RECRUITMENT

Today marked the start of a day of a surprises as Penn State receives two verbals from offensive linemen. Frank Figueroa began the day when he announced that he would become the 7th Nittany Lion for the Class of 2009.

There isn’t much out there on Frank Figueroa, but as a 2 year starter for Thomas Edison High School in Alexandria, VA, he obviously has the skill for the Lions coaching staff to extend a scholarship offer after Figueroa and his head coach, Steve Deck sent in game film of the offensive lineman.

“His best asset is that he’s smart, and he has really physically emerged since last year. Two years ago, he was only about 240 pounds, but he really matured since the end of last season physically, and came in this spring at 275, and now he’s just over 280 pounds.”

He is projected to play at the offensive guard or center position at the collegiate level. And with 3 other OL commitments for the 2009 class, he will most likely be moved to another position to balance our depth.

COLLEGE CHOICES	INTEREST	OFFER	VISIT	RECRUITED BY
Penn State (solid verbal)	COMMITTED (5/10/2008)		None
William and Mary	None		None
North Carolina	None		None
Syracuse	None		None
Michigan State	None		None
Virginia	None		None
Temple	None		None

Umm.. Who? Anytime we get verbals from recruits, its cause to celebrate, but the Lion faithful must be scratching their heads at this one. Figueroa’s has the starting weight to help solidify our offensive line in the near future as long as he gains weight in college. Remember that four-star recruit, Eric Shrive that just verbaled to the Lion today is only 3 pounds heavier and 3 feet taller than this kid.

Penn State has had great success molding unheralded high school athletes into consistent players. Think Tony Hunt, Paul Poz, Levi Brown, etc.

As ‘Chohany’ points out, Penn State has had success back in the 70s churning out offensive linemen. And with Levi Brown, and our depth at the line this year, it’s should not come as a surprise as Penn State goes back to their roots of dominating linemen.

“Mike Munchak (Hall of Fame), Keith Dorney (pro bowler), Sean Farrell (I think a pro bowler), Charlie Getty (long-time NFL vet), Tom Rafferty (13 year starter for the Cowboys), Irv Pankey (long-time NFL veteran), Steve Wisnewski (7 time pro-bowler and on the 90’s all decade team), Jeff Hartings (pro-bowler), Marco Rivera (pro-bowler)”

So this staff obviously knows what they are getting when they offered this relatively unknown recruit a scholarship. Already holding offers from Butch’s North Carolina, and with more from Dantonio’s Michigan State and Virginia on the way, this kid will help provide depth at the offensive line position for the years to come.

RECRUITMENT

Holding offers from over 16 big time programs including Notre Dame, Florida State, Ohio State, and Miami, Eric Shrive decided to end his recruitment today and will call Joe Paterno with his verbal later today.

A four star recruit rated #68 overall from Scranton, PA, Eric wanted to get the decision over with before he began his senior season. Eventually it was “the offensive line tradition at Penn State, everything they had to offer academically and his comfort level at Penn State” that put the Nittany Lions over the top.

COLLEGE CHOICES	INTEREST	OFFER	VISIT	RECRUITED BY
Penn State	Verbal (5/15/08)		None	Dick Anderson Mike McQueary
Florida State	Medium		None
Georgia	Medium		None	Stacy Searels
Illinois	Medium		None	Jim Pry Eric Wolford
Miami	Medium		None	Jeff Stoutland
Michigan	Medium		None
Nebraska	Medium		None	Carl Pelini
N.C. State	Medium		None	Jerry Petercuskie
Notre Dame	Medium		None	John Latina
Ohio State	Medium		None	Jim Bollman
Oklahoma	Medium		None
Auburn	Medium		None	James Willis Hugh Nall
Pittsburgh	Medium		None	Brian Angelichio
Rutgers	Medium		None	John McNulty Kyle Flood
Tennessee	Medium		None	Larry Slade
Virginia	Medium		None

Eric Shrive (OL)

REACTION

A major shocker! Not only was Eric Shrive a long time Notre Dame fan, but Penn State isn’t exactly well known for consistently producing offensive linemen. Granted we had first round pick, Levi Brown two years ago, but how many other offensive linemen comes to mind when you mention Penn State?

