PENN STATE
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 29, 2012
THE TIMES LEADER
P R E V I E W W 2 2 0 0 1 2
Meet the new boss Bill Bill O’Brien O’Brien has has overcome a tougher overcome a tougher challenge challenge before before Page 3 Page 3
Living with the sanctions
I N S I D E
Columnist Paul Sokoloski examines what motivates the Nittany Lions in the wake of NCAA sanctions.
Finally, McGloin’s turn has come After two years of splitting the quarterback duties, the Scranton native will be the unquestioned starter.
TIMES LEADER PENN STATE PREVIEW, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012
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Index Cover story........................Page 3 Matt McGloin.....................Page 5 Team Photo..................Pages 6-7 The offense .......................Page 9 The defense .....................Page 10 2012 PSU Schedule .........Page 12
On The Cover
Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien is captured by an Associated Press photographer walking across the Beaver Stadium field following the Blue-White game this spring.
Our Team Sports editor John Medeiros jmedeiros@timesleader.com (570) 829-7260 Columnist Paul Sokoloski psokoloski@timesleader.com (570) 970-7109 Penn State writer Derek Levarse dlevarse@timesleader.com (570) 829-7239 Online editor Chris Hughes chughes@timesleader.com (570) 970-7324
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• For breaking news and updates throughout the week, visit timesleader.com for the Nittany Notes Penn State blog as well as thoughts from former Penn State manager Joe Soprano.
Lions look within to find their motivation THEY HAVE no chance of winning a national championship, before the season even begins. There’s no hope of going to a bowl game in their foreseeable future. And they can’t even console themselves by banking on becoming Big Ten champions. What in the college football world do the Penn State Nittany Lions have left to play for? “Each other,” Penn State senior center Matt Stankiewitch said. It’ll be hard for Penn State players to find much motivation anywhere else but within, after brutal NCAA sanctions following the Jerry Sandusky scandal banned Penn State from playing in postseason games for the next four years. That includes not just bowls, but the newly created Big Ten championship game, as well. It essentially kills any hope Penn State may have had of being a relevant factor in the national college football polls. While under sanctions, the Lions can’t appear in the coaches top 25, which also precludes them from being ranked in the BCS standings. “It’s tough to deal with,” said Lions senior fullback Michael Zordich, one of the few Penn State players to express frustration with the situation saddling his team. Most of his teammates downplayed the significance of the sanctions they face heading into the season. “All we want to do is play football,” Lions fifth-year linebacker Michael Mauti said. “Our goal is simple. We’re going to try to go out and win every single game.” An undefeated season? That seems unlikely with Penn State facing Big Ten contenders Ohio State, Nebraska and Wisconsin along with the uncertainty of a new system under first-year head coach Bill O’Brien. But even if the Lions do wind up their 12-game schedule with an unbeaten record, they’ll head home for the year instead of to an exotic, high-profile bowl game. Or even an obscure one. “It’s not about a bowl game,
PAUL SOKOLOSKI OPINION not about a Big Ten championship,” sophomore receiver Allen Robinson said. “There’s no guarantee we would have gone to a bowl game anyway. It’s about playing football. “When you get down to it, that’s why we came here anyway.” But is that enough incentive? Somewhere along the line, players are going to start getting geared up for something bigger than playing on regular season Saturdays, especially if Penn State’s record soars among the top teams in the nation. “We’re still part of the AP poll,” Stankiewitch pointed out. “It’s about what you personally value.” And the Lions will have to value every single snap of the regular season, because that’s all they are left with to keep them playing hard. “If you love to play football, you don’t need extra motivation,” Mauti scowled, “to get dressed and go play a game in front of 108,000 people. You don’t need more motivation than that.” They didn’t need to go through this. Penn State players current and past had no knowledge of the sexual abuse the team’s former defensive coordinator and recently convicted offender Sandusky was committing against young boys. Some of those crimes were found to occur after Sandusky had left the football program. Yet this football team will be the first affected by NCAA punishments for it that include the loss of scholarship and will be felt by Penn State for most of this decade. All because the Freeh Report suggested former coach Joe Paterno and a few other school leaders were part of a cover-up that hushed up Sandusky’s deviancy. It’s no secret Penn State’s players are being unfairly punished for it. But they’re handling the penalties with remarkable resignation and acceptance.
