Frank Merriwell V: The All-American Boy (OOTP, BBCF, FBCB)

[Big Six]

A century ago, thousands of American boys followed the exploits of Frank Merriwell, a young man whose athletic exploits on the playing fields of Fardale Academy and Yale were first recorded in a series of dime novels by Gilbert Patten.

I suppose it was natural, given my interests in sports and history, that I would enjoy the Merriwell stories, too. I've known them since I was a kid, and I recently read a few of them again.

That's what has inspired my latest dynasty idea.

It's the spring of 2003, and Frank Merriwell V is a senior at Hampton Roads Academy in Newport News, Virginia. Like his famous ancestor, Frank is a gifted athlete, a multi-sport star who excels in football, basketball, and baseball. He also makes As in the classroom and conducts himself with class, without coming across as a wimp, a goody-goody, or an arrogant jerk.

Frank has been heavily recruited by Division I programs in all three sports, but there's one factor complicating his decision.

He wants to play football, basketball, AND baseball.

The collegiate career(s) of Frank Merriwell V will come to life through three of my favorite games: OOTP8, Bowl Bound, and Fast Break Basketball. I chose each of those games because it's fairly easy to edit players without going into a database.

I'll be posting the stories of Frank's football exploits on the Bowl Bound dynasty page. His baseball career will be chronicled at http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...rican-boy.html : the OOTP dynasty forum.

The Operation Sports forum will be the only place you can read about ALL of Frank's athletic accomplishments.

I'm posting in different forums for a couple of reasons. There are some very good dynasty writers who post on forums that don't get nearly the views that this one does. Hopefully, if you decide to check out Frank's story, you'll take a look at a few of the other dynasties that appear there. Maybe you'll be inspired to post one there yourself, if that's your thing.

At any rate, I hope you enjoy the story of The All-American Boy.

[Big Six]

Re: Frank Merriwell V: The All-American Boy (OOTP, BBCF, FBCB)

Here are a few of the "house rules" I've established for the Merriwell dynasties.

• I'll be coaching Frank's team in each sport, with the computer handling all other teams.
• In football and basketball, I'll be concentrating primarily on coaching. I'm turning all recruiting functions over to the computer, for several reasons.
• For one, I LOVE the recruiting aspects of college sports sims so much that I can easily spend hours there, and since this story focuses on a player, not a coach, recruiting isn't a big part of the story. And, I don't want my personal biases getting in the way of which players his coaches choose to recruit while Frank is in school. If they want to bring in a new guy at his position every year, so be it.
• I've edited Frank's skills to make him a talented Division I player in each sport, with the potential to develop into a star. His ratings for intelligence, work ethic, etc. are all outstanding, as befits his character.
• When possible, I've disabled the option to have players leave school early for the pros. I'm planning on having Frank stay in college for four years. I'm not sure he'll be quite talented enough to declare for a draft early, anyway.
• Frank will never play more than one sport at a time. If his football team goes to a bowl game, Frank won't be available for basketball until early January. I did, however, set the OOTP college baseball season to begin on April 1, so unless he's on a Final Four team, he'll be able to make the start of the baseball season.
• If Frank gets hurt in one sport and isn't healed by the end of the season, his injuries will carry over to the next. I'll bench him until he's recovered.
• I'm not sure what I'll do if Frank gets upset at one of his coaches and decides to transfer.

[Big Six]

Decision day

April 22, 2003

“You know we’d be thrilled to see you at any of the schools you’re still considering,” Margaret Merriwell told her son. “They’re all excellent choices.”

The eighteen-year-old boy nodded his head. “That’s what’s made this so difficult.”

His father smiled. “But wouldn’t you rather have this “problem” than the one you’d have if you didn’t have such good offers?”

“You’re right.” Father and son, both named Frank, shared a laugh. Dad was Frank IV, his son Frank V. They were, of course, the descendants of Frank Merriwell, the famous multi-sport athlete who starred at Yale a century ago.

