said of the team's offensive struggles. "I'm more concerned with that. We can't have plays like jumping offsides at the half-yard line. That's the difference between winning and losing the game."

Paterno, who has cleaned up a few of those errors over the years, believes his cards will be winners more often than not.

"I told them after the game, 'Just keep your heads up and still work and we'll still be a pretty good football team before it's all over,'" Paterno said.

Deal them up.