PENN STATE FOOTBALL Lions must stop Rogers

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Everyone knows Michigan State will try to put the ball in Charles Rogers' hands when the Spartans visit No. 15 Penn State on Saturday.
Not only is Rogers the most dangerous player on the Spartans roster, this might be his last game in a Michigan State uniform.
A 6-foot-4 junior, Rogers is one of the nation's best wide receivers, averaging nearly six catches per game and more than 20 yards per catch -- numbers that have caught the attention of NFL scouts.
He has 13 touchdown receptions already this year, and earlier in the season he set an NCAA record by catching a touchdown pass in his 14th consecutive game.
"He's consistently making plays," Penn State receiver Bryant Johnson said. "He finds a way to get behind the defensive back and at times when he needs to come up with big plays, he comes up with them."
Tough to defend
Rogers' height makes him tough for smaller corners to defend and his speed makes him virtually impossible to catch if he get behind the defense.
But the Spartans (4-7, 2-5 Big Ten) aren't content just throwing the ball to Rogers. He's also run the ball five times this year, typically on reverses, averaging 16.6 yards per carry.
"Rogers is one of the best athletes we have ever played against, not only catching the football, but on reverses and a lot of other things," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "He ties up a lot of people and they have done a good job of moving him around so that it is really very difficult to pin him down."
The only thing Rogers won't do is discuss his future. Ask him whether he plans to go pro, and he responds with a terse "No comment."
He would rather focus on the Nittany Lions (8-3, 4-3), who have won three in a row behind the stellar rushing of Larry Johnson and a stifling defense that has held opponents to less than 12 points per game in their last five outings.
"That secondary's strong," Rogers said. "[Cornerback Rich Gardner] has a lot of speed. They show good quickness, good feet. I remember playing against [cornerback Bryan Scott] last year, a big, physical guy who likes to get in there and bang."
The strength of Penn State's defense is its line, where end Michael Haynes leads the Big Ten in sacks and tackle Jimmy Kennedy is projected as a high-first-round draft pick.
That line, so far, has succeeded at harassing opposing quarterbacks. But Paterno said that might be hard to do against a Michigan State team that has come together through adversity.
Struggling of lately
The Spartans were ranked as high as No. 15 this year before losing six of seven games and losing quarterback Jeff Smoker, who was suspended indefinitely and entered a substance-abuse program.
"I thought that when they lost Jeff Smoker that would affect their play," Paterno said. But Smoker's replacement, Damon Dowdell, "is really doing an awfully good job for them. I think he has about 10 touchdowns in four or five games. His touchdown/interception ratio is outstanding. He is a tough kid to sack. We have looked at people and they haven't been able to get to them."
Johnson, meanwhile, looks to grow Penn State's single-season rushing record. With 1,736 yards going into Saturday's game, he already surpassed the previous record of 1,567 yards set in 1971 by Lydell Mitchell. Johnson also has broken the Penn State single-game rushing record three times in the last five games -- going 257 yards against Northwestern, 279 against Illinois and 327 against Indiana.