“Duke is the closest,” Frank’s younger sister Meg pointed out. “It would be easiest for us to see him play if he goes to Duke.”

“It’s not like Penn State or Notre Dame are on the moon or anything,” her brother replied. “Besides, you’re in school. You can’t go running all over the country every time I have a game.”

“I guess it comes down to this,” Frank IV said. “You still want to play all three sports, right?”

Frank V nodded. “I want to give it a try. Lots of guys have played two sports at this level, but I can’t think of anybody who’s played three. At least not for a long time.”

All his life, the boy had heard the stories of his great-great-grandfather’s exploits in football, baseball, track, and crew. He had also heard about the original Frank Merriwell’s sterling character, and young Frank had decided at an early age to make his ancestor his hero, his idol. His father had been pleased.

“It’s part of being a Merriwell, I think,” he had told his son. “Don’t settle for less than the best effort you can give, no matter what you do. And always be a gentleman.”

Young Frank’s face was creased in thought. “Duke is a great school, and their basketball program is as good as it gets. But the football team…”

“You’d like to play in a bowl game sometime?” His father laughed, and so did Frank V.

“Yeah, that’s about it. And I really liked everybody I met up at Penn State.”

“Better than Notre Dame?” his mother asked.

Frank V nodded. “I think so. It just…it felt right.”

“It sounds like you know what you should do, then,” his father said with a soft smile.

Frank smiled back. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and his whole body seemed to relax.

[Big Six]

Loss

July 22, 2003

The two of them sat on a bench, looking out over the river. The late afternoon sunlight sparkled off the water. A few gulls circled overhead, and the water lapped at the bank below them, soft as a whisper.

The girl was blonde and pretty, and she seemed tiny sitting there beside the broad-shouldered young man. She sighed, looking down at her feet, and then back into her boyfriend’s eyes.

“It’s just so far away, Frank,” she sighed.

Frank Merriwell smiled, as comfortingly as he could, and squeezed her hand gently. “I thought you were OK with this, Kara.”

“I thought I was, too. I really did,” Kara said, a tear forming in one deep green eye. “I guess I didn’t really know how I would feel until I had to really deal with the situation.”

“Charlottesville isn’t really all that far from State College. You can come up for the weekend sometimes. I’m sure we can find you a place to stay.”

Kara smiled sadly, pausing a long time before she spoke. “If I’m coming up to Penn State all the time, I’ll never really feel like I’m at home at UVA. And…I know you’ll almost never be able to get away for a weekend to visit me, so I’d be the one doing all the traveling…”

She blinked her eyes hard, but the tears flowed anyway, and she couldn’t speak at all for a long moment.

“I’m sorry, Frank,” she finally whispered.

“I’m sorry too, Kara.” He squeezed her hand again, not wanting to let it go…not wanting to let her go.

Kara bravely tried to smile. “We’ll still talk…and we’ll have Facebook and email, and all that.”

Frank nodded. “Sure we will. You can tell me all about UVA and what everybody’s up to there, and I’ll tell you all about Penn State.”

“And I can read about you on the Internet,” she added.

It won’t be the same, Frank almost said, but he caught the words before they spilled out.

“Bye, Frank,” Kara whispered, squeezing his hand once more.

Then she got up, smiled once again, and turned away so he wouldn’t see her crying anymore. Slowly she walked back up the gently sloping bank; she couldn't bear to turn around again.

“Bye, Kara,” Frank replied, but he wasn’t sure she heard him. He watched her walk away for a few moments, and then stared back out at the river.

It won't be the same now, he said to himself, once again.

[doncoryell]

Re: Loss

Welcome to OS, Big Six. I enjoy reading your things at ootpdevelopments and will certainly be following the exploits of Frank. I have a feeling that he could be as famous as Jim Thorpe, another may who excelled in different sports.

[Big Six]

Re: Loss

Welcome to OS, Big Six. I enjoy reading your things at ootpdevelopments and will certainly be following the exploits of Frank. I have a feeling that he could be as famous as Jim Thorpe, another may who excelled in different sports.

