Penn St. recovers in bye week

The Daily Collegian UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (U-WIRE) -- Five straight weeks of college football games bring a variety of neglect. Injuries can heal, schoolwork can get done and weary bodies can rest. Starters Eric Cole, Cordell Mitchell and Corey Jones all have struggled with nagging injuries. Cole, a three-year letterwinner on the offensive line, has battled ankle and shoulder woes for the past two games and hasn't played since the Pittsburgh contest. After opening the season as the No. 2 Nittany Lions starting tailback, Mitchell again was forced to the sidelines with an injury. Last year, he suffered a pinched nerve in his shoulder and missed the final four games of the season. This year, Mitchell got dinged up in the Arizona game and hasn't played since carrying four times for four yards against Akron in Penn State's second game of the season. He has been nursing a hip contusion in his left leg, however, and could play against Iowa. A hamstring injury curtailed Jones' freshman season, and academic problems took the redshirt senior off the field the following year. Last season, he hauled in 27 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns. But the injury bug hatched again after the season-opener against the Wildcats. He hasn't played since that game with another hamstring injury. "I don't know if you could say we need it badly," Penn State tailback Eric McCoo said of the bye week. "But we could use it." Lions fullback Mike Cerimele, splitting time with Aaron Harris as the Lions' lead blocking back, missed last week's contest against Indiana with a bout of pneumonia. The redshirt junior fought temperatures of more than 100 degrees prior to the game, but still was available if absolutely needed against the Hoosiers. He wasn't. Like some of his banged-up teammates, Cerimele doesn't mind the week off before next weekend's contest in Iowa. "It's just a matter of getting the rest of the fluid out of my lungs," Cerimele said. "The week off is a big help. I'll be fine." After three straight home dates, Penn State traveled to Miami two weeks ago and throttled the then-No. 8 Hurricanes 27-23 in the Orange Bowl. With hours of flights and festivities before and after the game, schoolwork was one area Lions players might have neglected during the lengthy road trip. Throw in games every week before and after that road contest, and the players' books probably are a little dusty by now. Penn State quarterback Kevin Thompson, who has a three-credit course load, thinks the bye week will be academically beneficial, especially for the younger players. "It's a great time for freshman and some of the younger guys to catch up on their schoolwork," the redshirt senior said. "They get seven days of just practice with no game this weekend so they can probably spend a little more time with their school stuff." "I think we could use it," said Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who hopes Jones and Mitchell will be available against Iowa. "I think it will be good for us." Players also mentioned this week as a good time for the team to rid itself of a few nagging problems, namely various defensive woes and an ineffective running game. "It's a good week for an off week, I think so," Lions linebacker LaVar Arrington said. "We need to sit back and think about what we are doing so we don't mess around and throw away the games. I think this is as great a time to have a bye week as any."