Well, it’s finally here. Game week has arrived at University Park and the expectations for this year’s Nittany Lion squad are high. With seniors Anthony Morelli, Austin Scott and Dan Connor leading the team, the Lions are poised to make a run at the Big Ten title.
In this week’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a closer look at the Week One opponent, break down the secondary, talk about PSU’s latest verbals and have our top moment of the year in PSU athletics.
There’s a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get started.
(Dan Connor and the defense should have a big day against FIU.
Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Week One: Florida International
If the name Florida International sounds familiar, it’s because these are the same guys who were involved in an on-field fight with the University of Miami last year. It was an ugly scene that embarrassed both universities and Division I-A football as a whole.
Don’t expect any scenes like that this week at Beaver Stadium. FIU head coach Mario Cristobal has said that he won’t deal with any shenanigans — on or off the field. Penn State, of course, has its own black eye to deal with following the April 1 incident at a downtown apartment complex.
But back to this week’s game.
This is the perfect opener for the Nittany Lions as they ready for Notre Dame. The Panthers don’t have much of a ground game, so expect them to throw the ball a lot. Penn State’s defense will make life hard on the Panthers, who will get a late garbage touchdown.
This one will be over by halftime.
Gantdaily.com prediction: Penn State 41, Florida International 7.
Breaking It Down: Secondary
Despite losing a starter, the Penn State secondary may actually be better in 2007. Junior Justin King returns to play cornerback, and he’s one of the best in the Big Ten. Last season’s other starting corner, Tony Davis, moves inside to free safety. And junior Anthony Scirrotto is expected to be in uniform after a stellar year at hero.
Scirrotto is a key here. If the judicial process keeps him out of the lineup, that could be bad news for PSU.
At the other corner spot, look for A.J. Wallace to take over. Wallace will play defense full-time, just as King did last year. Another player to watch is Lydell Sargeant, who could force his way into the lineup at corner.
Like the linebacking corps, the secondary is one of the strengths of this team. Expect big things and if King has a big year, he won’t be back for his senior season. Enjoy watching him while you can.
Two More Verbals
Penn State locked up two more verbals recently.
The most recent came on Sunday, when Jack Crawford committed to the Nittany Lions. Crawford is a 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight end/defensive end from St. Augustine Prep in Richland, N.J.
Crawford will be a project. He has just one season of organized football under his belt. He has good size and blazing 4.5 speed. But he’s still learning the sport. He will come to Penn State as a true work in progress.
The other verbal is Pete Massaro, a defensive end from Newtown Square, Pa. Massarro is 6-4, 245 pounds. He was offered scholarships from Georgia Tech, Boston College, Pittsburgh and Syracuse, in addition to Penn State.
Top Moment: No. 1
It was an interesting season for Penn State coach Joe Paterno. Life on the road certainly wasn’t easy.
When the Nittany Lions visited Ohio State on Sept. 23, Paterno was forced to leave the field twice because he was having stomach issues.
He missed bits and pieces of the Lions’ 28-6 loss to the Buckeyes.
But it didn’t get much better for the 80-year-old coach. On Nov. 4 at Wisconsin, Paterno was knocked down during a sideline collision. He tried to stand on the leg, but couldn’t. As it turned out, he broke his leg and tore ligaments. He would miss the Temple game and wound up watching the Michigan State and Tennessee games from the coaches’ box.
It’s our top sports moment of the year because Paterno rarely misses games — prior to last season, he missed just two games during his tenure as head coach.
He is expected to be back on the sidelines Saturday. If that happens, it will draw the biggest ovation since Adam Taliaferro ran out of the tunnel against Miami in 2001.
In addition to writing for gantnews.com, Chris Morelli is the editor of Blue White Illustrated, a sports publication devoted to Penn State sports. He is also a regular on “Front and Center,” which airs on ESPN Radio in State College and Altoona. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com.