Just Some Passing Thoughts

The longest run of a sluggish first half Saturday between Penn State and Ohio State was by Joe Paterno, who dashed into the locker room after becoming ill. Woody Hayes would have been proud. By the way, they are having a contest over at the fine M Blog asking readers to guess where JoePa was for much of the game. ... Nebraska coach Bill Callahan was under fire last week for throwing only 17 passes, including one on a fake punt, in a 28-10 loss at USC. Was he playing to keep the score close against the Trojans? With overmatched Troy in town, the Cornhuskers attempted 23 passes in a 56-0 win. In four games, Nebraska has averaged 25.5 passes, making that USC gameplan seem rather peculiar. ... Brigham Young and Utah State played for the first time since 2002 and tensions were high, with four personal fouls called. With 2:16 to play and the Cougars clinging to a 31-0 lead, quarterback Jason Beck threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Jonny Harline, completing a 38-0 win. ... Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter is 0-12 in games played in the state of California. That likely will become 0-13 when the Sun Devils play at USC on Oct. 14.