Mauti’s 12 tackle performance, which included 2 tackles for loss and a big 4th quarter sack, was good enough to earn Defensive Player of the Week honors from the league.  Coming off a season ending ACL injury last season, Mauti has leads Penn State with 33 tackles on the season, which puts him third in the Big 10.  This is the linebacker’s 2nd Big 10 weekly honor, the first coming in the 2010 Northwestern game, which never took place.  After writing last week that Mauti has been very impressive in the early season, it’s great to see his play recognized.

Redshirt freshman Deion Barnes recorded his 3rd sack, and 2nd forced fumble of the season, as part of his 5 tackle performance en route to collection the Big 10 Freshman of the Week award, which he shares with Indiana QB Nate Sudfield.  Barne’s 3 sacks place him in a 2nd place tie in the Big 10, and the 2 forced fumbles tie for 1st.  Barnes appears well on his way to making last week’s proclamation a reality.

Follow VBR Staff Writer Matt de Bear on Twitter!

PSU won the toss, took the ball, and marched down the field in an efficient 7 play, 72 yard drive to take a 7-0 lead.  The drive was capped by a 2 yard touchdown pass from McGloin to TE Jesse James,  set up by a 45 yard strike from McGloin to Allen Robinson.  After a 3 and out for the Midshipmen, Penn State struck quickly as McGloin again from Robinson on a 45 yard pass that went for 6 points.  Navy drove the ball deep into Penn State territory on their next possession, but pressure on the Middies QB Trey Miller forced an ill advised pass that was intercepted by Gerald Hodges.

The Lions took advantage of the turnover, driving 90 yards on 14 plays, capped by another McGloin to Robinson touchdown pass.  Struggling kicker Sam Ficken missed the extra point, but it would not matter on this day. The Lions again drove deep into Navy territory late in the first half, but on 4th and goal, Bill O’Brien passed on the short field goal attempt, and McGloin’s pass was broken up to end the threat.  O’Brien would tell ESPN at halftime that the decision to go for it was more based on his confidence in the play he called, than it was a vote against Sam Ficken.

PSU’s final 2 scores came on a funky deflection that found its way to Allen Robinson for his 3rd touchdown catch of the day, and a Mike Hull fumble recovery that went 74 yards for a touchdown.  Navy scored late against the Lions’ reserve defense to end the shut out, but the game was well in hand.

With Bill Belton and Derek Day both sidelined with injuries, Michael Zordich and Curtis Dukes split the carries.  Zordich carried the ball 11 times for 50 yards, while Dukes had 11 for 47.  Zordich also had 2 key receptions for 25 yards, both of which went for first downs, as well as several solid plays in pass protection to buy McGloin time.

A very relieved looking Coach O’Brien, fresh off a Gatorade bath as the clock hit 0:00, told the media he “felt very good for this team” and that this win was “in some ways, a long time coming.”

For the first time all season Penn State had put a full 60 minutes together, and took advantage of the chances that for a second straight week their defense gave them.  Navy does not have the talent that PSU will see down their schedule, but the first win monkey is finally off their back, and with a struggling Temple team visiting Beaver Stadium next week, PSU can create some momentum prior to hitting the road to open the Big 10 season.

As far as the injuries are concerned, Belton and Day are considered day-to-day with an ankle and shoulder injury respectively.   Starting left tackle Donovan Smith, who also missed todays’ game with an injured ankle, is expected back for next Saturday’s game.

Check back with Victory Bell Rings for more post game coverage throughout the weekend.

Follow VBR Staff Writer Matt de Bear on Twitter.

Uncharacteristic mistakes were the deciding factor in this ball game. Penn State made them, Ohio did not.  

OFFENSE

Quarterbacks:  B+

McGloin went 27/48 (56%) for 260 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT.   McGloin handled himself well on Saturday against a good veteran defense.  Matt looked like he had command of the offense, made the proper reads, and for the most part delivered accurate passes.   He is a good fit for this type of offense and I expect an even stronger performance by McGloin next week against Virginia.

The big issue with McGloin’s performance against Ohio was the 56% completion percentage.   If we are going to rely on long, methodical drives (as we did yesterday), then we need a completion percentage somewhere around 65%.  Otherwise, drives are likely to stall out at some point, as they did in the second half yesterday.

Running Backs:  C+

I hate to say this, but Penn State misses Silas Redd badly.  Belton and Day both averaged only about 4.0 yards per carry and combined for 92 yards rushing on 21 attempts.

Bill Belton showed that he is an amazing athlete and is a great receiving running back.  He is quick, elusive, and has great hands.  Unfortunately, he also showed his durability issues and his inability to break a tackle.

In addition, Derek Day showed that he is tough, reliable, and strong.  He secures the ball, makes good decisions, and can obviously take a hit.  But, he is simply not explosive or elusive enough to make game changing plays, which is what we really lacked on offense yesterday.

