close

Nittany Lions hold annual media day

4 min read

Paterno looking for players with ‘moxie’ STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – Joe Paterno wasn’t quite sure what to make of his team.

It was barely four days into the preseason after all, and the Penn State head coach hadn’t even seen his Nittany Lions practice in full pads yet. Not only that, but there were so many new faces to integrate into the starting lineup.

So these next few weeks before the Sept. 2 opener versus Akron will be crucial to finding out whom he can rely on in pressure situations.

“You try to beat them down, find out who has enough moxie in the fourth quarter,” Paterno, entering his 41st season as head coach, said Saturday at the school’s media day at Beaver Stadium. “That’s what we’ve got to do in these next two weeks, we’ve got to beat them down. I don’t know who’s going to survive.”

Sounds like it might be tough on the seven new starters on defense, including three on the defensive line and all four spots in the secondary. On offense, Paterno must break in new starting quarterback Anthony Morelli and four new linemen.

“Obviously it’s going to be a problem until they get into a ballgame and somebody knocks them around, and they cover some things,” Paterno said about the offensive line. “You can’t possibly cover everything in practice.”

Not that there aren’t some seasoned seniors returning from last year’s Big Ten title-winning team that won the Orange Bowl.

– Running back figures to be a strength with 1,000-yard rusher Tony Hunt and quality backup Austin Scott returning for their final seasons.

– Left tackle Levi Brown will be charged with protecting the right-handed Morelli’s blind spot.

– Defensive tackle Jay Alford must help shed blockers off the standout linebacking trio led by All-American Paul Posluszny.

Posluszny was selected preseason Big Ten defensive player of the year, but even he presents a bit of mystery. Posluszny partially tore two ligaments in his right knee at the Orange Bowl in January and has been held out of full-speed practice until now, wearing a brace on the knee during drills.

Wearing his familiar No. 31 jersey on a picture-perfect sunny day at Beaver Stadium, Posluszny pronounced himself ready to go.

“I’m 100 percent – in practice, doing all the drills,” Posluszny said. “It was exciting to be out there with the team again.”

Posluszny figures to have sophomore Justin King on his side of the ball full-time now. Last year, King combined with then-fellow freshmen Derrick Williams, Deon Butler and Jordan Norwood to help boost the speed and talent level on the receiving corps.

This year, King is settling back into cornerback, which he was recruited to play at Penn State. King also played part-time on defense last season.

“The confidence level has gone up from last year,” King said. “As a freshman, you’re not too sure what’s going on. I’m ready to go out there and have fun. No worries.”

Paterno can’t say the same about the defense.

“I think we have a tough job ahead of us,” he said. “We have to be careful we don’t ask these guys to do as much as we did last year until they feel comfortable. … When we get to that point, with the kind of speed we have, I think we’ll be a very good football team.”

NOTES: Fullback BranDon Snow will miss “the first couple of games” for an undisclosed reason, Paterno said. Paterno has said the blocking back still figures into the team’s plans, but hasn’t elaborated. Matt Hahn and Mickey Shuler, who is listed as a tight end, figure to step up with Snow out. … Paterno isn’t a fan of the new 12-game schedule this year, saying it might be a burden on his players academically and physically. “I think 12 games is hard on kids … but it’s money,” he said. … Asked about Keith Dorney, the Penn State offensive tackle in the mid-1970s who was inducted Saturday into the College Football Hall of Fame, Paterno couldn’t help but get a dig in on Big Ten archrival Michigan. “He was all business, knew what was going on, great technique kid,” Paterno said about Dorney. He then compared Dorney to NFL Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf. “Very similar guys – big strong kids, great technique guys. … Only thing is Dorney got an education, Dierdorf went to Michigan,” Paterno said with a smile.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $4.79/week.

Subscribe Today