AP PHOTO
With no chance of reaching the postseason in his final year, Penn State linebacker Michael Mauti says, “Our goal is simple. We’re going to try to go out and win every single game.”
“There isn’t any football team, I doubt, that says before the season, ‘We’re going to a bowl game,’ ” redshirt freshman tackle Donovan Smith said. “We’re going out there to play to win. That’s all we’re playing for.” You wish the Nittany Lions would play the persecution card, maybe stomp around like Ohio State recently did and swear they’d try to beat the begeezes out of everyone on their schedule just to let the country know they’re still around. Instead, we get controlled reasoning like this: “As a group,” Robinson said, “we’re ready to play for ourselves, play for our fans and have a good season.” Is that going to be enough reward for Penn State? It’ll have to be.
“If you like to play football,” Zordich said, “winning every game is the same as a championship – without all the rings, without all the cameras, without the trips.” Without the bowls and a major spot in the polls, the driving force behind Penn State’s season will have to come from an inner drive. It is derived from the type of excitement that’s been happening for Penn State players since their Pee Wee football days when they first strapped on a helmet. “I’m playing football every Saturday,” Zordich said. That will have to be enough to inspire a Penn State team as it huddles up to face the most uninspiring of times. Paul Sokoloski is a columnist for The Times Leader. Reach him at psokoloski@timesleader.com
COV E R STO RY : H E A D COAC H B I L L O ’ B R I E N
In the eye of the storm Sanctions and scandal are far from the toughest things Bill O’Brien has overcome. He and his family live to care for his son Jack, who has a rare brain disorder.
AP PHOTO
Peers say that Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien is the right man to lead the Nittany Lions through the NCAA sanctions.
T
he question is about nerves, of all things, and Bill O’Brien is being diplomatic. “Do I look nervous?” No, not especially. Penn State’s new boss has every excuse to feel some anxiety heading into Saturday. His first time on a sideline as a head coach. The scandal that preceded him. The sanctions that he inherited. A situation like no other in the history of college football. Yet O’Brien, anonymous even as a top assistant with one of the NFL’s most successful teams, has not flinched from the uncomfortable national spotlight he and the Nittany Lions now occupy. It’s because the most difficult moments of his life are already behind him. And they had nothing to do with football. No, the real nerves hit Bill O’Brien nine years ago. He was driving around on a recruiting trip when he got the phone call from his wife. Colleen O’Brien broke the news that their son, Jack, barely a year old at the time, had been diagnosed with a rare brain disorder called lissencephaly. The details were crushing. Jack would not be able to walk or talk. He would not develop like other children. In some instances, he would simply stop breathing. “That was a tough day,” O’Brien said. “I’ll tell you what, that was a hell of a lot tougher” than July 23, when the NCAA announced the sanctions against the program. “But we stuck together. It was a time to move forward. It was a time to figure (things) out. Especially my wife. I give her all the credit with, you know, how does it affect him with school and medicine and therapy. “And all the different things that we can do for him, which is what we’ve done. We’ve tried to give him the best life possible.” Now 10, Jack and his younger brother Michael, 7, have settled in at their new
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home in Centre County. At a summer barbeque at the Lions’ Lasch Building headquarters, Jack was right in the middle of the crowd with his mother as people came by to introduce themselves. The fit, O’Brien said, has been a good one. Medical and educational concerns for Jack were at the top of his list when deciding to take over at Penn State. In a coaching career that has taken him through the ACC and then back to his home state of Massachusetts to work for the Patriots, O’Brien has been fortunate to have access to top care for Jack. “That was really important,” O’Brien said. “I was at the University of Maryland, and Johns Hopkins was awesome. Then I went to Duke to work for (new Lions defensive coordinator Ted Roof), and the biggest part of that decision was being able to be around the hospitals at Duke. And the special education in North Carolina is really good. So that was part of that. “And then I had the opportunity to work for the Patriots, and I didn’t feel like that was something I could turn down. And my wife felt the same way. That first year we took a big paycut when we went to the Patriots, but what we found out in Massachusetts was that special education there was really good, too. “And he was at a collaborative school where he was included in many regular classes, which I thought was pretty neat. He had a great experience in Massachusetts. And he’s having the same type of experience in State College.” O’Brien’s peers said they believe that See STORM, Page 4
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Story by Derek Levarse
TIMES LEADER PENN STATE PREVIEW, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012
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TIMES LEADER PENN STATE PREVIEW, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012
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FRED ADAMS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER
Bill O’Brien’s son Jack was diagnosed with lissencephaly, a genetic brain malformation, near his first birthday. Jack is unable to walk or speak.
