On a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in Happy Valley, a crowd of 76,500 fans turned out to watch a scrimmage. Penn State fans never cease to amaze me. On a day when the Penguins and Flyers were playing Game 6 of their series and on a day when the NFL draft was being held, there you were, watching a scrimmage.
I don’t say it often, but kudos to you, PSU fans.
In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll break down that rite of spring known as the Blue-White Game, talk a little about the NFL draft and feature another member of the Class of 2009.
Let’s start with the Blue-White Game.
We Want Answers
Heading into the annual Blue-White Game, there were many question marks surrounding the Nittany Lions. Therefore, fans were more curious this year than in seasons past, which might explain the record attendance.
Some of the questions swirling around the Nittany Lions — in no particular order — were:
* How in the world would the Nittany Lions replace wideouts Deon Butler, Jordan Norwood and Derrick Williams?
* How will the offensive line look in 2009 without Gerald Cadogan, Rich Ohrnberger and A.Q. Shipley holding down the fort?
* Without Pat Devlin, who would back up Daryll Clark? Would true freshman Kevin Newsome or walk-on Matt McGloin step up?
Sure, it was just a glorified scrimmage, but we got answers. Oh, we got answers.
If the performances in the Blue-White Game were any indication, all is well.
First up, the wideouts.
While Brett Brackett, Derek Moye and Graham Zug aren’t going to make anyone forget about the Three Amigos anytime soon, they are more than serviceable. All three looked solid at the Blue-White Game. Zug and Brackett caught touchdown passes, and Moye had a couple of nice grabs. All three have good hands. The more they work with Daryll Clark, the better off they’ll get.
I’m not ready to start humming the Bobby McFerrin tune “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” just yet, but at the end of the day, the belief is that the three will be just fine.
Next up, the offensive line.
This is, perhaps, the hardest to judge. Let’s face it, no one is trying to kill the quarterback in a scrimmage. That being said, the starting offensive line did a decent job protecting Clark and opening holes for running back Evan Royster.
The revamped O-line looks like this: Dennis Landolt (left tackle), Johnnie Troutman (left guard), Stefen Wisniewski (center), Lou Eliades (right guard) and Ako Poti (right tackle).
Much like the wideouts, replacing vets like Cadogan, Ohrnberger and Shipley won’t be easy. Landolt makes the move to left tackle, where he will protect Clark’s blind side.
The biggest hole was undoubtedly at center. Shipley was an achor not only on the field, but in the huddle and the locker room as well.
Again, Wisniewski isn’t going to make anyone forget Shipley, but he’s a smart kid who in time will be a solid center and will probably be playing on Sundays in the very near future.
Kevin Newsome looks like a capable backup QB.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Finally, there’s quarterback.
When Pat Devlin transferred just before the Rose Bowl, there was panic throughout Nittany Nation. Shortly thereafter, the Lions landed four-star quarterback Kevin Newsome. At the Blue-White Game, the team got a chance to show off the jewel of last year’s recruiting class.
Newsome did not disappoint.
He completed 9-of-13 for 71 yards and touchdown as he split time between both teams. He looked more like a second-year collegiate signal caller rather than a kid who should actually be getting ready to graduate from high school.
He looked comfortable in the pocket throwing the ball and he looked especially comfortable out of the pocket, running the ball. He wears No. 12. That’s no accident. He’s from Virginia and reminds me of a leaner, faster version of Michael Robinson.
In the media room after the game, he drew high praise from his teammates — on both sides of the ball.
“He’s like Mike Robinson,” said senior linebacker Sean Lee. “He can scramble, get out of the pocket, scramble, make plays. He can add another dimension to the offense.”
Lee even went as far to compare Newsome to someone he’s never played with, just someone he’s watched on television … a certain two-time Super Bowl champion.
“I’m a big Steeler fan. It’s like watching Ben Roethlisberger, running all around and just gunning the ball. He has that type of ability,”
Lee said.
