SB Nation - Brandon Ware

Joe Paterno Press Conference Recap

BSD — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:54:54 -0000

2 months ago: Penn State coach Joe Paterno listens to a question during his weekly news conference on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009 in State College, Pa. Penn State takes on at Illinois in an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 3, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Pat Little)

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Here are the bullets from Joe Paterno's press conference today.

Obviously, Joe was disappointed with the results on Saturday. He blamed turnovers and field position as the major contributors, but didn't want to take anything away from Iowa who played a good football game. He really liked the effort by the team.
When asked about the blocked punt Joe said he warned the kids all week it was going to come down to a kicking play. Joe reminded the team that the 1982 team lost to Alabama on a blocked punt and came back to win the national championship. Nice story, but I don't think this team has the umph in the schedule to climb that high in the polls.
Joe stressed the blocked punt was not Jeremy Boone's fault.
Obviously he was disappointed with the turnovers. Pointed out they came from some of their most dependable kids. Can't do much to fix it other than just work through it.
Sean Lee is still day-to-day. Lee says he can go, but it's up to the medical staff.
Joe thinks Collin Wagner is doing a good job on the kickoffs. Earlier in the year the coverage was bad and let a few opponents get back to the 40 yard line. The coverage was better on Saturday and he's pleased with the kickoff coverage game now.
Joe says when you get knocked down you have to get up angry and fight. Says we'll find out if this team has some fighters. He thinks they'll be alright.
Joe thinks the defensive line did an excellent job.
Some reporter asked Paterno if Joe Suhey was excited to be playing in his home state of Illinois this weekend which prompted this major piece of pwnage.

Really, you guys (laughing). You know we’ve got a football team that just got licked. If you think I’m going around saying are you happy? Are you happy? Are you happy? What would you like to do? Would you like to — me to come over and brush your teeth for you tomorrow morning because you’re going to be going home. No, come on, knock it off, will you.

When asked about Juice WIlliams, Paterno gave the canned "He's a heck-uf-a athlete" response.
Joe is pleased with the performance of Andrew Quarless
Joe sidestepped a question about Wisniewski's low shotgun snaps just saying Wiz is doing fine.
The conservative playcalling on Saturday night was more a function of the poor field position than wet conditions. Joe hinted that the Iowa defensive backs were doing some things that hindered the receivers, and the officials were letting them get away with it.
Brandon Ware is still a "couple weeks" away from being healed from his broken foot.
Stephon Morris is playing really well. The coaches are "anxious" to get him more playing time.
Joe appreciates the expectations of the fans, but he's more worried about the psyche of his team right now. Says a loss like this is harder because he thought they were pretty even with Iowa in talent and coaching. It's not like they got blown out by a superior opponent. He mentioned how he got in trouble years ago after a loss to a superior Texas team he made a comment in the press conference about how he was going to go home and beat his wife over it. Some people still won't let him live that down so he's more careful in how he responds to losses now.
Nerraw McCormack would be the starter at right tackle if they played today. He has earned the right to play in front of DeOn'tae Pannell.
Last week Joe mentioned he would like to see the defense force more turnovers. On Saturday they forced two. Joe thinks that's a good number and he's satisfied with it.
Joe thinks Nick Sukay played well on Saturday despite the punt block and roughing penalty. He thinks the loss will end up helping young players like him.
Joe thinks it might be a good time to take the team on a road game to get them away and focused.

Bucknotes is broadcasting from the vastness of space

Sam @ WWAHT — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:00:13 -0000

Hicks holds first ever teleconference - ESPN
Truly bizarre story about Jordan Hicks holding a teleconference to accommodate all the interview requests he has received. What's weirder: it's a weekly thing. Kurelic has never seen anything like it. Of course, Hicks could do his broadcasts from the moon wearing a frilly pink spacesuit and I'd still want him to be a Buckeye.

Former Ohio State star Archie Griffin OK with another repeat Heisman Trophy winner - ESPN
Remains a class act about the whole thing. Gotta love this guy.

Sweater Vest Digest – The Best Damn Blog in the Land! BuckeyeBanter.com " Tressel Talk – Navy Week
The man continues to excel at saying nothing with a flourish of words. No, I don't get writing tips from him. Meanie.

