Chapter 48

It was a little after ten o'clock when I woke up on Sunday morning. Kelly was climbing back into bed with me after a visit to the bathroom. Snuggling with my naked lover got me amorous. I gave one of Kelly's tits a caress and pressed my body against her back. My hard erection slotted itself in her crack.

"Not now Kyle, I have a headache," Kelly moaned.

"Do you want some aspirin and water?" I asked.

"No, just let me alone so I can sleep a little longer," Kelly answered. I gave her a quick kiss on the neck and pulled away. It was for the best. My bladder was bursting and I needed to pee. I threw on a robe and went upstairs to the main bathroom. I took care of business and grabbed a shower.

I dressed and headed down to Pollock Commons for a newspaper and some food so I could make breakfast for Kelly, Liz, Josh and me. My cell phone rang as I was walking back. It was my mom.

"Hey Mom, what's up?" I asked as I answered the phone.

"I was calling to see how your sister and Josh are doing," Mom replied.

"They're fine," I reported. "They were still sleeping when I left to go down to the store to get something for breakfast for everyone."

"That's good," Mom said. "I hope they had fun yesterday."

"They did," I replied. "Say, aren't you supposed to be in church right now?"

Mom chuckled and replied, "I'm outside the sanctuary. Church will start in a couple minutes."

"Tell Rev I said hi," I said.

"Have Liz and Josh call before they drive home," Mom said.

"I'll do that," I replied. "Love you, Mom."

"Love you too, Kyle," Mom said before ending the call.

I put my food in the refrigerator when I got back and went to my room to check on Kelly. She was awake but still lying in bed.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Like shit," Kelly growled.

"Would you like aspirin and water?" I replied.

"Please," she responded.

"Why don't you go take a long hot shower," I said. "You'll feel better."

"Thank you, Kyle," Kelly said. "That will help." I got aspirin and a glass of water for Kelly while she got her shower things together. She headed upstairs while I went out and settled on the couch with the newspaper.

Florida was idle on Saturday. Jeremy's Notre Dame team went out to LA and beat UCLA 34-21. Jeremy had nine tackles and an interception in the game. Rutgers hosted Syracuse, beating the Orangemen 31-20. Hal Long had four PATs and a field goal to help his team win. Jake Kring did not play for Syracuse. West Virginia lost to Cincinnati 27-24 in overtime. Drew McCormick had a dozen carries for 47 yards in the loss.

The undefeated teams at the top of the BCS listings stayed that way, even Georgia Tech. They played up in Virginia this weekend. The #13 Cavaliers were favored over the #7 Yellowjackets by one point. Things worked out better than that for GT. They won 44-17 in a rout. People were going to have to give the Yellowjackets some respect.

Kelly came downstairs before I could read further in the paper. "Are you feeling better honey?" I asked.

"I feel like crap," Kelly answered.

"Do you want breakfast?" I asked.

"I don't know," Kelly answered.

"I could make you toast and orange juice," I suggested. Without thinking I added, "That usually goes OK on the stomach when you have had too much to drink."

I knew the second Kelly fixed her bloodshot eyes in mine that I was in terrible trouble. "Drink too much!" Kelly snarled. "DRINK TOO MUCH!" Kelly launched into a diatribe excoriating me. She called me a hick Mennonite farmer, a temperance Nazi and a overbearing, intolerant, manipulative prick.

I did surprisingly well at holding my usually quick temper. I let her go on for about five minutes before I interrupted her.

"God damn it, Kelly!" I exclaimed over her squawking. She paused to let me speak. "You drink too much. I love you and don't want you to get hurt. We just can't continue this way."

"FINE!" Kelly snapped. "I need a ride back to my apartment." Kelly turned her back on me and pointedly looked away from me. I grabbed my keys and escorted Kelly out to my car. We drove back to her place in cold, chilling silence.

When we arrived outside her apartment I leaned across closer to Kelly and said, "I hate when we fight. I'm sorry. I love..." Kelly turned away, climbed out of the car and slammed the door in my face. I pulled away and drove back to my apartment.