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Continued from page 3
his son has given him a perspective that makes him the right coach to lead Penn State through this painful chapter. In the past nine months, few in positions of authority at Penn State have made a positive impression on the public at large as the fallout from the Jerry Sandusky scandal continues. O’Brien would be a notable exception. “He’s been tremendous,” quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher said. “The way he’s handled everything, it’s amazing. Just being around him everyday, he’s a great leader. … We’ve had to get focused and look forward to move forward, and he’s been the one to make sure we do that.” Indeed, since he was hired in January,
“He’s been tremendous. The way he’s handled everything, it’s amazing. Just being around him everyday, he’s a great leader. … We’ve had to get focused and look forward to move forward, and he’s been the one to make sure we do that.” Quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher On head coach Bill O’Brien
O’Brien has maintained a stoic resolve in public and in the locker room with his new team. Through countless press conferences and appearances on an 18-city bus tour of the Northeast, O’Brien’s message was firm and assertive. For the most part, his doubts, fears and concerns have been behind closed doors. In all of that time in the public eye, there was one moment when his guard
went down. Sharing Jack’s story to help raise awareness for his son’s condition has also been cathartic. But in this case, his emotions are always right on the surface. Football is his job. His family is his life. A few years after Jack was diagnosed, the O’Briens had an especially difficult decision to make. Whether or not to have another child. Because lissencephaly is a genetic
disorder, there was a possibility that any other kids they had would also be afflicted. So after Michael was born, the infant was placed almost immediately in an MRI machine to learn the truth. “My wife was adamant about that,” O’Brien said. “I’ll never forget that. Because when he came out, he was as healthy as a horse. … Then I remember calling our parents and telling our parents that…” O’Brien stopped mid-sentence. He balled up his left hand into a fist and pressed it against his mouth. His eyes slowly began to water. “…that… that, uh… that he was…” He voice shook when he finally got the word out. “…healthy.” A pause. A nod. “That was… That was a big thing. “That was a big thing.”
TIMES LEADER PENN STATE PREVIEW, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012
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FRED ADAMS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER
Matt McGloin will be the starting quarterback this season after sharing the duties with the now-departed Rob Bolden the last two.
Finally, he’s the man By DEREK LEVARSE | dlevarse@timesleader.com
opener as the unquestioned starter. “I feel good about Matt. He’s definitely made a ton of progress,” O’Brien said. “This is a guy that the more you’re around him, the more you enjoy coaching him. … Matt is competitive, he’s smart, he’s understanding defenses better, he’s understanding what formation, what play we’re in and what the best plays are to run vs. the defense that he sees. “So I’ve seen a lot of progress with Matt, and it’s been a lot of fun watching it.” The coaching staff and atmosphere is radically different. McGloin’s approach is not. “Honestly I’ve felt that I would always be in this position,” the West Scranton grad said. “I know maybe I’m a little arrogant or cocky or whatever you guys want to write about in the paper. But that’s just what I’ve always felt. I felt as if as long as I worked hard, just try to out-
work the person next to me, that’s always been my mentality. “Fortunately I’ve always been able to do that and I’ve always had the coaching and I’ve always had the players around me to do that. So I’m very lucky and I’m very blessed to be in the position I am today.” Even with an entirely new coaching staff on offense, the spring was familiar enough, with McGloin once again battling Rob Bolden and Paul Jones for the job. O’Brien announced in early June that McGloin was his pick, though the coach had made up his mind a month-and-a-half earlier, telling his quarterbacks their standing in meetings at the end of spring practice. Jones stayed on as the backup. Bolden See MCGLOIN, Page 8
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He was Joe Paterno’s last starting quarterback. He will be Bill O’Brien’s first. Back home, he has already led the St. Patrick’s Day parade and has had a day named in his honor throughout Lackawanna County. What’s left for Matt McGloin? “I might,” he deadpanned, “just go back and run for mayor.” Solving Scranton’s issues will have to wait. Right now he has enough on his plate in State College. Finally free of the quarterback carousel that spun him for loops the last two years, McGloin enters Saturday’s
TIMES LEADER PENN STATE PREVIEW, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012
P E N N STAT E 2 012 OFFENSIVE DEPTH CHART QUARTERBACK 11 Matt McGloin (6-1, 210, 5th/Sr.) 7 Paul Jones (6-3, 258, Jr./So.) 12 Steven Bench (6-2, 204, Fr./Fr.) 2 Shane McGregor (6-1, 211, 5th/Sr.)