We’re Already Talking About 2011? | Our Honor Defend
Yes, yes, we are. Ohio State nabbed a commitment over the weekend from Toledo Whitmer DE Kenny Hayes. Hayes is massive for a high school junior - 6'5" 250 - and might not be done growing. He earns WTF-bonus points for the wacky Malcolm X - Obama - MLK photoshop shirt in his Rivals picture. Why no post about his commitment? Because 2011 prospects might as well play in a foreign country the way Rivals and Scout talk about them (i.e. not much). When the 2011 rankings are released, I'll try to remember to opine. For now, he's just a big kid with some good offers.

And to the defense of Michigan — Ohio State - Yahoo! News
Practicegate just gets dumber by the moment. Senior captain Kurt Coleman:

"I think Michigan is probably abiding by the rules," said Coleman, a starting safety. "But, you know, to be great you have to put in more than 20 hours. That's just the minimum. In any great program, each player is putting in more than what they're required to. And it's all on their own. That's what takes a program to the next level, when guys are going above and beyond the call of duty."

Jewel Hampton Needs Knee Surgery, Out For Year
It's official and whatnot now. Remember what I said about Iowa being good? About that... back-up Jeff Brinson will also miss the home opener against 1AA power Northern Iowa.

Brandon Ware Breaks Foot; Out One Month - Black Shoe Diaries
Penn State thinner at DT... for a little bit, at least. Should be fine by the time the Buckeyes roll around, but iffy for their first major test against Illinois, which comes one week after the Illini play in Columbus.

Passes to the backs??? (Blogging the Buckeyes)
Yes, we are going to be doing that whole "swing/shovel/wheel" pass-to-the-back thing a lot more this year. Also: Melvin Fellows, Safari Planet will be redshirting, as will James Jackson and Dominic Clarke.

BuckeyeXtra - The Columbus Dispatch : OSU football: Sights set on Navy, Tressel says
Team is not distracted, is not overlooking the Middies, etc. etc. I remember reading this exact same article before last year's Ohio game.

Final Takes: Is Michigan unraveling? - Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo! Sports

No. At the very least, it shouldn't be. I mean, I'd love to see it happen, but for it to be torn down from within by crappy journalism would be the least exciting way to see the program go.

Brandon Ware Breaks Foot; Out One Month

Run Up The Score — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:58:35 -0000

So sayeth the Flounders:

"He was just running (in practice),'' Paterno said of Ware's injury. PSU's defensive tackle rotation had already been thinned by the loss of Milton Hershey grad Abe Koroma, who transferred to Western Illinois after Paterno said Koroma wouldn't play in 2009 due to personal issues.
Paterno said he spoke with team doctor Wayne Sebastianelli about [Ware's] injury. "He'll be out at least 3-4 weeks,'' Paterno said of Ware.

Penn State's Reason For Hope #4 - Larry Johnson Sr.

BSD — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:23 -0000

via blog.pennlive.com

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I can remember a few years ago looking ahead to 2009 and thinking Penn State was going to be absolutely loaded on the defensive line. But a funny thing happened between then and now. Phil Taylor and Chris Baker were dismissed from the team. Maurice Evans and Aaron Maybin decided to go pro early. Josh Gaines had the audacity to graduate. And JoePa decided to throw Abe Koroma in the doghouse for a year and throw away the key.

Normally this kind of attrition would be devastating to any average defense. But I'm not worried, and I don't have the sense Nittany Lion fans are worried either. That's because we know that no matter how bad things get with dismissals and injuries, as long as we have Larry Johnson Sr. everything will be okay on the defensive line.

Of course nobody is worried about Jared Odrick, a first team All-BIg Ten selection a year ago who probably could have entered the NFL draft and done quite well for himself last spring. And we know his defensive tackle counterpart Ollie Ogbu is a proven commodity who I think is poised for a breakout season in 2009. With Devon Still, Chima Okoli, and Brandon Ware to back these guys up there's plenty of talent and depth to work with at the defensive tackle position.

But then nobody I read mentionsthe defensive tackles as a concern. The defensive ends are a different story. Penn State has to replace their top three guys on the outside this year. Maybin, Evans, and Gaines accounted for 19 sacks and 31.5 TFL. That's a lot of production to replace, but if there's one area Penn State has proven it can reload, it's on the defensive line.

