Odrick enjoys another good performance

EVANSTON, Ill. – A week earlier, Jared Odrick had unwittingly suggested a Halloween costume for himself.

The mammoth defensive tackle said he “felt like a crazed dog” playing against Michigan, a quote that quickly made the rounds in State College by the time classes started on Monday.

“Man, nobody cut me a break all week!” Odrick protested. “I just got it all around campus – ‘Crazed dog, crazed dog.’”

His costume on Saturday at Northwestern was just his plain old white No. 91 uniform. It was terrifying enough for the Wildcats.

The 6-foot-5, 296-pounder from Lebanon was credited with five tackles, one sack, and one QB hurry in Penn State’s 34-13 win.

He even managed to block a 37-yard field goal late in the first half, swatting it away with his big left paw. It was Penn State’s first blocked field goal since Odrick did it as a sophomore in the 2007 opener against Florida International.

“Felt good, felt good. Didn’t feel like any animals,” Odrick said without cracking a smile. “I was just real prepared to play a game like this where we knew they were gonna come out quick and really try to throw the ball on us.”

Which Northwestern did. Senior quarterback Mike Kafka had his way with Penn State’s vaunted defense for most of the first half, beating the unit with quick passes and a helping of keepers and scrambles.

Kafka exited early, however, checking out of the game with a leg injury midway through the second quarter. After halftime, Odrick and his teammates were able to turn things around.

“It’s definitely frustrating when you’ve got a quarterback like that who’s able to get the ball out quick,” Odrick said. “...The defense (in the second half), I just thought we made it our game. We just played smarter. We put them in a position where they couldn’t run the same type of offense, especially on second-and-long.”

Odrick was solely responsible for one of those instances, as he tore through the line on Northwestern’s first snap on offense in the second half and baptized backup quarterback Dan Persa for a 10-yard sack.

With some halftime adjustments by defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, the Lions came out more aggressively against Persa, who wasn’t able to get rid of the ball as quickly and as accurately as Kafka.

Penn State got the ball on offense to start the second half, driving for a field goal that tied the game. But it was Odrick’s sack that fired up the defense, which pitched a shutout in the final 30 minutes after surrendering a season-high 13 first-half points..

“Jared’s a big-time player. I’ve been saying that all year,” Bradley said. “I think he’s the best three-technique (defensive tackle) in the country.”

At the start of the week, coach Joe Paterno made it a point to laud Odrick for his work on the field and in the locker room, griping that the senior tackle doesn’t receive enough credit.

Through nine games, Odrick has 33 tackles, with 10 of them coming behind the line – including a team-best six sacks.

For his part, Odrick said he hasn’t heard anyone downplay his contributions and said he certainly doesn’t feel unappreciated.

“Not at all. I just want to play my role within this defense, whether that’s making plays or just taking up blocks,” Odrick said. “That’s really what I want to do.

“If my role is underappreciated and some people think that, then they probably don’t know football.”

Lions move to No. 11

For the second straight week, Penn State (8-1, 4-1 Big Ten) jumped one spot in the BCS standings, checking in at No. 11 heading into this week’s showdown against Ohio State. The Lions moved past USC, which suffered its second loss of the season this weekend.