Wide Receivers:  B

The Penn State receivers have a ton of potential and are integral to a strong season.  Allen Robinson showed off the skills that O’Brien bragged about all off-season,  Kersey showed the speed that we had all been hearing about, and Kenney showed that he is a viable and speedy third option.  All of our receivers looked fast, athletic, and explosive.  But, there were far too many drops.  Those drops need to stop if our offense is going to sustain drives and put points on the board.

Tight Ends:  A-

Kyle Carter hauled in 6 catches for 74 yards and Matt Lehman was able to haul in the second touchdown of the day for the Nittany Lions.  We had TEs line up at the line of scrimmage, in the backfield, and spread out wide as wide receivers.  The TEs looked very solid and are sure to be a strong point in our offense this season and for years to come.

Offensive Line:  B-

The offensive line protected the quarterback well, but was not able to open up many rushing lanes for the running backs to scamper through.  Our offensive line is going to need to do much better run-blocking for our offense to be effective.

Just a reminder: The spreads for each game were as of Tuesday morning.

Ordinarily for a team to be bowl eligible they need to finish with a minimum .500 winning percentage and at least 6 wins – 5 against other Football Bowl Subdivision teams.  A sixth win against a Football Championship Subdivision team will only count if the FCS school meets scholarship requirements.  The NCAA Board of Directors added new measures this past month for sub-.500 records.  Many in the media predict a rather bleak fall in Happy Valley; most predict either a 6-6 or 7-5 record for the Nittany Lions.  So, based on the proposed records, many believe that Penn State would barely qualify for a bowl game. The bowl games that Penn State may have qualified for include the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas, the TicketCity Bowl, or the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl.  I suppose that any bowl game might seem like the Rose Bowl at this point!

I am not as gloom and doom like some may be.  On the other hand, I am not saying Penn State will go undefeated or even win the Leaders Division of the Big Ten (which they are not eligible to do due to Big Ten sanctions).  In fact, far from it.  I can see Penn State, however,  finishing their first campaign in the Bill O’Brien era with a record of 8-4.  Here are some reasons why. 

OrangeFizz.net, a Syracuse blog, broke the news that the upstate New York native Dukes will be sticking with the Lions.  It was no secret that Dukes had an interest in transferring to the Orange, near his home in Watertown, NY, but Doug Marrone and his staff apparently did not show a mutual interest in the junior.  Purdue, Florida Atlantic and Hawaii also showed an interest in the powerful runner. Dukes missed this spring with academic concerns, but figures to draw significant time, along with Bill Belton, in the PSU backfield.

Shortly after the Dukes news broke, Tim Owen from BlueWhiteIllustrated tweeted that linebacker Mike Hull will also stick around in Happy Valley.  Hull, a native of Canonsburg, PA, had been considering a transfer to nearby Pitt before today’s news.  Hull ended spring practice as the backup to All American candidate Gerald Hodges at one of the outside linebacker spots.  While there is no information from the coaching staff as of yet, don’t be surprised to see Hull get a look at running back as well.  With Silas Redd’s departure, and the rumored transfer of Akeel Lynch, depth in the backfield could be a concern, and Hull was a solid back during his high school days.

Attention now shifts back to Lynch, and senior wide receive Justin Brown, who is mulling an offer from Oklahoma

Follow VBR Staff Writer Matt de Bear on Twitter!

I talked to people from Altoona, Johnstown, Pittsburgh, Philly, Bellefonte, Philipsburg, and Harrisburg. One guy and his son drove up from Kentucky.

There were hoards of students who walked over from their dorm rooms in East and West or North Halls or from their apartments downtown. There were players from other Penn State teams, wearing their colors, their team jackets, and their numbers.

Of course there was also the fleet of media vans and trucks, with the reporters and camera men rushing around trying to get the best images or statements.

The occasion was a 6 a.m. rally, thought up at the last minute by a local radio host, designed to show support for the players and coaches on this Penn State football team.  The idea was to meet at the entrance to the Lasch Football Complex and greet the players as they arrived for their Tuesday workout.

I expected to see a couple hundred people, but instead there were at least a thousand, maybe two, all chanting and cheering as if this was a pep rally and Ohio State was coming in tomorrow.

And when the band showed up, playing all the football favorites, all of this officially turned into “An Event.” Sort of like midnight madness with doughnuts and coffee instead of whatever they eat and drink before midnight.

Everyone I talked to, though, no matter what their exact words were, all had the same thoughts as to what this rally was really all about: we are here to show our support and enthusiasm for the players on this football team. We are like a family, and at times like this, families pull together.

At about 6:15 the first of the players began to show up. All of them were greeted with cheers, shouts of encouragement, signs, and high-fives. Some of the players were followed by newsmen with microphones and cameras. Some walked in alone, some in  small groups. Some smiled and waved and signed autographs. Others stared ahead intently, maybe already focusing on the job at hand and the season to come. Still others seemed to be taken aback by the size of the crowd and didn’t quite know how to react.

