Ex-YSU standout: Losses are still losses

July 24, 2012 at 12:03a.m.

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Former Youngstown State defensive tackle Torrance Nicholson lost to Penn State in 2010 and was a redshirt freshman when the Penguins fell to the Nittany Lions in 2006, so his career win-loss record stands to benefit from the NCAA’s decision to vacate all of PSU’s victories since 1998.

But Nicholson felt the NCAA went too far.

“I think they overstepped their boundaries,” said Nicholson, a Columbus native. “It was a criminal law that was broken, not an NCAA [bylaw]. That’s a precedent that’s going to be hard to uphold. They opened Pandora’s box.

“It’s like if a college professor does something wrong. Are the students going to receive sanctions?”

Nicholson had no problem with the NCAA’s $60 million fine but disagreed with vacating wins and removing scholarships.

As far as he’s concerned, YSU’s losses to Penn State are still losses.

“Of course,” he said. “We played hard but they’re still losses in our book.”

ScoutingOhio’s Mark Porter doesn’t expect the scholarship deductions to completely devastate the program, but he said the next few years will be dicey, especially when it comes to recruiting. Having 40 fewer scholarships over the next four years basically reduces the program to a FCS program, he said.

“I think they’re going to try to get the best kids they can, but when you only have 15 scholarships [per year], the best kids aren’t going to want to come there for a year or so,” Porter said. “But they’re still Penn State. They should get kids that are just above the MAC [Mid-American Conference] level, which is what Indiana and Iowa and even Illinois sometimes get and they play in the Big Ten.

“I don’t think it’s all doom and gloom but boy, is it going to be tough the next two years. After that, they’re going to be fine.”

Porter has gone to more than a dozen summer camps over the past few weeks and said he came away more impressed with new PSU coach Bill O’Brien than anyone else he met.

“What a good guy,” Porter said. “It’s a shame [what happened] from that perspective because I really thought a lot of him.”

Valley natives with ties to PSU’s program mostly stayed quiet on Monday, with incoming recruit Anthony Stanko declining comment to reporters and senior fullback Michael Zordich (Mooney) and his father Mike, a former PSU standout and current Eagles safeties coach from Chaney, not responding to interview requests.

Former PSU running back Brandon Beachum (Mooney) and his father, Lock, also opted not to respond, as did former PSU tight end Isaac Smolko (Springfield).

One exception? Former Nittany Lion quarterback Daryll Clark, an Ursuline High graduate, who found out Monday morning that his 22 career victories had just disappeared.

So he took to his Twitter account.

“This is beyond sad man ...” he tweeted.