Can you feel it? Football season is just around the corner.
OK, so there’s actually three weekends left before the Nittany Lions take the field against Akron on Sept. 5, but things are starting to heat up in Happy Valley. Penn State began official practices this week, and Thursday marks media day on the University Park campus.
In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a look at some recent football news, have our No. 3 Moment of the Year in Penn State athletics and feature another member of the Class of 2009.
As always, let’s begin with football.
Told You So
I’m usually not one to say I told you so, but … I told you so.
Back at the beginning of July, I posted my top 10 college football teams. My rankings were not based on anything scientific, just my guesses at what the top 10 would look like. I had the Nittany Lions ranked at No. 9. Well, I got a plethora of e-mails. Some said I had the Lions ranked too high, some said I had the Nittany Lions ranked too low.
Well, if the USA Today Coaches’ Poll is any indication, I had the Lions pegged just about right. Here’s the USA Today top 10: 1. Florida; 2. Texas; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Southern Cal; 5. Alabama; 6. Ohio State; 7. Virginia Tech; 8. Penn State; 9. LSU; 10. Ole Miss.
Here was my top 10: 1. Florida; 2. Texas; 3. USC; 4. Oklahoma; 5. Virginia Tech; 6. Ohio State; 7. Alabama; 8. Ole Miss; 9. Penn State. 10. Tennessee.
I nailed Florida, Texas and Ohio State. Tennessee didn’t crack the USA Today Top 25, but again, I believe that Lane Kiffin is one of the top young coaches in the country. We’ll find out how that pick works out in about four months.
So what does this all mean? Well, there’s good news and bad news to take from the ranking. Being ranked in the top 10 is an honor, but you still have to play the games. And while the Nittany Lions can hang their hat on being ranked in the top 10, the hated Buckeyes are ranked above them, which means the “experts” believe that Ohio State will defeat Penn State on Nov. 7 at Beaver Stadium.
That game will likely decide the Big Ten title. If you are a PSU fan, you want Ohio State unbeaten when it strolls into Beaver Stadium. As much as it pains fans, they will be forced to root for the Bucks when USC goes to Ohio Stadium on Sept. 12.
Moment No. 3: Quentin Wright All-American as a Freshman
Our No. 3 moment of the year features Bald Eagle Area’s Quentin Wright, who became Penn State’s first true freshman All-American since 1998.
He was supposed to sit out in a redshirt year. Instead, a season-ending injury to a teammate forced 174-pound wrestler Quentin Wright into action.
He delivered with a team-best 33-13 record, a runner-up finish in the Big Ten championships at the Bryce Jordan Center and a sixth-place finish at the NCAA championships at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
In St. Louis, Wright was seeded 11th but went 4-3 to claim sixth place and become Penn State’s first true freshman All-American since 1998.
Jack Crawford is a player to watch when the 2009 season begins on Sept.
5. (Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Player To Watch: Jack Crawford
With just a few weeks until the Nittany Lions open the 2009 season, we’ll take some time in this spot to feature a player to watch this season.
This week, the spotlight falls on defensive end Jack Crawford.
We’ve heard so much about Crawford, who appeared in all 13 games as a true freshman last season for the Nittany Lions. And while it’s rare for a true freshman to see the field, Crawford made the most of his opportunity.
That’s good, because Crawford will be a key cog along the defensive line this season.
One former Nittany Lion said that Crawford is a star in the making.
“I don’t think Penn State is going to miss me that much this fall,” former defensive end Aaron Maybin said. “I think (Jack) Crawford will be the next All-American defensive end at Penn State.”
Talk about praise. That’s quite an endorsement.
Sean Stanley was one of the Nittany Lions’ big defensive targets.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Class of 2009: Sean Stanley
Gaithersburg’s Sean Stanley burst onto the national recruiting scene with a great junior season, earning first team all-county, all-metro and all-state honors after racking up more than 70 tackles and 17 sacks.
Schools quickly sent out written scholarship offers to the Rivals.com three-star prospect, and Penn State was no exception.
The Lions’ No. 1 defensive end target for the class of 2009 racked up offers from the likes of Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland and Nebraska, but ultimately came to an early surprise decision when he selected Penn State in late May, 2008.
Recruited by maestro assistant coach Larry Johnson for the Nittany Lions, Stanley said he had simply made up his mind and pulled the trigger.
“Really, Penn State was just always my favorite, and I was just kind of getting tired of the process, and it felt like the right time to do it,” he said. “I just really liked coach Johnson, and I think he could be a great coach and help me get to the next level.
“Penn State has a pretty good business school, and I’m looking to do something in business, so that helps. And I was just really comfortable when I went there to visit for the junior day.”
With the commitment behind him, Stanley was able to focus on his senior season, where he once again landed on first team all-state, all-Metro, all-county and all-league teams, despite less impressive statistics than his junior season.
Facing a barrage of double and triple-teams on the line, Stanley still managed to compile 35 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks at defensive end, plus two blocked kicks on special teams.
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.