It didn’t matter. The all received the same loud and raucous welcome, the same chants of “We are number one” and “We are Penn State.”

By 6:45 all of the players had pretty much arrived, and with the band still playing and the radio people still broadcasting,  people began to drift away, while some of the fans that stayed longer were allowed in to watch some of the workouts.

One couple, all dressed in blue and white, passed by me on the way out. I said hello, and the guy looked at me and said, “That was pretty amazing, wasn’t it?” Yes it was.

On the way to my car, I walked around the site where they are building the new hockey complex. It is a giant mess now, holes everywhere and everything scattered all around in big piles. But soon they are going to start building, and that giant mess will slowly become one of the finest college hockey facilities in the country.

There is a different kind of construction that will be going on in the Lasch Building, and they are going to try to build something that will be just as impressive as that hockey building.  Maybe that work started today.

The bomb the NCAA dropped on Monday hurt.  It hurt anyone who holds Penn State in the same regard that I do.  But it also has done something I am sure many around this country never expected would happen.  This Penn State family is coming together.

I don’t care what the talking heads say, the Penn State culture is not broken or flawed.  I don’t know what prompted the men who brought this upon our great University to make the decisions they did, but I know in my heart it was not because of what Penn Staters feel and believe.  This community is full of good people who remain as hurt about what has happened here as the rest of the country.  We love this place not because of football victories or a football coach, but because of what it taught us, the experiences it gave us, and the people we met.  That is what “We Are Penn State” means.  It is not just a football cheer.  It is us.  WE are Penn State.

I will not begrudge any of you who decide to transfer out, or back out of a commitment.  The time, energy, and effort that it takes to play major college football is something that none of us can likely understand.  Chances to play in bowl games and for championships are limited.  You need to do what is right for you, your families, and your future.

But to those of you that make the decision to stay, as many have, you are about to be a part of something that no Nittany Lion football player has ever been, or will ever be.  You will go down in history as the group of young men that chose to be a part of something much bigger than a championship trophy or a trip to Florida in December.  You have my word that we, as the Penn State family, will give you our undying support.

Michigan says those who stay will be champions.  At Penn State, those who stay will become legends.  Not because of their ability on the football field, but because of the commitment they have shown to this place that so many of us hold so dear.

For the Glory,

Matt de Bear

Penn State ‘05

Follow VBR Staff Writer Matt de Bear on Twitter!

Paul Salmon
@pasik1982

At the Nebraska game last season, two Penn State graduate students, Laura March and Stuart Shapiro, lead the effort to turn Beaver Stadium into a sea of Blue, the official color of child abuse awareness.  According to Laura and Stuart, proceeds from t-shirt sales and stadium canning raised over $47,000 for child abuse prevention charities.  Along with One Heart and the PSU Athletic Department, they are planning on making this an annual tradition, continuing on September 22nd at the Temple game. According to Shaprio in an Onward State article, “we are aiming for [the Blue Out] to become an annual event like THON as a way to never forget our continuous responsibility to make our communities better”.

To find out more about this year’s Blue Out, check out Twitter, Facebook and the official web page.

Follow VBR Staff Writer Matt de Bear on Twitter!

Penn State can raise all the money through RAINN they want, it won’t be enough. Penn State students can raise $10 million at THON and it won’t be enough. Enrollment can be up, but that is just a coincidence, that has nothing to do with people actually having pride in this “tarnished” University. The Almuni Assocation membership is up so pass the Kool Aid. They want you to go away, they want to see Penn State crumble based on these wrongdoings. They want to point and say, “See, I knew they weren’t perfect.” Anything short of inventing a time machine and going back to make sure charges were pressed in 1998 or the cops were called in 2001, then forget it, you have the scarlet letter and you are a kool aid drinker. Please note, I use the term they loosely here to describe some people, but tis the season to use generalities and blanket statements and here I am using them.  So now is the time to take control of the narrative. If not, well, bottoms up on the Kool-Aid baby!

Just remember, Coach Paterno spent his entire professional life building a football program that was universally respected. It was “the right way” and in an instance on November 5, 2011, it was over. Coach Paterno was vilified and the football program was considered renegade and that Penn State officials harbored and evil man and even enabled him. Gone, POOF! Don’t tell anyone Joe Paterno was a good man, don’t you freaking dare. That will make you a certified lunatic who cannot separate reality from your little bubble of a town in the Center of PA. After the CNN report, if you defend Coach Paterno, well, you are officially certifiable now. No turning back, you are a LOON!!! Like always, the only opinion about Penn State or Coach Paterno that matters is our own, because frankly, I could care less what some half wit loser with scattered facts from another school thinks of JoePa, or Evil Bill for that matter. They don’t matter, they never will and to be honest, they never did.

