Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
It seems like the protocol for handling blowout wins and losses in college football has definitely changed this season. Call it the Urban Meyer Effect.
The latest example occurred last Saturday, toward the end of Penn State's 49-18 rout of Michigan State at Beaver Stadium.
Leading 42-7 entering the fourth quarter, Penn State continued to attack downfield as backup quarterback Pat Devlin threw a 59-yard touchdown pass to Deon Butler. Then, with Michigan State down 31 points in the closing minute, Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio called two timeouts with nine seconds left, making Penn State wait a little longer before beginning its Rose Bowl celebration.
As The Morning Call's Bill Kline wrote in his blog:
"Until now, the rivalry has been contrived. But Michigan State was quite peeved by game's end, obviously feeling Penn State had run up the score by having backup QB Pat Devlin throw a long TD pass in the fourth quarter. That might be why Spartan coach Mark Dantonio ordered back-to-back timeouts with eight seconds remaining. Perhaps he was needling Nittany Nation a bit, making it wait just a little bit longer in the freezing night before it could enjoy its Big Ten title.
Some of the Spartan assistant coaches were laughing during the two timeouts. And at least one Spartan player was thrusting his arms up and down, egging on the crowd, which was booing the timeout calls.
So, there might be some bad blood between the two teams when they play again next November. That's what a true rivalry is all about; it's not about some manufactured trophy."
Dantonio said later that his two timeouts were not a reply to Devlin's touchdown pass.
"There's no motivation there. I think the problem was earlier in the game. I was just trying to give our guys a rest."
Hmm, not so sure I buy that.
One of the things I love about Dantonio is that he doesn't downplay games or certain opponents. He certainly doesn't minimize the Michigan rivalry, and he might have just injected some flavor to a previously bland rivalry with Penn State.
Adam Rittenberg joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four years at the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald, where he covered sports at Notre Dame, Northwestern, DePaul and several other colleges. He lives in Chicago.
