Given the situation, Terrell Golden was entitled to a celebration. In his excitement, though, he crossed the line between jubilation and excessive celebration.
It was 2004, and Penn State's student section -- Whited Out for the first time -- had something to cheer about amid an otherwise dreary season.
Then a redshirt freshman seeing sparse playing time on a dreadful offense, the Norfolk, Va., product had just hauled in a 37-yard touchdown pass from Zack Mills, the first of Golden's career.
Rising to his feet, Golden performed a little dance shuffle in the end zone as Penn State cut No. 9 Purdue's lead to 10-7.
Such a transgression is unlikely to be repeated by Golden, who, preparing to face Purdue two years later, has learned from his past mistakes.
The dance netted a 15-yard penalty, and Golden saw limited action for the remainder of the loss to the Boilermakers. The trend continued, as he finished the season as Mark Rubin's backup, recording only one catch in the five games that followed.
"Yeah, I was in Joe [Paterno]'s doghouse for a little bit," Golden said. "He doesn't like people to show off and hotdog, as he puts it. But as you get older you live and learn, and if the same situation presents itself again, you can't make the same mistake."
Not only was Paterno miffed by Golden's dance moves, the head coach was also bewildered as to why the young receiver was even playing in the game in the first place.
"I kept him out because he hadn't even been in the plans," Paterno said a few days after the game. "I was shocked when he was in there when we threw the ball to him."
The team's oldest receiver coming into the 2005 campaign, Golden was originally expected to play a bigger role in the offense than had been the case in 2004 -- especially with Rubin suffering a season-ending injury in August.
Instead, with the emergence of one-time cornerback Deon Butler, gray-shirt Jordan Norwood and prized recruits Justin King and Derrick Williams, Golden was again relegated to the sidelines for more time than he'd like.
Last year, Golden played in every game and had nine catches, his most significant contribution coming at Michigan, where he got open as Michael Robinson eluded defenders, then, with the ball thrown his way, ran down the sideline for a 56-yard gain.
A high ankle sprain suffered in this season's opener against Akron sidelined Golden for several weeks, but the 6-foot-3 wideout reemerged last week against Illinois.
On third-and-6 from the Illinois 20, quarterback Anthony Morelli threw to Golden, who stretched out and made the catch, resulting in a 17-yard gain, setting up a touchdown on the following play.
"When he makes a play it's like watching my brother make a play," said Williams, who has been close friends with Golden since coming to Penn State.
That 17-yard catch, though, was the biggest play Golden made since last season's Michigan game -- played 53 weeks beforehand.
"I thought I'd be a bigger part in the offense," Golden admitted yesterday. "But my career has gone exactly the way it's supposed to because everything happens for a reason."
The biggest reason why Golden hasn't been a more significant cog in the offense is because of that influx of receiving talent that emerged in 2005.
The coaches recognize Golden's playmaking ability, and briefly discussed the option of moving him to tight end, though nothing serious resulted from those talks.
When the time comes for him to see increased playing time and more balls thrown his way, Paterno likely will not be surprised to see No. 4 on the field -- and it's doubtful that Golden will give the coach immediate reason to take him out.
"Everything happens for a reason... Football is an emotional game, but you have to be mature enough to know when you're crossing the line," Golden said.
Update on Levi Brown
Co-captain and All-America left tackle Levi Brown revealed yesterday that he tore his meniscus in practice before the Northwestern game on Sept. 30. The injury kept him out for Penn State's games against the Wildcats and Minnesota.
Brown said he had surgery on the injured knee in the week leading up to the Minnesota game, and that he thinks his knee feels "ten times better" now than it would have had he played those two weeks.