As the trial began, a big deal was made that the jury had Penn State ties. It was made out that the jury would have pom poms and would be chanting DE-FENSE throughout the trial as Joe Amendola spoke. People were certain that the jury would acquit a man because of a football team and program. That Friday night, as the verdict came down and it was an overwhelming guilty charge, the backtracking began. A Pittsburgh radio personality, Jon Burton (@jonburton32, formerly of 93.7 The Fan) took to twitter and wrote, “Put that man away #Sanudsky Good Job by the jury for not drinking the Penn State Kool-Aid and making the right decision”. Such is the state of Penn State right now, whatever we do, good, bad, or neutral, people will hate us for it so again, I ask, why should we care. You’re either with us, or you’re against us.

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No more will an undefeated team close out a regular season, and be relegated to an utterly meaningless bowl game, knowing there is zero chance of proving their championship acumen. Or what about those years where there are a half dozen 1-loss teams, and we’re left to determine the “best loss” or picking apart the smallest of details? Sure, a couple will be left out, but I’d much argue about 4th vs. 5th, than 2nd vs. 3rd.

Ironically, it might have been a repeat of the “Game of the Century” this past season that finally started us down this path. LSU of course bested Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, during the regular season in a thrilling/boring 9-6 OT game. Apparently every game mattered except this one, since the all-knowing BCS matched the two sides up a second time. What about Oklahoma State? Sure, their loss wasn’t as “good” as the Tide’s, but they also fell on the road, the day after the tragic plane crash that claimed the life of the Cowboy’s women’s basketball head coach and an assistant. Boise State? Sure, they don’t play the “elite” schedule, but they also seem to knock off every major opponent put in front of them.

What about the 2004 Auburn Tigers? That would be the 13-0 Auburn Tigers, who finished 3rd in the final regular season polls, and watched USC dismantle Oklahoma from the sidelines. A two loss LSU won the title in 2007, getting into the final game ahead of four other 2-loss teams in the top 9. 2008 saw 1-loss Oklahoma play Florida, ahead of Texas, Alabama and USC, Texas Tech and Penn State, all of who had 1 loss, and undefeated Utah.

Is this new 4-team playoff perfect? Hardly. There are now more variables at play, and inevitably teams 5, 6 and 7 will argue their virtues, but more good teams will get a shot. And lets put away the argument that the regular season loses its importance. One loss can still end the dream, but it also won’t crush it.

The bottom line is this is a huge improvement. I know Coach Paterno is up there smiling and telling Coach Bryant “it’s about time.”

Click here to see Tim’s argument AGAINST the new playoff!

Be sure to follow VBR Staff Writer Matt de Bear on Twitter!

Disraeli

If you think that the incessant arguing on sport’s TV is bad now, wait until the beginning of December of 2014.

That, of course, will be the time that the NCAA will announce its first “final four” playoff teams in the inaugural “tournament” to decide the college football national champion once and for all.

With the BCS shown the door, this will be a mega-bucks, three game showdown to determine the best of the best in NCAA division 1 football.

The four teams selected and their fans will be elated, no doubt, and the players will square off in Pasadena or Miami or wherever for a chance to travel to the Super Bowl of college football.

Teams No. 5 and 6? Maybe in a new bowl game—The Snub Bowl—played somewhere far away in a place like Wales or Mexico City.

It is essential, then, that the NCAA gets this right. The four teams chosen have to have impeccable credentials, with great seasons, quality wins, conference titles, etc, and be clear choices to be in the final four.

That we have clear choices will never happen, of course, so we are going to be relying on a committee to decide the four teams. That committee has yet to be envisioned, but my guess is that it will be largely modeled after the basketball committee that selects the teams in the NCAA tournament.

That committee uses records, quality wins, strength of schedule, RPI, conference strength, conference record, and many other parameters to decide who to invite to the tournament. The members are well respected and hail from all areas of the sport. What they do is essentially what the football committee will do—rank and seed the teams according to what they consider to be their relative strength.

Now, basketball is a different sport than football, and the basketball tournament has 68 teams and there are many upsets (although football has many upsets as well, maybe as many percentage-wise as any other sport).

We are not talking here about the tournament itself, though, but about choosing the best four teams. And the basketball committee does that, and has been doing that for a long time using all those statistics, and they name what they believe to be the best four teams in the country. They are the regional #1 seeds. The football people will be asked to do the same thing, although their ranking will be final.

The cool thing about the basketball tournament is that we get to see just how accurate the seedings were.  How often, with all this information and all these qualified people, have they been right?

The numbers are revealing. In the last 10 years, of the 40 teams that were seeded #1 in their regional—essentially thought to be one of the best four teams in the country—14 advanced to the final four. So fewer than half the teams that were thought to be in the top four actually made it into the top four.

There were 10 #2 seeds, who would be placed from five to nine in the national rankings, six # 3’s, and seven #4 and # 5s. And an 8 and two 11s.

