Oct. 29, 2009
By SKIP MYSLENSKI, NUsports.com Special Contributor
The 'Cats' game-winning drive last Saturday opened with runs of 15 and 11 and six yards by the red-shirt sophomore Scott Concannon. With them he announced both his return from the concussion he had suffered against Minnesota and his viability as a member of the committee his team employs at running back. With them, too, we learned that some around him so marvel at his moves that they refer to him as "Cutcannon."
Does he have any other nicknames?
"I had a coach in high school who came up with more nicknames than any man I've ever met," he says with a laugh. "He said every one I think I could possibly hear."
Did he have a favorite?
"Biff Buchanan. I don't know why he called me Biff Buchanan. But he was a funny dude."
No matter what he is called, Biff or Cut or Scott or a nickname of your choice, he has deceptive speed for one listed at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds. He has not, he admits, had that speed tested since he has been with the 'Cats, but back before his junior year in high school, he allows, he did run a 40 and posted a "4.49 or something."
What did he think of what he did out on Ryan Field last Saturday?
"It was definitely the best groups of runs I've had here. It felt good getting something going for myself and for the running game. Our line did a great job that drive, they opened everything up. I just ran where they opened the big holes. But it's always great to have a little success. It gives you a little confidence boost."
Was there any sense of, "It's about time"?
"I wouldn't say you're ever in your mind saying, 'It's about time.' I would say in my mind, it's like, 'Yes, I did it, I'm glad I did it and I'm glad I was able to help my team out this time.'"
Does he have a sense, after that performance, on how he'll be used Saturday against Penn State?
"No. We don't really go into huge detail on what all we're going to do. There's a chance I go out there at the beginning of the game, maybe not."
Does that uncertainty make preparation harder, easier?
"It makes it competitive. We go out there and competitively try to outdo other people, but not in a hostile way. We go out there and try to play our best so we have more of a role during the game. That's what all running backs do."
So if Arby Fields makes a good play--
"I'm going to be real happy for the kid."
But do you go out then and try to top it?
"That's the whole thing. You see a good play and you're like, 'All right, now I've got something to outdo.' We keep trying to outwork each other. It gives you something to strive for. It's friendly competitiveness."
Can he put into words how frustrating it has been waiting for his chance?
"Not playing for two years can be kind of frustrating. You're just hoping to get your chance and hoping if you do get your chance, you show you can play. It's been a long road. I'm happy to do what I do now. I get a chance to play. But it's a pretty-frustrating road. It can be disheartening at times. You're here to play football and sometimes you're not really doing that. Now I've got the chance."
The roots of that chance, finally, wind back to the late Randy Walker, who took on the lightly recruited Concannon and met with him just weeks before his untimely death. "He seemed like a great guy. I was looking forward to getting to know him as a coach, but that unfortunately didn't happen," the running back says now, thinking back to that time.
Did Walker, who himself was a squat running back in college, ever mention that he saw himself in Concannon?
"I don't remember him ever saying he saw himself in me or anything like that," Scott Concannon finally says. "He said he saw an ability that could work in college. He had confidence in me and I'm still trying to not let him down. He's the reason I'm here."
Happy Birthday to cornerback Jordan Mabin, who turns 21 on the same Halloween Day that the 'Cats host the Nittany Lions. (Safety Brian Peters also turns 21 on Halloween.) "It was actually a plus," he says of that serendipitous factoid. "You get gifts and later on that day you go out and get candy. I'm a big candy fan, so that was one of my favorite things. I always had some extra candy on the side growing up."
Has he ever played on Halloween before?
"Once in high school. It was a state playoff game. That was kind of neat, too, so this is going to be the second time. It's going to be awesome. It's going to be a fun time."
How'd he do in that game?
"It was actually my freshman year and the starting running back got hurt, so I started that game. I ended up getting 200-plus yards, so it was a real fun time."
What is he looking for as an encore?
"Get a win. That's all I can hope for."
Oh. Does he still trick-or-treat?
"No, not anymore. I had to cut that off. Mom said I was a little too old for that. I wish I still could, though. I'm a big candy fan, love it. Gummi Bears. That's what I eat all the time. I probably have some in the locker room right now."
The 'Cats, by the way, are 6-1 at home on Halloween Day.
Does 'Cat coach Pat Fitzgerald have a favorite story about his Penn State counterpart, the ageless Joe Paterno. He thinks, then a smile pops onto his face and finally he laughs and begins by saying, "There's a couple I can't share."
Then, more seriously, he goes on: "You know what I love about Joe is his passion. I've had the privilege of sitting in the Big Ten head coaches' meetings now for a couple of years and no one has a bigger concern for the players or the game than Joe. So when we discuss matters that involve our game or the players, the first person to speak up is Joe. To me, as a younger head coach trying to inspire and build a program like he has had for a long time, that's inspirational, it really is. You look at the guy, it's still about the players, it's still about the experience and it's still about what makes the game great. To me, that's the best part of what makes Joe so special."
Can he imagine himself being a head coach for 44 seasons, which is how long Paterno has held his job?
"That would be pretty cool. That would be really cool. I don't want to speak for Joe. But the media, the expectations, the 24-hour news cycle, the expectations on kids, I think it's hard. Don't quote me on the exact number. . . (but) there's been 868 coaching changes since Joe's been the head coach at Penn State. Something like that. (Actually 838, as well as nine U.S. presidents.) That'll show you it's an anomaly. I think every coach would love to have the opportunity and I'd love for that to happen for me here. But there's a lot of work to do before we can even look at that."
And finally, Fitzgerald on Paterno: "He's been a head coach longer than I've been alive. So I don't think I'm going to have an opportunity to out-coach him. It's more about the players."
Check out the full Skip Myslenski NUsports.com Archive!