When Penn State walks into the Alamodome later this month, 42 days will have passed since the regular season ended.
That's plenty of time to reflect on 2007.
A.Q. Shipley looks back at some of the season's miscues -- the three turnovers in the fourth quarter against Illinois and untimely fumbles against Michigan -- and still "can't believe that happened."
"The opportunities were there," said Shipley, the team's starting center. "We just didn't take advantage of them."
But 42 days is also plenty of time to prepare.
Because, at 8 p.m. on Dec. 29, the 2007 edition of the Penn State football team will have one last shot at showing the country what it can do when it faces Texas A&M (7-5, 4-4 Big 12) in the Alamodome.
A win against the Aggies could silence some critics, help the team forget some of its darker moments and give the players a better mindset heading into winter workouts.
"I think we have a lot to go out and prove," Shipley said.
When the opening kickoff rolls around, the Aggies will have spent the previous 35 days reflecting on their biggest win of the season -- a 38-30 upset over Texas, a team that was ranked the No. 11 in the country at the time.
"When you beat Texas, with the kind of talent Texas has, certain things jump out at you," Joe Paterno said.
There's the Aggies' junior running back, Jorvorskie Lane, who tied for the Big 12 lead in rushing touchdowns, with 16. There's their junior quarterback, Stephen McGee, who's thrown for more than 2,000 yards and rushed for more than 800 on top of that.
And then there's their coach, Gary Darnell. The Alamo Bowl will be his first -- and only -- game at the helm of the Aggies. After their regular season finale, Dennis Franchione resigned as the team's head coach.
Darnell was promoted to interim head coach the next day, but the team later announced that Mike Sherman, the Houston Texans' offensive coordinator, would be taking over the team next season.
Still, Darnell wants to help Texas A&M finish 2007 on a positive note.
"They're looking for leadership," Darnell said of his team. "Someone has to drive the bus. There's a sense there that I can do that, and I'll drive it to the right place."
Penn State is just as intent on getting to the right place. The Lions have three or four more practices left on campus before heading to San Antonio, where they'll try to prove that the mistakes and close losses are not how they should be remembered.
"The Michigan State thing was not an easy loss for us," Paterno said. "Not to take anything away from Michigan State, but we didn't do the job we should have done. And it would be nice to be down there with the Alamo Bowl and have a good win."
