Forgive Jeremy Boone and the punt coverage unit for not having nuances perfected.
Who can blame him after he has punted four times in two games?
Penn State led, 45-14, and faced a fourth-and-six in the fourth quarter when Boone took off on a miscommunication.
The Oregon State player Knowledge Timmons was responsible for pinched closer to the down linemen, and Timmons stayed at his position instead of coming in.
Boone, seeing Oregon State would have a clear shot at blocking the punt, initially pump-faked, intending to throw to Timmons.
After Timmons didn't look toward Boone, the punter ran to his left and picked up enough yardage for a first down. But Penn State was flagged for an illegal procedure.
"It wasn't a designed fake or anything," Boone said. "It was just, we should have called a timeout and regrouped as a punt team, but we didn't. We just went with it, and that's why we got the illegal procedure calls."
Boone came near the sideline after the penalty to talk with Larry Johnson Sr., who is responsible for the punt team. Johnson met Boone a few yards onto the field as Boone explained the breakdown.
Boone successfully launched a 44-yard punt on the second attempt.
"I wouldn't have thought we'd fool around with a fake punt when we had the ball game in pretty good control," Joe Paterno said.
Boone punted three times against Oregon State and is averaging 46.5 yards per punt through two games.
Day to remember
Offense: Tough call between Evan Royster and Jordan Norwood, but Royster gets the nod after receiving a share of the Big Ten player of the week award. Fumble at the 1-yard line aside, Royster excelled in rushing for a career-high 141 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries. Royster became the first Nittany Lion to rush for six touchdowns in the first two games of the season.
Defense: No one really stands out on a group that played collectively, but Josh Hull needed a strong performance better than most. Hull struggled last week against Coastal Carolina but found some redemption against Oregon State with six tackles and an interception.
Day to forget
Offense: Pat Devlin. He can't be faulted for not shining when he played in mop-up duty with most of the reserves. But any chance at this being a two-quarterback system was probably shot after Daryll Clark's balanced performance. Meaningful time for Devlin will now probably come under two circumstances: an injury to Clark or Clark faltering. And if Anthony Morelli didn't falter enough last season to be benched, well, Devlin's best chance at playing in the next two years could be somewhere else.
Defense: Jerome Hayes. Tough break for Hayes, who tore his left anterior cruciate ligament on punt coverage after an Oregon State defender was flagged for an illegal block. Hayes, who tore his right ACL last season against Wisconsin on a punt return, will have surgery in the next two to three weeks and miss the rest of the season.
Did you notice?
One of Josh Gaines' 10 siblings, 16-year-old brother Cedric, shadowing his big brother after the game. ... The "Blue Royster Cult" sign in the student section. ... Sean Lee in tears after Hayes tore his left ACL. ... Trainers briefly working on Derrick Williams' abdomen. ... Pittsburgh Penguins coach Michel Therrien wearing a tucked-in white-out T-shirt as he stood along Penn State's sideline.
Extra point
Explain this one. Oregon State playmaker Jacquizz Rodgers carried the ball seven times for 51 yards on the Beavers' first touchdown drive. He had one touch in the nearly 19 minutes before that as Oregon State buried itself in a 28-0 hole. Why not give the dynamic Rodgers, who finished with 99 yards on 22 carries, more opportunities early? Maybe that 28-0 hole could have been a bit more manageable if one of Oregon State's top threats wasn't ignored for more than a quarter.
Quotable
"Hey, he's on scholarship too," Oregon State cornerback Brandon Hughes said of Norwood. "He made a play, I didn't make a play. That's what it comes down to. There were a good group of receivers, but we play similar guys like that in the Pac-10 every week."