Jack Crawford is Larry Johnson's latest project this summer. Standing an imposing six-foot-five and 256 lbs. with tremendous explosiveness due to years of playing basketball in England, Crawford has drawn comparisons to Aaron Maybin. I'll go one better than that. I'll go out on a limb and say Crawford will be better than Maybin before it's all said and done. Maybin, as good as he was, was really a one dimensional player. He was an outside pass rushing specialist, but he wasn't really that great against the running game, and he never really developed a bull rush due to the fact he couldn't put on weight. Crawford has explosiveness, but he also has the size Maybin could never obtain which I think will make him an even more dominant player.

On the other side it's going to be interesting to watch Johnson work his magic. It looks like Jerome Hayes is penciled in as the starter at weak side defensive end after two reconstructive knee surgeries in the past two years. It has me a bit concerned that he's our best option, but if he can show the same speed he did before his injuries he'll be a force to wreckon with coming off the edge on third and long.

He'll have to platoon with Kevion Latham on the weak side. Latham saw considerable action last year as a redshirt freshman. He reminds me a lot of Josh Gaines in his physique and his motor. This will be his third year under Johnson's tutelage, so I expect him to be a solid player.

I'm The Luckiest Man Here. My Hearing Aid Doesn't Work.

Run Up The Score — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:45:38 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

4 months ago: Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno, center, laughs with quarterback Daryll Clark, left, and linebacker Sean Lee, right, during Penn State Football Media Day in State College, Pa, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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That quote is from former Penn State football radio broadcaster Fran Fisher, as he sat in the back of the media room inside Beaver Stadium yesterday. Yeah, I miss Frannie too:

Enis scores the game winner in the '97 PSU vs. OSU game (via BeltwayLandLion)

Anyway, Fisher's quote could not have been more appropriate for a Joe Paterno preseason press conference. If you've paid attention to these things at any point during the last 25 years, you already know Paterno's answers. We're not very good right now. I'm just worried about [name of first opponent]. They have a [totally obscure skill position player] who can really give us trouble. I don't know what I'd do if I wasn't coaching. I don't know why you guys care about this stuff. I'm just happy to not be dead. You shut up.

Okay, okay, here's the actual quote:

Nothing excites me yet. I'll be honest with you, we're lousy. I have nothing to be excited about right now as a team. I'm serious about that. We got too many things we got to get accomplished. I mean, we got a lot of work ahead of us to be a good football team. So I'm excited to be alive. That's about it.

If you really care, FOS provides a handy audio file of Paterno's presser.

As for actual news, there was some:

A.J. Wallace -- Supposedly could be suspended by Paterno for a few games to start the season for cutting classes:

"Yeah, I told A.J. I might not play him in a game or two because he cut classes," Paterno said. "If he cuts any more classes, he won’t play. I think you gotta send a message. No sense sending a message if somebody isn’t a player. He’s obviously one of our better players.

"I think he’ll be all right. Now, when I’ll play him will depend on what I hear back from our academic advisors, and find out whether he’s going to class and he’s doing what he’s supposed to do academically. If he does, then we’ll think about when we want to play him."

In my view, Wallace is the most important player to the defense this season. If he plays up to his potential -- and haven't we been saying that since he arrived? -- he could be a tremendous asset to a Nittany Lion secondary which is rightfully perceived as a weakness in 2009, and spent a good portion of 2008 doing this:

Suck! Suck! Suck! (via 3Honks)

Whatever A.J. Wallace's issues are (and I'm afraid to even guess at this point), if Penn State is going to be even remotely competent in the secondary, he needs to get on the field and be productive. To this point in his career as a defensive back, he hasn't done much of either. And he's supposed to be our good cornerback.

Daryll Clark -- Supposedly has "more swagger". Hard to know what the hell that even means, because he wasn't exactly a shrinking violet last year. Every Clark article inevitably includes the required "must not get another concussion" warning, but the York Daily Record article gets to the heart of his other big problem in 2008:

So what can Clark do better, do differently?

One is limiting his knack for fumbling. He said carrying the ball higher and tighter against his chest should help.

Isn't "oh crap, you better not get hit" a bad thing to endlessly drill into the head of a quarterback?