When I got back I found out the fight between Kelly and me woke up everyone else in the apartment. Jay and his girl du jour were upstairs showering. Trevor and Stephanie were hanging out in the living room with Josh and Liz. I briefed the four of them about my fight. Everyone sympathized with my predicament. I offered to make breakfast for everyone. Trevor and Steph passed. They were going downtown for brunch after they cleaned up.

I made breakfast for Liz and Josh while they waited for their turns in the shower. The couple thanked me for letting them stay overnight after the game and letting them enjoy a real college party. They headed for home after breakfast and their showers.

I went back to reading the newspaper after Liz and Josh left. I moved on to the next page where the Inquirer covers local football teams. Andy's team went down to Richmond yesterday and beat the Spiders 28-24 yesterday. It put Andy's Blue Hens firmly in first place in the southern division of the Colonial Athletic Association. Andy caught two passes for 52 yards and the winning touchdown.

I spent the rest of the afternoon reading the paper and then reading my anthropology assignment. I flipped on the TV and watched Pittsburgh thrash Cleveland as I worked. The occasional trailer across the bottom of the screen caught my attention. Zack and the Green Bay Packers were beating up on the Seahawks out in Seattle. By the time the afternoon was done Zack's team had won 31-10.

This was excellent news for my good friend. After an 0-4 start Zack's team had won three straight games. The three teams they beat were the Rams, the Lions and the Seahawks, but still it was a good performance after the shaky start for the season.

Chip Brinton got into trouble with Coach Burton when he showed up for dinner Sunday night without his crutches. Coach made Chip sit until his roommate Matt Frye could go back to Hartranft and retrieve the crutches the trainers wanted Chip to use. Protests that his ankle felt fine and he didn't need them anymore fell on deaf ears. I could see Chip was still limping a little. Maybe Chip would be ready to play on Saturday.

Jay was still riding the emotional high of winning a huge game for us. He expected that his performance would lead to him starting next Saturday when we played Iowa. One of my friends was going to be bitterly disappointed. I decided to keep my head down, focus on my own role on the team and let Coach Burton sort out who would start the next game.

--oooOooo--

Kelly had not cooled off by history class on Monday. She sat at the opposite side of the room and did not speak to me at all before or after class. I let her cool down. Hopefully she would see reason eventually.

Chip showed up at Monday's practice in street clothes and watched from the sideline. The crutches were gone but the trainers wouldn't let him practice yet. Maybe he could go in tomorrow if his ankle continued healing.

Jay ran the first string offense throughout practice. He ran the team with confidence and authority. He hit me on three deep passes that were things of beauty. This was how I had expected the offense to run a year ago before Jay's accident. Jay was going to make Coach Burton's decision on who would start difficult.

Chip showed up for practice Tuesday afternoon dressed to work. Coach Burton had him watch for the first half of practice while Jay ran the first team. Coach sent Chip in to run things in the second half of practice. Neither Jay nor Chip were happy to share reps as the first string quarterback.

Both of my friends strived to outshine the other at practice. Both assumed the starting quarterback spot was up for grabs. Neither knew what Coach Burton had said a couple hours earlier during his weekly interview session with the press. We didn't find out until Wednesday morning when the Daily Collegian reported the press conference.

Coach Burton was asked directly who would start on Saturday against Iowa. He answer: 'Brinton is my starter assuming his ankle is healed. Our trainers tell me he will be ready to play on Saturday so you will find him under center when the game starts.' Apparently the reporters pressed Coach for comparisons of the two quarterbacks. He said this about Jay: 'North is a top notch quarterback who will do well if he has to play. Our team is confident regardless of which man is the QB.'

The reporters continued to press him about the "quarterback controversy." Coach was unequivocal. 'I have no interest in playing musical quarterbacks. I chose Winfield Brinton to start last August. He's my starter as long as he is healthy and effective.' The reporter asked, 'In light of his eleven interceptions, is Brinton effective?'

Coach was direct in his answer, 'He is effective when you balance the interceptions against nineteen touchdowns passing.' There was no doubt after Coach Burton's press conference. Chip would start on Saturday.

Jay did not take the news well. He went into as a deep a funk as he had back in August when he lost the starting job to Chip in the first place. He was withdrawn and uncommunicative before practice on Wednesday. He went out and did his job but talked with no one.

