Week One is in the books.
If you didn’t get to see the game — thanks to the Big Ten Network — well, truth be told, you didn’t miss much. The game between Penn State and Florida International wasn’t much of a game at all. FIU turned the ball over early and often and the Nittany Lions capitalized. All in all, there was some good (Anthony Morelli), some bad (Austin Scott) and some ugly (the entire FIU team) in week one.
Hey, cupcakes are good every once in a while. Just don’t tell that to Michigan.
This week in Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a look back at the FIU game, look ahead to Notre Dame and break down the Penn State special teams.
Looking Back: FIU
You can’t really take a lot from a 59-0 blowout, and the Penn State players said as much following the lopsided affair.
But you can make some observations, and here’s what we observed:
1. Anthony Morelli — Morelli looked much more comfortable than he did a season ago, which is good news. He took one very bad sack and overthrew a few balls, but it was the season opener and it will take some time to work out the kinks. I like the way he delivered the ball and he actually checked off some receivers. The re-tooled offensive line also gave him some time to throw, which was a very good sign.
2. Austin Scott — Scott, unfortunately, did not look very good. He had a hard time hitting the holes and he seemed more content to dance and juke rather than put his head down and pound the football. Of course, FIU often put eight or nine in the box in an effort to thwart the Penn State running game. It worked. Too bad the passing game clicked with flying colors.
3. Evan Royster — The redshirt freshman running back led the Lions in rushing yards, with 70. Of course, one has to keep in mind the fact that Royster was running in the second half when the outcome had already been decided. He was also running at and over a lot of FIU
second- and third-stringers.
4. Navorro Bowman — One thing is clear: This kid can flat out play. He had just two tackles, but forced and recovered a fumble. As the year progresses, he is going to force the hands of the coaching staff. They will have to get him into the game.
5. Derrick Williams — I hate to pick on Derrick, but every week he disappoints me. I keep waiting for the big touchdown catch, the big punt return, but it never seems to come. He was the No. 1 recruit in the nation coming out of high school. It’s time to put up or shut up.
He needs to break some big plays, make some acrobatic catches, score some points. Period.
(Mickey Shuler Jr. filled in nicely. Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Shuler A Bright Spot
When it was announced that tight end Andrew Quarless would miss several games due to his underage drinking citation that he received in mid-August, the doubters thought the Nittany Lions would suffer as a result. As it turns out, the Lions didn’t miss a beat.
Mickey Shuler, Jr., a redshirt sophomore from Enola, Pa., got the start on Saturday afternoon against Florida International. He delivered, catching four balls for 54 yards and a touchdown.
It was quite a day for Shuler, who followed in his father’s footsteps in coming to Penn State. The elder Shuler played under coach Joe Paterno during the 1970s. On this afternoon, Paterno was impressed with what he saw from the youngster.
“I know he caught some balls, and as far as blocking goes, I think he handled himself well,” Paterno said. “Mickey’s a good athlete. He comes from a good stock. He’s a hard worker.”
All the hard work appeared to pay off on Saturday. Shuler scored the first touchdown of his collegiate career when he took a pass from quarterback Anthony Morelli, scampered down the Penn State sideline, put his shoulder down and bulled into the end zone for what went into the books as a 17-yard scoring pass.
“I kinda stumbled there a little bit because I thought somebody was on my back and I was getting ready for the hit,” Shuler said. “No one was there. I saw the end zone, and I was getting in.”
In preparation for the season opener, Shuler and fellow tight end Jordan Lyons got all the reps with the first team in practice during the week. On Friday, Shuler was told that he was getting the starting nod.
“I knew that one of us was going to be the starter,” Shuler said. “It was my first game out there, so I was going to do the best I could.”
Shuler said that he thought he’d have some butterflies going into the game, but that wasn’t the case.
“The first play out there, I thought I’d be a little bit shaky, but I wasn’t nervous at all,” he said.
Week Two: Notre Dame
Penn State fans have had this one circled for about a year, and the ticket prices reflect that. But this is not the Notre Dame team from a year ago, and Jimmy Clausen is no Brady Quinn.
The Penn State defense will be ready and the Lion running game should find its legs. ND could not stop Georgia Tech, who ran the ball right at the Fighting Irish.
Look for both Morelli and Scott to have a big game and while the outcome won’t be anything like FIU, it will be a blowout.
Remember last season? The Lions fell behind and trailed 20-0 at the half. Now, the shoe will be on the other foot. In fact, it will be like deja vu, with the score reversed, that is.
Gantdaily.com prediction: Penn State 41, Notre Dame 17.
Breaking It Down: Special Teams
We have the added bonus of knowing how the special teams performed against FIU. As it turns out, they fared pretty well. Kevin Kelly looked good, although he missed a 51-yard field goal. Punter Jeremy Boone also looked solid, averaging nearly 48 yards per punt.
So far, there’s a lot to like. We’ll learn more about the special teams units as the opponents get better.
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.