Interpret those numbers as you will, but the committee did redeem itself in the finals. Of the last 10 champions, six were #1 seeds, one was a #2, and three were #3s. 2008 was a great year for the committee because all four teams in the final four were #1 seeds in a tournament won by Kansas.

2011, on the other hand, was not a good year. The highest team to make the final four was UConn at #3, the team that eventually won it, and it was joined by a #4, #8, and a #11. None of the teams proven to be playing the best at that time were indentified.

What does all of this mean for Football? Not much, probably, if we realize that whatever teams the committee chooses will all be more than qualified and a product of endless number crunching and wrangling among the various factions in the room.

What we will get is a no-questions-asked, definite, winner of the committee’s final four. With only four teams selected, there will be lots of teams out there that could win it but had an early stumble or injury that blocked them. That’s the way it goes in college football where a loss or two is usually the end for title hopes.

The best team? The basketball people predict  it six out of ten times, not bad, so football can do just as well, maybe better, we hope. But there will be lapses.

And think about the selection shows. An hour at least, for just four teams, with 55 minutes taken up with talk and seven or eight video clips each played about 35 or 40 times, in case we missed something. Then—bam!—right at the end, team A will play team B and team X will play team Y. Cut to commercial.

Let the arguing begin.

In what will be the first of several installments over the coming weeks, we kick off with the Michigan State Spartans, the somewhat surprising winners of the Legends (I think) Division in 2011 and Outback Bowl champions over Georgia. Mark Dantonio’s squad is getting a lot of attention headed into the 2012 season, and is getting a lot of hype to possibly return to Indianapolis for the 2nd Big 10 Championship Game. I’m not buying it.

It all starts under center for me, and Michigan State loses 3 year starter Kirk Cousins, who was taken in the 4th round of the draft by the Redskins. Experience at QB is huge, and MSU just doesn’t have it. It was a different time, but Sparty suffered through a 6-7 2009 season in Cousin’s first season as the starter. Andrew Maxwell is the heir apparent, and while he has the time in the program (RS Junior) and the accolades (4-star recruit on Rivals, Elite 11 attendee), he’s thrown 51 passes in his 3 seasons in East Lansing, and none of them meaningful. MSU also loses their top 3 receivers and 2 tight ends. The good news is 80% of the offensive line returns, as does one of the more underrated backs in the country, Le’Veon Bell. An experienced line and tailback can be a young QB’s best friend, but you better believe every defensive coordinator on the schedule is already plotting to neutralize those strengths, namely by stacking the box and forcing Maxwell and the green receiving corps to beat them.

Defense brings good news for MSU. William Gholston and Marcus Rush could be the best pass rush combo in the Big 10, and among the best in the country. More experience can be found in the back 7 with Chris Norman and Max Bullough at linebacker, and Darqueze Dennard, Johnny Adams and Isaiah Lewis in the secondary. The defense should keep Sparty in most games, and give their young offense time to grow.

The schedule doesn’t do Sparty any favors though. Boise State comes calling to Spartan Stadium in a Week 1 primetime matchup. The Broncos aren’t the same as years past with Kellen Moore’s departure (among others), but Chris Petersen has built something in Boise, and I’m not ready to hand this one to MSU at all. Improving Notre Dame comes to East Lansing in Week 3, coming off a dominant 31-13 victory last season in South Bend. Those are 2 early challenges for a young offense early on.

The Big 10 schedule opens with the Urban Meyer show at home. MSU beat OSU in Columbus last season, in an ugly 10-7 game that I’m not sure anyone really wanted to win. After a trip to Bloomington and a home date with Iowa, a very challenging 3 game stretch awaits. October 20th with in-state rival/sibling Michigan in Ann Arbor, October 27th in Camp Randall versus the Badgers, and November 3rd back home against Nebraska. Thankfully for MSU, these are games 8, 9 and 10 but with the youth at key spots on offense, I would be concerned.

Mark Dantonio spent time under Jim Tressel in Columbus before leaving for Cincinnati and then Michigan State. Coach Tressel’s teams of course had a knack for finding ways to win seemingly ever close game. MSU showed a touch of that last season as well, most notably vs. Wisconsin and again in the Outback Bowl. If MSU can keep up that magic into 2012, it could be another special season. But while Tressel had a track record of it, Dantonio does not, at least not yet. Until he does, I can see this MSU team losing 3 or 4 games.

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Connor also asked about Bill O’Brien’s high praise for Jordan Hill, Curtis Drake’s situation, Bill O’Brien as a head coach and more!

For all of the latest on the Penn State Nittany Lions, follow VBR Lead Editor Tim Tolley on Twitter.

There were only basic defenses. Bill O’Brien used only 10% of his offense. Matt McGloin said the offense ran only “three or four” different pass plays. There were five interceptions, eight sacks, and no sign of the multiple formation offense and attacking defenses that so many people have been talking about.