The ones who staye
RUNNING BACK 1 Bill Belton (5-10, 202, So./So.) 24 Derek Day (5-9, 193, 5th/Sr.) 22 Akeel Lynch (6-0, 209, Fr./Fr.) 40 Zach Zwinak (6-1, 232, Jr./So.) 26 Curtis Dukes (6-1, 245, Sr./Jr.)
FULLBACK 9 Michael Zordich (6-1, 236, 5th/Sr.) 35 Pat Zerbe (6-1, 236, Sr./Jr.)
WIDE RECEIVER 8 Allen Robinson (6-3, 201, So./So.) 16 Eugene Lewis (6-1, 199, Fr./Fr.) 80 Matt Zanellato (6-3, 198, So./Fr.)
WIDE RECEIVER 81 Shawney Kersey (6-1, 197, Sr./Jr.) 10 Trevor Williams (6-1, 186, Fr./Fr.) 17 Christian Kuntz (6-4, 218, Sr./Jr.) 85 B. Moseby-Felder (6-2, 195, Sr./Jr.)
WIDE RECEIVER 15 Alex Kenney (6-0, 192, Jr./So.) 4 Evan Lewis (5-9, 174, 5th/Sr.) 20 Malik Golden (6-1, 182, Fr./Fr.) 88 Jonathan Warner (6-1, 198, Fr./Fr.)
TIGHT END (Y) 89 Garry Gilliam (6-6, 262, Sr./Jr.) 18 Jesse James (6-7, 264, Fr./Fr.) 84 Matt Lehman (6-6, 258, Sr./Jr.)
TIGHT END (F) 87 Kyle Carter (6-3, 247, So./Fr.) 82 Brian Irvin (6-3, 242, 5th/Sr.) 83 Brent Wilkerson (6-3, 239, Fr./Fr.)
LEFT TACKLE 76 Donovan Smith (6-5, 316, So./Fr.) 70 Nate Cadogan (6-5, 293, Sr./Jr.)
LEFT GUARD 65 Miles Dieffenbach (6-3, 300, Jr./So) 66 Angelo Mangiro (6-3, 291, So./Fr.) 56 Anthony Alosi (6-4, 287, So./Fr.)
CENTER 54 Matt Stankiewitch (6-3, 301 5th/Sr) 66 Angelo Mangiro (6-3, 291, So./Fr.) 55 Wendy Laurent (6-2, 278, Fr./Fr.)
RIGHT GUARD 64 John Urschel (6-3, 307, Sr./Jr.) 75 Eric Shrive (6-6, 305, Sr./Jr.) 62 Frank Figueroa (6-3, 298, Sr./Jr.)
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RIGHT TACKLE 78 Mike Farrell (6-6, 306, 5th/Sr.) 58 Adam Gress (6-6, 311, Sr./Jr.) 79 Kevin Blanchard (6-7, 311, So./Fr.)