The Offensive Line -- Rightfully has Paterno worried. DeOnt'ae Pannell is your starter at right tackle, due to the coaches' desire to have Dennis Landolt protect Clark's blind side:

The Pannell-Landolt switch leads one to believe that the staff is not entirely comfortable yet with more than just the instability at left guard, where Johnnie Troutman and his sore hamstring had a summer of training that underwhelmed Paterno and thrust redshirt freshman Matt Stankiewitch onto the first team as of Wednesday.

Pannell needs time and work to acquire what football players always call "game speed."
"He's already used to the speed of the game," admitted Pannell of Landolt. "I'm still getting comfortable with it. I think that's the main reason they're doing it."

Navarro Bowman -- I'll just lift this from Mark Wogenrich's excellent Morning Call blog entry this morning:

The linebacker said his offseason trouble is behind him and he’s doing the community service that was an issue at his parole violation hearing last spring. "I think that he realized that he's wasting a great opportunity in his life," Paterno said.

Bowman said he and Paterno met, with each explaining his side. Bowman said he wanted the coach to understand how the recent deaths of his father and high school coach affected him. Asked if Paterno did, Bowman said, "I’m still here, so I think he did understand."

And while we're on that Morning Call blog, a bit about Brandon Ware:

Every time someone brings up the intriguing redshirt freshman defensive end from Harrisburg, Paterno mentions his weight. "Brandon Ware is 20 pounds away from even coming close to being a football player," Paterno said Thursday. "He’s just too heavy."

Ware checks in at 340, about 45 pounds lighter than last year. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson Sr. pegged Ware’s weight closer to 5-10 pounds too much. But Paterno’s point went more to discipline than to size.

Poor guy. I hope we see him on the field this season, because he apparently has a ton of skill and quickness for a big boy (and his Twitter/Facebook pages are hilarious -- he's truly a legend in waiting).

Wide receivers -- Not causing Paterno nearly as much worry because most of them have playing experience, as opposed to the offensive linemen. We know that Graham Zug, Brett Brackett, Chaz Powell, and Derek Moye return for Penn State, but that hasn't stopped the coaching staff from trying some formations with Stephfon Green at running back and Evan Royster in the slot.

If the guys moving up the depth chart stumble, and if Royster's occasionally sliding over to slotback proves to be more of a gimmick than a staple of the offense, Paterno and McQueary could take longer looks at a couple of true freshmen who could work their way into the rotation. [Justin] Brown, a 6-3, 210-pounder from Wilmington, was widely considered the best prep player in Delaware a year ago, and it'll be interesting to see whether super-quick Devon Smith, just 5-7 and 153 pounds, can find his way onto the field in some capacity. Smith, from Waldorf, Md., ran the fastest 55- and 60-meter dashes in the nation during the 2009 high school indoor season and he won the 60-meter national title in March in a time of 6.63 seconds.

That's not a misprint, of course: 5'7", 153 pounds. To see this in action, just do yourself a favor and skip to 2:15 of this video:

Devon Smith Returns Kickoff for Touchdown (via allinbroadcasting)

Finally, the guys over at the Patriot-News would like to know, what's up with Joe Paterno's tooth?

Penn State Recruiting Update - Defense

BSD — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:10:18 -0000

The other day we went through an update on Penn State's recruiting efforts on the offensive side of the ball, so today we'll go through the defense.

Defensive Tackles

Projected Need: 2

Verbal Commits: None

In the last two recruiting classes Penn State has brought in two defensive tackles: Brandon Ware and Jordan Hill. Jared Odrick runs out of eligibility this year, and Tom McEowen, Abe Koroma, and Ollie Ogbu aren't far behind. So Penn State really needs to bring in two defensive tackles in this class.

So far there is nothing in the basket, but signs are looking good with Sharrif Floyd from Philadelphia, PA. Floyd is a five-star prospect and the #3 rated tackle in the country as rated by Scout. They also just got in the game with DaQuan Jones of Johnson City, NY and gave him a scholarship offer.

Personally I feel really good about our chances with both of these guys. Floyd is slow playing things, but I think we're the leader there. He has said he doesn't have a top five, but if he did, Penn State would be in it. Jones just got his offer and plans to visit at the end of this month. I wouldn't be surprised if he commits during his visit or within a week after it.

Defensive Ends

Projected Need: 2

Verbal Commits: None

The early departures of Maurice Evans and Aaron Maybin left the depth chart pretty thin at defensive tackle. So I'm thinking Penn State is going to take two defensive ends in this class.

