Receiving Game On The Rebound

By JERRY KELLAR [email protected]
Thursday, November 01, 2001 Page: 1B

Never mind what they watched on game films, Penn State’s slumping receivers
were most bothered by what they saw in the mirror.

“We talked about it in our meetings,” sophomore split end Tony Johnson
said. “We just can’t be average; we gotta be great.”
And while the Nittany Lions have a ways to go before earning that lofty
title, they’ve certainly made impressive strides during the last few weeks.

“I have felt from the beginning that we would be all right in that area
and we are getting better,” coach Joe Paterno said. “That comes with some
experience, playing and having some success and those kind of things.”

A little outside motivation never hurts, either. Tired of being told
they’re not good enough, the players did something about it.

“We’ve been hearing on television that Penn State is lacking great
athletes, but we do have great athletes,” junior flanker Bryant Johnson said.
“We’ve got to keep playing with that emotion.”

After a rough 2000 season during which he dropped numerous passes, Bryant
Johnson has slowly regained the stylish form that some say the Lions haven’t
had since the Bobby Engram era.

In last week’s 29-27 victory against Ohio State, the Baltimore native made
three receptions for 67 yards, including a leaping 29-yard grab from Zack
Mills in the first quarter to set up a field goal. He added a diving 34-yard
reception in the third quarter, which led to a Lion touchdown.

But it was at Northwestern a week earlier where Johnson really broke loose.

With his team trailing 35-31 with 2:03 to play, the silky smooth 6-foot-2,

– during the game-winning drive. He finished the thrilling 38-35 win with
eight receptions for 129 yards, his third 100-yard game of the season.

Now that his confidence has returned, Bryant Johnson has become PSU’s go-to
guy again – and he loves it.

“I didn’t feel like I was struggling,” said Johnson, who leads the squad
with 27 receptions for 516 yards (19.1) and two touchdowns. “It was just a
matter of concentrating and focusing on what I needed to do.

“I feel as though I can become one of the elite receivers in the
conference.”

Tony Johnson hopes to get there, as well.

The ex-running back star from State College High seems to have found his
niche as the Lions’ No. 2 receiver. Johnson had five receptions for 65 yards
against the Buckeyes, including a pretty 26-yard TD snag in the corner of the
end zone to pull his team within 27-22.

The 5-11, 198-pound former Parade All-American has moved up to third on the
receiving charts, with 13 for 141 yards (10.8).

“We’ve kind of taken a different approach the last two weeks,” said Tony
Johnson, the younger brother of Lion tailback Larry Johnson. “What makes you
great is catching those tough passes.”

Careful not to disrespect sometime starter Matt Senneca, both Bryant and
Tony Johnson said it is no coincidence the offense has picked up since Mills
took over at quarterback.

“For a redshirt freshman to come in so relaxed and so calm, I know I
couldn’t do it,” Tony Johnson said of Mills, the Big Ten’s Offensive Player
of the Week. “Especially for a quarterback. They love you one day and hate
you the next. His composure and poise is unreal.”

“(Zack) just naturally has it,” added Bryant Johnson. “He’s the calmest
guy in the huddle I’ve ever seen.”

Mills’ game-saving effort off the bench at Northwestern (he completed


“For a guy who hasn’t been in the game all day to come in with the
confidence of that magnitude really got us going,” Bryant Johnson said.

The trick now is to keep the momentum rolling.

“After we lost the Michigan game, we were tired of losing,” Tony Johnson
said. “We knew we were better than that.”