At 285 pounds, Shrive will have to put on alot more weight before he can become an anchor for the Penn State line, but at his current size, he is already a consistent player rated in the top 100 recruits in the nation.

Shrive’s verbal only flies in the face of those who argue that Paterno can no longer haul in the big name recruits against competitors like Notre Dame, Ohio State and the likes. Not only did Shrive grow up an Irish fan, he was an offensive lineman. Not a linebacker, or a quarterback, but a lineman who decided against his long time program for Penn State. So we must still be doing something right especially since this is the second 4-star verbal since last week.

RECRUITING STORYLINE

Derrick’s verbal makes it 3 for the Lions this week. At this point, if we don’t pace ourselves we could be filled before the 2008 season ends.

Derrick Thomas played both ways his junior year with 11 receiving touchdowns and 3 interceptions on defense. Penn State is giving him the option to pick at this point and with 3 defensive backs already in this 2009 class, it would be in his and our best interest to have him fill a wideout spot sorely needed for this class.

Thomas was a first team all-4A Prince George’s County selection as a wide receiver, and was named all-Met in 2007. He averaged 20 yards per catch as a junior, and hauled in 11 touchdowns. He also returned two kickoffs and two punts for touchdowns, and had three interceptions on defense.

Recruited by assistant coach Larry Johnson, Derrick talks about his relationship with Penn State’s coaches:

“I looked at their roster a couple of times and I thought I have a real good chance at playing because they’re losing defensive backs and wide receivers and they’re recruiting me on both sides of the ball,” Thomas said, “I really like Larry Johnson. We really go along well and had a good relationship.

Word is that he was already considering verballing to the Lions on his way to State College for this past weekends’ NIKE Football Training Camp. Actually visiting the campus sealed the deal for him.

“Being up there it felt kind of right. I could see myself practicing on the field we were competing on,” Thomas said. “I was looking around in the weight room and it looked nice. I really liked it.”

COLLEGE CHOICES	INTEREST	OFFER	VISIT	RECRUITED BY
Penn State (solid verbal)	COMMITTED (5/12/2008)		None
Pittsburgh	None		None
Rutgers	None		None
Virginia Tech	None		None
Connecticut	None		None
Illinois	None		None	Mike Locksley
Louisville	None		None
Maryland	None		None	James Franklin
North Carolina	None		None

Derrick Thomas

REACTION

Boy what a great week for Penn State recruiting. Not only did we receive verbals from a highly sought after cornerback, and safety Stephen Obeng-Agyapong, Ohio State actually lost a recruit in the process. But Thomas is actually from Eleanor Roosevelt High School. Remember the last high profile wide receiver from that very school who played for Penn State? Our very own speedster, Derrick Williams.

Thomas not only further established the high school and town as a pipeline for Penn State, but greatly improves our chances of landing fellow cornerback teammate Stephon Morris who currently holds offers from Penn State, Illinois and Louisville. Morris also attended the State College NIKE Camp this past weekend and Thomas’ verbal only helps us with Morris as well.

But about Thomas himself. With 4.49 speed, he’s not the burner we are now blessed with at Penn State, but he has great hands and vision. He averages 20 yards a catch. 20 yards! Even if he does not develop into Penn State’s go-to receiver, he will provide Penn State with options in the passing game as well as the return game. Lets not forget this athlete has returned 2 kickoffs and 2 punts for touchdowns during his junior season.

With the impeding graduation of Williams, Butler and Norwood after this season, we are desperately in need of wide receivers. Like Justin King, Derrick Thomas will have the opportunity to see the field early in his collegiate career and once we are more established at the wideout spot, he will most likely be moved into the defensive back position following in the footsteps of the late Justin King.

