For many Clearfield County residents, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. The fair is in town and that can only mean one thing — plenty of monkey bread.
This week in Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a look at Penn State’s latest verbal, breakdown the wideouts, have another top moment and another question for Penn State athletic director Tim Curley.
On another note, I will be hosting “Front and Center,” a sports talk show that airs from 4-6 p.m. on Wednesday on ESPN Radio 1430 in Altoona and ESPN Radio 1450 in State College. If you want to talk sports with me, give the show a buzz at 1-866-313-8991 or 940-1430.
OK, let’s get to this week’s topics.
(Brandon Beachum is the latest PSU recruit.
Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Latest Verbal
The Penn State football team got its latest verbal commitment on Sunday afternoon, when Brandon Beachum from Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown, Ohio, said he was coming to Penn State. Beachum selected the Lions over Wisconsin, West Virginia, Florida State, Nebraska and Boston College. The athlete measures in at 5-11, 216 pounds and is a four-star athlete, according to rivals.com. He announced his choice at the Youngstown Sports Grille. His final two choices were Penn State and Wisconsin. In the end, the Nittany Lions won out. When asked why he chose the Lions, Beachum was hard pressed to find an answer.
“I’m really not sure. It was actually just a feeling that I had. I kind of dwelled on it for a little bit, just to make sure that I was really ready”, Beachum told Blue White Illustrated. “And after I had decided, I just wanted to make sure that I was ready for the public to know. Obviously, that day was today.”
Beachum is ranked as the top player in Ohio by OhioVarsity.com, and he is rated as the No. 4 player in the state by rivals.com. He is the nation’s fifth-best running back and the No. 50 player in the country, according to rivals.com.
In his junior year, he rushed for 1,500 yards and scored 16 touchdowns and led Cardinal Mooney to a Division IV state championship. His teammate, Michael Zordich Jr., is also headed to Penn State.
(Wideout Derrick Williams is on the hot seat in 2007.
Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated)
Breaking it Down: Wideouts
When it comes to wide receiver, Penn State is stacked. There is talent all over the place. Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, Jordan Norwood, Terrell Golden and Chris Bell are some of the best in the Big Ten. But last season, they sure didn’t produce. The good news? The receivers averaged 11.5 yards per catch. The bad news? They found the end zone just 12 times, but three of those receiving TDs belonging to running back Tony Hunt.
In 2005, when the Lions went 11-1, the receivers clicked on all cylinders. Last year, it just never happened. The leading receiver turned out to be Butler, who finished with 637 yards on 48 catches and two TDs.
Look, all of these receivers are capable. We saw big things from Chris Bell, who played extremely well in the Blue-White Game. But in this writer’s opinion, the guy on the hot seat is Derrick Williams. He was the No. 1 recruit in the country when he came to Penn State, but he hasn’t lived up to the hype.
He showed some glimpses of his talent during his freshman season — remember the touchdowns against Northwestern and Ohio State? But he underproduced last season, catching 40 balls for 440 yards. And he scored just one TD through the air. Those numbers have to increase in 2007. If they don’t, Williams is shaping up as one of the biggest busts in PSU history.
The success of the receivers, though, truly begins in the trenches. If the revamped offensive line can protect Anthony Morelli and give him time, it could be a big year for this group. Only time will tell.
Top Moment No. 5
The No. 5 moment in our countdown is Penn State’s Outback Bowl victory over Tennessee. The Nittany Lions were underdogs in the game, but came out with a 20-10 victory.
In the days and weeks leading up to the Outback Bowl, most national college football pundits focused on pondering how a plodding Big Ten team would deal with a lightning-quick SEC team.
Instead, the real chess match would hinge on how Tennessee would handle Penn State’s power and precision. As it turned out, the Volunteers couldn’t.
Hunt ran for 158 yards, the second-highest total by a Nittany Lion in a bowl game, on 31 carries to power his way to game MVP honors.
Morelli turned in his most impressive performance on a national stage. He completed 14 of 25 passes for 197 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.
On the opposite side of the ball, sophomore cornerback Tony Davis returned an interception 88 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
With the win, coach Joe Paterno remained the all-time leader in bowl wins (22-10-1) and appearances (33) and is tied for third with a 67.2 winning percentage among coaches with at least 11 bowl appearances.
Questions With Curley
This week’s question with PSU athletic director Tim Curley is about the Blue-White Game.
CM: It seemed like there were a lot of television and radio spots for the Blue-White Game. What was the rationale behind advertising a “free” game?
TC: The Blue-White Weekend is a free admission, and we want to take that as an opportunity for people to be able to bring their families to the facility, go to Fan Fest Day, get autographs, be in the stands, enjoy a Penn State opportunity. Then, eventually, if they can’t afford to go in the fall or if they can only go to one or two games in the fall, at least they’ve gotten an opportunity to do that. This year we had a nice weekend weather-wise. There’s nothing better than a spring game with your family, friends, or neighbor to just go up there and sit in the sun the whole day.
Those are future season-ticket buyers, plus that weekend we had a lot of other events going on. We had a big baseball weekend that weekend. We had a lacrosse game that Friday night. And, so, the more people you can attract to town to go to those events and it helps the other Olympic sports as well.
In addition writing for gantnews.com, Chris Morelli is the editor of Blue White Illustrated, a magazine devoted to Penn State sports. He is also a regular on “Front and Center,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College.
E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com.