Well, it’s finally here.
The Penn State football season begins on Saturday, when the Akron Zips visit Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions are a 27-point favorite in the game, which is probably just about right.
In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a look at the Penn State depth chart, preview the game with the Zips and feature another member of the Class of 2009.
Let’s start with the recently released depth chart.
Not So Deep
Penn State Sports Information recently released the official 2009 depth chart, which gives Nittany Lion fans a chance to look at the starting lineup for Saturday’s season opener.
While there were no real surprises on the depth chart, there were a couple of items worth noting. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights (and lowlights).
As expected, Kevin Newsome is listed as the backup to Daryll Clark on the official depth chart.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
1. As expected, true freshman Kevin Newsome is backing up starting QB Daryll Clark.
That’s the way it should be and what that means is that you can expect to see a lot of No. 12 — especially in these first three non-conference games which should be easy blowout victories.
2. Mickey Shuler is listed ahead of Andrew Quarless at tight end.
What that means is that Quarless isn’t completely out of coach Joe Paterno’s doghouse just yet. Quarless has a ton of talent, but we’ve yet to see him reach his full potential because he’s been in so much trouble over the past couple of seasons.
3. Chaz Powell is listed as a backup at wideout.
That’s probably not a good thing, especially since a lot of people are talking about Powell as the successor to Derrick Williams. The starting wideouts are listed as Derek Moye, Brett Brackett and Graham Zug. Powell will certainly get his share of playing time, and he needs to make the most of it. He will be an integral part of the wide receiving corps before the season is over.
4. Josh Hull is your starting inside linebacker.
This isn’t a surprise, but Hull will have to perform better than last season. It will help that he has Navorro Bowman and Sean Lee flanking him, so those two will make him a better player. But there is nowhere to hide in the middle, so Hull will have to minimize his mistakes if he wants to remain there.
5. Collin Wagner is the starting kicker.
This isn’t a shocker either, but the State College Area High School product is a walk-on. Why do the Nittany Lions insist on giving scholarships to kickers (see: Anthony Fera) if they’re never going to see the field?
We’re guessing that Wagner will be on a very short leash. If he botches some field goals or extra points, expect to see Fera.
Week One: Akron
This is hardly a test for the 2009 Nittany Lions. Akron will test Penn State’s new (and reportedly improved) secondary. QB Chris Jacquemain will probably throw the ball 40 to 50 times, but Penn State’s front seven should get plenty of pressure on him. It won’t be a fun afternoon for the young man.
Offensively, all eyes will be on Penn State’s line and new group of wideouts. While those groups won’t make anyone forget the 2008 Nittany Lions, I believe they will enjoy a solid afternoon.
J.D. Brookhart’s squad is getting quite a payday to come to Happy Valley. The Zips will take their paycheck, their beating and pack it up and go home.
Gantdaily.com prediction: Penn State 42, Akron 14.
Class of 2009: Mike Wallace
Following a great senior year at Good Counsel, cornerback Mike Wallace earned a scholarship offer from the Nittany Lions and quickly pounced on the opportunity.
Rated as a two-star cornerback prospect by Rivals.com, Wallace earned all-Metro status following the season and in the process, got the attention of Penn State’s coaching staff.
“I think Mike had an incredible senior year,” Good Counsel head coach Bob Milloy said. “Larry (Johnson) knew about him last year, and they weren’t really recruiting him. They came through in December and saw his highlight tape, and said, ‘Whoa, wait a minute, we’ve got to look again at this.’
“They offered him to come visit and offered him when he got up there. He’s a guy who based on his senior year performance, earned himself a scholarship to one of the best colleges in the country.”
According to coach Milloy, the Nittany Lions landed quite the prospect, although he isn’t without some question marks.
“(Wallace) is a good player, a three-year starter who runs track, too,” Milloy said. “He’s a wonderful, wonderful kid, he’s got a great GPA. He just plays hard. He’s very fast, he’s a good corner, he’s just a great high school player, and I think they got a great player there.
“He’s a little small right now, but his dad is a big man, about 6-2, 255, and he was also a good high school athlete. He’s small now, but he’s going to be fine.”
Wallace had additional offers from Stanford, Army, New Hampshire, Towson and New Mexico, according to Rivals.com.
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.