The 2012 Penn State football team led by head coach Bill O’Brien, center, poses for a team photo in Beaver Stadium. A dozen players left
“In my opinion, this is the greatest place on earth. The greatest place in college football. Once you get here, you don’t want to leave. Coach O’Brien came in, and what he’s done so far for this program, what all the other coaching staff has done and what the fans have done – I don’t understand why you would want to leave. And that’s why I’ve remained so loyal to this place.” —QB Matt McGloin
“For me, personally, I’ve been loyal to this place. I’ve got accustomed to this place. I felt like it was in my best interest for me, my family, education-wise for me to stay here. That’s the decision I made. I thought about it maybe for a minute or two, but after that I knew what I wanted to do based on the people I have around me here. Coach O’Brien and his experience at the next level, that kind of all put it in play for me.” —SS Stephen Obeng-Agya-
pong “I stayed at Penn State, obviously like everyone else, because we’re a team. But, specifically, I stayed here because this is where I always wanted to be. Being a senior, I’ve worked four years long and hard to get an opportunity to play here, and I’m not going to turn that away. The stuff that happened doesn’t affect or mean anything to me. I came here to play football in this stadium and nothing else. Nothing else affected by decision.” —SS Jake Fagnano
ed and why they did
DEFENSIVE DEPTH CHART DEFENSIVE END 18 Deion Barnes (6-4, 246, So./Fr.) 59 Pete Massaro (6-4, 256, 5th/Sr.) 98 Anthony Zettel (6-4, 253, So./Fr.)
DEFENSIVE TACKLE 91 DaQuan Jones (6-3, 324, Jr./Jr.) 93 James Terry (6-3, 316, 5th/Sr.) 99 Austin Johnson (6-4, 297, Fr./Fr.)
DEFENSIVE TACKLE 47 Jordan Hill (6-1, 292, Sr./Sr.) 84 Kyle Baublitz (6-5, 287, Jr./So.)
DEFENSIVE END 90 Sean Stanley (6-1, 243, Sr./Sr.) 86 C.J. Olaniyan (6-3, 248, Jr./So.)
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER 42 Michael Mauti (6-2, 232, 5th/Sr.) 38 Ben Kline (6-2, 224, So./Fr.)
TIMES LEADER PENN STATE PREVIEW, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012
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MIDDLE LINEBACKER 40 Glenn Carson (6-3, 235, Jr./Jr.) 33 Michael Yancich (6-2, 233, 5th/Sr.) 5 Nyeem Wartman (6-1, 236, Fr./Fr.)
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER 6 Gerald Hodges (6-2, 237, Sr./Sr.) 43 Mike Hull (6-0, 228, Jr./So.)
CORNERBACK 4 Adrian Amos (6-0, 205, So./So.) 39 Jesse Della Valle (6-1, 190, Jr./So.) 1 Jordan Lucas (6-0, 188, Fr./Fr.)
SAFETY 7 S. Obeng-Agyapong (5-10, 207, Sr./Jr) 27 Jake Fagnano (6-0, 206, 5th/Sr.)
SAFETY MCT PHOTO
t the team in the wake of the NCAA sanctions, with many transferring to other schools. The Lions enter the season with 113 players.
“I didn’t look at it like just a stepping stone to the NFL. This is where I came to school. This is where I’m going to stay, and this is where I’m going to end my career at. I’m going to graduate in December. I’m not going anywhere. How could you leave and go somewhere else when every time you walk into this stadium people are cheering your name? People I never even met before. That’s just a great feeling.” — LB Gerald Hodges
CORNERBACK 12 Stephon Morris (5-8, 186, Sr./Sr.) 3 Da’Quan Davis (5-10, 161, Fr./Fr.)
SPECIAL TEAMS KICKER 97 Sam Ficken (6-2, 172, So./So.)
PUNTER 45 Alex Butterworth (5-10, 206, Jr./Jr.)
HOLDER 4 Evan Lewis (5-9, 174, 5th/Sr.)
KICK SNAPPER 57 Emery Etter (6-1, 221, Sr./Jr.)
KICK RETURNER TBA
PUNT RETURNER TBA
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“That’s not a question. You never ask why you stay when you get a chance to be a part of something that’s a healing process. You can’t say, in your life, “When I looked that our defense that you’ve ever done was still intact, it was a very easy anything as significant as we’re decision.” —DE C.J. Olaniyan about to do. It’s easy for me to say this is where I want to stay.” — Assistant coach Larry “I’m from Pennsylvania, and it Johnson was always my aspiration to play here. I don’t want to go anywhere.” “It wasn’t even a decision. Never —DT Tyrone Smith came across my mind. I don’t see why you could leave this program.” — CB Stephon Morris “I’m basically here to still play football, still have a chance to play on national television, still have a chance to play for the NFL.” —DE Deion Barnes
10 Malcolm Willis (5-11, 209, Sr./Jr.) 23 Ryan Keiser (6-1, 200, Jr./So.)
TIMES LEADER PENN STATE PREVIEW, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012
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MCGLOIN Continued from page 5
PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER
Confident as ever, Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin responded with ’I know everthing’ when asked how well he understands his team’s new playbook on offense.
