Penn State practice was open to the media on Saturday. No, we’re not kidding. No, it’s not an April Fool’s Day joke. Seriously, practice was open.
Coach Joe Paterno opened up almost the entire practice for photographers, videographers, sports writers and broadcasters alike.
But aside from yours truly having a Chuck Noll-Jerry Glanville-eqsue confrontation with a rival reporter along the sidelines, there was little excitement at Holuba Hall.
In today’s edition of Morelli OnLion, we’ll look at some of the highlights from the open practice and the Paterno news conference.
We’ll also look at another future Nittany Lion and have our weekly non-rev roundup.
We’ll start with the open practice.
Stephfon Green looked like the real deal at Saturday’s open practice.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Open For Business
The open practice gave reporters a glimpse of what a normal day inside Holuba Hall is like. We got to watch the players run drills, go through a scrimmage and even run sprints.
Some observations from the afternoon:
Stephfon Green appears to be the real deal. The shifty running back looked very good, breaking loose on a big run after taking a handoff from quarterback Pat Devlin.
Green took a redshirt last season, but the coaching staff won’t be able to keep him on the bench in 2008.
“I like Stephfon,” Paterno said. “I haven’t seen enough of him in pressure situations. He’s been on the foreign team but he can run.
He’s tough and he’s really … you guys don’t like to keep hearing me say it, but he’s a great kid.”
Evan Royster is the No. 1 back, but Green could push him for the starting spot.
On the injury front, there were several notable nicked-up players.
Jerome Hayes (knee) did not practice, but did run with the team during conditioning. Devon Still (knee) was not involved in contact drills.
Other banged up players were: Jared Odrick (ankle), Derek Moye (hamstring), Brennan Coakley (knee) and Sean Lee (hamstring).
The best hit of the afternoon went to linebacker Chris Colasanti, who drilled wideout Derrick Williams as he came across the middle.
Williams laid on the turf for several minutes before getting to his feet. He drew the attention of trainers as well as quarterbacks Daryll Clark and Paul Cianciolo. Finally, D-Wheels made it to his feet. Guess the hit simply took his breath away. Not the first time we’ve seen that. Certainly won’t be the last.
In the words of a popular ESPN segment, Williams got “Jacked Up!”
There were some notable performances, though. In addition to guys like Royster, Green and Colasanti, Aaron Maybin looked good as did offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski.
In the battle for the starting QB job, Pat Devlin looked sharp, but we’re guessing that Clark is still the man. He showed plenty during the scrimmage.
Joe Paterno says he doesn’t care if he gets a contract.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).
Paterno Says Little
In a news conference held immediately after practice, Paterno faced questions about his two favorite topics–
his contract and the off-the field issues.
As far as the contract is concerned, Paterno said he doesn’t care if he gets one or not.
“I don’t even care if I get a contract. I’ll be very frank with you. I think the university will do what they think is right whenever the time (comes). Right now, I’m very comfortable,” he said.
The situation is this: Paterno is in the last year of his current deal. If he doesn’t get a contract, PSU president Graham Spanier and the Board of Trustees could force Paterno out the door. Don’t think that will happen? Look at what Spanier did to Rene Portland, who was at the helm of the Lady Lions for 27 seasons.
Paterno’s last season on the sidelines could be 2008. We’ll see.
As far as the off-the-field issues are concerned, Paterno poo-pooed those once again. There are several players suspended, but Paterno wouldn’t say whether or not they would re-join the squad.
“I want to see their grades and I want everything to settle down. When everything is settled down and I have a chance
—
as I’ve told all of them and told their families, let’s just wait and see what their grades are, there’s nothing hanging over their heads so they can do the things they’ve gotta do with them and when the times comes … I don’t know, I would hope that all of them would be out in the fall.
One interesting note from the news conference. Paterno arrived munching on a piece of pizza. Can you imagine a reporter sitting and eating in front of him? No, we can’t either.
Future Lion: A.J. Price
Price, a 6-foot-4 wideout from South Lakes High School in Reston, Va., was a complete unknown heading into his senior season, but four months later he was overwhelmed by coaches who had taken a look at his game tapes.
He caught 32 balls for 816 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2007. He was named to the Virginia High School Coaches Association Group AAA all-state second team, and was a second team all-Metro selection by the Washington Post following the season.
The slim, 175-pound receiver had scholarship offers from Penn State, Duke, Michigan and Virginia over the course of a few weeks, and all of a sudden was a big name on each school’s board, despite a low ranking from the scouting services. He picked Penn State over Virginia on Jan.
20.
He will begin his Penn State career as a wide receiver, but it is almost certain that he will redshirt in order to add some weight before he hits the field. Price will also continue to work on his strengths, which include a 4.5-second 40 and exceptional leaping ability.
He was recruited for the Nittany Lions by Larry Johnson. He took his official visit to Penn State on the weekend of Jan. 18.
Non-rev: Fencing
Penn State could not defend its 2007 National Championship, finishing fourth at this year’s event, held March 15-16 in Columbus, Ohio. Host Ohio State took home the title.
Senior Arthur Urman had the best finish for the Nittany Lions in the epee division. The All-American captain took a second-place finish in the gold medal bouts. In pool play, Urman finished with 15 victories, good enough for a No. 3 seed in the bracket.
In the saber division, sophomore Daniel Bak finished in third place for the national championship. In pool play, Bak finished with 17 victories, which was good enough for a No. 4 seed in the tournament.
Sophomore Nick Chinman made the final four in the foil division with 18 victories. He earned the No. 4 seed, but lost in the consolation bracket to give him a fourth-place overall finish.
In addition to writing for gantnews.com, Chris Morelli is the editor of Blue White Illustrated, a magazine devoted to Penn State sports. He is also a regular on “Front and Center,” which airs on ESPN Radio in Altoona and State College. E-mail him at morellionlion@gmail.com.