Blue White Illustrated

Bill Belton's career game comes at the perfect time for PSU IOWA CITY, Iowa – Bill Belton could- CARRIED AWAY MATT HERB | M A T T@B L U E WH I T E O N L I N E . C O M n't resist. Iowa's defense barely laid a hand on him on an 11-yard touch- down run in the second quarter – the first rushing touchdown of his college career – and as he trotted across the back of the end zone, he grabbed his facemask and gestured toward the crowd at Kinnick Stadium in a way that could easily be interpreted as taunting. As it turned out, an official was right there watching the scene unfold, and that's exactly how he in- terpreted it. "I kinda gave the crowd a little shush," Belton admitted after the game. "I got carried away." Belton got carried back to reality when he got to the sideline. The Nit- tany Lions were penalized for un- sportsmanlike conduct, and the sophomore said he got an earful from coach Bill O'Brien on the sideline. As a result, he won't be celebrating any future touchdowns quite so provoca- tively. "It's something I won't do again," he said. But except for the penalty, which pushed Sam Ficken back 15 yards on the subsequent kickoff, Belton kept the Nittany Lions moving forward in their 38-14 victory over Iowa. He fin- ished with a career-high 103 yards on 16 carries (6.4 yards per carry) and scored three touchdowns in the win. It was a breakout performance for the converted wideout, whose transition to the tailback spot was slowed by an ankle injury he received in the Nittany Lions' opener against Ohio. Belton missed three games because of the ankle sprain, returning to action with a 65-yard performance in Penn State's Big Ten opener at Illinois. He figured less prominently in the Lions' next game, carrying only four times for 12 yards against Northwestern before making way for power backs Zach Zwinak and Michael Zordich. First time Belton has been healthy since the offense has been clicking. He adds a lot of options to the offense. Love how he can create mismatches in the empty set, picked up some nice blocks as well. PennStateTurf2002 I was just really impressed with this game. Offense is really click- ing, and they did so against a pretty decent de- fense. JoeHomsey Dave Joyner de- serves credit. This is Dave Joyner's hire and for those who hate it, you know who you are. Unreal if he gets no credit. O'Brien is the real deal. FROM THE WEB ONLINE REACTION TO PSU'S LATEST GAME EJE23 I sure hope O'Brien has a few choice words for Belton's stunt in the end zone. psubowhunter QUIET TIME Belton shushed the Iowa fans after a second-quarter touchdown. The gesture re- sulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Steve Manuel Shushing the crowd is nothing. If the Northwestern coaches and players can stand on the side- lines and mock and antagonize our fans, I have no problem with our players harmlessly shushing opposing fans. wradidas49 Belton said that while his ankle was- n't causing him problems in his first two games back, he was happy to have a bye week prior to the Iowa game to regain the strength he had lost while recovering from the injury. "It wasn't bothering me too much," he said. "I just had to strengthen my ankle back up and get confident in it again. So basically, during that bye week, I took the time to get back in the training room and do some extra stuff to make it stronger and get it back to where it was." O'Brien said he was pleased with Belton's performance against Iowa. The Hawkeyes went into their game against Penn State allowing only 117.3 rushing yards per game and 3.4 per carry, yet with Belton leading the way, the Nittany Lions carved them up, finishing with 215 rushing yards. O C T O B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 2 11 The defining moment was a busi- ness-like 97-yard dirve in the fourth quarter. Perhaps the most methodical, perfectly executed drive I have seen in a long time. psu_1989 At some point special teams will kills us. Just like against Vir- ginia. Need to somehow get this fixed. NorCalLion Most complete team in the Big Ten, per BTN. We will beat Ohio State. ropa6203 Let's pack the stadium next week, folks. We have a helluva team coming home and they de- serve a packed house. Let's re- peat the 2005 crowd. PSUPride1 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

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