SB Nation User Blog: Run Up The Score

You Didn't Need Those Fingers Anyway

Run Up The Score — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:25:24 -0000

Have fun out there. If trouble arises, simply ask yourself WWLD?

Totally nuts.

Run Up The Score — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:05:15 -0000

Totally nuts.

Commit #11: Levi Norwood

Run Up The Score — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:13:42 -0000

Gimme a team full of Norwoods and a wooo!

A little late-night news, as wide receiver Levi Norwood has officially committed to Penn State:

After spending last weekend at Penn State's senior-only camp and receiving an offer, Norwood called Lion receivers' coach Mike McQueary Wednesday to inform him that he was committing.
...
Norwood, the younger brother of former PSU standout receiver Jordan Norwood and the son of former Lion assistant Brian Norwood, said there was really never any question about where he would play his college ball.
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"Pretty much growing up there and having my brother go there and always being around Penn State, I always wanted to go there," Levi said. "It was easy for me."
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Norwood did not play football at Midway High last fall after transferring from State College High. But he has been working out with the football team at Midway this off-season and reportedly turned in a strong performance at PSU's senior camp. Norwood said no decision has been made on whether he will grayshirt.

Levi is already 6'2", so he's a bigger target than his brother Jordan, and apparently caught everything thrown in his area during the recent camp. And hell, he's a Norwood. Great bloodlines, coach's son, knows what it takes to succeed in a major collegiate program. People will complain and write things like, "zOMG HE'S ONLY A NEGATIVE THREE STAR PLAYER!11ONE!" These people are morons, because (1) there's the strong possibility that Levi will grayshirt, and won't even count against the limited available scholarship count for the current recruiting class, and (2) after what Jordan accomplished here, Levi clearly deserves a lot of slack.

Jordan Norwood - Cleveland Browns - Draft Video Profile (via Draftguysdotcom)

Now Contains Football-Like Substance!

Run Up The Score — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:17:42 -0000

The videos are starting to trickle out.

All In (via PSUFootball1)

Have You Seen DaQuan Jones Anywhere?

Run Up The Score — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:56:23 -0000

Have You Seen DaQuan Jones Anywhere?

Nitt Picks momentarily. First, we need your help locating the Penn State offensive line recruit in this picture.

He must have been home sick that day.

Nitt Picks Brings You Back From The Dead

Run Up The Score — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:56:20 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

about 1 month ago: Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, center, drops into a three-point stance with Matthew Rauscher, left, and Frankie Rauscher, right, before the "Evening With Joe" event Wednesday, May 27, 2009, in Fogelsville, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Browse more photos »

Some items to ponder while mourning the tragic loss of a worldwide cultural icon who brought millions of people joy with his unique voice and unusual stage performances. Billy Mays, you'll be missed.

As you've seen, recruiting is the main source of news right now. It appears that Manheim Central defensive end Dakota Royer seems close to making a decision:

Royer has well over 20 Division I-A college offers, thanks to a process he largely initiated himself, by making his own highlight DVDs and going off to combines (and winning position-group MVP awards at the combines) as early as his freshman year. "I still remember sitting at home, waiting for that first letter [from a college]," Royer said Wednesday. "Now I get 20 letters a day."

He's created a monster.

"You'd think it would be awesome getting recruited," he said. "I thought it would be, even though guys told me you get tired of it. You do get tired of it. It's so stressful."

There's also a little background on the swimming pool stunt, which Royer nailed on the fourth take.

As for those who have recently joined PSU's recruiting class, their local papers have had a day or two to provide the full write-up. First, Evan Hailes:

Hailes, a two-time all-state and two-time All-Tidewater selection, said he chose the Nittany Lions over such schools as Tennessee, LSU and Virginia Tech because he liked what Penn State had to offer.

"The thing I liked most about them is that they emphasized academics more than football," said Hailes as he drove from State College on his way back to Chesapeake following his visit to the school.

