With the season opener against Youngstown State just a few weeks away, we’ll take a closer look at the Nittany Lions this week.
In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll break down the Penn State linebacking corps and have our No. 5 Moment of the Year in Penn State athletics.
Let’s start with the Linebackers at Linebacker U.
Breaking Down the Lions: Linebackers
The linebacking corps will have an entirely new look this season. The losses of Josh Hull, Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman will impact the way the Lions play defense. Hull was the Lions’ leading tackler with 116, so replacing him at inside linebacker will be a daunting task. Michael Mauti is coming off the ACL injury he sustained last August during preseason practice, but he should be fully recovered and gets the nod inside. Backing him up will be Chris Colasanti and Khairi Fortt. Those two are expected to get plenty of reps just in case Mauti’s not ready to go when the season begins on Sept. 4. Colasanti saw limited playing time last season, racking up 18 tackles.
On the outside, look for Bani Gbadyu to try and fill the big shoes of Bowman, a third-round draft choice of the San Francisco 49ers. Even with his off-the-field issues and injury problems, Bowman still garnered all-Big Ten recognition and finished the season with 93 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss and three sacks. Gbadyu has some playing experience, racking up 37 tackles in 13 games last season. Gerald Hodges moved from strong safety to linebacker and was impressive in the Blue-White Game. At the underclassmen Pro Day back in March, Hodges reportedly ran a sub-4.5 40-yard time. Dakota Royer has been working in the weight room and while it’s unlikely that he will see much time at linebacker, he may get on the field to contribute to special teams.
The loss of Lee also leaves a gaping hole. Despite missing three and a half games last season, he accumulated 86 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. Nate Stupar is expected to fill Lee’s shoes. Stupar suffered from a high ankle sprain in 2009 that kept him out of the lineup for much of the year. In 2008, Stupar was a special teams beast. He blocked several punts and made several highlight-film plays. Both Mike Yancich and Glenn Carson lack game experience, but give the Lions some much-needed depth.
According to Bradley, there’s plenty of competition for the starting linebacker jobs.
“Oh, there’s competition. There’s good competition going on there. Even though Mike (Mauti) doesn’t have the experience that Colasanti does, he’s played there and he’s a competitor,” Bradley said. “There will be some good healthy competition before it’s all said and done.”
Moment No. 5: Lady Lions return to postseason
For the first time under third-year head coach Coquese Washington, the Penn State women’s basketball team made it to the postseason. After a pair of sub-.500 seasons, Washington guided the Lady Lions to a 17-13 regular season record, good enough for a berth in the WNIT. In the first round of the WNIT, the Lady Lions ran into a feisty Hofstra squad. In the first-round game, which was played at the Bryce Jordan Center, the Lady Lions dropped a 76-68 decision to the Pride.
Tyra Grant, playing in her final game as a Lady Lion, dropped in 23 points to finish her career with 2,044 points. The game was close throughout, but Hofstra opened things up on a three-pointer by Sam Brigham. However, the Lady Lions clawed their way back into things and trimmed the deficit to 63-61 with 4:24 left in the game. That would be as close as they would get, however, as the Pride closed out the game with an 11-5 run.
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.