If there was ever a time for the death penalty to be reconsidered, the time is now.

It is just shocking how the situation with USC has deteriorated. We’re no longer talking about players failing classes, or getting into fights on the weekends. As much as we like to berate college athletes, it is actually quite common. I’ve failed a class or two during my collegiate career. I’ve sure seen many kids get into fights at the bar as well. Its fun to laugh at athletes when they get into the same trouble that befalls most college kids, but as I’ve said before, these things are bound to happen.

But what is going on at USC is on a whole different level. And what’s even more absurd is that the OJ Mayo scandal comes less than a year after the Reggie Bush scandal was blown wide open by Yahoo! Sports. Not only did USC not cooperate by discouraging Reggie Bush to talk to investigators, they now have a full blown case with OJ Mayo on their hands. USC played the ignorance card the first time around with Reggie Bush, it’ll be interesting to see what they pull this time around.

I made the case earlier this year about how USC got lucky with the Reggie Bush fiasco. They deserved sanctions back then, imagine what I think they deserve now. But this isn’t about what I think. Rules are rules. Reggie Bush broke the rules when he was provided with perks that most (and notice how I used ‘most’) players aren’t allowed to receive. Think USC did not benefit when Bush was enticed to head to Southern Cal?

Now it is clear the problem has spread to their basketball program as well. ESPN’s Outside the Lines broke open the news when Louis Johnson decided to spill the beans. Among the allegations by Johnson:

• Over the course of roughly three years prior to the start of Mayo’s freshman season at USC, BDA Sports provided Guillory with about $200,000, some of it through an account set up at Citibank. Johnson said Guillory told him details about how the account was set up through an intermediary and how it worked: Each month, Guillory told a BDA official what the anticipated “expenses” would be, and that amount would be put into the account to take care of Guillory and Mayo’s needs. Guillory, Johnson said, had a card to make withdrawals from the account. Johnson said he was sometimes with Guillory when he made those withdrawals, and Johnson provided “Outside the Lines” with a receipt from one $200 withdrawal that he said occurred in his presence.

• BDA helped Guillory purchase an Infiniti QX56 that Guillory drives. California registration records show Guillory’s vehicle came from a dealership co-owned by former USC and NFL player Ronnie Lott, a longtime friend of Duffy, BDA Sports’ chairman and CEO. According to Consumer Guide Automotive, the car was valued at around $50,000 when it was first purchased in 2005.

• Guillory has been giving money to Mayo for years, according to Johnson, who provided Western Union receipts that illustrate how Johnson and Guillory wired hundreds of dollars to friends of Mayo while he was in high school to avoid a paper trail leading to Mayo.

• Hotel receipts and airline itineraries show multiple trips made by Johnson and Guillory. The destinations correspond with where Mayo played in high school and at tournaments around the country.

• Guillory paid for Mayo’s cell phone service, which T-Mobile billed to a nonprofit foundation run by Guillory that, according to California state records, is designed to serve “the educational, health, recreational and social needs of youths and elderly citizens residing in inner-city communities.” Johnson provided “Outside the Lines” with the service agreement for four separate lines on the account, set up on March 13, 2007. Johnson said the phone lines were for Guillory, Mayo, a Mayo relative and Johnson. T-Mobile sent a bill to Guillory’s foundation for $558.56 for the September charges for the four lines. Of that amount, $171.17 was for Mayo’s phone service and another $192.33 was for the phone service of Mayo’s relative, according to the invoice and Johnson.

• In addition to several shopping sprees at the two Men’s Land stores in the Los Angeles area, Johnson said Guillory provided Mayo with a flat-screen television, a hotel room and meals — items all paid for with a credit card that belongs to another nonprofit organization, The National Organization of Sickle Cell Prevention and Awareness Foundation. The organization has never registered as a charitable trust with the California Attorney General’s Office and is unknown in the Los Angeles sickle-cell charitable community.