began looking to transfer in the spring, pulling the trigger in July when NCAA sanctions allowed him to head to LSU without having to sit out a season. The constant uncertainty about his role on the team was gone. And McGloin, who freely admits he isn’t the type to stay relaxed, has been able to do just that, according to his teammates. “Oh, definitely,” guard John Urschel said. “I think he’s a little more laid back now. … (Naming a starter) gives the program some stability, and it allows us to rally around him.” “Well, it’s a better environment now,” McGloin explained. “I’m definitely more relaxed playing the quarterback position. I feel a lot more comfortable at practice and a lot more comfortable with the offense and everything that I’m doing.” It’s a “better environment” for McGloin compared to the frustration of last season, when the offense was thrown out of rhythm because of the former staff’s constant flip-flopping between him and Bolden. This spring, when asked about the biggest difference with the new coaching staff, McGloin talked about the honesty of O’Brien and new quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher. Under the old regime, it was tough for him to tell where he stood. This new straightforwardness, however, also involves blunt evaluations when the quarterbacks make a mistake. And O’Brien pulls no punches, whether it’s McGloin or Tom Brady he has under center. McGloin, known to have a quick temper, joked that he hasn’t yet gotten into it with his new coach the way Brady and O’Brien
famously argued on the sideline last fall after Brady was picked off in the end zone. “I’m definitely afraid of that side he has to him,” McGloin said with a laugh. After throwing a school-record five interceptions in an Outback Bowl loss at the end of the 2010 season, McGloin finished 2011 with just five on the season. Decision-making remains a focal point headed into the season. “He just tries too hard to make a play,” Fisher said when asked what triggers trouble for McGloin. “Just human nature takes over. He’s competitive. He’s a tough kid. He’s a bright kid. And sometimes that leads you just to try to force a ball. You say, ‘Hey, I gotta make this play for us to win.’ And sometimes you’ve gotta dial that back. “But we don’t ever want to take that confidence from Matt. That’s what makes him unique. That’s what’s allowed him to go from walk-on to starter at Penn State. But you gotta be smart in how you approach that. You can’t take a risk that’s not good.” The confidence, naturally, is still there. How much of the new playbook does he have down? “I know everything.” Did he ever consider leaving in light of the NCAA sanctions? “That’s not the way I was raised – to bail when things got tough.” Since then, how has he handled a leadership role on the team – on the field and off? “You have to know how – and I think I have a great understanding – you need to know how to handle each person.” And as for his final season in Happy Valley? “We definitely have a chance to make some history here. At the same time, I’m not going to sit here and that say we’re going to go 12-0. But what I can promise you is that we’re going to be in each and every game and have an opportunity to win each and every game.”