While it may be far-fetched to compare a true freshman to an NFL vet, Lee’s comparison makes sense. Newsome only ran the ball twice in the scrimmage, but he’s clearly capable of extending the play and thinking on his feet.
Newsome is being pushed at No. 2 by walk-on Matt McGloin, who was impressive in his own right at the scrimmage. He split time between both teams and finished the afternoon by completing 9-of-13 passes for
111 yards and a pair of TD passes.
The race for No. 2 might not be as clear-cut as one thinks. Perhaps the walk-on will be Clark’s backup come September.
Clark wasn’t about to venture a guess.
“It’s pretty tight, man,” Clark said. “Both of them are doing really good. Only time will tell.”
Clark couldn’t have said it better, but the guess here is that all the areas of concern — the wideouts, the offensive line and the backup QB — will be fine.
Aaron Maybin was the first Nittany Lion taken in the NFL Draft.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Five for the Show
On Saturday and Sunday, five Nittany Lions were taken in the NFL draft. Aaron Maybin went in the first round to the Buffalo Bills, which wasn’t much of a surprise after star wideout Michael Crabtree fell to the 49ers at No. 10.
After Maybin, we had to wait until Day Two to hear another PSU name called. Derrick Williams (Lions) and Deon Butler (Seahawks) were taken in the third round, while Rich Ohrnberger (Patriots) went in the fourth round. The final player taken was A.Q. Shipley, who was taken by his hometown Steelers in the seventh and final round.
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. We knew Maybin would go within the first 15 picks. He did. A few months ago in this same spot, I predicted that Williams would go in the third or fourth round. He went in the third and should be a good fit in Detroit, where help is needed immediately. Butler will be a workhorse for the Seahawks. The real head scratcher is Ohrnberger. I didn’t expect him to go so early. More power to him, although it will be tough to root for him wearing a Patriots jersey. Shipley will fit in nicely in the Burgh, where there is just one center — Justin Hartwig — on the roster.
Next week, we’ll see where the free agent Penn Staters landed.
Class of 2009: Anthony Fera
Penn State needed a kicker, and the coaching staff went out and got a pretty good one.
Rated as the No. 2-overall placekicker in the class of 2009 by Rivals.com, Anthony Fera is on campus now. He played in Saturday’s Blue-White Game, but missed an extra point.
A Rivals.com three-star recruit, Fera was not guaranteed to be a Nittany Lion.
In fact, after a tremendous summer that saw him earn scholarship offers from Penn State, Kansas State, Ohio State and Michigan, Fera made a verbal commitment to the Wolverines in mid-August.
Still, Fera made an unofficial visit to Penn State for the Illinois game in late-September and a little under a month later, changed his decision to a commitment to the Nittany Lions.
“Well, as you know I went to Penn State for an unofficial for the Illinois game, and then I went to Michigan the next week,” Fera said.
“I got a feel for both schools. “Michigan was a great visit. I mean, it’s a great school, great guys, the coaching staff are really good guys, but I went back and I talked it over with my parents, and I just felt more comfortable at Penn State.
“After the Penn State game, I just got that feeling, that it was where I really wanted to be. I went to Michigan, I didn’t get that same feeling. Then I went home and talked to my parents about it through the next week, and they said that they were going to support me in whatever I did, and they just wanted me to make the best decision for me.”
In his senior year in high school, Fera hit 8-of-9 field goal attempts, nailed 37-of-39 PATs and was named first team all-state for his efforts — his second consecutive honor. In addition, Fera put 55 of his 60 kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks and as a punter, averaged 44.1 yards per punt.
Not only was Fera an all-state honoree, but he was also named a USA Today second team All-American and was chosen to play in the ESPNU All-American game in early January.
Chris Morelli is the award-winning editor of Blue White Illustrated, a weekly publication devoted to Penn State athletics. He is also a regular on “Sports Central,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com. This column does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of BWI’s writers or publisher.