Penn State @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 17, 2009 ) Minnesota 0, Penn State 20

The University of Minnesota has decided to start all over. Some people in Happy Valley feel that Penn State should start thinking of doing the same.

Jeff Horton coaches his first game on an interim basis in place of the fired Tim Brewster as the sinking Gophers host the Nittany Lions and legendary coach Joe Paterno in the battle for the Governors’ Victory Bell on Saturday.

Minnesota (1-6, 0-3 Big Ten) fired Brewster on Sunday following a 28-17 loss to Purdue. Brewster was in his fourth season at the helm and had posted a 15-30 record, including 6-21 in the Big Ten. Horton was promoted from co-offensive coordinator to lead the Gophers the rest of the way until a permanent hire is made.

Horton was the head coach at UNLV from 1994-98. He has been an assistant at Nevada, UNLV and Wisconsin, and in the NFL with the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams.

Horton inherits a team captained by Adam Weber, who needs just 100 yards to become the fifth quarterback in Big Ten history to reach 10,000 yards passing. The senior has completed 56.5 percent of his 216 passes this season for 1,622 yards with 14 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Weber found his favorite receiver Da’Jon McKnight six times for 123 yards and a score last week. McKnight is averaging 15.7 yards per catch and has six touchdowns.

With three lopsided losses in four games, Paterno and his staff are once again under fire from alumni, fans and media. Paterno was reportedly being pushed out the door when he had four losing seasons out of five earlier this decade before responding with an 11-1 record and a No. 3 ranking in 2005. He has stated this week that he’s not worried about his future, just about making his team better.

Paterno is getting criticized for an offense that can’t score, a banged-up defense that can’t make a play and for dissension starting to fester between players and coaches. Paterno is even under attack for a 2011 recruiting class that so far is way below expectations.

Evan Royster’s march to Curt Warner’ all-time school rushing record of 3,398 yards has turned into an anticlimactic crawl. He had a career-high 187 of his 388 yards this season in a 22-13 win over Temple, but hasn’t run for more than 56 yards in the other five games.

Freshman quarterback Rob Bolden has led Penn State (3-3, 0-2 Big Ten) to just one touchdown in its three losses, 24-3 to both Alabama and Illinois and an embarrassing 33-13 homecoming drubbing two weeks ago against Illinois. He has thrown two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns in those games and the Lions garnered just seven first downs against the Fighting Illini, second fewest during the Paterno regime.

The Minnesota defense may be just what Paterno and the offense need. The Gophers have allowed 32 points, 201 yards rushing and 414 yards of total offense per game.

The Penn State defense had been steady if not spectacular up until the Illinois game, in which it allowed 282 yards rushing and 38 minutes of possession time. But the Nittany Lions’ defensive struggles have been evidenced by allowing the opposition to score in all 13 times in the red zone (with nine touchdowns) this season.

Penn State leads the series 7-4. The Lions have won the last three games, including 20-0 last season.