Home >  Sports >  Notebooks

Thursday, October 10, 2002

By Ray Fittipaldo, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Penn State quarterback Zack Mills still has pain in his injured left (throwing ) shoulder, but he said it won't keep him out of the game Saturday at No. 13 Michigan.

He has thrown for 686 yards the past two games, a school record.

Mills' shoulder was sprained when he was driven into the turf at Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium on a quarterback draw in the first quarter. He threw a 22-yard pass on the next play and completed the drive, which resulted in a touchdown, then went to the locker room to determine the extent of the injury.

"I thought it had popped out," Mills said. "Then they said it was a sprain, and they gave me a bunch of Tylenol to help with the pain."

He was ready for the next series and played the rest of the game.

Speaking with reporters yesterday for the first time since Saturday, Mills said he did some light throwing at practice Tuesday but did not attempt any long passes. He expects to increase his throwing as the week progresses.

"The trainers told me the pain should go away in the next few days," Mills said. "It's going to be tender for another week or two. That's fine. I can deal with that as long as the pain goes away when I'm throwing."

Mills and starting tailback Larry Johnson, whose hamstring was pulled against the Badgers, will tough it out against the Wolverines. Johnson did not practice Tuesday and skipped a scheduled interview with reporters yesterday. Coach Joe Paterno indicated Tuesday that he would be ready to play.

"It's the biggest game I've played in," Mills said. "It's the biggest game for the program in a couple of years. All the nagging injuries people are carrying around won't matter as much."

Boiling over

Purdue Coach Joe Tiller was fed up with the performance of his special teams after a 31-28 loss Saturday at Iowa. The Boilermakers are 3-3, but the losses have been by a combined 13 points, and poor special teams play has played a part in each loss.

Notre Dame returned a fumbled kickoff for a touchdown in a 24-17 win. Purdue missed three field goals in a 24-21 loss to Wake Forest. And it had two blocked kicks returned for touchdowns against Iowa, including a 22-yard field goal attempt at the end of the first half.

"It's very interesting," Tiller told the Indianapolis Star. "On the sideline, you ask what's happening, and we develop amnesia."

Purdue is last in the conference in kickoff returns (13.9 yards) and field goals (2 for 7).

Mr. Wright

Northwestern running back Jason Wright has been a busy cat on and off the field. A pre-med major and the planner for his fraternity's homecoming ball, Wright has been more than a capable replacement for the departed Damien Anderson, who rushed for 4,485 yards during his career.

Wright is averaging 95.8 yards per game for the rebuilding Wildcats. He also has been a difference-maker on special teams.

He set conference and school records against Texas Christian when he averaged 63.7 yards on three kickoff returns and set a Northwestern record with a 100-yard return in the same game. He leads the conference in kickoff returns (43.8 yards per return).

On the tube

Michigan State receiver Charles Rogers already dominates the sports-highlight shows. Next, he could be starring in a documentary series on MTV.

The music channel is expected to follow Rogers around for a week sometime in the next month for a segment on "True Life."

Rogers leads the conference with 687 yards receiving and seven touchdowns.

Quick slants

Wisconsin quarterback Brooks Bollinger became the seventh player in conference history to rush for more than 20 touchdowns and throw for more than 30 when he ran and threw for touchdowns against Penn State. ... Indiana has won more consecutive games at home than any other conference school.

The Hoosiers have won five in a row. They beat Northwestern, Purdue and Kentucky last season and beat William and Mary and Central Michigan this season. ... Illinois leads the conference with 472.5 yards of offense per game but is 1-5.