Blue White Illustrated

HIGHS AND LOWS Belton has a career day... and a fourth-quarter fumble LORI  SHONTZ | blue white contRibutoR He'd just rushed for 201 yards, becoming the first Penn State running back in 11 years to gain more than 200 yards. He'd been a major part of Penn State's gamewinning drive in overtime. He'd just finished his second game as the team's starting tailback. Yet Bill Belton sat quietly – almost solemnly – in the postgame media room, answering questions about one level up from monotone. In one sense, this wasn't a surprise. All season long with reporters, Belton has exhibited the same polite but distant demeanor, and also the same tendency to "give BELTON all glory" to either God or his offensive linemen. (It depends on the question.) But this time, something else was going on. "The only thing that's on my mind right now," Belton said, "is the costly fumble that almost cost us the game." Now that moment was unusual. Belton, who before last season hadn't played running back since he was an eighth grader, hadn't fumbled since early last season, and he'd earned the starting tailback job because of starter Zach Zwinak's propensity to fumble. Until the past couple of weeks, Belton was noted less for his power and shiftiness as a runner than he was for his sure hands. And this fumble was almost especially costly. Belton was stopped inches short of the goal line on third-and-3 with less than three and a half minutes left in the game, with the Lions down by three points. He said he was being "greedy," trying to get a little more yardage – which, in this case, would have been a touchdown. Said Belton, "I should have gone down n o V e m b e R and played the next play. " He trotted back to the sideline. The coaches said, "Don't stretch the ball out. " His buddy Allen Robinson said, "Forget about it." And Belton stood on the sidelines, thinking to himself, "I've got to get back on the field and make up for it." He explained, "That was my mindset. It wasn't like I was down on myself or anything like that. I don't allow moments like that to plummet me into a place where I can't go out there and perform. " Since he became Penn State's primary back in the second half of the Michigan game, after Zwinak fumbled on the first play of the half, Belton has performed better every game. He gained 85 yards against the Wolverines, including three on a key fourth-and-1 play and two more on the game-winning touchdown. The Nittany Lions struggled terribly against Ohio State, but Belton was one of the lone bright spots with 98 yards. Said Belton, "In a game like that, you want to show up against competition that's that high. " Coach Bill O'Brien has noticed. "He's really turned the corner in a lot of areas, on and off the field. He's doing better in school, he's becoming a better running back," said O'Brien. "It's not easy to make that move; it takes a while." Belton's 36 carries against Illinois were a career high, as were his 201 yards. The last Penn State running back to break the 200-yard barrier was Larry Johnson, who gained 279 yards against Michigan State in 2002. And he gained them in a variety of ways – hitting the holes quicker, using his speed more effectively, seeing the field better. "All of it is coaching, Belton said, con" tinuing to deflect credit and praise. "Instincts got me where I was last year. Coaching got me where I was today. " 2 , 2 0 1 3 7 GAME GRADES QUARTERBACKS Looking healthy after suffering a shoulder injury at Ohio State, Christian Hackenberg had a fairly uneventful afternoon… until overtime arrived and he made one of his best throws GRADE Bof the season. RUNNING BACKS Bill Belton shredded the Big Ten's second-worst run defense, but his fumble on the goal line in the fourth quarter nearly cost PSU the game. GRADE B RECEIVERS Allen Robinson had another big game, and Kyle Carter's clutch touchdown catch was the winner. GRADE BOFFENSIVE LINE The Lions had a pretty good day running the football, finishing with 250 yards. Demerits, however, for a handful of untimely penalties. GRADE BDEFENSIVE LINE Nathan Scheelhaase got into a rhythm in the second half as Illinois emphasized its hurry-up offense. But when the Lions needed a stop at the end of regulation, they got it. GRADE BLINEBACKERS Mike Hull made one of the biggest plays of the game, breaking up a fourth-down pass at the Penn State goal line. And Ben Kline toughed it out – bad shoulder and all. GRADE BDEFENSIVE BACKS The Lions gave up a lot of yards, but Jordan Lucas and Ryan Keiser GRADE C had crucial interceptions. SPECIAL TEAMS Sam Ficken missed a 37-yard field goal, but made up for it by sending GRADE B the game to overtime. COACHES Penn State looked pretty ragged at times, committing 11 penalties and using its final second-half timeout with 6:26 left to play. But it didn't make the same mistake it made at Indiana. Facing the Big Ten's 11th-ranked rush defense, it hit Illinois with a little bit of Zach Zwinak and a whole lot of Bill Belton. GRADE B CROWD Maybe it was the noon kickoff. Maybe the hangover from last weekend's dreary loss to Ohio State still hadn't worn off. Whatever the reason, big swaths of Beaver Stadium were empty, although it got pretty loud in the fourth quarter. GRADE B b l u e w h i t e o n l i n e . c o m

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