I Should Have Listened To My Mother

Deon Butler's stat line for Michigan State game: three receptions for 133 yards. Not bad, until you see that all three receptions came in the 2nd half and all three went for touchdowns. Wow. While Joe Paterno may not like to reflect right after a game like this, I don't have that problem. Butler's incredible performance got me thinking. Amidst the 49-18 rout of Michigan State, an automatic BCS birth, and a trip to the Rose Bowl, I realized something: my Mom was right... again.

During the 2005 Big Ten Championship season, I remember a discussion that I had with my Mom. You see, every couple of years, when new group of players comes through the football program, my Mom picks out one or two younger players who are "her guys" and who she will cheer for above all others. In 2005, my Mom targeted Deon Butler. Not Derrick Williams, not Jordan Norwood, and not Justin King. It wasn't that she did not also like those players, but there was just something about Deon that appealed to her. I tried to talk her into Derrick Williams, but I think she liked the smoothness and quiet confidence of Deon.

Four years later, Butler, Norwood, and Williams rank #1, #3, and #4 on the all-time reception list, respectively. For my Mom, choosing any one of these three outstanding players to follow would have been a great choice. But Deon was always her guy. And after a game like this, who can blame her?

From walk-on defensive back, to arguably the best Penn State wide receiver of all-time, that's not a bad legacy to leave at Penn State. As for my Mother (and I hate to say it), she was right. Don't get me wrong, I'm not disappointed that Deon turned out to be the player that he did. I could not be happier for him, but I'm never going to hear the end of it.

However, now that Deon Butler has only one game left to play in his Penn State career, my Mom has chosen a new player: Freshman running back Stephfon Green. Who knows, if Green is able to duplicate as a running back what Butler did as a wide receiver, I may start taking my Mother's advice on more than football, like on stocks and bonds in this crazy market...