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2012 Penn State roster No. Name 1 Jordan Lucas 1 Bill Belton 2 Shane McGregor 2 Jake Kiley 3 Da’Quan Davis 4 Adrian Amos 4 Evan Lewis 5 Nyeem Wartman 6 Gerald Hodges 6 Shane Phillips 7 Stephen Obeng-Agyapong 7 Paul Jones 8 Allen Robinson 9 Michael Zordich 10 Malcolm Willis 10 Trevor Williams 11 Matthew McGloin 12 Stephon Morris 12 Steven Bench 13 Tyler Lucas 14 Mike Wallace 14 Garrett Venuto 15 Patrick Flanagan 15 Alex Kenney 16 Eugene Lewis 16 Devin Pryor 17 Christian Kuntz
Pos. Saf TB QB CB CB CB WR LB LB WR Saf QB WR RB Saf WR QB CB QB WR CB QB CB WR WR CB WR
Ht/Wt. 6-0/188 5-10/202 6-1/211 6-0/170 5-10/161 6-0/205 5-9/174 6-1/236 6-2/237 6-5/192 5-10/207 6-3/258 6-3/201 6-1/236 5-11/209 6-1/186 6-1/210 5-8/186 6-2/204 6-2/191 5-9/195 6-0/219 5-8/158 6-0/192 6-1/199 5-10/169 6-4/218
Yr. FR/FR SO/SO SR/SR FR/FR FR/FR SO/SO GS/SR FR/FR SR/SR SO/FR SR/JR JR/SO SO/SO GS/SR SR/JR FR/FR GS/SR SR/SR FR/FR SO/FR SR/JR SR/JR JR/SO JR/SO FR/FR JR/SO SR/JR
18 18 19 20 21 22 22 23 24 24 26 27 28 29 29 30 31 32 33 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 40 41
Deion Barnes Jesse James Matt Marcincin Malik Golden Bryant Harper Akeel Lynch T.J. Rhattigan Ryan Keiser Jonathan Duckett Derek Day Curtis Dukes Jacob Fagnano Colin Bryan Reynolds Parthemore Jeff Cully Charles Idemudia Brad Bars Joe Baker Michael Yancich Andre Dupree Dominic Salomone Pat Zerbe Deron Thompson Jack Haffner Ben Kline Jesse Della Valle Zach Zwinak Glenn Carson J.R. Refice
DE TE PK/P WR Saf RB LB Saf Saf RB TB Saf RB P Saf. LB DE P LB FB FB FB RB FB LB CB RB LB FB
6-4/246 6-7/264 5-11/182 6-1/182 5-10/188 6-0/209 5-10/193 6-1/200 6-1/188 5-9/193 6-1/245 6-0/206 6-0/192 6-4/196 5-11/199 5-11/224 6-3/254 5-8/190 6-2/233 5-10/246 5-10/231 6-1/236 5-10/192 5-10/206 6-2/224 6-1/190 6-1/232 6-3/235 6-0/246
SO/FR FR/FR SO/FR FR/FR FR/FR FR/FR SO/FR JR/SO JR/SO SR/SR SR/JR SR/SR FR/FR FR/FR SR/JR FR/FR JR/SO SR/SR GS/SR SR/JR FR/FR SR/JR SO/FR FR/FR SO/FR JR/SO JR/SO JR/JR SR/JR
42 43 44 45 45 46 47 48 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 62 63 64 65 66 68 70
Michael Mauti Mike Hull Michael Fuhrman P.J. Byers Alex Butterworth Adam Cole Jordan Hill Kevin DiSanto Jordan Kerner Brennan Franklin Anthony Stanko Drew Boyce Brent Smith Derek Dowrey Matt Stankiewitch James Van Fleet Wendy Laurent Anthony Alosi Emery Etter Adam Gress Pete Massaro Ty Howle Frank Figueroa Joe Marvin John Urschel Miles Dieffenbach Angelo Mangiro Bryan Davie Nate Cadogan
LB LB KS FB P LB DL PK DE LB G LB DE DT C LB C G/T KS T DE C C KS G C G G T
6-2/232 6-0/228 5-10/213 6-0/246 5-10/206 5-11/215 6-1/292 5-10/175 6-4/239 5-11/220 6-4/307 6-1/217 6-2/240 6-3/311 6-3/301 6-0/219 6-2/278 6-4/287 6-1/221 6-6/311 6-4/256 6-0/298 6-3/298 6-4/247 6-3/307 6-3/300 6-3/291 6-2/296 6-5/293
GS/SR JR/SO SR/SR SR/SR JR/JR FR/FR SR/SR JR/SO SO/FR FR/FR FR/FR SO/FR FR/FR FR/FR SR/SR SR/SR FR/FR SO/FR SR/JR SR/JR GS/SR GS/SR SR/JR FR/FR GS/JR JR/SO SO/FR JR/SO SR/JR
72 73 75 76 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 84 85 86 86 87 88 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99
Brian Gaia Mark Arcidiacono Eric Shrive Donovan Smith Mike Farrell Kevin Blanchard Matt Zanellato Shawney Kersey Brian Irvin Brent Wilkerson Matt Lehman Kyle Baublitz Brandon Moseby-Felder Bryce Wilson C.J. Olaniyan Kyle Carter Jonathan Warner Tyrone Smith Garry Gilliam Sean Stanley DaQuan Jones Albert Hall James Terry Evan Schwan Carl Nassib Cody Castor Sam Ficken Anthony Zettel Austin Johnson
DT G G T T T WR WR TE TE TE DT WR TE DE TE WR DT TE DE DT DE DT DE DE DT PK DE DT
6-3/271 6-4/293 6-6/305 6-5/316 6-6/306 6-7/311 6-3/198 6-1/197 6-3/242 6-3/239 6-6/258 6-5/287 6-2/195 6-3/248 6-3/248 6-3/247 6-1/198 6-4/251 6-6/262 6-1/243 6-3/324 6-4/250 6-3/316 6-6/223 6-6/239 6-3/295 6-2/172 6-5/253 6-4/297