• Guillory purchased airline tickets for a member of Mayo’s family and another Mayo friend to visit Mayo at USC, said Johnson, who provided “Outside the Lines” with a plane itinerary and a receipt for those trips.

In 1989, Oklahoma State received a 2 year TV ban, 3 year bowl ban and loss of 5 new scholarships because 1 player received cash payments and a sports car at no cost during his 2 years with the team. And here we have USC, with 2 known offenders who received vastly more money and perks than the Oklahoma State offender and we are still unsure whether the NCAA will even slap them on the wrist.

It is time for the hammer to fall on the Trojan program. Not only are the violations clear and severe, this is a repeat violation by a program that has enjoyed athletic success on the backs of the two offenders in question. Like Paris Hilton’s rampant misbehavior, it’s time for the NCAA to make an example of USC.

And to think Indiana is still worried about their ex-coach making a few phone calls. Doesn’t this put things in perspective?

RECRUITING STORYLINE

Stephen Obeng committed to the Lions at the State College NIKE camp this past weekend following in the footsteps of former John F. Kennedy High School alumni Stephfon Green, Shaine Thompson and Nerraw McCormack.

He made his committment to Lion assistant coaches Kermitt Buggs and Mike McQueary. NCAA rules prohibit head coaches from contacting recruits during this period including High School camps, but it seems like our assistant coaches are getting things done.

COLLEGE CHOICES	INTEREST	OFFER	VISIT	RECRUITED BY
Penn State (solid verbal)	COMMITTED (5/10/2008)		None
Buffalo	None		None
Connecticut	None		None
Iowa	None		None

Stephen Obeng-Agyapong

REACTION

This New York recruit shows once again why Penn State continues to make its mark in the northeast region of the country in recruiting. From as far south as Maryland to as far east as New York City, Penn State continues to recruit out of its tradition pipeline states.

Stephen’s committment is great news. With Mark Rubin’s eligibility expiring in 2008, the only other significant name in the safety position is Brent Carter who would finish his career in 2010. Stephen’s committment to the Lions adds depth at the safety position.

RECRUITING STORYLINE

Darrell Givens originally committed to the Buckeyes on April 19th at the Ohio State spring game.

“Yes, I did commit to Ohio State today,” Givens admitted. “It just felt like the right place for me and I just fell in love with Ohio State.”

“I told all the coaches today that I wanted to be a Buckeye,” Givens said. “I spoke to Jim Tressel and also to coach [Taver] Johnson, coach [Luke] Fickell and coach [Darrell] Hazell. I’m very happy to be a Buckeye.”

But just this past weekend, the top 10 cornerback from Lackey High School, MD attended Penn State’s State College NIKE camp and switched his verbal to the Lions on the spot. His high school teammate, Malcolm Willis already committed to the Lions in late April.

A top 10 recruit in his cornerback position, Givens was holding offers from at least 16 major programs:

COLLEGE CHOICES	INTEREST	OFFER	VISIT	RECRUITED BY
Penn State (solid verbal)	COMMITTED (5/10/2008)		None
Pittsburgh	None		None	Bryan Bossard
Rutgers	None		None
Tennessee	None		None
Virginia	None		None
Virginia Tech	None		None
Boston College	None		None	Ryan Day
Florida	None		None
Illinois	None		None
Maryland	None		None
Miami	None		None
Michigan	None		None
North Carolina	None		None
Ohio State	Decommitted (4/19/2008)		None
Oklahoma	None		None
Oregon	None		None

Darrell Givens

Overjoyed. Everytime we get a verbal from a highly rated player, thats reason to celebrate. I know the arguments against using stars from recruiting services as an indication of talent. But I would prefer 20 four to five star recruits over just a couple any day of the year. When you stockpile highly ranked recruits like Ohio State and USC does, the odds of finding those breakout stars are higher than if you risk recruiting only a few each year.

