Chapter 10

Sunday afternoon Damian and I spent most of the afternoon with about a third of my teammates studying video, the play book and the game plan for our contest with USC in twelve days. Campus was nearly deserted. Students were home for Christmas break. The only people left on campus were faculty and a few grad students. The spirit squad and the Blue Band were home until the day after Christmas, when they would join us in California. We had to eat all our meals at the Training Table. Otherwise the dining halls on campus were shut down.

I felt pretty good about myself. I had all my Christmas shopping done, wrapped and at home where Mom made sure they were under our tree. I had my gift ready for our team Christmas party. Each player pulled a name from a hat and bought a gift for that teammate. We planned to exchange gifts after dinner on Christmas Day. It wasn't like home, but these guys were family now.

Monday morning I went to the HUB to buy my spring semester books at the bookstore. Most students were reporting back to school on Friday, January 8th or Saturday the 9th. Classes started the following Monday. I could pick up an extra two days at home by getting books early. I wasn't the only football team member with that idea. Half dozen other guys were there while I bought my books.

My teammates and I spent the next three days studying for the game, reviewing film, resting and healing. The rest after almost five hectic months was welcome. We even found time to relax over pool, poker, foosball and video games in the evening.

The team organized a Tuesday afternoon briefing session for all freshmen on the team. The PR people in the athletic department taught us how to deal with print and TV reporters. They talked about respecting our opponents when we talked so we didn't hand them motivation when we played them. They explained about on-record and off-record interviews. They reminded us we were representing our teammates, our coaches and our university.

They showed us tapes of good interviews and bad interviews to make sure we got the message. They taped us doing practice interviews and then critiqued them to help us improve our technique. I appreciated their help. I was going to need to be prepared when my turn came to be in front of the press.

Coach Burton called me into his office Wednesday morning. He motioned me to have a seat in front of his desk.

I asked, "What's up, Coach?"

"You have had quite a season for a freshman, Kyle."

"Thank you, sir. I'm trying to do whatever I can to help our team."

Coach Burton explained, "I've had a lot of media requests to do interviews with you. Your top ranking on kick returns and top 10 ranking in all purpose yards have excited our fans. They'd like to know who this new kid is. Are you willing to sit down with reporters for interviews when we do media day next Saturday?"

"Sure, Coach. No problem," I said. "I've done interviews before when I was in high school."

"I don't think you know how big this is. You've never seen anything like the frenzy at a BCS bowl game."

"I did a press conference after my high school team won the state championship game. I'll be OK."

Coach Burton chuckled. "I'll make sure a PR person is with you throughout the media day."

"OK, Coach," I agreed. "Was yesterday's PR seminar put in to help me get ready for this?"

"No, not really. We usually do the PR seminar for freshman this time of year. You're done with fall semester and don't have as many demands on your time as you do in the spring, summer or fall."

"I'll do my best for you, Coach. Thanks for trusting me on this." I said.

My parents called me on my cell phone Wednesday night. My grades for my first semester had arrived. I knew I had passed Math 110 since I was still in the traveling plans for our team. Two guys – Max Rosen and Jarrell Cook, a freshman linebacker, were sent home. They hadn't met the academic requirements to make the trip.

After Dad explained about the letter arriving, he asked, "Can your mother and I open the letter with your grades? It's addressed to you, not us."

"Sure, Dad, go ahead." I answered. I had to wait about thirty seconds while he digested the contents.

Dad said, "Here they are: Educational Psychology 14 – A-, English 15 – B+, History 1 – A, Math 110..." I steeled my nerves. "C+" Dad said. I breathed a sigh of relief. A C+ was damn good considering my mid-term exam grade. This was great news. Dad continued, "Political Science 1 – A-. Your..."

I interrupted, "Fantastic! Thanks for calling me, Dad."

Dad asked, "Don't you want to know the rest?"

"OK"

"Your grade point average for the semester is 3.31. You didn't make the Dean's List but this still pretty good for your first semester of college, Kyle."

"Thanks, Dad. I appreciate you saying that. I was afraid it would be a lot worse in the middle of the semester."

Dad asked, "When do you leave for California?"

