THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 14, 1994 TAG: 9410140689
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 103 lines
More than 105,000 people will watch former local standouts and current Penn Staters Brandon Noble and Chris Snyder stride into storied Michigan Stadium on Saturday.
Television cameras will be all over. Adrenaline will be flowing, hearts double-pumping. Most likely, the duo's every nerve will be jangling, from their shaved heads to their feet.
They will be right where they're supposed to be.
``This is why I came here - big games like this,'' Noble said this week by phone from University Park, Pa.
Noble, who attended Virginia Beach's First Colonial High School, and Chesapeake's Snyder, who went to Indian River High, are part of the first Nittany Lion team to play at Michigan in Penn State's 108-year football history.
``This will probably have a big impact on the Rose Bowl,'' said Noble, a backup defensive tackle. ``And if we win, it'll help our chances for a national championship.''
To say the least.
Fifth-ranked Michigan (4-1) is a great team, said Snyder, second on the depth chart at defensive end. But so is No. 3 Penn State (5-0), ``and to beat them we're going to have to play like a great team,'' Snyder said.
``This game's been on everybody's mind. You try not to let it get in the way of the other games, but these are the kind of games everybody really looks forward to. I know I do.''
It is the kind of game both players have anticipated for more than a year, though Noble's wait has been much more trying.
It's been three football seasons since Noble was the state's Group AAA player of the year as a two-way lineman. After he redshirted his freshman season, Noble returned eager to play as a sophomore. But he fractured his right fibula in summer practice and his entire season was lost.
The situation only worsened when Noble came down
with mononucleosis during spring break and didn't return to school till June, missing spring practice in the process.
So Noble has junior academic status, sophomore athletic eligibility and a desire to play that won't quit.
``Last year was rough, but you've got to deal with it,'' said Noble, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 260 pounds. ``I went from 275 pounds to 245, but I'm back up to around 260, and I'm pretty comfortable here. I've kept my quickness, and my speed is real good right now.''
Noble, who wears No. 93, and Snyder, No. 91, have played in every game, and started side-by-side at left tackle and end, respectively, two weeks ago when Penn State bopped Temple, 48-21.
Injuries along the line pushed them into those starting roles, but the starters are expected back for the Wolverines.
But Snyder and Noble also expect to be called on to do their part to stop Michigan's vaunted running attack, fueled by back Tyrone Wheatley, by perhaps playing as much as a quarter of the downs.
Noble has played enough to make 10 tackles, and Snyder is fourth on the team with two sacks.
For Noble, there will be plenty of irony in today's effort, considering that his college choice boiled down to Penn State or Michigan.
``Both programs are great programs,'' he said. ``It comes down to people, and I thought I felt more comfortable here. That's why I made the decision.''
Penn State's coaches made a decision on Snyder, a second-team all-state pick at Indian River, after last season, and it looks as if they made the right choice. A former linebacker, Snyder admittedly struggled with his pass coverages in practice as a redshirt freshman. He was moved to end, where Penn State was thin, last spring to exploit his aggressive instincts.
Turns out pass rushing is the strongest part of Snyder's game, and he doesn't miss playing linebacker a bit.
``I knew I wasn't going to excel at (linebacker),'' said Snyder, who chose Penn State over Virginia. ``When they moved me, they saw I could pass rush a little bit and play out of the three-point stance. I'm pretty comfortable with the switch.
``I think pass rushing is easier than playing pass coverage. It's more fun, too. Every time they throw the ball you've got a chance to get a sack.''
At 6-3 and 240 pounds, though - 10 pounds lighter than in high school - Snyder is not beyond getting pushed around in the trenches.
``I need to put on a little more weight to take on those 300-plus pounders a little better,'' Snyder said. ``I don't usually get knocked back, I'll stalemate them, but with a few more pounds and by getting a little stronger, I'll start knocking those guys into the backfield.''
If Snyder or Noble join Wheatley often in Michigan's backfield Saturday, Penn State's pipeline from Hampton Roads - which in the last decade has reaped D.J. Dozier, Keith Goganious, Darren Perry and Reggie Givens - will have paid off again.
``They're pretty basic in what they do,'' Snyder said. ``They try to run right at you, and that's good. If you go out there and play your position and your assignments, if you go as hard as you can, you can make some things happen.''
His chance, and Noble's, to do it in a ``game like this'' is finally here. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
Former First Colonial star Brandon Noble thrives on the big games.
``This will probably have a big impact on the Rose Bowl. And if we
win, it'll help our chances for a national championship.''
Former Indian River standout Chris Snyder, a backup at defensive end
for the Nittany Lions, will be called on to do his part in stopping
Michigan's vaunted running attack.
by CNB