[Careless Whisper]

#1 Penn State Predictably Pummels Tartans, 45-14
Carnegie Mellon fell to 1-2 as the defending national champions raced out to a 31-0 lead through 23 minutes



CMU quarterback Justin Keyes had little room to maneuver against the defending champs. (Mark Frazier / Getty Images)

by Jayson Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Facing the nation’s top team and reigning national champion, Carnegie Mellon predictably struggled as No. 1 Penn State opened up a 31-0 lead through a quarter and a half and ultimately cruised to a 45-14 triumph this evening from Beaver Stadium.

Penn State (3-0) held a 466-246 advantage in total offense over Carnegie Mellon (1-2), including a 273-110 difference on the ground. The Tartans were sacked four times and turned it over just as many, a number that included three interceptions from Justin Keyes.

“We weren’t really up to the challenge tonight,” said CMU fifth-year head coach John Elliott. “We knew we needed to bring our best to compete with a program as strong as Penn State’s, and that was not the case. I thought the fight was there in spurts, particularly in the first quarter after forcing a field goal and a punt. That long touchdown run by (Star Jackson) though, that was a back-breaker.”

CMU forced the only Nittany Lions punt of the game on the hosts’ first drive, but the Tartans gave it right back with a three-and-out. The visitors again held the powerful PSU offense down on its next drive, limiting it to a 30-yard field goal from Derrick Gates. However, after a couple of first downs by the CMU offense, Lawrence McIntire fumbled the ball back to the hosts and five plays later, Star Jackson ripped off a 52-yard dash on the read option to make it 10-0.

That was the momentum swing the Tartans couldn’t afford to give up, as the Nittany Lions scored on their next two offensive drives and added a 43-yard pick six from Jamarcus Edwards in the middle of them. Keyes’ offense finally dented the scoreboard with 52 seconds left in the half after finding Issac Schroeder wide open on a 23-yard pass play, but PSU regained the 31-point advantage with another rushing touchdown on its opening drive of the second half.

Penn State’s three-headed monster at tailback dominated, though Jamie Harper had the best day with 20 carries, 125 yards, and three scores to go along with 50 receiving yards on three catches. Evan Royster added 46 yards on nine totes, and Curtis McNeal netted 14 yards and a touchdown on three touches.

Keyes struggled against the defending champions, throwing for just 136 yards on 11-of-25 passing with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Nate Satele bounced back nicely after his disastrous performance against Pitt, finishing with 59 yards on 13 carries, while McIntire was benched after his fumble despite gaining 20 yards on two totes.

Todd Andriano forced Jackson’s only mistake of the evening in the third quarter, giving the junior free safety his third interception in as many games.

Carnegie Mellon begins Mid-American Conference (MAC) next Saturday, Sept. 25 at 12:30 p.m. when it hosts Ball State. The Tartans will begin a stretch with four of their next five games at Gesling Stadium.

Carnegie Mellon Tartans at Penn State Nittany Lions
Sep 18, 2010	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (1-2)	0	7	7	0	14
#1 Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0)	10	21	7	7	45

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		CMU	PSU
6:02	(PSU) Derrick Gates 30-yard field goal	0	3
0:46	(PSU) Star Jackson 52-yard run (Derrick Gates kick)	0	10
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		CMU	PSU
12:56	(PSU) Curtis McNeal 4-yard run (Derrick Gates kick)	0	17
10:32	(PSU) Jamarcus Edwards 43-yard interception return (Derrick Gates kick)	0	24
8:03	(PSU) Jamie Harper 8-yard run (Derrick Gates kick)	0	31
0:52	(CMU) Justin Keyes 23-yard pass to Issac Schroeder (Jon Foster kick)	7	31
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		CMU	PSU
12:00	(PSU) Jamie Harper 5-yard run (Derrick Gates kick)	7	38
2:08	(CMU) Justin Keyes 22-yard pass to Stephen Carter (Jon Foster kick)	14	38
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		CMU	PSU
13:08	(PSU) Jamie Harper 2-yard run (Derrick Gates kick)	14	45

Carnegie Mellon Tartans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Justin Keyes 11/25 136 2 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Nate Satele 13 59 4.5 0 Justin Keyes 12 27 2.2 0 Lawrence McIntire 2 20 10.0 0 Brandon Brewer 1 3 3.0 0 Austin Jones 1 1 1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Stephen Carter 5 58 11.6 1 Eddie Williams 5 55 11.0 0 Issac Schroeder 1 23 23.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Mark Toth 6 0 0 0 Erik Sellers 5 0 0 0 Charlie Cohen 5 0 0 0 Matt Burnsides 5 0 0 0 Chris Hill 4 0 0 0 Todd Andriano 3 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jon Foster 0/1 2/2 2 -- PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Andy Fitzhugh 4 176 44.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Kelvin Butler 6 124 20.7 0 Stephen Carter 2 42 21.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Kelvin Butler 1 3 3.0 0

Penn State Nittany Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Star Jackson 14/20 193 0 1 Cody Lewis 0/2 0 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jamie Harper 20 125 6.2 3 Star Jackson 4 88 22.0 1 Evan Royster 9 46 5.1 0 Curtis McNeal 3 14 4.7 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Marvin Jones 4 97 24.2 0 Jamie Harper 3 50 16.7 0 Derek Moye 3 16 5.3 0 Quincy Enunwa 2 2 1.0 0 Tyler Ahrenhold 1 22 22.0 0 Jon Ditto 1 6 6.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Jelani Jenkins 11 2 1 0 Navorro Bowman 6 0 0 0 Nathan Stupar 4 0 0 0 Andrew Dailey 3 1 0 0 Marcell Dareus 3 0 0 0 Chimaeze Okoli 2 1 0 0 Jamarcus Edwards 2 0 1 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Derrick Gates 1/1 6/6 9 30 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Derrick Gates 1 42 42.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Jamie Harper 2 34 17.0 0 Evan Royster 1 14 14.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Evan Royster 1 2 2.0 0