Last Saturday after the Purdue win, people wanted to kill Titcus Pettigrew.

Even his mother, Sharon, wanted to be part of the act.

But Pettigrew just laughed.

Although he dropped a would-be interception, he could smile. Despite the joking threats from his teammates, coaches and mother, he could laugh.

And even though he bit a hole through his tongue during the Ohio State game, his speaking difficulties couldn't dampen his spirits.

That's because it takes something more than a dropped interception to disrupt the defensive back's placid personality. Bonnie Bremner, Pettigrew's girlfriend, said he is the perfect balance to her high-strung personality.

"He's just so patient," said Bremner, a former volleyball All-American at Penn State. "He listens well and just knows how to chill."

Perhaps no one can appreciate Pettigrew more than Bremner — and Sharon. The North Carolina native is quick to credit the women in his life.

"Bonnie probably knows me best besides my mother," Pettigrew said, "because we spend so much time together. She's a great girl."

The two athletic talents began dating during the summer of 1999 and have been almost inseparable since. Even when Bremner spent most of the spring playing professional volleyball, Pettigrew made several journeys to Chicago.

Now that Bremner is back in State College to earn her degree in speech communications, the couple returned to its Siamese twin mannerisms.

Bremner and Pettigrew do everything from watch movies to swim (she is helping him perfect his aquatic skills). Everything, that is, except discuss sports.

Although athletics is a dominant theme in their lives, it rarely surfaces in conversations. Instead, they joke with each other and talk about their families and the future.

It is a future where each wants to include the other. Both have aspirations of playing professionally in their respective sports.

"I am so proud of Titcus," said Sharon, who raised Pettigrew and his two siblings on her own. "I know he can make it to the pros."

But the couple also has contingency plans.

Pettigrew wants to start a recreation center for underprivileged kids, an idea that Bremner supports wholeheartedly. She eventually wants to attend law school, but would like to get married and start a family first.

"He'll be fine at whatever he does," Bremner said. "He has such a strong character.

That character helped Pettigrew endure the tough times in his five-year Penn State career. During the Nittany Lions' 1-4 start, Pettigrew was an emotional leader and a physical force against opponents.

"He's been a great leader since he's been here," Penn State linebacker Shamar Finney said. "He's one of the guys who has helped us through this struggle."

No matter how much time Pettigrew devotes to football, there is always time for Bremner. He will tirelessly listen, console, guide and, most importantly, love.

And he doesn't forget Sharon, with whom he talks nearly every day.

"He has it all together," Bremner said. "That's the best way to say it."