In other words, things were pretty generic, and the 2012 Nittany Lion opponents–along with the rest of us–are going to have to wait until the fall to see what Penn State is really up to.

None of that means, though, that there isn’t anything to discuss about the game. It was actually very interesting for a number of reasons.

No issue has been more in the forefront than the battle for the quarterback position, and nothing that happened on Saturday went very far toward resolving that issue. The general impression seems to be that Rob Bolden had the poorest day of the top three–he completed 7 of 14 passes for 78 yards, along with three interceptions–but Bill O’Brien said after the game that he was not upset with any of the quarterbacks’ play.

Bolden certainly has the arm and the athletic ability to be very successful, but he still sometimes seems indecisive in the pocket and makes errant throws. That could be a function of learning a new offense, something that O’Brien mentioned after the game, and he easily could improve as he gets more familiar with the system.

Or not, but anything can happen during the long season, and I think that he will be given chances to prove himself when PSU begins to play for real.

Matt McGloin went 6-13 for 105 yards with a TD and an interception, while Paul Jones was 6-15 for 113 yards and he also threw a TD and an interception. Not much of a difference there, and both players showed different strengths and weaknesses (although Jones has a great arm). If the season started tomorrow, one of these two would probably start, but frankly, most people are hoping for quite a bit of improvement here.

One other note about the passing game: the quarterbacks completed passes to a total of 14 different receivers, including four tight ends, and there were nine completions that were 15 yards or longer (the longest was 42 yards to Shawney Kersey). As advertised, the tight ends will be very involved the the passing game this season.

Silas Redd played the first series, ran the ball three times for 12 yards, and then didn’t play again. There’s obviously not a lot of debate about who the starting tailback will be.

Zach Zwinak (28 yards) and Bill Belton (48 yards) did most of the running, and both played well. It’s noteworthy that there were no fumbles in the game.

It looks–as it does almost every year–like Penn State again will be able to rely on its defense. There were open receivers, more than you would like to see, but the secondary also snatched five interceptions. Up front, the defensive linemen and linebackers looked very solid. The offensive line had a long day trying to block these guys, especially Jordan Hill (who had an interception) and DaQuan Jones.

What we saw of the kicking game looked competent, and it seems as if Penn State is putting a big emphasis on special teams. Anthony Fera, in warmups, kicked a 57-yard field goal with room to spare.

In general, the team looked very organized and enthusiastic. There were not many penalties called and hardly any illegal motions or botched snap counts. The discipline and attention to detail that Penn State fans are used to are still there.

Oh, by the way, the defense won, something like 77-65. Please don’t ask for a scoring summary.

Fueled in part by Bill O’Brien’s more open access to his practices and players, there is a buzz about this game–if you can call it that–more than any other in memory. And with so many questions surrounding this team and its new coaching staff, it is easy to see why.

Will a 6-6, 277 pound tight end really line up behind the quarterback? Will the offense look like the Patriots’ offense? Safety blitzes? Man to man pass coverage? Silas Redd catching the ball in space? Open receivers? Stronger, quicker linemen? Eleven defenders on the line of scrimmage? No-huddle offense? Emerging stars? Freshmen on the field? Whew!

That list could go on and on, and sometime near the end of September, all the questions will be answered. Saturday, though, is just the beginning and, given coaches’ penchant for not tipping their hands too early, look for things to be pretty conservative.

So what can we expect? What follows is a totally biased, arbitrary and subjective list of the things we can expect to see–or not–on Saturday.

A big crowd? Definitely, depending on decent weather. Wouldn’t it be ironic if more people attended Bill O’Brien’s first scrimmage at Penn State than attended the Super Bowl? There were 68,000 at that game, and we can easily beat that. By the way, the weather prediction for Saturday calls for rain and thunder, but we all know that a long-range weather forecast is even less reliable than the predictions in this article.

Silas Redd? Yes! But don’t blink or you will miss him. There have been hints about him being nicked up this spring, and the staff will be rightfully very cautious with him.

Tight ends lining up behind the quarterback? Maybe. Don’t expect, however, even close to the full complement of  formations, schemes, and plays that will be on display in the fall. Until then, opposing coaches will have to look at depressing tapes of the Patriots to try to figure out what PSU will be doing. That doesn’t mean there will not be things to watch. The whole tone of the offense–and defense, for that matter–will be different, and how organized, efficient, and mistake free the team plays will be important.

Will the starters be the starters in the fall? Probably not everywhere, but the spring game is a good place to get an idea about starters. Look for a lot of scrutiny about who plays where and how much especially in the defensive backfield, offensive line, tight ends, and quarterbacks. O’Brien seems like he will be apt to mix in younger guys, even freshmen, more quickly, so the competition for spots in all positions will be high throughout the year.

