Jerome Hayes News

PHOTOS >> >> >> >> >> >> >> HAYES FIGHTS BACK AGAIN Bayonne star on field for Penn State By PATRICK VILLANOVA E very Saturday, Jerome Hayes relishes the simple routine that is a mere formality for most Division I athletes.

Check back each weekday over the next two weeks as some of the key seniors from this year's Penn State team are profiled.

The captain watched his successor plunge over the goal line for Penn State's final score of 2009 and stood on the sideline with both arms stoically raised over his head.

Penn State running back Brandon Beachum is out for the remainder of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during this past Saturday's 31-20 win over Indiana.

Oh, sure, this Turkey thought that Penn State would get off to a slow start on Saturday.

Joe Paterno spent part of last week trying to convince the media and Penn State's fans that the Nittany Lions' special teams weren't the disaster they seemed to be during a 24-7 loss to Ohio State.

Game data: Indiana Hoosiers at Penn State Nittany Lions ... Today, Noon, at Beaver Stadium ... Big Ten game.

OFFENSE: C. Best thing about QB Daryll Clark's day was his ability to make plays with feet .

The emotions rose up early, even before this final home game for the beloved Penn State seniors.

Penn State nearly made Senior Day one to forget for its seniors. Linebacker Navorro Bowman had a momentum-turning 73-yard interception return for a touchdown, Evan Royster scored twice and the sloppy Nittany Lions overcame four first-half turnovers - including two fumbles on special teams - to defeat Indiana 31-20 on Saturday.

A team like this one after a loss like the last one is like a very sick man. You just don't wanna lose him.

TO HEAR HIS more celebrated teammates tell it, somebody ought to make a movie about Penn State's inspirational scout-team plugger, Patrick Mauti.

Penn State had spent the previous five years pretty much in the college football doldrums when an incoming class of 19 scholarship freshmen including Sean Lee , a promising linebacker from the Pittsburgh area, made the trek to Happy Valley for preseason camp in the summer of 2005.

York Daily Record/Sunday News reporter Frank Bodani talks Penn State with readers every Monday during football season.

Visions of roses, sugar, oranges or a fiesta are likely gone. And for the second straight year, the final two regular season games lost a little bit of luster.

Joe Paterno had voiced his concerns about the kicking game throughout the season.

Once again, there were stone-faced, quiet jogs off the field as they headed to the locker room at the end of another significant afternoon.

Line: Penn State by 3 1/2. Series record: Tied 12-12. Last meeting: 2008, Penn State 13-6. What's At Stake Bragging rights aside, both teams could use a signature win to improve their resumes for a BCS bowl berth.

There's a blue line just off the practice field, from 2:45 to 6:15 p.m., more than 100 men give up any and all personal issues to focus on football.

Remember the title of my pre-game post? To refresh your memory, it was Trap Games Are for Sissies.