Thanks very much, doncoryell. I hope you'll enjoy the story. Frank will be lucky indeed if he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Thorpe.

Maybe he'll be the 21st century version.

[Big Six]

Skeptics

August 16, 2003

Arthur Carrier tossed the uneaten crust of a piece of pizza back into the box. Beside the box was a rumpled copy of the Centre Daily Times sports page, bearing a headline that read “Merriwell sharp in early drills,” above a photograph of a quarterback in a classic passer’s pose.

“All I’m saying is that the dude hasn’t done anything yet. I’m not saying he won’t…just that he hasn’t done it yet,” Carrier said.

“He’s a freshman. He looks pretty good for a freshman,” replied Charles Sorensen. He eyed the crust, picked it up, and took a bite of it.

Carrier, a sophomore tight end, and Sorensen, a senior center, shared an apartment in a building inhabited by a number of Penn State football players. Both Carrier and Sorensen were listed third on the depth chart at their respective positions. They had spent hundreds of hours lifting, running drills, scrimmaging, and sweating since they arrived in State College, and between them they had been on the field for exactly 13 plays in their career. Could you blame them if they were growing weary of the publicity surrounding the arrival of Frank Merriwell?

Frank was only one member of a strong recruiting class that contained three five-star talents. Even though Frank wasn’t regarded quite that highly himself--he was a four-star recruit--his multi-sport status made him the most intriguing new freshman on the squad.

In his first two weeks of full-squad drills, Merriwell had indeed looked sharp at times. His arm was as strong as any of the other quarterbacks on the team, and he had already demonstrated his exceptional mobility.

At other times, however, Frank looked like the true freshman he was. His passing accuracy and touch needed work, and he still had a lot to learn about the subtleties of his position. Frank was bright, however, and was picking things up quickly.

Penn State head coach John Rogers had been very careful in his praise of his young quarterback. Rogers had two senior QBs on the roster; one of them, Terry Latham, was a two-year starter. The Nittany Lions were opening at Kent State in two weeks, and it was clear that Latham was, at least for now, the quarterback.

“Latham is our first-team quarterback right now,” Rogers told reporters. “Frank Merriwell is going to play, and he’ll play in some meaningful situations. But Terry Latham has been the starter for a while now, and I’m confident in his ability to do the job.”

Frank was, in fact, splitting time with the other senior, Bernard Allen, on the second unit. He and Allen were similar players, mobile quarterbacks who were threats to run as well as pass. Merriwell was, however, clearly the QB of the future, and he was probably already better than Allen, if not Latham.

“I’m just saying I feel better if Terry’s in there right now,” Carrier declared between bites of pizza.

“You heard Coach Rogers. Terry’s the starter. Merriwell’s been taking snaps with US. Anybody who’s doing that is NOT starting.”

“Yeah, he’s running third team with us, and he’s getting the hype.” Carrier scowled. Clearly, not everyone in Happy Valley was, indeed, happy.

[orion523]

Re: Frank Merriwell V: The All-American Boy (OOTP, BBCF, FBCB)

I'm in Big Six,can't wait to see what you come up with!

[doncoryell]

Re: Frank Merriwell V: The All-American Boy (OOTP, BBCF, FBCB)

BTW, I'm "captaincarl" over at ootp.

Keep up the good work with Frank.

Could we be seeing Frank as a decathalon athlete in the Olympics as well?

[Big Six]

Not a storybook beginning

Thanks, orion523. I hope you enjoy the story.

And as for Frank becoming a decathlete...well, you just never know.

-----------------------
Week 1, 2003

Coach John Rogers sat in the press room at Kent State’s Dix Stadium, patiently fielding questions from the phalanx of reporters who covered Penn State football, home and away.

The press certainly had plenty to ask the coach, whose team had just been beaten, 10-7, by an opponent whom nobody believed would give the Nittany Lions much trouble.

