Coach Joe Paterno said backup safety Spencer Ridenhour didn’t make the bowl trip because of breaking an unspecified “team rule,� and backup tailback Austin Scott was sent home from Florida to attend to an unspecified family situation.
Starting defensive tackle Ed Johnson also did not make the trip because of breaking unspecified team rules.
“I told the guys we’ve got a long way to go, and I can’t put up with any nonsense,� Paterno said, when asked about Ridenhour. “I don’t have a curfew; I haven’t had a curfew yet. I tell them, ‘If you get in trouble, I’m not going to baby you.’ So Spencer got involved in something, and he’s home.�
As for Scott, Paterno would only say, “He’s got some family things. It wasn’t necessary for him to be here.�
Scott was redshirting and sitting out this season as he prepared to nail down the starting tailback spot next fall. Penn State coaches had praised his work ethic on the practice field.
Scott was not expected to play in the Outback Bowl.
Still, the Lions did expect to have Ridenhour available for special teams and backup work, and Johnson could be missed greatly inside. He will be replaced by some combination of freshmen Phil Taylor and Chris Baker, sophomore Mike Lucian and senior Steve Roach.
“We’ve just got to move on and go about our business,� said sophomore center A.Q. Shipley. “We’re sad they couldn’t make it, we’re upset, we might be a man down, but other guys are just going to have to step it up, pick it up.�
“I respect Joe for (the discipline),� Gaines said. “We’re 21- and 22-year olds. ... we’re grown men. You can’t tell a grown man what he has to do.
“We’ve got to pick up and move on.�
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