Coach Burton had Chip run the first team for the first half of practice that afternoon. Jay ran the first team for the second half of practice. Chip wasn't limping anymore. Everyone knew he would be ready to play Saturday.

--oooOooo--

Kelly and I called a truce to our fight before history on Wednesday. Neither of us was ready to change our position on drinking but we missed each other. We let the issue wait for later resolution. We made plans to have lunch together Thursday. Our busy schedules didn't allow more time together until the weekend.

The two of us were invited to go out to dinner with Mom and Dad after the game on Saturday. Dad is just as big a barbecue hound as me. I convinced him to try out Damon's Grill instead of stopping at the steakhouse like we usually did.

Kelly met me outside the Sparks Building a few minutes after noon on Thursday. I didn't have another class until 2:30, so we decided to have a leisurely lunch downtown. We ended up having sandwiches at Spats. We had a good, long, pleasant conversation as we ate. We purposely skirted the drinking issue. Neither of us was ready to face up to that yet. We parted with kisses and exchanges of 'I love you.' We wouldn't see each other again until Saturday after the game.

Iowa always presented challenges for our team. They were well coached and played fundamentally sound football. They were patient and waited to take advantage of mistakes that their opponents made. The game could be a trap for us with our inconsistent but explosive offense given how we made too many mistakes during our games this season. If we got careless with the ball we would lose.

Chip ran the first string alone on Thursday and Friday. His ankle was a little tender but would be ready for Saturday's game. Coach Burton's game plan for Iowa was similar to our plan for Ohio State. That made sense since Iowa played football similar to Ohio State. They had a big offensive line. They played conservatively and waited for their opponent to make a mistake.

We would run the ball in the first half and wear down the Iowa defensive line. Our offensive line would be able to get comfortable with straight forward run blocking. We would stick to safer short and medium depth passes to start with. In the second half when Iowa's defense wore down we would stretch the field with play action passes. We were confident our coach's plan would work.

The weather through the week had been pleasant, for State College, with temperatures varying from the mid-thirties at night to the high forties or low fifties during the day. Thursday night an arctic cold front came down from Canada and froze us.

It was twenty-two degrees Friday morning when I walked down to the Mix to get a breakfast sandwich and the newspaper. I needed a hat and gloves. I also wished I knew where I had put the scarf I packed when I moved back to campus in the summer. The weather report said the arctic air was going to stick around for a few days.

The grad assistants warned everyone before our afternoon practice to dress for the cold. Coach decided practice would be outside. The temperature was still below thirty when practice started at 3:45 pm. Everyone kept moving during practice to stay warm. Coaches worked us for our full practice time before letting us go inside to shower and warm up.

The team dinner and meetings filled the evening before we headed over to Toftrees for the night. Wind howled outside our rooms that evening. Trevor and I turned the heat up in our room before bedtime.

I flipped on the TV while Trevor showered Saturday morning. The weatherman reported the temperature dropped to nineteen degrees last night, tying the record for the coldest October 29th set back in 1976. I felt sorry for all those students back then. This was just too damn cold for the end of October.

I hoped Mom and Dad dressed warmly for the game. They would freeze in the stands otherwise. I had the advantage of working hard when I was on the field or standing near our sideline heaters when the defense was playing.

ABC made our game one of their regional games, so kickoff was at 3:30 pm. We had extra time to prepare and also had extra time for the sun to warm our stadium. The blue buses hauled us over to the Lasch Building after breakfast.

Tyler Madden, Josh Bruno and Wyatt Smith were hosting this week's recruits with a game time assist from Jon Stafford. We had four visitors this weekend: Grant Turner, a running back from Williamsport, Pa, Daniel Murphy, a free safety from Massillon, Ohio, Kevin Giordano a safety from Reston, Va., and Mark Markovich, a linebacker from Youngstown, Ohio. All four were seniors making official visits to our team.

The recruits and their parents had lunch with the team. After lunch we completed our pre-game preparations and rode over to the stadium. It was damn cold when we went outside to "warm up." I helped Chip warm up his arm and fielded a few punts for Mitch Jackson while he got himself ready.