Rogers’ mood was as heavy and dark as the clouds that had filled the sky that day.

“Coach, how do you think Frank Merriwell played today?” asked a reporter from the Altoona Mirror.

The coach sipped from his water bottle. “I think he did OK today. He looked good on our scoring drive. Sure, he made a couple of mistakes…but we all made a couple of mistakes today.”

Terry Latham had started the game at quarterback for Penn State, but had been unable to generate much production. With the Lions down 10-0 midway through the third quarter, Rogers summoned Merriwell from the bench.

The freshman’s first collegiate pass was complete, a short curl pattern to fullback Kent Cox for seven yards. Frank went on to connect on five straight attempts, mixing in a nifty 19-yard run when he was forced from the pocket.

However, after hitting the fifth of those completions, a screen that running back Howard Bryant broke for a 61-yard gain, Merriwell made his first collegiate mistake. Scrambling from the pocket once again, he was hammered by Kent State linebacker Greg Bass and fumbled the ball. KSU recovered, stealing a decent scoring chance away from the Lions.

On Penn State’s next possession, Merriwell again demonstrated how tumultuous life with a freshman quarterback can be. He fired a sharp pass to wideout Floyd Bennett for a 28-yard gain, but two plays later, he gave the ball back to the Golden Flashes by throwing an interception.

Had Penn State managed to convert either of those scoring chances, the 70-yard scoring drive Coach Rogers alluded to would have been a much more important event. It would have mattered much more that Frank completed four of his five passes on the drive, including a six-yard toss to Osborn for his first career TD pass. Merriwell might have been a hero, leading the Nittany Lions to a come-from-behind victory with less than two minutes to play.

Instead, it made the score 10-7, and the Lions had to face the fact that they had lost to a team that was forced to play its second- and third-string quarterbacks much of the day after their starter got hurt.

Frank didn’t say much on the trip back to State College. He hated to lose. He was angry with himself over the turnovers, and thoughts of the exciting things that had happened didn’t do much to cheer him up. Frank had finished the day 12-16 for 210 yards, in less than a half of action.

He had also, however, finished the day as a losing quarterback, and that’s what stuck in his mind.

Coach Rogers had been asked if there was now a “quarterback controversy” in State College.

“There’s no controversy,” he replied curtly. “The best man will play. What’s controversial about that?”

One question remained.

Who was the best man?

[Big Six]

Back to the bench...for now

Week 2, 2003

Eleven P.M. had come and gone, and the lights were still on in John Rogers’ office. He and his offensive coordinator, Michael McGraw, had spent hours breaking down film, brainstorming, debating, discussing.

The Nittany Lions had scored only seven points against Kent State, and this week, they would be playing a team that seemed far more formidable: Oklahoma State. Ranked in the top 25, the Cowboys were particularly tough in Stillwater, and that’s where the Nittany Lions would be playing them.

How, Rogers and McGraw thought, could they concoct a formula for offensive success, given the weapons at their disposal?

And, even more pointedly, which quarterback--Terry Latham or Frank Merriwell--gave the Lions the best chance of winning?

“Merriwell clearly outplayed Latham,” McGraw pointed out. “He put the ball in the end zone, plain and simple.”

Rogers nodded. “Sure, but think about this, Mike. Terry Latham has started, what? 20-some games here? If we demote him to second team after one bad game, we’re definitely sending the team a message. Screw up, even one time, and you sit.”

“Is that such a bad message to send?” McGraw wasn’t sure if he was merely playing devil’s advocate, or not.

“That’s a tough one. The older guys, the juniors and seniors, respect Terry. He’s their leader. And Terry is a proud athlete. How do you think he’d respond to a benching? Would we lose him for the rest of the year?”

“John, you and I both know our O-line isn’t where it should be. Merriwell can move around back there a whole lot better than Latham can.”