But there is cause for concern with recruits like Givens. Not that there is anything wrong with 18 year old kids changing their minds. But Givens’ willingness to commit on the spot at Ohio State in April and now to Penn State at the NIKE camp should be worrying to Lion fans considering Givens has a trip down to Miami scheduled.

So lets not officially count this one yet. Buckeye fans are still scratching their collective heads over Givens ‘ decision, lets just hope Lion fans won’t suffer the same fate.

Who said Joe’s uncertain status at Penn State is hurting our recruiting?

4-star Defensive Back Darrell Givens switched his committment to the Ohio State Buckeyes to the Nittany Lions early this morning at the 11th annual State College NIKE camp.

Darrell Givens is a current teammate of Malcolm Willis who committed to the Lions earlier this year.

And if you thought that was great…

Stephen Obeng-Agyapong, another defensive back also made a verbal to the Lions to become the 5th verbal for 2009. It looks like we’re already rolling to hit our scholarship mark for next year.

So to all those jumping all over Joe’s contract situation referring to his inability to recruit as their main argument. Shut it. Joe can recruit from his deathbed. Penn State will milk the cash cow that is Joe Paterno even long after he is gone from Penn State so what’s to think he can’t lure big name recruits when hes still head coach?

Sure he might not be able to hop into a car or a plane to visit recruits, but with assistants like Bradley being able to compete evenly with head coaches like Tressel, Rich Rod and Weis, there is really no pressing need for Joe to do so. We would LIKE for him to visit a recruit or two, but if he is still able to get the job done, why are we hollering for him to reinvent the wheel?

bigtencoaches

Remember the Rich Rod is a Liar and a Snake series? You don’t? Heres a quick recap.

“Rich Rod’s staff stole more de-commits by themselves than the entire conferences of the SEC, Big East, Big 12 and Pac 10. He can rest assured that the entire conference of the ACC with its 2 divisions have the same de-commits stolen as the great institution of Michigan.”

Apparently Brian at Mgoblog attempted to justify Rich Rod’s suspect recruiting techniques by… drumroll please… blaming the recruit!

“Which, like… of course. Roy Roundtree is perfectly capable of making sound decisions like “not going to Purdue.” He has free will.”

Yes, he does. But the question isn’t whether these kids are capable of making sound decisions, what are the odds of Roundtree even considering switching if Michigan decided to back off after his verbal to Purdue.

But hey, everyone does it Brian argues.

Every coach in the Big Ten has, at one time or another, attempted to poach some other Big Ten school’s “commitment.”

Granted we have had one or two instances every few years in which one Big Ten school poached or attempted to steal another recruit from a fellow conference member. Which by the way, despite what those at Mgoblog says, IS a lot worst than stealing from out of conference teams.

“Stealing recruits from your fellow brethren is like shitting where you sleep. You are not only going to be playing with one another, but there are galas, conferences, conventions and even meetings that will thrust you among your fellow conference peers and Rich Rod has not experienced that as of now. Think he’ll be sitting side by side with Tiller, Tressel or Paterno anytime soon? At the rate he’s going, they’ll have to bring in a kid’s table just so he can sit by himself during Media Day.”

But no one has done it at the rate Rich Rod is going. But hey, Michigan just wants to beat Ohio State at this point so who can blame them. But common, blaming the recruits for switching their commitments? You can do better. Sure, Rich Rod continuing pressure on Roundtree even after his verbal to Purdue had absolutely nothing to do with his decommitment.

So any takers for Rich Rod’s roommate at the Big Ten media conference in Chicago? Joe, Tiller and Tressel rather sleep in a cardboard box.

(Ed: Pictures added April 23, 2008)

Boy does it feel great when the sun comes out in the state of Pennsylvania. 73,000 people sure thought so when they descended upon Happy Valley for a spring scrimmage. 73,000! That’s equivalent to 2 capacity crowds at Fenway Park, and 42,000 more people than the 30,286 that showed up for Notre Dame’s scrimmage.