I spotted the "Kyle's Krazies" sign the guys from East Halls always hung up. I went over and talked with them for a couple minutes. I call them the guys from East Halls but I didn't really know where they stayed anymore. They were juniors like me and I was sure they lived off campus now. They hung their banner at every home game. I felt I owed them for their steadfast support for the past two years.

I looked around for Bev, Cindy, Kelly and Jen's sign but couldn't find it. I asked Christian, "Have you seen our girlfriends? I don't see our sign." The four roommates had hung the first "Kyle's Krazies" and "Christian's Crew" sign for us two years earlier when few people knew who we were.

"Bev and Cindy had a fight with Kelly and Jen," Christian explained. "The girls are worried about how much drinking and partying Kelly and Jen are doing."

"Ah, I see," I said. "I didn't know Kelly was getting pressure from her roommates too. She and I have been fighting about the same thing."

"I know," Christian said. "Bev has explained about the uhh ... tension." Christian pointed towards the lower end of the student section. "Bev and Cindy are over there." I nodded my understanding. "I have no idea where your girlfriend is sitting." I started scanning the student section, looking for my girlfriend. "Keep the faith, Kyle," Christian said. "You're doing the right thing getting your life under control."

"I know I am," I agreed. "I just wish I could get Kelly to understand that too."

"God willing, she'll come to understand," Christian replied.

"Amen to that," I agreed as Christian and I jogged back into the tunnel and into the warm locker room.

--oooOooo--

Iowa won the coin toss and took the ball on the kickoff. Our defensive line is big and tough. They stood up to the pounding from Iowa's big offensive line. Josh Bruno, Brendan Hayden and Jarrell Cook filled the holes and stopped the Hawkeyes running attack. Five plays later they punted the ball back to me. I made a good twenty-one yard return but wasn't able to break through.

We started at our own 41 yard line. They put two defensive backs on me every play. They shaded a linebacker underneath me too on obvious passing plays. They weren't interested in taking chances with me the way Michigan and USC had. Christian and Max were both singled covered. I expected them to have big days.

We worked the ball down the field patiently, relying on Damian to carry the load. Nine plays later, six runs and three short passes, Damian blasted the ball into the end zone to give us our first touchdown.

Our defense continued to play solid. This time they forced Iowa to punt after seven plays. Christian took their punt and returned it to our 31 yard line. Coach Burton continued pounding Iowa's defense, running Damian or Wyatt Smith at them repeatedly. On third and two at our 40 yard line we tried to cross up Iowa's defense. I ran an eight yard crossing route. Chip hit me in stride as I passed the middle linebacker who had primary coverage for that short zone. I broke away from the strong safety's tackle and then ran away from the free safety. I sprinted down the field and into the end zone. Score: 14-0 Penn State

I was happy on the sideline. Talk about good YAC – yards after the catch. I caught an eight yard pass and made fifty-two yards after the catch. That is the way to do it!

Our fired up defense stopped the Hawkeyes after three quick plays and a punt. Coach Burton gave the Hawkeyes more of the same when we got the ball back. A lot of running with a few passes mixed in. Ten plays later Damian took an outlet pass from the four yard line and bulled his way into the end zone when Chip couldn't find an open wide receiver in the end zone. Score: 21-0 Penn State

Iowa did manage to score a touchdown on us in the first half with a lot of hard running and a good play by their best receiver. He managed to get in behind Denzel Hunt and slip into the end zone before Tyler Madden could tackle him.

We were satisfied to go into half time with a 21-7 lead. Iowa's defense had been on the field for nineteen of the thirty minutes in the first half. Our pounding had to be taking its toll.

I took the second half kickoff at the goal line and returned it 27 yards. Iowa's coverage was excellent. Coach Burton called a run up the middle for our first play. Chip recognized that Iowa slipped an eighth man up in the box to defend on the run. He called an audible and switched us to a play action pass.

Christian headed deep at the snap. I smiled as I saw the free safety sprint towards Christian to help cover him deep. I was one on one with my cornerback. I faked an out route and turned back inside when he went to my left. Three steps later I was open and Chip fired the ball to me. I caught it, turned down field and sprinted for the end zone, angling away from the out of position free safety. No one touched me before I streaked into the end zone. Andrew booted the PAT through to extend our lead to 28-7.