What also helped was his relationship with defensive line coach Larry Johnson. This is his 14th season on the staff and ninth year coaching the defensive line. In that span, he has been instrumental in the development of five first-team All-Americans, including three first-round NFL draft choices.

"He's a real good guy and everything he says is backed up by the players," Hailes said. "He sealed the deal for me."

A chance to play for Penn State coach Joe Paterno was icing on the cake.

"It's like playing basketball with Michael Jordan," he said. "You're with a legend. A lot of people wish they could play for him but I'm going to get a chance to do it."

And then there's DaQuan Jones:

Jones, who will sign his NLI in February, said he was also looking at Boston College, Maryland, Syracuse and Pittsburgh. But his visit to Penn State, in State College, Pa., made him feel at home.

"Just me going down there, the environment around the school and outside the school, it's just great," Jones said. "I'm excited about it. I'm really just taking it all in."

Beats the hell out of Amway: Anthony Scirrotto is a long shot to make the Carolina Panthers' roster this season, but he now has an official backup plan:

Scirrotto wasn't thinking about baseball anymore, but his former high school coach kept his name alive in baseball circles.

While Sean McKenna had since become a police detective in West Deptford, he remained close with Picollo, whom he played baseball against in high school and was now Kansas City's assistant general manager for scouting and player development.

Just over a month ago Scirrotto got a call from a Royals scout, saying they might draft him.

"We had set out at the beginning of the year to target some football players who maybe had a chance to play in the NFL but had baseball backgrounds," Picollo said. "Anthony sounded open to it. Obviously his first priority is trying to make the Panthers and in no way do we want to impede what he's doing there."

But when Thursday came, late on the last day of the draft and a day off with the Panthers, Scirrotto decided to go golfing — just before he was the 1,502nd pick in a 1,521-player draft.

Commence Jurassic Joe jokes...now: Penn State scientists have revived a strain of bacteria that has been buried deep within a glacier for 120,000 years:

The scientists found the bacteria, named Herminiimonas glaciei, buried under nearly 2 miles worth of ice in Greenland. Scientists think that, since it's small even for bacteria, it survives on nutrients trapped in veins of ice and uses its flagella to move within veins to seek food.

It took the scientists almost a year to revive the bacteria and coax it to grow; once it did, it yielded small colonies of purple-brown bacteria. Although not as old as the 8 million year old bacteria resurrected from Antarctic ice in 2007, it does lead the Penn State scientists to believe that they might be able to find and re-grow bacteria from Mars or Jupiter's moon Europa.

In Scores Of Other Games: The Cincy Enquirer catches up with Nittany Network's Bill Kurelic for a discussion of the confluence of technology, self-promotion, and recruiting. A good read. The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader details the ongoing education of Little Red, Matt McGloin. The CDT has a story on the budding bromance between Paul Posluszny and Terrell Owens in Buffalo. Finally, Graham Spanier may need to hold a bake sale, because Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is shaving an additional $41 million from what the Commonwealth originally planned to give Penn State.

And okay, okay, fine. This was quite appropriately posted in the FanShots, but...

The Thriller of the Nittany Lion (VS Michigan) 2008 (via countfortunado)

Half The Battle

Run Up The Score — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:45:55 -0000

Yes, recruiting appears to be going very well. But when recruits become registered college students and the stars assigned by Scout and Rivals disintegrate into dust, always remember that potential is a fickle, fickle bitch.

Even if you can run through class Quad-A competition like Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson.