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With the weather cooperating, we decided to partake in the tailgating festivities where our tailgating neighbors decided it would be a great idea to invite some kids to play a game of dizzybat without the beer. The little boy even managed to whack the ball successfully which is more than I can say for their mom who tumbled head first into a SUV parked adjacent to the festivities. Regrettable, but funny as shit nonetheless.

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We didn’t even think about making our way into the stadium early seeing as this is only the Blue/White game, but when we were standing in line to get in only minutes after the game had started, the entire stadium erupted in a roar. Moments later someone informed us that Stephon Green, the lighting back had turned a simple pitch from Pat Devlin into a 57 yard touchdown run down the sidelines. Can you imagine the possibilities with Green and Royster in the backfield this year? Penn State will finally have a ‘lightning and thunder’ combination that has been sorely lacking in our run-first type offense. Think Clemson, Michigan State, USC, and LSU type of reliable backs. Green’s display of speed single handedly re-energized this fan base for next year.

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By the time we made it up to our seats in the top level of section WA, the entire lower bowl of Beaver Stadium was filled. It was clear we had broken last year’s record crowd of 71,000. Last year, the crowd barely filled up the entire lower level of the stadium. This year, there were no noticeable empty sections in the lower section. The PA announcer only confirmed it when he announced a new record crowd of 73,000 fans for this year’s Blue and White game in the middle of the third quarter.

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And like I said before, there is no quarterback ‘controversy’. It’s clear who is in the lead between Clark and Devlin. Clark took all his snaps solely with the first team offensive while Devlin switched to the first team only after starting with the second team offense. Clark was 9 of 16 for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns and Devlin was 12 of 18 for 122 yards and 1 score. We all know Clark can run. Texas A&M learned it the hard way in last year’s Alamo Bowl. But for the doubters of his throwing accuracy. Clark’s nice 33-yard strike to Derrick Williams for a TD should help answer his critics.

In 2005, Robinson showed that throwing accuracy does not define a successful team, Morelli confirmed it in 2006 and 2007. And after the last 3 years, I would much rather have an less accurate, but efficient passer like Robinson than a supposed ‘cannon for an arm, cannonball for a brain’ type quarterback like Morelli.

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The quarterback situation isn’t so much a ‘controversy’ as it is a ‘competition’. Come Coastal Carolina in the fall, Clark will be the man under center. The question should be whether Devlin will be beside him in Jay Pa’s new HD offense.

On the topic of the new HD offense, nothing went on Saturday that indicated an overhaul of Penn State’s offensive strategies. Maybe we are saving it for the fall, or maybe it was a bluff on our end in a desperate attempt to land Terrelle Pryor. But we will just have to wait and see.

bluewhite1

Spring games mean relatively little. First team players rarely go all out every play of the game and if they do, they definitely wouldn’t want to risk injury with a hard tackle. But this year’s Blue and White game meant more than year’s past. In an off season full of disappointing news ranging from players’ arrests to Sean Lee’s injury, the Lion faithful needed a break, a celebration of what Penn State football was really about. And 73,000 of us gathered to do exactly that this Saturday.

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What IS important at a spring game is for future recruits to get a glimpse of the fan support here at Penn State. Remember Alabama’s record shattering crowd of 90,000+ last year? It was no coincidence that even with a lackluster record last season, Alabama still landed the top recruiting class this year. Recruits love excitement, the hype and the possibility of exposure. Let’s just put it this way, having 73,000 people show up to watch the final spring practice does not hurt recruiting whatsoever.