Iowa managed to sustain a drive on the next series. Our defense yielded but held them to a field goal instead of a TD. With a 28-10 lead in the third quarter, Coach Burton went into ball control mode. Damian, Wyatt and Charlie took turns running the ball at the Hawkeyes. We didn't manage to score but we ran nearly eight minutes off the clock. Mitch Jackson pinned Iowa down at their seven yard line with his coffin corner punt.

I must give Iowa credit. They were persistent and poised. They worked the ball down the field, mixing passes and runs to keep our pass rush at bay. Their quarterback got hot. He squeezed balls into impossible locations. We had him down to third and twelve. Shawn Byrd had the primary receiver blanketed so he could barely breathe. The QB drilled the ball in to the receiver anyway. I had no idea how he did it. He kept the drive going, ending up floating a ball into the back of the end zone to his tight end. Score: 28-17 Penn State

Half a minute remained in the third quarter. Coach Burton had us begin another pounding, time consuming drive. Damian, Wyatt and Charlie pounded the ball at Iowa's defense. They tried sliding an extra guy up into the box to help with the run. Chip spotted it immediately and made the Hawkeyes pay. This time he hit Max Rosen going across the middle on a slant. Max took off after he caught the ball and sprinted downfield. Iowa's free safety took him down fifteen yards short of the end zone. Chip found Christian one on one in the back of the end zone on the next play and drilled the ball to him. Score: 35-17 Penn State

We were successful scoring but we only ran three and half minutes off the clock. Iowa took the ball and went to work. Our defense harassed them. Trevor sacked the QB. Bill and Mehmed kept him under pressure. They were forced to punt the ball back to us. Brian Henson took the punt, sprinted right and dodged a couple tacklers before he was taken down. Brian gained 22 yards on the return, giving us the ball on our 45 yard line.

We punched the ball right at Iowa again. Damian was gaining more yards with each carry as the defense tired. Chip hit me with a quick out pass to keep the defense off balance. Damian ran up the middle again. Chip went for a quick out to Christian this time to loosen things up. Unfortunately the cornerback on that side anticipated the play and jumped in front of Christian to intercept the ball. The cornerback ran the ball back 63 yards before Christian and I could push him out of bounds.

Iowa had the ball on our 12 yard line. Our defense is good but we couldn't keep them out of the end zone. It took them five plays to stuff the ball into the end zone and kick the PAT. Our lead was reduced to 35-24, which was considerably less comfortable.

We played ball control again. We pounded the ball down the field. Our drive stalled out at Iowa's 34 yard line. Andrew Perkins tried a 51 yard field goal. The ball bounced off the left upright and skittered out. It was still a good drive. We left 1:57 on the clock for Iowa. They needed two scores to win.

Iowa's quarterback ran their two minute offense to perfection. He moved his team right down the field on our defense. Our defense stiffened when Iowa got close to our red zone. They needed six plays and all three of their time outs to get the ball into the end zone. 0:37 remained on the clock when they kicked the PAT to narrow our lead to 35-31.

Coach Ferguson sent the hands team out for the on-side kick. Christian scooped the ball up before any Hawkeye could touch it. Chip kneeled down to run the clock out on the game.

Iowa had proved to be a good opponent, pushing us harder than we had expected. Our team played well. The offense had two penalties all day. Chip threw four touchdowns against the one interception.

Christian was our leading receiver, catching eight passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. Damian carried the ball 24 times for 142 yards for one touchdown. He caught four passes for 37 yards and his other touchdown.

I caught six passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns. I added one kick return for 21 yards and one punt return for 27 yards. It was a good day for me but not a great day. Iowa was determined that I wouldn't kill them. That opened things up for Christian who was able to make them pay.

I did the obligatory interviews from the tunnel where I was out of the cold. Now that the game was over and the sun was down it was freezing outside. Most of the questions were routine. I tried to emphasize that I thought Chip played well in the game, reminding every reporter that he had four TDs against the one interception.

It was almost eight o'clock by the time I showered, changed and met Kelly and my parents outside the Lasch Building. Dad offered to drive everyone since Damon's Grill was close by.

