Penn State looking forward to season
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – Justin King spoke softly and occasionally flashed a big grin – especially when thoughts turned to football this fall. Preseason drills at Penn State start in just a month.
It might be a welcome diversion following a summer dominated by the fallout from an off-campus fight involving several players in April.
“I’m happy. I’m going to camp,” King said Friday during a charity event at the team’s indoor practice facility. “This is where it gets real.”
It’s still unclear who might be on the field with the speedy cornerback. Defensively, the biggest question mark is Anthony Scirrotto, who emerged as a ball-hawking safety last season to lead the Big Ten with six interceptions.
Scirrotto and reserve defensive lineman Chris Baker are scheduled to stand trial on charges including burglary, criminal trespass, simple assault and harassment in connection with the April 1 fight.
A pretrial conference is scheduled to start July 24, with jury selection in early August, just about the time Penn State starts camp.
A Centre County judge has also scheduled a hearing July 26 over a motion from Scirrotto’s attorney asking for charges to be dismissed because of a lack of evidence.
Scirrotto has been temporarily expelled by the university for the summer session and can return for the fall semester. He is eligible to participate in preseason practice.
If his fate isn’t decided by trial, coach Joe Paterno may also choose to have Scirrotto or several other players involved in the fight sit games out.
It’s a scenario King isn’t trying to think about. King and Scirrotto are part of a secondary that could be among the Big Ten’s best.
“It would be a devastating loss. As good as Scirrotto was last year, I don’t think people give him the credit that he deserves,” King said. Prosecutors dropped charges against King in connection with the fight.
The incident has touched mainly the defense. Besides Scirrotto, three other players – Baker, linebacker Jerome Hayes and cornerback Lydell Sargeant – were also expelled for the second summer session. They can also take part in practice.
But the whole team has been punished by Paterno, who ordered all players to clean Beaver Stadium after home games and take part in community service this summer.
“We made a mistake as a team, and we’ve got to accept it as a team,” center A.Q. Shipley said. “It’s a team sport. You’ve got to accept it the way it works.”
Paterno wants leaders to step up, especially after the departures of highly respected captains Levi Brown and Paul Posluszny.
Some of that burden could fall on linebacker Dan Connor, the only senior on the first-team defense. Upper-body muscles bulged out of Connor’s shirt Friday, appropriate given that the Nittany Lions’ charity event involved weightlifting.
“It was a tough lesson to learn,” Connor said about the fight fallout. “It’s unfortunate, obviously, but I think we learned from it.”
One player who isn’t returning this fall is safety Spencer Ridenhour. The redshirt junior from White Plains, N.Y. told The Journal News of Westchester earlier this week he planned to transfer to a Division I-AA school this fall.
Ridenhour, a backup, wants more playing time. Davis was moved from cornerback to safety on the first-strong defense this spring alongside Scirrotto.
Ridenhour’s departure depletes depth in the secondary, which could be further tested if Scirrotto misses any playing time.