McGraw was right. Penn State’s offensive line, usually among the best in college football, was considerably weaker this year. Center Raul Smith, a junior, was the best lineman on the team, but “solid” was a far better description of his ability than “spectacular.” Sophomore guard Freddie Ford was going to be a good player one day, and freshman tackle Alex Bagley was considered one of the best players in his class. However, both Ford and Bagley needed to be bigger and stronger in order to take on Big Ten-calibre defensive linemen. The other two starters, juniors Jeff Posey and John Garcia, seemed better suited to be solid, dependable reserves.

Rogers scratched his head. “Unless you give me a very compelling reason not to, I’m going to keep Latham with the first team. I think he’s earned the chance to redeem himself.”

McGraw looked like he was about to say something, but Rogers looked up, meeting the assistant’s questioning gaze. He smiled, just a little.

“I’m not sure I’m giving him three quarters to get it going this time, however.”

[Big Six]

So close

Week 3, 2003

Frank Merriwell punched “home” on his speed dial. His father answered the phone. Frank IV could tell right away his son was in the dumps.

On the previous Saturday, the Nittany Lions lost their second game of the season. Very few people expected them to beat Oklahoma State, a ranked team, on the road, so it was possible for a true optimist to see the bright side of the Lions’ 28-23 loss.

Frank wasn’t feeling too optimistic, however. In his mind, he had let his team down.

As expected, Terry Latham started the game at quarterback for Penn State. However, after Latham completed only one of six pass attempts and threw an interception that resulted in a Cowboys TD, Rogers sent Frank into the game.

Penn State was behind 10-0 at the time, so with Merriwell in the game, the Lions actually outscored OSU, 23-18. Frank's play was a big reason why.

The freshman completed 13 of 24 passes for 276 yards, including a 33-yard TD strike to tight end Robert Campbell. It was a good three quarters’ work, but all Frank could think about was the game’s final score.

“We should have won that game,” he told his dad. “Our defense played really well for three quarters. They gave me a chance to turn things around. If I had…”

“Stop right there. You’re only one member of that team, Son. If you, as a team, had played that much better, you might have won. That’s the only fair way to look at what happened.”

Frank listened to his father, but he remained unconvinced.

“Dad, we had a chance to score with a minute left. Who threw that interception? I did.”

A missed field goal by Cowboys kicker Timothy Owens gave Penn State the ball at its own 29 with 1:41 remaining, five points down. After a penalty, a Merriwell-to-Campbell completion, and two runs by Howard Bryant put the Lions on the OSU 24, Merriwell’s pass was picked off by Cowboys linebacker Charles Owens.

Frank’s father remained patient. “Charles Owens is one of the best linebackers in the nation. He’s a great player. Great players make great plays sometimes.”

Indeed, Owens played like an All-American against the Nittany Lions, recording 12 tackles and two stuffs and sacking Merriwell twice.

“And we might not have been going for a touchdown in that situation if I hadn’t been sacked for that safety. We would’ve been three behind, not five, and I doubt we'd have been throwing a 15-yard pass over the middle.”

Late in the third quarter, with the Lions trailing 19-16, Merriwell had been brought down in the end zone by big Julian Crawford, OSU’s talented freshman defensive end. Crawford had manhandled tackle John Garcia, and it wasn’t the only time a Penn State blocker found an Oklahoma State defender too tough for him. Still, Frank refused to blame anyone but himself.

“Why was I running around back there, trying to make a play? NO way I should let myself get tackled in my own end zone.”

“You’re not gonna want to hear this, Son, but you’re a freshman,” Frank IV said quietly. “A true freshman. That was your second college game. If you thought you weren’t going to make some mistakes, you were fooling yourself.

“It’s going to take time.”

“I know, Dad. Thanks.”

“It’s going to get easier.”

I’m not so sure, Frank thought.

The Nittany Lions were finally going to play a home game this Saturday. Western Michigan hadn’t been expected to give the Lions much trouble, but they would be coming to Beaver Stadium with a 2-0 record.

