There was some big news to come out of Chicago last week at Big Ten Media
Days.
The biggest news, however, did not involve a Penn State player, but
an Ohio State player.
Terrelle Pryor.
In case you missed it, Pryor
was selected by the media as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. In
today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a closer look at Big Ten Media
Days, have our No. 4 Moment of the Year and feature another member of the Class
of 2009.
Let’s start with media days.
A Real
Shocker
Members of the media and PSU fans were surprised when Pryor was
selected as the Big Ten’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year last week in
Chicago.
Another player getting a lot of attention was Illinois’ Juice
Williams.
And while those two QBs were in the spotlight, Penn State
signal caller Daryll Clark didn’t get much love from sportswriters, coaches and
players in the Big Ten conference.
You know what? That’s OK.
Clark
went 11-2 during his first season as Penn State starting quarterback. He didn’t
have a tough act to follow (see: Anthony Morelli) and from a numbers standpoint,
Clark really lit it up.
At the end of the year, Clark completed
192-of-321 passes for 2,592 yards and 19 touchdowns. He threw just six
interceptions.
So why isn’t Clark getting the respect he deserves? It’s
simple — it was one season.
Was Daryll Clark disrespected by the media at Big Ten Media Days?
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
While I believe Clark is the best QB in the
Big Ten, it’s hard to argue with the selection of Pryor as the Offensive Player
of the Year. Keep in mind that Pryor was not selected as QB, but OFFENSIVE
PLAYER OF THE YEAR. To me, that makes sense.
Let’s face it — Pryor is the
best all-around athlete in the Big Ten. As a true freshman, he was pretty
impressive. And if sweater vest uses Pryor correctly, he will be the
conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.
And by using him correctly, I
mean use him as more than just a QB. Split him out wide. Run some wildcat. Heck,
throw him in at tailback and let him go crazy. Jim Tressel should watch some old
Pittsburgh Steelers game tapes and use Pryor the way Bill Cowher used Kordell
Stewart. Stewart, you see, was the original Slash and there hasn’t been once
since.
Unless Tressel unleashes Pryor, the kid will never reach his full
potential.
In the interim, Clark can use the clippings from Big Ten Media
Days as motivation. Especially when Nov. 7 rolls around.
His fellow
captain, linebacker Sean Lee, is sure that Clark will do just that.
“I
think if anything, he just gets a little chip on his shoulder about it and goes
harder,” Lee said. “He usually always has a chip on his shoulder, but I think it
motivates him a little bit. I think especially after the season he had last
year, it’s just the motivation that, ‘I gotta keep proving myself.’ But I think
he likes that.”
Moment No. 4: Casey Sandy Wins Nissen-Emery
Award
Our No. 4 Moment of the Year comes from men’s
gymnastics.
From a relative unknown from Brampton, Ontario, in Canada to
one of the most storied careers in the vaunted history of Penn State men’s
gymnastics, Casey Sandy’s story is the stuff of legends. He wrote the final
chapter to that story this year when he was honored with the prestigious
Nissen-Emery Award, gymnastics’ version of the Heisman Trophy. The award
recognizes outstanding athletic achievement, academic excellence and
sportsmanship. It is the highest honor presented in collegiate
gymnastics.
Devon Smith may be the fastest recruit in the Class of 2009.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Class of 2009: Devon Smith
The Nittany Lions will be hard
pressed to find a faster recruit than Westlake’s Devon Smith in this year’s
class of commitments.
In fact, it might be tough to find a faster player
in the entire country in this year’s crop of recruits.
Having clocked in
at 4.19 and 4.23 in the 40-yard dash, Smith was named the No. 1 fastest athlete
by Rivals.com in the country’s entire recruiting class.
After visiting Penn
State for the Illinois game last season, Smith was blown away by what he
saw.
“That was a great experience for me,” he said. “I’ve never seen
anything like that for my life. It was exciting for me, and a great experience
for me and my family.”
Shortly thereafter, Smith made his decision known
to Nittany Lions’ defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
“I thought to
myself that I have a chance of playing my first or second year, because they’re
losing three big starting receivers, like Derrick Williams, (Jordan) Norwood and
Deon Butler, so I thought I could really play soon and be a big player at Penn
State,” he said.
The do-it-all player is small in stature, but just
finished his senior season with 1,883 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns in
addition to his 18 receptions for 401 yards and three touchdowns.
Smith
also made an impact on the defensive side of the ball and special teams, too,
making 23 tackled and recording an interception, plus taking four punt/kick
returns to the house for touchdowns.
For his efforts, he was named first
team all-state, first team all-Metro by the Washington Post, first team
all-conference, first team all-county, and was a selection for the Crab Bowl
last December.
At the Crab Bowl, Smith took the opening kickoff in the
second half back for a 98-yard touchdown score.
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.