"I meet the bus at 7:00 am tomorrow morning. We'll get there between 4 and 5:00 pm. I'll call when I get to my room so you'll know how to get in touch if you need to while I'm out there."

"That sounds good, Kyle. Here's your mother. She wants to talk too." Dad said. He handed the phone over to Mom. We talked for a few minutes and then it was Andy's turn, followed by Will, Abby and finally Liz. I wished everyone a Merry Christmas before the phone call was over.

Damian and I were up at 6:00 am on December 24th. We headed across the hall to join the rest of our teammates/dorm mates in the showers. Half an hour later the twelve of us from fourth floor Hartranft were dressed in coats and ties, carrying our luggage over to Pollock Commons and the Training Table to catch a little breakfast before we left campus.

A few people from the athletic department, some local high school kids and the Nowak family saw us off on the buses in front of the Lasch Building. Jeremiah was from State College, so his family could give him an in-person sendoff that the rest of our families only dreamed of. Our charter buses took us out to the State College Airport for the charter flight to LA.

The flight out to LA took six hours. We passed the time playing cards, listening to music, sleeping and just hanging with friends. I spent an hour talking with Zack and Aaron about press conferences, picking their brains for ideas to help me present myself properly. It was a long flight. I was glad when we finally landed in LAX. I thought we were almost done traveling. Hah!

It took us an hour to get our luggage, find our tour buses and get on the road. My only previous experiences with LA traffic were at 10 o'clock on a Friday night and late in the morning on a Sunday. The previous summer's traffic was easy compared to what we faced on the 27 mile drive to our hotel in Pasadena.

This was the day before Christmas. Everyone who had last minute shopping was out. Everyone who was flying away for the holiday was out. The freeways were nearly gridlocked. Coach Burton had to call ahead to warn our hotel to hold our supper. It took an hour and a half to get to the hotel, the Westin Pasadena. I pointed out the USC campus and the Coliseum to my teammates as we crawled past it on I-110.

The hotel was well organized at getting us checked in and our luggage to our rooms. We gathered again in one of the banquet rooms around 7:00 pm for dinner. Coach Burton lectured us on the conduct he expected from us during our eight day stay in Pasadena – no booze, 11:00 pm curfew, bed checks, no guests, especially female guests.

After dinner the traveling staff handed out maps of the area that showed where the nearest churches were located and the times for their Christmas Eve services were.

Christian and I talked with some of our friends and organized a group to go to the local Presbyterian Church for their 9:00 pm services. Jay, Trevor, and Damian went with us. Christian invited his roommate G. J. DeLuca to come too, but G. J. found a Catholic church a few blocks the opposite direction from ours.

The church was a modern building that looked to be less than 30 years old. A soaring bell tower dominated the corner of Colorado Boulevard and Madison Avenue. The sanctuary was massive, easily holding 700-1000 people. The stunning stained glass windows rose to the arched ceiling. A massive suspended cross dominated the front of the sanctuary. The most impressive feature of the church was the organ. Ranks of organ pipes filled the sanctuary with exquisite sound of traditional Christmas hymns.

The minister's message was moving, truly in keeping with the celebration of Christ's birth. I understood how someone with her talent could fill a church of this size. The most moving part of the night was when we concluded the service with the choir singing Silent Night in the original German (Stille Nacht). I quietly sang along with them (auf Deutsch, natürlich).

I felt the spirit of Christmas even though a big part of Christmas for me has always been family. The three thousand miles separating us didn't seem to matter quite as much. I was in good company to celebrate Christmas if I couldn't be home.

The coaches let us sleep late on Christmas morning. The team brunch wasn't scheduled until 11:30 am. Nobody, except maybe Christian and G. J., minded. After brunch the coaches recruited a group of team members to go to the local hospital to distribute toys to the kids. Christian and I volunteered along with about a dozen other teammates. Our name stars were included (drafted?) of course – Zack, Aaron, Antwaan, Cuch, and Pete.

I was glad I went along to distribute presents to the kids. It was a little depressing to see these kids stuck in the hospital on Christmas Day, especially the bald-headed kids fighting cancer. I needed to remember the less fortunate in our world. I had been blessed in so many ways. I hope I never forget that lesson.