Speaking about quarterbacks, will the game reveal “separation” between them? It would be surprising if that happened. In his first B-W game, Paul Jones looked like the best of the lot, and he is still fighting to get onto the field so the B-W can be deceiving.  This will likely be a wash, but look for all of these guys to be making quicker and more decisive decisions. The competition will really heat up in camp.

Safety blitzes? No way. The defense is going to fake a lot of them though, and if what the players have been saying is any indication, the D will be moving around all over the place. They will be fun to watch, and we will have a better feel about what to expect from them in the fall than about the offense. Everyone will be watching how the offensive line will fare against what could be a very good PSU defensive line.

Will the game be high-scoring? Possibly yes and possibly no, and both are bad in a way. If it’s low scoring, we’ll worry about the offense all summer. If it’s high scoring, we’ll worry about the defense. Does it really matter? No–look for good plays on both sides of the ball.

Will they turn down the “music” that blares the entire game? Not a chance. It might even get louder.

Will the game be entertaining? Absolutely. And the nicest thing about the Blue-White game is that the Victory Bell will ring no matter what happens.

So I joined about 50 or so media members and a far larger number of coaches and others to watch the first 30 or 40 minutes of practice, which consisted mostly of stretching and position drills without pads.

They shooed the media away just as the team began to run some non-contact offensive plays against different defensive sets. I tried to kind of hide behind some of the coaches so I could see more of that, but I didn’t last very long.

Can anything be learned, then, from watching mostly drills for such a short period of time? The answer, of course, is not much, but I did see some things that might be worth mentioning, even though most of this has probably already been said.

First, the practice was very quick-paced and very organized. There was no wasted time or wasted effort. Everyone knew where to go and what to do. There were also four cameras–high up–filming everything.

The entire time that I was watching, there were groups of players practicing special teams. This day it was mostly punt teams and punt return teams, although there may have been other things mixed in that I did not see. I couldn’t see who the players were, but I will say that someone there has a very good leg.

I paid attention mostly to the offensive line, the tight ends, and the quarterbacks. With all of the groups I saw, the coaches did not accept mistakes. If something went wrong, it was do it again. And they did it until it was right. There were a lot of questions asked of the coaches, and many of the players seemed to be talking and helping each other.

There are a lot of offensive linemen. They lined up four-deep at center, left guard, and left tackle, and three-deep and right guard and right tackle. They seemed to have good size, but there were no really big, behemoth, players that stood out.

Their drills looked pretty standard, positioning, basic movements, etc, but there were many pass-blocking technique and positioning drills. There was also a lot of pulling, both left and right, and the coaches seemed to really be emphasizing quickness. I haven’t mentioned any names because I’m not confident with the numbers the players were wearing–I don’t want to misidentify anyone.

From what I saw, the tight ends worked only on short pass routes and catching the ball. That’s all they did, catch the ball. To me, this group looked very tall and athletic, and it was hard to miss Garry Gilliam because of his 6-6 size. And Jesse James is even bigger at 6-7.

The quarterbacks drew heavy interest, of course, but they pretty much did standard types of drills. One thing I found interesting was that they worked quite a bit on dropping back, faking left, rolling right, and then throwing back to the left. Or rolling all the way to the right and throwing to the flat. I doesn’t look like they are going to be standing around in the pocket, but that there will be a lot of moving around. They also did a lot of talking and helping each other out.

When everyone got together for the full-team session, it was time for the media to leave. I did try to stick around to see a few plays, though, and noticed that there was a lot of motion before the snap in the offense. Bill O’Brien also stopped two plays before they started because someone was out of position. All the plays I saw were running plays, and the quarterbacks were switching in and out. I am pretty sure McGloin took the first snap, but don’t hold me to that.

As I left, walking back to my car, I was reminded how beautiful Penn State is in the spring, with the trees budding and the flowers coming up. I had a strong urge to walk down and join the late Friday afternoon crowd at the Rathskeller, but somehow I resisted. There will be a lot more chances to do that in the fall.

September 10, 2011; State College, PA, USA; Penn State Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Devon Smith (20) runs with the ball and is tackled byAlabama Crimson Tide defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick (21) during fourth quarter action at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-US PRESSWIRE

First, Derek Moye, who has been their number one receiver for what seems like forever, has graduated and is moving on to the next level.   It will not be easy to replace the pro caliber length and speed that Moye brought to the table, along with his leadership factor.  Justin Brown will most likely bump up from the #2 to the #1 spot.  He has been receiving a majority of the reps at this position in the spring season.    Brown, like Moye, possesses great length and pretty decent speed.  He is also a pretty good route runner.  He just needs to improve his hands and secure catches.  Brown in the one slot seems to be the only sure thing in terms starting line up at the WR position.

