There was a scare at Penn State last week when it was reported on many web sites that coach Joe Paterno was taken to the hospital. It turned out to be simply a case of dehydration, but it certainly made headlines and deservedly so.
In this week’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a closer look at the situation, put Jared Odrick in the spotlight and have our weekly non-rev roundup.
Let’s start with the coach.
Joe Paterno fell ill last week, but it was just a case of dehydration.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illstrated)
Coach Falls Ill
Penn State coach Joe Paterno was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center last Thursday due to a case of dehydration. He was treated and released and promptly went to Austin, Texas on Friday night for a dinner honoring Texas coach Mack Brown.
The Associated Press quoted Penn State spokesman Guido D’elia and quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno as saying it was nothing serious.
Paterno even joked that his father was dehydrated because he was “talking too much.”
But this is no laughing matter.
Although it wasn’t a serious ailment, it was an ailment nonetheless. It was serious enough that the coach was taken to the hospital. And it really shows the need for some type of succession plan at Penn State.
Imagine being a recruit who was coming to Penn State and hearing the news that Paterno was hospitalized. It would certainly make you second-guess your decision, wouldn’t it?
As of right now, no one knows who the coach at Penn State will be once Paterno retires. With a succession plan, there would be no mystery.
Tom Bradley is obviously the guy for the job, but there’s been no plan announced. One has to wonder what is holding the Penn State brass back?
In any event, it’s good to see the coach is back on his feet.
Jared Odrick is fighting his way back from a series of injuries.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated)
In the spotlight: Jared Odrick
Make no mistake about it, Jared Odrick is a fighter.
Need proof? Just look back to 2007. Odrick started seven of Penn State’s first eight games before breaking two bones in his hand during the Nittany Lions’ 38-7 win over Wisconsin. But Odrick strapped it on the following week and played in the Lions’ 36-31 win at Indiana.
However, he dislocated his right ankle against the Hoosiers, an injury that would ultimately end his season.
After an extensive off-season rehabilitation program, Odrick is back. The junior said he was about 90 percent for the Blue-White Game, but expects to be 100 percent when fall practice officially begins in August.
“Rehab has been going good,” the 6-foot-5, 308-pound defensive tackle told reporters following the annual spring scrimmage. “I’ve been focusing on playing, not my leg. I think if you focus on the injury you have, that’s all you’re going to think about and you’re gonna get hurt. So I just think about playing football and working on technique.
Everything will be all right.”
Odrick wasn’t expected to see much time this spring, but he was determined. At an open practice back in March, he sported the dreaded red cross on his jersey, which is worn by injured players to keep them free of contact and certain drills.
But there he was at the Blue-White Game, lined up alongside his linemates, pushing bodies around, making tackles. When the dust settled on the sun-splashed afternoon at Beaver Stadium, Odrick had two tackles for the Blue, two for the White.
Not exactly earth-shattering numbers, for sure. But, heck, Odrick will take what he can get. All in all, it was pretty amazing that he was out there at all.
“I thought that was remarkable what we were able to get out of him this spring,” said defensive coordinator Tom Bradley. “He played today. I think coach (Larry) Johnson was using him in different situations to try to get some plays. He was very careful.”
Odrick’s injury-riddled season of 2007 certainly has kept him out of the spotlight. Down the stretch, he truly was the forgotten man last season. That’s why it was important for him to play this spring, for him to make an impact. Although he’s a junior, no starting jobs are locked up. Odrick knows that, so playing time this spring was extremely important.
“I think it was very key. Once we hit fall, we get right into it.
There’s no waiting around for injuries. We’re fighting, we’re battling to get into that starting lineup. Once that lineup is set, it’s set,”
Odrick said.
With the ankle at 90 percent, it was not a given that Odrick was going to see the field this spring. But by re-habbing properly and putting in his time, the team physicians cleared him to practice, then play in the spring game.
“At the beginning of spring ball, we took some precautions. They didn’t know how I was going to react to getting pushed around and things like that,” Odrick said. “We took it slow with the drills and I was feeling good. (The ankle) looked good. The trainers moved me onto full contact throughout the spring. We said, ‘hey, why not?’ As long as it felt good, and it did.”
Prior to the injury, Odrick was on the field for 366 snaps. He finished the season with 16 tackles, including four tackles for loss.
While he was painting a potential masterpiece, the canvas was left somewhat blank.
It’s been a long road back, but Odrick is climbing the mountain. He hasn’t reached the peak yet, though. That might not be a bad thing, however.
“I’d say I’m 90 percent just because I don’t have full strength back in the leg. Once I get full strength in my leg, I’ll be more than 90 percent,” Odrick said.
Still, Bradley is glad to have him back — 75 percent, 90 percent, 100 percent — it doesn’t matter.
“He got in there and got some good reps. We weren’t counting on him this spring so we were happy we got him back. He has a chance to be a heckuva three-technique (lineman),” Bradley said.
Heading into last season, Odrick was one of the rising stars along the defensive line. But because of the injuries, he finds himself battling for playing time.
But Odrick isn’t bellyaching. He will do whatever it takes for the team to succeed. If that means rotating with his teammates, so be it.
“We’re talking about depth of talent, depth of pure ability,” Odrick said. “I don’t think (a rotation) will be difficult because of how much we already rotate along the line. Everyone has done a great job this spring.”
Non-rev roundup: Track and Field
Behind top performances from Shana Cox and Aleesha Barber on the final day of the Big Ten Championships, the Penn State women’s outdoor track and field team took home the program’s second-ever conference title on May 17. The crown was the first for Penn State since 2004 and the second under head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan. The Lions totaled 151 points, running away from second-place Michigan with 118, and Minnesota with 113.50.
“Leadership, not only in points scored, from Shana Cox, Dominique Blake and Gayle Hunter created an atmosphere for this team to become champions,” said Alford-Sullivan. “Today, the Lions showed that Penn State track and field is not only a class program but a championship program.”
The senior Cox capped her stellar Big Ten career by capturing Big Ten titles Nos. 13, 14 and 15, first winning the 200- and 400-meters and then anchoring the team’s gold medal-winning 4×400 meter relay.
Barber, meanwhile, pulled off a big upset by edging out the defending NCAA Champion in the 100-meter hurdles to clock a fast 12.83 win. The time marked the first time the sophomore had eclipsed 13 seconds in the event and tied for the second-fasted mark in the country this year.
Bridget Franek gave Penn State one other gold medal performance on May 16 in the 3000-meter steeplechase, a race she won with a time of 9:58.56. The team now heads to the NCAA East Regional, held May 30.
In addition to 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.