I called home when I got back to the hotel. I talked with most of my family and relatives. Mom claimed she didn't cry when we talked, but I knew better. I assured her I was doing fine out here in LA.

Our team Christmas dinner was held at our hotel. We had turkey, ham, stuffing, vegetables, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie for dessert. We lingered over dessert enjoying our relaxed time together.

The lights were turned down low after dinner so the candles on the tables provided the primary light to the room. Bo, Aaron, Les Jones and Derek Whitaker took turns reading the Christmas story from the Gospel according to Luke. It was quite moving.

When that was done the house lights came back on and Coach Burton announced it was time to begin exchanging Christmas gifts. Most of the gifts were gag gifts. That was good. I hadn't gotten something serious for my recipient, Evan Foster. When it was Evan's turn I presented him with a carefully wrapped shirt box containing my gift to him.

Evan unwrapped it and found the box contained Snoopy and the Red Baron sheets for his bed. I teased, "These will come in handy on Saturday nights if you end up with dirty sheets."

Evan responded, "I wonder how I'd get dirty sheets on a Saturday night?"

Half the team knew about me and Kimberly leaving Evan's bed a little messy when we hooked up a few Saturday's ago. Both of us had received a fair amount of teasing about it from our friends.

I didn't know who pulled my name in the drawing. It turned out it was Jake Washington, Zack, Aaron and Evan's roommate. Jake handed me a huge 24"x24"x30" box garishly wrapped in day-glow orange wrapping paper with a lime green bow. I opened it to find it contained four smaller boxes.

The first box was marked 'VW Repair Kit.' It contained a roll of duct tape, a bag of rubber bands and a card that said: 'For Help Call – Dad 717-555-3276'. The second box was marked 'Mom's Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies'. It contained a Zip-Lock bag of off-white powder marked 'Flour', another marked 'Sugar', a bag of chocolate chips, a bottle of squeeze margarine, and a note: 'Some Assembly Required'. The third box was an electric razor box. The box contained two AA batteries and a note – 'Gift not included.' The last box was marked 'White Kid Hairdo Redo'. I opened it and found a Jamaican Tam complete with attached dreadlocks.

I modeled my new hat to the delight of my teammates. "It's you!" "You look better now, White Boy." "What'sup mon?"

I grinned and said, "Thanks, Jake. I'll always treasure this. You made my Christmas." I tried to take the hat off. The guys wouldn't allow it.

We had fun with all the gag gifts. Some were hilarious; others were a bit over the top. Bo Cherry received a '12 Shots of Christmas' wreath with shots glasses placed on a wreath for each of the twelve days of Christmas. Karol Ziska gave Zack Hayes the funniest and the most questionable gift – a pair of stress relieving breasts. They're like the stress balls you squeeze except they're shaped like naked women's breasts.

Karol teased, "This is something to help when Coach Burton or Coach Schroeder get on your case."

Zack answered, "I'll treasure these, Karol. Thank you." Coach Burton seemed bemused by the gift. Zack left the fake breasts sitting on the table in plain sight.

Coach Burton reached his limit after a couple minutes. He interrupted Jeremiah Nowak's gift opening to say, "Hayes would you cover those things up. We're having a family friendly Christmas."

Zack gathered up the stress breasts and put them back in the box. He ostentatiously gave the breasts a couple squeezes then answered, "Sure, Coach. No problem." Coach Burton rolled his eyes and shook his head at Zack's needling.

Coach Burton went over our schedule for the coming week. Each day we would meet here in the banquet room for breakfast between 8:00 am and 8:30 am. After that we'd catch buses over to a local high school for our morning workout.

Each afternoon the team had a trip to some southern Californian attraction. Tomorrow the team was going to the taping of Jay Leno's Tonight Show. Some of us, including me, were going to the Media Day at the Rose Bowl Stadium instead.

After breakfast on Saturday (the 26th) we loaded up on the buses and rode over to the La Salle High School football field. A high school locker room was a step down from what we had become accustomed to in college, but it was acceptable for a few days until our bowl game. The football field was an immaculately kept high school style field surrounded by a six lane track. We didn't have as much space to practice as we had back at our outdoor fields in State College.