Damon's was packed when we arrived. We waited half an hour for a table. I did autographs and talked with fans while we waited. Kelly was totally used to that. It was a standard part of any date we had. Dad had been to enough games by now not to let the fans bother him. He knew what it was like for me on game day. Mom was less comfortable with all the people coming up to talk with me. This was her second time at dinner with me after a game.

I ordered a whole rack of ribs for myself. I was famished after the light lunch and no food after the long game. Dad ordered half a rack of ribs. Mom and Kelly both ordered the pulled pork sandwiches. Dinner was delicious.

Kelly excused herself to go the lady's room as we were finishing dinner. As soon as Kelly was gone Mom asked, "Are you and Kelly having problems? Things seemed strained between the two of you this evening."

"Kelly and I had a fight last weekend," I admitted. "We're working things out but it takes time."

"I could talk with Kelly if you want me to," Mom offered. "Maybe a woman to woman talk would help."

"Thanks for the offer Mom but I don't think so," I said.

I desperately wanted to shout out 'Yes, help me fix this. I love this girl but she's driving me crazy right now.' I couldn't say it. That would lead to too many admissions about my past drinking and about Kelly's drinking. Mom wouldn't approve of any of that.

All I added was, "This is something Kelly and I have to work out on our own."

"Your father and I are always willing to listen, Kyle..." Mom said. " ... to anything."

"Thanks Mom, we're fine," I hedged. Maybe I did need to find someone to talk to but our troubles but it wasn't Mom or Dad. Maybe Justin Baer, Zack Hayes or ... Will! I should call Will tomorrow. Maybe my big brother would have some ideas that would help Kelly and me.

Kelly returned a minute later. None of us let on about our discussion while she was gone. We decided to live dangerously and have dessert. Dad drove us back to campus after we finished our meal.

I had Dad drop us off at the corner of Pollock and McKean. If Dad dropped us off at my apartment Mom and Dad might want to drop in. Jay and Trevor were setting up for the night's party. We didn't need parents visiting and finding all the beer.

Kelly and I thanked Mom and Dad for dinner and wished them a safe drive home. Kelly and I walked the couple hundred yards over to my apartment. Trevor, Stephanie and Jay were nearly finished setting up for the party. Kelly and I helped our friends finish preparations.

We had a good turnout for our party. Tyler Madden brought the recruits over from the party at the apartment Josh Bruno, Wyatt Smith, Bill Daugherty and Elijah Pitts shared. The recruits visited the guys over there but weren't into the whole country music and NASCAR interests of the partiers. They were more interested in rocking out with us.

Kelly's brother Mike showed up escorting Amanda Long again. Mike proudly let us know they were a couple now. I congratulated them. Kelly had known for about a week.

I planned to divert Kelly's attention from drinking that evening the way I had the previous weekend. I planned to make out a lot and keep her more interested in sex than in drinking. It worked, but only to a limited extent.

Kelly and I were in the kitchen getting our third beers for the evening when she announced, "This party is boring. Let's go down to Omega Chi and see what's up."

"No, I'd rather not," I replied. "You remember what happened the last time we went to one of their parties."

"Drinking!" Kelly growled. "Are you going to start on the temperance lectures again?" Before I could answer she snapped, "I am NOT in the mood for lectures tonight." She spun around and stormed out of the kitchen. I followed at a safe distance. Kelly's outburst was heard in the living room. Trevor, Stephanie and Jay all gave my sympathetic looks when I came back into the room.

I talked with the recruits to kill time while Kelly cooled down. Mark Markovich, the linebacker from Youngstown, Ohio was a real student of the game. I enjoyed talking about defensive and offensive philosophies.

Mark knew football and he was a big guy for a high school senior. He weighed maybe 230-235 pounds. He was big enough to play in the Big Ten today. He was going to be a real handful when he started proper weight training and went on our diet regimen.

Mark followed some of the top linebackers around the country, commenting on the strengths and weaknesses he saw as he watched them play on TV. I couldn't help laughing when he told me his favorite college linebacker was Jeremy North.

I told him Jeremy and I were close friends who grew up together. Mark's mom was pushing him to go to Notre Dame. Their family was Catholic. Mark's dad was more pragmatic. He wanted his son to attend the school that gave him the best experience as an athlete and a student. I pushed our university's reputation as Linebacker U.