In this week’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll dip into the e-mailbag. We’ll also break down the Penn State offensive line and feature another moment to remember from the year that was in Penn State athletics.
Let’s begin with a question from a reader. Jessica, a Penn State student from New Jersey, wants to know why I pegged her beloved Nittany Lions to finish the year at 8-4.
Well, Jessica, I’m just being realistic. If you look at Penn State’s road schedule, it’s absolutely brutal. Trips to Alabama, Iowa and Ohio State do JoePa’s Lions no favors. We’re going to put those three in the books as losses. I’m also guessing that the Nittany Lions will stumble once at home. I’m not sure when the loss at home will occur, but with what amounts to a freshman at quarterback, count on one bad game. Add all that up and you have 8-4.
I’m pretty confident about the 8-4 record. Wanna bet?
Breaking down the Lions: The O-Line
We’ll break down Penn State’s offensive line, beginning with center.
The shift of Stefen Wisniewski back to guard means that the starting center job is Doug Klopacz’s to lose. As a fifth-year senior, Klopacz should be more than solid anchoring the line. He’s coming off an ACL injury that he sustained during the 2008 season.
If Klopacz can’t handle the duties at center, expect Wisniewski to make the move back ASAP.
There’s plenty of depth at guard, it’s just a matter of finding players who jell quickly. Wisniewski’s move back to guard should help the Lions immensely and Johnnie Troutman will be solid as well. At the conclusion of the 2009 season, PSU’s ground game had the second best yards-per-carry average in the conference at 4.7. Other than Wisniewski and Troutman, there’s not a ton of experience on the roster. Quinn Barham and Matt Stankiewitch saw spot duty in 2009. If one of the Lions is felled by injury, they could fill in nicely. Mark Arcidiacono, Frank Figueroa and John Urschel are also big bodies who could plug holes along the line if necessary.
At tackle, there is very little experience on this year’s Nittany Lion squad. It’s a pretty good bet that DeOn’tae Pannell and Lou Eliades will be starters. There are a host of players competing for back-up roles. Players like redshirt freshmen Adam Gress and Eric Shrive are in the mix for reserve roles as are Chima Okoli, Mike Farrell and Nate Cadogan.
Adam Gress appears to be making the most strides of those backups. He’s reportedly added 20 pounds to his frame and at 6-foot-6, 295 pounds, he could step in when needed.
Moment to Remember: No. 7
Our No. 7 moment of the year is the Penn State men’s volleyball team losing the national championship.
The Nittany Lion volleyball squad was playing in the championship game for the third time in the past five years, but came up short in their bid for a third national title. The Lions fell to top-ranked Stanford, 30-25, 30-20 and 30-18 on the Cardinals’ home floor. Penn State entered the game as the No. 3 seed and finished the season at 24-8.
Stanford, meanwhile, improved to 24-6. Penn State was looking to add a third trophy to its case after claiming titles in 1994 and 2008. The Nittany Lions were were led by senior Will Price, who had 15 kills. Redshirt sophomore Joe Sunder knocked down 12 kills while Max Lipsitz had 10.
Chris Morelli is an award-winning writer/editor who lives in Centre County and covers 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.