Leading up to the Nebraska-Penn State football game, one of the major points of debate was whether the Nittany Lions' bye week was a help or a hindrance.
"Well, I don't know that I'd like to have an off week, to be frank," argued Penn State football coach Joe Paterno after the first game of the season. "We will be playing a Nebraska team that has three games under their belt when we play them."
He lamented the fact that Virginia, who was supposed to be in Happy Valley on Sept. 7, had to push the game back because of a scheduling conflict.
Whine, whine, whine, Paterno did.
Then, he took the best-prepared Penn State team in recent memory onto the Beaver Stadium field and destroyed the Cornhuskers.
It was the old misdirection play, run by a master.
"Not in my wildest dreams would I have thought that Penn State football would've come to this," backup quarterback/running back/wide receiver/Mr. Everything Michael Robinson said.
"Two quarterbacks in the game at the same time, reverses, throwing the ball 20-some times in a half -- you just wouldn't think that that is Joe Paterno's offense."
But it was, and the outcome surprised even the coach himself, who said he never thought his team would beat a team like Nebraska by so many points.
For all the innovation and trickery that has the fans buzzing, it was Paterno's attention to detail that gave Penn State such an edge.
With a superior cornerback like the 'Huskers' DeJuan Groce out there, Paterno and his staff realized that they could not run fly routes and hope that the receivers could go up and get the ball.
Instead, the Lions relied on quick slants or crossing patterns.
It often looked as if quarterback Zack Mills had nowhere to pass. At the last second, Bryant Johnson would streak across the middle, which had been vacated by blitzing linebackers.
"We worked on a lot of crossing routes and whatnot throughout the week to get him open," Mills said of Johnson. "He ran those to perfection. Nebraska did what we thought they were going to, and he got open."
On longer plays, the Lions stationed tight end Casey Williams in the middle.
Mills often used him as a last resort, dumping the ball out to him before taking a hit.
Penn State dictated the flow of the game with deliberate and relentless play-calling.
"The first half we passed a lot to open up the running game," Mills said.
"The second half, it did just that, it opened up the running game. There were a lot of big holes in there for Larry."
One of the reasons Paterno feels comfortable putting the pressure of learning new plays and formations on the offense is the presence of veteran linemen.
"A main advantage of our line is we have some experienced guys who understand the mental part of the game," right tackle Matt Schmitt said.
"The older guys are able to adjust because the game is a lot slower for them."
Renovations to the Penn State offense have spread the field, meaning linemen need to move around and find their blocks. "It's a lot more fun for the offensive linemen," Schmitt said.
It isn't a stretch to stick Robinson in the game at any of the skill positions because he already knows the whole offense by virtue of being a quarterback.
According to Schmitt, not even the players know what Penn State will do next.
"We've got an interesting offense," he said. "I'll leave it at that. It's always fun to come in and see what they're going to put in this week."
The real question for Paterno and Co. now is whether or not they can continue to come up with new ideas as teams begin to adjust to the new Penn State offense.