We made the best of what was available. Coach Burton had us going at half speed, no contact as we worked on understanding and then counteracting USC's expected offensive and defensive schemes. I thought practice went well. Everyone concentrated on performing their parts in our game plan.

The buses hauled us back to the Westin for lunch. Two buses took most of the team to the taping of Jay Leno's show. The rest of us boarded the third bus to go over to the Rose Bowl Stadium to meet the press. I wasn't the only freshman invited. Trevor Conwell had played outstandingly in the second half of the season. He moved up the depth chart to #2 at left defensive end. He logged significant playing time and three sacks during the course of the season.

Zack Hayes, Shawn O'Conner, Evan Foster, Bo Cherry and Jelani "J. T." Hill represented the offense. Antwaan Booker, Jake Washington, Trevor Conwell, Pete Klein, Karol Ziska, Dom "Cuch"Cuchiella, and Aaron Morano represented our defense. Cooper Barnes and I were the only special teams players invited to the media day.

The Rose Bowl officials assigned USC the southern half of the field for interviews with their players. We had the northern half of the field. The bowl staff provided tables and chairs for each player being interviewed. Alex Szabo, from our athletic department communications staff, set up Trevor and me near each other. He promised to be handy if we had any questions or problems during our interviews.

I guess there were 200-300 reporters, photographers and cameramen present for media day. The stars on our team, Zack, Antwaan, Aaron, Pete and Shawn drew most of the attention. The rest of us had a steady stream of interviewers stop by.

Mr. Montgomery, from the Lancaster evening paper, stopped by first. He and I had done half a dozen interviews together already while I was in high school. He was a good reporter and I enjoyed talking with him on the record again. He stopped by after every game this season to talk with me unofficially.

I did film interviews with channels 8, 21, 27 and 43 from back home. All the stations sent reporters to cover the game. It must be a nice job to have to fly out to California for a week to watch a football game. I'd need to call home when the interviewing was done and warn my parents to watch the news for my interviews.

Todd Blackledge from ESPN stopped by to talk also. I had met him a few times before when he was in State College to broadcast our games this season. The other times I talked with him it was off the record in his capacity as a Penn State alumni and quarterback of our 1982 national championship team.

Media day lasted about two and a half hours. It was boring by the end of the afternoon. Everyone asked the same half a dozen questions. Who was going to win the game? What would the final score be? Was I happy at Penn State? How much playing time did I expect to get? I repeated my answers for each questioner.

Mr. Steele from Channel 8 did surprise me with one of his questions. Did I make any friends on the USC team when I visited them when I was in high school? I said I considered Brady Rasmussen a friend. Brady was my guide around campus when I visited and we had talked a few more times that fall while I was considering which college I would attend. Brady and I hadn't talked in a year. Mr. Steele asked if I would be willing to meet with Brady for a couple questions. I agreed.

Brady consented too. We posed together for pictures. Mr. Steele asked us to predict the winner of our game. Of course I chose Penn State and Brady knew USC would win. Each of us was asked to evaluate the other's performance this season.

It was easy for me to praise Brady's performance. Brady was ranked #10 in the nation. His 242 completions in 375 attempts for 3146 yards this season was excellent. Zack Hayes was ranked #9 and his stats were 248 completions in 372 attempts for 3101 yards. At 24 TDs, Brady had two more touchdowns than Zack. His 10 interceptions were also two more than Zack had. I explained how my two friends were in a dead heat statistically. Both had played excellent football as juniors in their first year starting.

Brady praised my work as a returner and as a receiver. He said his team would have to cover me closely to make sure I didn't score. He pledged I wouldn't be getting any deep passes next Friday at the game.

Mr. Steele's final question was the one I expected – why did I choose Penn State over USC? This is how I answered the question:

"This choice was the hardest decision in my life. I'd have loved to play with Brady and the Trojans. They have one of the best teams in the country. I know Brady and I would have become close friends. I know he'd have helped me be very successful out here in California. I've known Zack Hayes nearly half my life. He taught me how to play football and he's a heck of a player too. I owe any success I have had to Zack's tutelage.