They haven't landed any commitments yet, but the coaches have been very selective in their offers. Dominique Easley from Staten Island is the top target. He hasn't named any leaders yet, but I have to think our reputation, location, and depth chart have to be attractive to him and Penn State will be in it to the end with him.

The other big target is Kyle Baublitz from York, PA. He has made numerous visits to Penn State, and the Nittany Lions are considered to be his leader.

Linebackers

Projected Need: 2

Verbal Commits: Mike Hull

Penn State only took one linebacker, Glen Carson, last February. Sean Lee is gone after this season, and there's a high possibility Navorro Bowman won't be back next year if he has another great season. So I'm thinking we need to take two kids in this class.

Mike Hull committed back in December, but we still need one more. Everyone seems to think it's just a matter of time until Khari Fortt commits to Penn State. His high school teammate, Silas Redd, is already a Nittany Lion. Fortt loves Penn State and has made several visits.

Defensive Backs

Projected Need: 1

Verbal Commits: None

Penn State took a huge haul of defensive backs in the last class with three safeties and three cornerbacks. By all accounts Gerald Hodges looks impressive and will probably be a three year starter beginning in 2010. Drew Astorino looks like he has the other safety spot all to himself until 2012. With freshmen speedsters Derrick Thomas, Darrell Givens, and Stephen Morris competing at cornerback along with sophomore D'Anton Lynn, the secondary is looking pretty promising for the foreseeable future.

But with Timmons and Wallace graduating after this season there are a few scholarships available to give. So I wouldn't be surprised if they take one or two kids, but I'm not counting on it. I think with the way Astorino and Hodges have been impressing along with the overflow of bodies at cornerback it's very possible we'll sit this year out when it comes to defensive backs. If a four or five star stud at another position wants to get on board, this is the position that will suffer in order to make room for them.

But having said all of that, Penn State is floating a few offers out there. It never hurts to dip your lure in the water and see what bites. Jeff Knox from Maryland, Sean Parker from California, and Keenan Allen from North Carolina are reportedly sporting offers. Of those four, Knox seems to be the most promising since he lives in the state of Larryland and he recently listed Penn State in his top four along with Michigan, Maryland, and Pitt. But he has yet to make a visit to campus.

June Status Report

It's still early in the recruiting season, but it's a bit concerning that the offense has six verbal commitments and the defense only has one. (I never thought I would see the day!) And that one is Mike Hull who committed seven months ago.

The coaches are clearly being selective in who they offer as evidenced by the low number of known offers out there. They have to do this with a small class. My concern is that we wait too long on these kids, and then if they decide to go elsewhere it's too late to get back in the game with the other top targets. I would feel better if we had more offers out there, but I understand it's a delicate balance. You don't want to fill up your roster with all the two and three star kids that would normally be destined for the MAC. I suspect we'll see another round of offers sent out soon after the summer camp circuit wraps up.

Nitt Picks Is Running Like Hell

Run Up The Score — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 17:02:55 -0000

More photos » by PAT LITTLE - AP

8 months ago: Penn State linebacker Sean Lee (45) talks with teammate Chris Colasanti during spring football practice on Friday, March 27, 2009 in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Pat Little)

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Okay, back to football.

Penn State recently held its annual Coaches' Clinic -- this year it was indoors at Holuba Hall due to the windy conditions. For the uninitiated, it's an event attended by hundreds of high school coaches from across the state. There are instructional presentations by the PSU coaches, but the big news always comes out of the live scrimmage.

Last year, the highly unusual news was the offense performing quite well against the defense. This year, things seem to have reverted to the defense just mauling its adversaries. Some reports from across the state:

Mark Wogenrich, Allentown Morning Call (which also has a two-deep depth chart):

On the very first play of the scrimmage, tight end Andrew Quarless jumped offsides. Head coach Joe Paterno was all over him.

Paterno also worked over cornerback Knowledge Timmons, who seemed physical but uncertain when to turn it on and off. He looked like a perpetual pass-interference flag waiting to happen.

Running back Evan Royster is effortlessly smooth. He scored on a 40-yard run that didn’t seem to require much energy expenditure.

