Dave Bennett likes to use golf analogies with his buddies. Then again, working in Myrtle Beach, S.C., the golf course capital of the world, what better way to prove his point?
"I tell all my buddies that play golf, coaching against Joe Paterno is going to be like you going out and playing [Tiger] Woods or [Phil] Mickelson without a handicap," he said with a laugh. "There sure ain't no handicap involved with this."
Speak with Bennett for five minutes and it's impossible not to sense the charm of a southern gentleman. He speaks with welcome passion and sincerity.
And when discussing his coaching counterpart on Saturday, he said it's an honor to share the same field with someone he's admired during his 11-year college coaching career.
"He's an American hero to me," Bennett said referring to Paterno. "He ought to retire whenever he wants, whether he's 90 or 100. He's a great man and class act that a lot of us younger coaches look up to. It's a tall task when people start talking about Coastal Carolina going to beat Penn State."
The light-hearted native of Cheraw, S.C., is in his seventh year at the helm of the Chanticleers. He started the program from scratch and has had some success for such a new and small program.
The Chanticleers posted a 6-5 mark in their inaugural season and captured the Big South championship the following year. Then in 2006, in just his fourth season on the field, Bennett was named Sportexe National Coach of the Year as Coastal Carolina qualified for the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) playoffs for the first time in school history.
He's even had two of his former players drafted -- including 2008 second-round pick, wide receiver Jerome Simpson -- and two others sign NFL contracts during his short tenure.
But, he said, he doesn't have many of those players around anymore, which makes the trip to Happy Valley even more intimidating. He's done what he can to prepare his players for the environment in Beaver Stadium, but admits there's only so much he can do to replicate the raucous crowd.
"We've tried to turn the music up real loud on the stereo on the scoreboard and put some speakers behind the bench," he said. "But one of our kids who happens to be from Pennsylvania [cornerback Leon Goodwin] said, 'Coach I went to a game last year, nice try, but that ain't even close.' So I just go, 'Oh great.'"
With such a daunting task presented to his squad, Bennett has told his coaches he just wants to win some battles. If they can just hang with the Nittany Lions for a quarter or a half, force a few punts and score some points, he said the Chanticleers should be consider their trip a success.
But at the same time, he said none of his players, nor coaches, have ever played or coached in such an environment. So the only thing he could do was offer a warning.
"I didn't learn until this summer, Penn State has the largest stadium in America. I guess it'll be an NCAA record," Bennett said. "I told our guys don't look around big eyed with your mouth open. You could get your rear end embarrassed if you do that."