"In the end my choice of Penn State over USC was based on my family and my girlfriend. I couldn't stand being separated from them by 3000 miles. I wanted to be able to see them more often."

Mr. Steele asked, "No regrets at your choice?"

"Yes. I wish Brady and I could have played together. I'd have loved to see what we could do on the same team."

Mr. Steele thanked both of us when the interview was over. Brady and I had a couple minutes to talk before I had to head back to the hotel and Brady had to go back to his campus. We shook hands and I said, "It's really good to see you again. Congratulations on a hell of a season." Brady's stats were better than Jared Dillard's first season as a starter. Jared Dillard was USC's almost Heisman winner last season and three season starter as the previous QB at USC.

"Thanks, Kyle. I appreciate you saying that. You've had a good season yourself."

I replied, "Thanks, Brady."

"I wish I could have convinced you to come here to 'SC with me. I would have enjoyed playing with you. We would have made a hell of a team together. I understand how you wanted to stay near your girlfriend. My choice of USC cost me my high school sweetheart. You're lucky you still have yours."

"Um ... actually I don't anymore. I was worried that 3000 miles was too far apart to maintain a relationship. It turns out that the 200 miles between State College and Philadelphia is too far. We broke up in October," I explained.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Kyle," Brady answered.

I asked, "Do you remember the name of the restaurant that you and Coach Carroll took me and my family to on Saturday night when I visited? I want to thank my blockers on special teams for their help this season. I thought they had really good food."

"Sure, I remember. Ocean Avenue Seafood in Santa Monica. The food is fantastic but it's real expensive. I could suggest a few places that aren't quite as pricey."

"No. My dad is willing to help me cover the bill. These guys were responsible for my success. I owe them the best."

"Are you sure Kyle? The entrées are around $40 a person." Brady explained.

I paled. I planned to invite the eighteen guys who played with me on the punt and kick return teams, plus Coach Ferguson and Ryan Reynolds. I did the math in my head. It could run $1000 by the time I included appetizers, drinks, tax and the tip. I exclaimed, "Wow! I didn't realize that it was that pricy. I guess Coach Carroll really wanted me to play for your team."

"He did. Could I make a suggestion, Kyle? Do you like Italian?"

"Sure. I need to find something I can afford," I said.

"A friend of mine took me to a nice Italian place in Pasadena. I assume you're staying at one of the hotels in Pasadena?"

"The Westin," I responded.

"Perfect. This place is only a few blocks away. They have excellent food there. The entrees are $14-16 a person. I recommend Gale's Italian Restaurant on Fair Oaks Avenue." Brady said.

"Thanks, Brady. I appreciate the suggestion."

Brady paused for a few seconds, shook his head and said, "Walter Camp All-American Kick Returner. That is a great start for a college career."

"Thanks, Brady. You've done pretty well too. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Kyle. I've worked hard to get where I am." He winked at me. "I'll show you next Friday afternoon. We're going to kick your asses." He said it with a smile.

I gave Brady a playful slap on the shoulder. "You'll know the game is over when you look across the field and see us dump a cooler of Gatorade over our coach." I got serious. "You be careful on the field. Antwaan Booker is going to try to take your head off."

"You be careful too. We have a couple guys who will be trying to put a hurting on you. Good luck, buddy. It's good to see you again," Brady said.

"Good luck to you too," I answered. We headed in opposite directions back to our teammates and coaches.

The coaches loaded us back up on the bus and took us back to our hotel about a mile away from the stadium when the media day was finished. We got back before the rest of the team returned from the Leno show taping. I did some laps in the hotel pool before dinner since I had some free time.

I spoke with Coach Ferguson about my idea of taking our punt and kickoff return teams to dinner as a thank you for their efforts this season. He thought it was a great idea. He checked our schedule and decided that the 28th of December would be the best night for the dinner. I went on-line back in my room and Googled Gale's Italian Restaurant. The menu looked good so I called and made reservations for 19 people on the 28th at 6:30 pm.

The hotel was crowded with Penn Staters when we returned. The Blue Band had arrived from Pennsylvania late in the afternoon. The band members were a welcome addition to the hotel. The band was 50% female, quite a change from the nearly all male group we saw in the first three days here.