Bit of a surprise to see Andrew Dailey at strong safety. Dailey, a 6-2 redshirt sophomore, spent last season at receiver and linebacker. True freshman Gerald Hodges was at third-team safety.

Sophomore receiver A.J. Price is listed at 173 pounds.That has to include pads.

[More from Wogenrich here.]

Bob Flounders, Harrisburg Patriot-News:

Penn State is rebuilding an offensive line that lost three first-team All-Big Ten choices to graduation. By the time the Big Ten season rolls around next falll, the unit might be solid enough to hold its own. ... There were few surprises. Senior Knowledge Timmons started at the one cornerback spot opposite A.J. Wallace and sophomore Andrew Dailey -- listed as a linebacker on the roster -- worked at one of the safety spots along with Drew Astorino.

[And from a different Flounders PennLive.com link: Harrisburg High redshirt freshman defensive tackle Brandon Ware, who is rumored to be down to 341 pounds after spending much of 2008 in the 360s, worked with the third-team defense and was a handful when an O-lineman tried to engage him one-on-one. ... Shuler caught a touchdown pass from Clark, one of the rare shining moments for the offense. ... Sophomore Jon Ditto, listed as a wideout on the roster, is working at outside linebacker. ... Other notables who were held out of practice were defensive end Jerome Hayes (knee) and tailbacks Stephfon Green (ankle) and Brent Carter (knee)]

Eric Thomas, Carlisle Sentinel:

Judging by one scrimmage in limited work against the first team defense, it appears redshirt freshman walk-on Matt McGloin may have the edge over Kevin Newsome. Newsome looked tentative under center, had a pass batted down at the line and was mugged by defensive end Kevion Latham and was off on deep balls during the scrimmage. The true freshman from Virginia who enrolled in January also had trouble handling some snaps both with the first and second string offensive line and appeared to be off on his timing when under center. On one play Newsome appeared to have trouble with a three-step drop. At first glance he appeared to throw the ball a lot of like Michael Robinson did, a side-armed somewhat inaccurate style.

The first team offensive line had DeOn’Tae Pannell at left tackle, Matt Stankiewitch at left guard, Stefen Wisniewski at center, Lou Eliades at right guard and Dennis Landolt at right tackle.

First team defense was Latham and Jack Crawford at the ends, Jared Odrick and Ollie Ogbu inside. Mike Mauti, Josh Hull and Navarro Bowman were the linebackers.

Sean Lee was held out of contact during the scrimmage and will do so all spring.

The secondary had A.J. Wallace and Knowledge Timmons at the corners with Andrew Dailey at free safety and Drew Astorino at strong safety.

The second team defensive line had Pete Massaro and Eric Latimore at the ends with Devon Still and Abe Koroma inside. Bani Gbadyu, Chris Colasanti and Nate Stupar at the linebackers and a secondary of D’Anton Lynn and Devin Fentress at the corners and Cedric Jeffries and Nick Sukay at the safety spots.

Jon Ditto, a one-time tight end, worked out with the linebackers.

On the first play the first team offense ran, tight end Andrew Quarless jumped. It appears the starting tight end spot is up for grabs between Quarless and East Pennsboro’s Mickey Shuler. Shuler made a nice grab on a throw from McGloin and later on a beautiful throw from Clark scored. Chaz Powell has inherited the Derrick Williams role, even his No. 2. Powell lined up in the backfield on several snaps.

Harrisburg’s Brandon Ware had a strong showing taking down reserve lineman Jonathan Stewart to pressure the quarterback and later knocking down a pass at the line of scrimmage.

The takeaways? No surprise that the defensive line is going to be amazing, and with the return of Sean Lee, Penn State will probably have the best front seven in the conference. Pray to whatever gods you believe in for the health of Daryll Clark, because Newsome isn't even close to being ready for live action. If Clark goes down, we're officially in "entering a world of pain" territory unless Newsome or McGloin improve greatly. Be afraid, again, about the defensive secondary, although Penn State can (for the second straight year) take comfort in the fact that they won't face many prolific passing attacks in the Big Ten. The coaching staff is quite obviously looking at various defensive back combinations -- let's hope they come up with a winning superfecta by October. Finally, the wide receiver position remains problematic. Zug jokes aside, they're not scaring anybody with a competent pass defense, and that means we're going to need a hell of a lot more from Mickey Shuler and...gulp...Andrew Quarless.