Austin Scott Highlights (via mdjm98)

Perfect Ten: Come On Down, DaQuan Jones

Run Up The Score — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:41:30 -0000

Hard to keep up with all of this, because we may not be done yet. Binghamton, New York area offensive lineman DaQuan Jones (6'4", 300 lb., Scout four-star, Rivals three-star) has also chosen Penn State. ESPN says:

Jones plays on both sides of the ball; at OLB and OT. He has the size for both positions at the major level of competition. Flashes upper body explosion and good hand shiver; able to defeat the one on one block but lacks agility in space; displays sure tackling ability. We feel he is a better prospect at offensive guard where he can use his size and playing strength as a run blocker. Displays a little lower body stiffness in space but comes off the ball with quickness and explosion. Plays with a flat back and good leg drive; gets movement in single blocking situations, can move to the 2nd level and play on his feet vs. linebackers. Can pull and trap; good out of his stance, turns up field and finds defenders in the open field with power and explosion at the point of attack. This is an aggressive tough run blocker who looks for 2nd defenders downfield and finishes blocks with authority. Have yet to see him in pass protection; will need work but displays enough balance, agility and flexibility to make us feel he can succeed in this area. Jones is a solid strong football player who will not be an immediate starter or impact player. Time and a red shirt year will give him the opportunity to develop both his athletic and physical skills. Eventually he should become a solid starter at the BCS level of competition.

A good day to be a Nittany Lion fan, and a caution to the foot-draggers among the currently recruited -- this class is filling up quickly.

Commit #9: DT Evan Hailes

Run Up The Score — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:05:02 -0000

It's Dat Woo Woooooo

Fight On State reports that Virginia DT Evan Hailes (6'2", 310 lbs, four star on both Rivals and Scout) has joined the recruiting class of 2009-10. Here's what you've won, according to ESPN:

Hailes is one big dude. He lacks ideal height on paper, but on film he looks like a massive kid with a bunch of bulk packed on his frame. For the most part he is a space eater that can plant himself in a gap and gobble up action that comes his way, but you can't be too fast to judge this big boy. He is not consistent, but flashes good quickness off the ball and will shock you how quickly he can get moving at times. When he can get to the shoulder of a blocker he can plow his way into the backfield. He does a good job of being able to get into gap and stay square. He moves well laterally between the tackles and can be disruptive player. When he brings his hands he can deliver a pop and knock a blocker on his heels. He tends to play high and can let blockers get into his chest, but even still he is tough to move backwards. Tries to engulf ball carries around the neck, but overall a serviceable tackler. Hustles around, but this kid is built to just do damage between the tackles. Can provide pressure as a pass rusher. He can bull rush and collapse pocket. When he gets to half-a-man he will try and work a move and he can be troublesome when he can get to the hip of the blocker. Hailes is a big kid who at the root of it all is a two-gap run stuffer, but there is some more to his game and if he watches his weight he can give you solid reps with some disruption and big plays peppered in.

Something tells me that Larry Johnson, Sr. can do wonders with a kid like this. Just a hunch. He's another guy who will have to watch his diet and work hard in the weight room -- he's not exactly a physical specimen right now (maybe that's an old picture, who knows) -- but the potential is certainly there.

He's definitely quicker than you'd think:

Evan Hailes 2009 US Army All American National Combine (via nbkuk15)

Nitt Picks Waxes On, Waxes Off

Run Up The Score — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:59:12 -0000

We have a funky new application for creating links posts here at BSD, and this is my first attempt at using it. As such, this post will self-destruct in ten seconds.

The big piece of news is that it's a big recruiting weekend for Penn State, as many folks are expecting a commit from QB Robert Bolden and many other top recruits will be in town, including WR Alex Kenney, DT Evan Hailes, and DT DaQuan Jones. Mike is going to be on vacation for a little while and Kevin will be lost somewhere near Pittsburgh, so I'll be on siren duty.

Alex Kenney highlights:

In scores of other games...

The Bleacher Report previews Temple and calls them a bowl team. Would be quite an accomplishment for Al Golden.

Could high-speed rail ever come to Happy Valley? Probably not, but PSU is lobbying for it.

Penn State Baseball to Play in Second Big Ten/Big East Challenge

Adam Rittenberg has yourthree fresh faces for Penn State in 2009 Good times for Cablevision subscribers

Finally, the Penn State Karate Club takes 21 awards at world championships. Please, Hammer, don't hurt 'em.