On the 27th we practiced our standard plays in the morning. Coach Burton had some special plays ready to use against USC, but we didn't practice them here. LaSalle High School's football field was too close to public streets where anyone could see our plans.

Jay and the third string was our scout team as we prepared. They ran USC's plays that we learned from video of their games this year. I practiced exclusively with the first and second string. Jay did a good impersonation of Brady Rasmussen. He had a strong enough arm to make the kinds of throws Brady could make.

The team loaded up on our buses after lunch on the 27th and headed for Disneyland. The park was swarming with Penn Staters. Our Blue Band numbered over three hundred. Most of the guys from our floor in Hartranft hung together for the afternoon – Damian, Jay, Shawn Byrd, G. J., Christian, Trevor, Dermot McMillan, Tony King, Tyler Madden, and me.

We joked and talked together as we waited in line for each of the thrill rides. We also enjoyed scoping out the girls. A group of girls walked past us while we were about five minutes into the line for the Matterhorn Splash. I saw one particularly gorgeous one was in middle of the group. She was taller than most of the girls she was with, probably 5'-9" or 5'-10". Her golden hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

I like girl's breasts. There is no question about that. I like a well-turned backside. I like shapely girl's legs. Most of all I like breasts. This girl had been blessed by Mother Nature with a perfectly proportioned set of breasts. Not too big, not too small – perfect for making love to.

I knew she was a Penn State student from her Nittany Lion T-shirt. She probably was a member of the band. I stared much too long. She looked familiar, like I had seen her around campus before – but where? I asked my friends. They agreed with my evaluation of her but didn't know who she was.

We were still discussing this beauty when the twists in the line brought us beside Zack, Aaron, Evan, Pete, Cuch and Jeremiah. Zack listened to our discussion briefly than said, "Hey, Romeos. Keep in mind we're here to play a football game. We don't need any more Harrys." Aaron, Pete and Cuch confirmed Zack's observation.

Jeremiah laughed. "Harry was an idiot. We don't need that nonsense this year."

Jay asked, "Who's Harry and what are you talking about?"

Aaron explained, "Harry Atkins was a guy who let his hormones get in front of his good judgment."

Pete interjected sarcastically, "Yeah, right. Harry had good judgment."

Aaron continued, "Harry got caught three days before the championship game last year trying to sneak back into his room early in the morning. He spent the night with one of the girls in the band."

Christian said, "That wasn't very smart. What happened to him?"

Zack answered, "Coach Paterno bought him an airline ticket, stuck him on a plane and shipped him home. No bowl game, no nothing."

I asked, "What happened after that? Did Coach Paterno kick him off the team? I know he isn't with us this year."

Aaron answered, "He might have been able to stay with us if he had been willing to accept Coach Paterno's punishment. He wasn't. He transferred to a junior college just before spring semester started a year ago."

Jay said, "That's why I don't know who he is. He left just as I started here."

Evan explained, "Exactly. Harry was a little too full of himself. I thought he would be a good running back in a year or two. Now he's a sophomore playing on some junior college team wishing he can find a way back onto a major team. He wasted a great opportunity for a night in bed with a girl."

Zack added, "God knows, guys, I love the girls. You all know me well enough to know that. There is a time and place for that, but this isn't the time and California isn't the place. This is a business trip for us. We have to focus on beating USC. Nothing else is important this week."

The next group of cars for the ride arrived. Hundreds of people in the sinuous line snaked forward. Zack's circle of friends moved to the right and my friends moved to the left in the barriers.

When we were out of ear shot of Zack, Jay commented, "I never thought I'd hear Zack Hayes talk about women that way."

I explained, "You have to know, Zack. The man is totally dedicated to football. If it's a distraction, it gets eliminated. He may enjoy taking a girl to bed, but he won't ever let any of them get in the way of football success. It's been six years since he broke up with the only steady girlfriend he ever had."

Trevor exclaimed, "One girlfriend in his life? You're kidding."

"He didn't have any while we were in high school together. My older brother knows Zack too. He told me Zack started going with a girl in ninth grade. The relationship lasted until he decided to become the starting quarterback in high school. He didn't have time for Beth anymore. I think Zack is driven to beat out his brother." I explained.