Making matters worse, two of PSU’s best offensive players would not be suiting up. The academic ineligibility list had come out, and on it were the names of Raul Smith and Robert Campbell.

Campbell, of course, was the team’s star tight end, who had emerged as Frank’s go-to receiver. Smith was the team’s most reliable offensive lineman. Without Campbell and Smith, how much offense could the Lions expect to generate, even against a team from the Mid-American Conference?

Frank had dreamed all his life about his first collegiate start. Now he hoped the dream wouldn’t turn out to be a nightmare, instead.

[Big Six]

Re: Frank Merriwell V: The All-American Boy (OOTP, BBCF, FBCB)

Week 3, 2003

The mood surrounding the Penn State football team was considerably brighter after the Nittany Lions’ first home game of the season. For the first time, a game had gone the way it should have.

Penn State should beat Western Michigan decisively on its home field, no matter what twists and turns fate chooses to deliver to the Lions. That’s what happened, as Penn State rolled to a 41-21 victory over a WMU team that had won its first two games.

What’s more, the Nittany Lions appeared to have found their starting quarterback.

In his first collegiate start, Frank Merriwell threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns, and racked up 96 more on the ground in eleven carries. The Nittany Lion offense, which was missing two of its best players, shut up its critics by rolling for 597 total yards.

Merriwell hooked up with four different receivers on his TD strikes: running back Howard Bryant, tight end Kevin Scott, and wideouts Floyd Bennett and Gregory Wilson. Frank’s best pass of the day was his scoring toss to redshirt freshman Bennett, whom he hit with a gorgeous corner fade from 19 yards out. “That was a big-time pass,” Bennett said. “I’m looking forward to catching lots of balls from Frank for the next three-plus years.”

“I know some people will say ‘So what? Let’s see you do that against a Big Ten team,’” said coach John Rogers to his team after the game. “Folks, 600 yards is 600 yards, and that’s pretty darn close to what we gained today. That’s offense, no matter who your opponent is.”

The critics--and there are always some of those--would point to the fact that Penn State failed to score touchdowns three times after advancing the ball inside the Western Michigan five-yard line, and had to settle for field goals each time.

They would mention the fact that the extra point team inexplicably failed to block Broncos running back Robert Ireland all day long, allowing him to stuff THREE of kicker Saul Mack’s extra point attempts.

They would also point to Merriwell’s mistakes. The freshman threw an interception and fumbled twice, although the Nittany Lions recovered each of his bobbles.

This time, Frank wasn’t nearly as critical of his own play. He relaxed with a few of his teammates at a local Italian restaurant after the game, in visibly better spirits than anyone had seen him in weeks.

Among the guys Frank hung out with that night was Clay Meyer, a senior guard whom Coach Rogers had promoted to the first team that week in practice. Like Frank, Clay received his first collegiate start that day, a glorious sunny Saturday in Happy Valley, before over 104,000 Blue backers.

“All week, we heard about how much trouble the offense was going to have, with Raul [Smith] and Robert [Campbell] out,” Clay said. “I personally took that as a challenge. I wanted to show people we’re really a better football team than we were the first two weeks of the season.”

Meyer was a beast against the Broncos, springing PSU ball carriers for sizable gains on several occasions (he would be credited with four key run blocks when the game films were graded). He was one of two senior O-linemen who started the game; Rogers replaced struggling true freshman Alex Bagley with Armando Smith at right tackle.

“I’m just not doing the job yet,” said Bagley, who took his promotion like a man. “I’ve got lots of time, and right now Armando can do more to help us win.”

Frank seemed even happier about the success of his roommate, Jack King, than he did about his own. Jack, a fullback, was also a true freshman, and he received his first extended playing time of the year against the Broncos. He carried seven times for 52 yards, and scored Penn State’s third touchdown of the day when he smashed the ball over the goal line from a yard out.

After the game, as the guys basked in victory, Jack shoved a piece of pizza in his mouth and threw an arm around his roommate’s shoulders.