Below is a list of possible future recruits that paced the sideline last Saturday:

	Position	Rivals Rank	Holding offer?	Home State
Mark Aridiacono	OL	-	Yes	Pennsylvania
Alex Blake	WR	-	-	Maryland
Scott Drosendahl	QB	-	-	NY
Danzel Manley	OL/DL	-	-	Maryland
Terrence Stephens	DT		-	Maryland
Jason Ankrah	DE	-	-	Maryland
Anthony Young-Wiseman	Ath	-	-	Maryland
Andrew Shoop	QB	-	-	Pennsylvania
Mikel Berry	DL	-	-	Pennsylvania
Dominque Cole	-	-	-	Ohio
DeAndre Harris	-	-	-	Ohio
Trevor Smith	-	-	-	Ohio
Mike Herns	-	-	-	Ohio
Maurice Jones	-	-	-	Ohio
Matt Couch	OL	-	-	Pennsylvania
Tariq Tongue	WR	-	-	New York
Andre Civil	DE	-	-	New York
Kevin Douglas	-	-	-	-
Jake Fagano	-	-	-	-
Christian Zemaitis	-	-	-	New York
Lewis Toler	-	-	-	Delaware
Cameron Thomas	-	-	-	Delaware
Rob Stupar	FB	-	-	Pennsylvania
Brian Fields	RB	-	-	Pennsylvania
J.R. Refice	-	-	-	Pennsylvania
Evangelos Regas	OL	-	-	New Jersey
Brent Caprio	QB	-	-	New Jersey
Anthony Stroffolino	LB	-	-	New Jersey
Arthur Fontaine	TE		-	Mass.
Khalil Wilkes	OL	-	-	New Jersey
Nate Papso	-	-	-	New York
Nate Cadogan	OL/DL	-	-	Ohio
Travis Hawkins	CB	-	Yes	Maryland
Stephen Obeng-Agyapong	-	-	-	New York
Mike Hull	LB	-	-	Pennsylvania
Tavon Austin	RB		Yes	Maryland
Jaleel Clark	WR	-	Yes	Pennsylvania
Jelani Jenkins	LB		Yes	Maryland
Ty Howle	C	-	Committed	N. Carolina
Justin Brown	DE		Yes	Delaware
Jordan Hill	DE	-	-	Pennsylvania
Nick Kindler	OT	-	-	Pennsylvania

One name especially pops out from the list and that is linebacker Jelani Jenkins. Rivals just released their updated top 100 and he jumped from #79 to #10 overall. Ohio State just received a commitment from top linebacker Dorian Bell (another Pennsylvania traitor) this past weekend so landing Jenkins would definitely be a boost.

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Our group left the game right before the fourth quarter not because we wanted to get more tailgating in, but because Paul Cianciolo was on the field which meant we were at the 3rd string quarterback point. Regardless to say, I walked out of the stadium appreciating the game for what it was, simply the last practice of spring. Anything more would be over exaggeration and anything less would be dismissing the hard work young players put into trying to get onto the roster.

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Notable Bits:

• Michael Robinson’s and Levi Brown’s rousing reception by the fans
• Conversely, the boos that rained down on Anthony Morelli who has yet to officially leave Penn State when he was introduced as one of the players of the game.

What was even more surprising were the looks on some of the fans who still turn around to look for the people booing as if it was a shocking revelation. Morelli sucked, Penn State is glad to get rid of him. History will see Morelli as a failure who could not use one of the best receiving corps in the country to his advantage in both 2006 and 2007, nor a great offensive line in 2007, nor a stellar defense in 2006. He never stepped up as a leader, never faced the media after a bad game and simply started under center because of some undying loyalty Joe Paterno has to his seniors (which I do commend), but unfortunately we got a super senior who couldn’t pee under pressure let alone throw a pass.

• The small group of red or orange clad fans sitting across from our section of the stadium. They were about 20 strong and all decked out in red or orange gear, couldn’t tell exactly which. I have no idea what it was for, but if someone does, please enlighten me.
• That Paul Cianciolo was actually being planted to the turf despite his red jersey. Just shows the hill he has to climb to fight Devlin for that #2 spot.