Well, it’s finally here. The Penn State Nittany Lions will kick off the 2010 season on Saturday, playing host to Youngstown State at Beaver Stadium.
In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll take a look at the Nittany Lion special teams, break down the game with YSU and have our No. 3 Moment of the Year in Penn State athletics.
Let’s start with Penn State’s Achilles heel — special teams.
Breaking Down the Lions: Special Teams
When it comes to kicking, senior Collin Wagner is fairly reliable from short to intermediate range. Last season, Wagner connected on 15-of-22 field goals and was perfect (46-of-46) on extra points. His 91 points landed him fourth in the conference in scoring.
“I think with Wagner, we have a good placekicker,” coach Joe Paterno said. “He’s a darn good field goal kicker.”
Backing up Wagner will be David Soldner and Anthony Fera.
The Nittany Lions lost one of their most reliable punters of all-time, Jeremy Boone, to graduation. Following the Capital One Bowl, many believed that the punter would be Ryan Breen. However, Breen left the squad for undisclosed reasons.
Fera, then a backup, was expected to step to the front especially since coach Joe Paterno indicated that he didn’t expect Fera to unseat incumbent starting kicker Wagner. However, Fera was cited for alcohol possession in the spring and landed in Paterno’s famed doghouse. However, he’s worked himself out of the doghouse and is the starter heading into Saturday.
Last season, the Lions were second in the conference in punting average. Boone punted 53 times for 2,296 yards — an average of 43.3 per boot. He did suffer a costly block against Iowa that was returned for a touchdown in the Lions’ 21-10 loss to the Hawkeyes.
In high school, Fera handled both kicking and punting duties, averaging 44.1 yards per kick on 36 punts.
Russell Nye, a State College Area High School product, will backup Fera.
Week One: Youngstown State
It will be a rough debut for new Youngstown State coach Eric Wolford. But this game is not about Youngstown State, it’s about the Nittany Lions. Fans will be watching to see how the quarterback battle unfolds.
Will it be Kevin Newsome, walk-on Matt McGloin or true freshman Robert Bolden?
The guess here is that Kevin Newsome will start. However, don’t be surprised to see McGloin and/or Bolden get some work.
Nittany Nation will also be watching to see how the Penn State offensive line fares. If it falters, the QB better be able to scramble — and scramble well.
Eyes will also be on coach Joe Paterno, who looked frail at Big Ten Media Days. If he’s on the sidelines (and we expect him to be), look for a posse of protectors around the iconic coach to make sure he doesn’t get run down like he did at Wisconsin a few years back.
In any event, this game is the equivalent of an NFL preseason game. The starters should be done by halftime.
Gantdaily.com prediction: Penn State 38, Youngstown State 6.
Moment No. 3: Vallimont Makes a Run
Senior Dan Vallimont capped Cael Sanderson’s first year as head coach of the Nittany Lions by storming to the championship final at 165 pounds, where he lost to defending runner-up Andrew Howe of Wisconsin, 9-3. Vallimont’s runner-up finish marked his second All-America finish. He had placed third at 157 pounds during his sophomore campaign. The senior finished the season with a 30-8 record and his career with a 108-35 mark.
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. Also, be sure to check out Morelli OnLion on Facebook!