“You and me, dude,” he said. “We’re gonna win a couple of Big Ten championships before we’re done. National championships.”

Frank grinned. “Let’s go for it.”

Right now, the fact that an unbeaten Minnesota team was preparing to invade State College for the Lions’ Big Ten opener seemed not to matter at all. There would be time to think about the Golden Gophers later, but not tonight.

[Big Six]

Welcome to the Big Ten

Week 4, 2003

"Merriwell's pass falls incomplete, and once again, the Nittany Lions will have to punt the ball away."

"They've had trouble generating any offense against a tough Minnesota team today. What we're seeing is proof of just how tough it is for a true freshman quarterback to succeed in the Big Ten."

Those comments issued from the speakers of television sets all over the country, in every living room, dormitory, and sports bar where someone tuned into ESPN.

The crowd of over 105,000 who had come to Beaver Stadium that day hoping to see Frank Merriwell work more magic were going home disappointed. The Nittany Lions failed to put a single point on the scoreboard, and although the PSU defense wouldn't let the Golden Gophers cross the goal line, Minnesota's four field goals were more than enough to send the Lions down to their third defeat of the season.

The Nittany Lions outgained the Golden Gophers by seven yards and recorded 16 first downs to their opponents' 14. Penn State turned the ball over four times, however, to Minnesota's one, and every Nittany Lion turnover proved costly.

Seven minutes into the game, PSU had driven to the Minnesota 20 when Harvey Bryant fumbled the ball away. Late in the first quarter, Gregory Wilson bobbled a punt, and Minnesota recovered on the PSU 33--setting up the second of Joseph Self's four field goals.

Frank was responsible for the Lions' last two turnovers, both in the third quarter. He coughed the ball up after a tooth-rattling hit from Minnesota DT Albert Parkinson at the Gophers 17, and made a horrible throw into coverage that was picked off by Monroe Lawson at midfield.

The young quarterback was utterly disconsolate after the game. I'm lucky I only threw one interception, he told himself. I must have made ten bad throws.

His statistical line was, without a doubt, his worst of the season: 15 completions in 30 attempts, for 179 yards. He did lead the team with 63 yards rushing in seven carries, but all he could think about was the way he fumbled away that perfect scoring chance. That, and the big zero under "PENN STATE" on the Beaver Stadium scoreboard.

For the most part, Frank's teammates refused to point the finger of blame at him. "None of us executed on offense," said Harvey Bryant, who'd been held to 43 yards on 16 carries. "We wasted a great effort by our defense. Whenever we don't let the other team score a touchdown, we should win. Simple as that."

Frank barely left his dorm room on Sunday, watching an NFL game on television with Jack King and Alex Bagley. He didn't check his cell phone for messages until that night, when he saw one from a high school buddy who had watched the game on ESPN. "Tough one...you'll get 'em next time," his friend had said.

I wish I were so sure, Frank thought.

Kara, his high school girlfriend, had watched the game, too. She thought about emailing him or calling him, but she couldn't think of anything to say that didn't sound forced.

Frank would never know that she'd wiped tears from the corners of her eyes as she watched him throw that interception.

He dreaded facing his fellow students on Monday, but he did his best to put on a brave face as he made his way from class to class.

To Frank's surprise, everybody who spoke to him had something nice to say...or, at the very least, they refused to blame him for the defeat.

"Hang in there, dude."

"You can't do it all yourself. We have to get some linemen who will block."

"You should just run the ball every play."

Still, it was clear that Frank was feeling down. There was no bounce in his stride, and his shoulders slumped slightly as he trudged up the walkway toward Old Main. Frank wasn't aware of the signals his body language sent, but someone else was.

Ashley Beard had long, glossy, dark brown hair and deep green eyes. In her first month on campus, she had already begun to acquire a reputation as a flirt, even a tease. She loved the attention she got from guys, and enjoyed even more the effect she had on them.

She watched Frank and smiled to herself. He could use some cheering up, she thought...