Big Ten Notebook: Posluszny adds another honor; Ohio State picked to finish 1st
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CHICAGO -- Paul Posluszny's biography in the Penn State media guide takes up two full pages, twice as much as any other player on the team except for running back Tony Hunt. And with good reason -- the Penn State sports information staff needed all the space to list Posluszny's accolades.
A senior linebacker from Hopewell, Posluszny is coming off an All-American season in which he earned the Butkus Award, which recognizes the nation's top linebacker and the Bednarik Award, which honors the nation's top defensive player.
Posluszny's biography grew a little more yesterday when he was named the Big Ten Conference preseason defensive player of the year in a poll of the media members who cover the league.
Posluszny, who returned for his senior season after sustaining a knee injury in the Orange Bowl, made 116 tackles last season and was the heart and soul of a defense that held opponents to 17.6 points per game.
"Paul is a great football player," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "It's a great honor for him and a great honor for Penn State."
Posluszny took the news in stride with his humble nature evident.
"Any time a player achieves that kind of stuff it just goes to show how well the team does and how well the defensive unit does," said Posluszny, a 6-foot-2, 238-pounder. "We all know football is the ultimate team game. One player can't succeed without the other 10 guys on the field."
Ohio State tops poll
Ohio State, which shared the conference championship with Penn State in 2005, is the favorite to take home the title this season. The Buckeyes return the league's top offensive player in quarterback Troy Smith and have a wealth of talent surrounding him.
"I think it's encouraging to all the people who care about Ohio State that people think that highly of us," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. "How legitimate is it? I don't know the answer to that. We will find out by the end of November. But it's always nice to be mentioned."
Michigan finished second in the poll and Iowa third. The Big Ten only releases the top three teams in the media voting.
Paterno dispenses advice
When Pat Fitzgerald took over as Northwestern's head coach in early July after the death of Randy Walker, one of the coaches he called for advice was Paterno.
Paterno's advice to the 31-year old Fitzgerald was this: "On your mirror put 'I'm the boss.' It's not like the old days. You're going to hurt someone's feelings. You're going to make mistakes. But we all make mistakes, so it's important to hang in there and have some fun."
Fitzgerald, 31, has high hopes for the Wildcats. He was a linebacker on the Northwestern team that went to the Rose Bowl after the 1995 season and made it clear that it was his objective to make it back to Pasadena, Calif., soon.
"I believe it will happen and it will happen on multiple occasions," Fitzgerald said. "The talent, commitment and coaching staff are what it is going to take to bring the Purple Pack back to the Rose Bowl. I have nine fingers left for rings. That's what I tell the players. But that's not the focus right now. The focus is getting through this difficult time. That's the real focus, and we will move on from there."
High praise
Michigan's Lloyd Carr has been a coach with the Wolverines for the past 26 seasons and has watched many fine running backs make their mark. Carr said yesterday that Michael Hart is quickly establishing himself as one of the best backs at Michigan.
"Our situation at running back is as good as it's been since I've been at Michigan," said Carr, who has been head coach since 1995. "I think Mike Hart is a great football player, one of the best I've ever coached. He is a great leader and he has no weaknesses. He can run the football. He's a great pass receiver. And he's a great pass protector and a guy that plays with great energy. When he is healthy he brings something special to the table."
A new recruit
Penn State added its 10th recruit for the 2007 class yesterday when Ohio linebacker Andrew Dailey (6-3, 215) made a verbal commitment to the Nittany Lions.
Dailey, from Massilon Washington High School, chose Penn State over Nebraska and Florida. He visited Penn State last week.
The next big thing
The Big Ten is trying to capitalize on the success of the NFL Network by starting its own cable network that would televise the league's sports and provide other programming, including classic games of yesteryear.
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany has high hopes for the network.
"We think it's a national network that should be carried on basic cable," he said. "We definitely think in our region it should have a substantial place on the dial."
First Published August 2, 2006 12:00 am