Also, the shift of two receivers to different positions has already ready been made.  Bill Belton has been moved to RB and Curtis Drake has been moved to defensive back in order to offset depth issues on that side of the ball.  Both guys looked like they were going to at least have a shot to make an impact at the WR position in the upcoming season.  The move now sets up more competition for the number two, three, and four spots at wide out.   However, do not overlook the possibility of Bill Belton being used in multiple formations at different positions throughout the year, in particular the slot.

The small speedster, Devon Smith will likely make an impact in the slot.  In most of his career he has been utilized in vertical and deep patterns attempting to stretch the defense.  However, it appears that he will be used as a slot threat, which makes more sense because of lack of size, incredible speed, and ability to get in and out of his cuts.  He should be much more effective this year with linebackers and safeties matched up on him, as opposed to trying to go over the top of corners and free safeties that have a distinct height advantage.  This will be a more natural fit for him and I expect him to excel.

Shawney Kersey, a redshirt Junior, has been getting consistent repetitions at the number two spot.  It was rumored last year that he considered transferring over lack of playing time, but he looks as if he is here to stay.  Kersey has elite speed and great athleticism.  He has a great opportunity to prove himself and contribute in O’Brien’s system.  Brandon Mosley-Fedler is also getting looks at this position as well.

Penn State will be versatile this year in terms of formations and personal groups.  We will probably see anywhere from two to five WR’s at any time during a game.   Which means guys like Christian Kuntz, Matt Zanellato, Shane Phillips and Alex Kenney will have to compete in practice for these three, four, and five spots.   They all possess good size and speed, but have not yet separated themselves in their young careers.   Also Penn State’s highest rated recruit according to Scout and Rivals, Eugene Lewis will compete to see playing time and make an impact in the offense.  He displayed great athleticism in both basketball and football at Wyoming Valley West High School in Northeast PA.   Hehas good straight-line speed and leaping ability; he could be used as vertical threat.

Although it appears certain guys are getting reps at different spots, the only position that appears to be set in stone is Justin Brown at number one spot.  Behind him is a bunch of young, athletic, but at this point, unproven receivers.  The WR position holds more intrigue, in terms of competitions, than any other position because of this lack of experience and depth of athletic ability.   I nonetheless remain optimistic that O’Brien will put these players in the right position to make plays.  Also, be prepared to see the slot receiver used like never before at PSU.

Bill O’Brien’s camp, on the other hand, has been much more open and accessible, leading to a tremendous amount of mostly very good analysis, on this site and many others, of what coach O’Brien and his staff are planning for the new season.

There also seems to be a growing sense of  anticipation about the upcoming Blue-White game, especially in the sense that O’Brien is taking the game very seriously and therefore his players will be also. How much about the new offenses and defenses will be revealed? Who’s taking the most snaps at quarterback? Who’s playing where and how much? What recruits are on the sidelines? And so on. I can’t wait to find all of that out.

So things are very different, but PSU still has the same players, so will any of this change make a difference in the fall? It might, actually, make a tremendous difference.

Take the offensive line, for example. Doesn’t it always seem like Penn State is replacing three or four of these guys every year? And every year they have to learn to jell together, and all of that, to slowly become a good unit. That probably was in large part because Joe’s staff liked to stick with more experienced guys, mostly seniors, at those positions, and of course those seniors graduate and have to be replaced every year.

O’Brien doesn’t seem to think that way. All jobs are open, and we are more than likely going to see younger guys mixing in all those spots. The result will be more competition and more continuity from season to season.

Tight end will be another example. Penn State has a history of great tight ends, from Ted Kwalick through Kyle Brady, but recently the position has mostly disappeared from the PSU offense. That may have been because of the spread HD offense, or other factors such as injuries, but I don’t think it was because of lack of talent. Penn State has players there, Kevin Haplea, Garry Gilliam, Jesse James, and I haven’t heard O’Brien back off even a little bit about making the tight end a big part of the offense in 2012. That has to tell us something.

And the heavy, new emphasis on strength and conditioning is encouraging. Penn State has always been difficult to play against in the fourth quarter; you had to play PSU to the bitter end and no lead was safe (see 1993 PSU 38, Michigan State 37 for an example of that). Not so much lately, though, and teams have been beating the Lions down the stretch or holding on to slim leads. Looks like Penn State plans to change that.

Finally, a few thoughts about the quarterbacks. Chuck Burkhart never lost a game as Penn State’s quarterback, and I don’t think he could throw the ball 50 yards if you allowed him two bounces. (And, yes, you had to have a passing game to be successful then as well as now.) PSU doesn’t need a superstar, but someone who can avoid mistakes, make consistent throws and good decisions.

Oh, and about Danny O’Brien. He came to check out a PSU practice, and of course his competition at quarterback, and the next day announced his decision to go to Wisconsin. I wonder if there is anything we can infer from that.

So the vibrations are good. At this point, Joe would probably have said, “We’re mixing guys in and out. I don’t know, it’s hard to tell what we’ve got.” (Translation: “We’re going to show up ready to play football.”)