FR/FR SR/JR SR/JR SO/FR SR/SR SO/FR SO/FR SR/JR SR/SR FR/FR SR/JR JR/SO SR/JR SO/FR JR/SO SO/FR FR/FR JR/SO SR/JR SR/SR JR/JR FR/FR GS/SR FR/FR SO/FR SR/SR SO/SO SO/FR FR/FR
TIMES LEADER PENN STATE PREVIEW, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012
P E N N STAT E 2 012 OFFENSE
FRED ADAMS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER
Tailback Bill Belton will shoulder the bulk of the carries this season. Though the schemes from New England were pass-heavy, there will be changes made for Penn State.
Ready for Patriot games By DEREK LEVARSE | dlevarse@timesleader.com
Urschel said. “We aren’t that. But I feel we can be successful in that offense.” Just how much of New England’s scheme will make its way to Happy Valley remains to be seen. Some recent developments – like an emphasis on the tight ends in the passing game – will be ported over. The Lions obviously don’t have the personnel to run everything the way the Patriots do. “But what we’re trying to do there is put in the foundation of what we did in New England,” O’Brien said. “Of course, when you have Tom Brady, who See GAMES, Page 11
PAGE 9
When he finally was able to start coaching again, Bill O’Brien gathered his new charges on offense in the film room. Armed with hours of video from his previous job with the Patriots, the new Penn State coach went to work. Showing off the schemes that would become the Nittany Lions’ own, O’Brien started teaching. Not long into the session, however, he had to bring it to a stop. “I looked back at the team and I saw a lot of wide
eyes,” O’Brien said. “Because they were watching that film as fans.” Off went the projector. “Look, guys,” O’Brien told the squad. “We’re looking at the schemes here. Don’t worry that that’s Tom Brady and don’t worry that that’s Wes Welker and Gronkowski and the other guys.” That’s when the Lions started making some progress. O’Brien and his players have kept their lips sealed about many of the details, but there’s little doubt that the offense will be dramatically different in this new era of Penn State football. But it’s going to take some time. “We aren’t the Patriots,” guard John
TIMES LEADER PENN STATE PREVIEW, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012
P E N N STAT E 2 012 DEFENSE
FRED ADAMS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER
Linebacker Gerald Hodges and his teammates will be playing a more aggressive defense this season under new defensive coordinator Ted Roof.
Remaining a stalwart
PAGE 10
By JAY MONAHAN | For The Times Leader
Over the past five decades of success, Penn State has seen its share of ups-and-downs on offense and special teams. Quarterbacks have gone from good to woeful. The running game has seen its fair share of underperforming athletes. The receiving corps went through its occasional dry spell, and, particularly in recent years, the special teams seemed bereft of stability.
Through it all, however, the defense remained a constant. A litany of changes in management, game play and aesthetics embraced the program more than ever this offseason. The squad’s defense focuses on continuing to be the keystone to this season’s success. Coach Bill O’Brien said the defense is “a little ahead of the offense right now, but that is usually the case in training camp unless Tom Brady is your quarterback.” The changing of the guard at Beaver
Stadium wouldn’t be complete without O’Brien’s duo of new defensive coaches. Defensive coordinator Ted Roof (Auburn) and secondary coach John Butler (South Carolina) bring a wealth of new ideas to the defensive scheme, and will join mainstays Larry Johnson and Ron Vanderlinden on the coaching staff. “I think you have to go back to, ‘When you make changes, people bring grand ideas,’ ” Johnson said. “It’s like running a business. Things change. You have to See DEFENSE, Page 11
DEFENSE Continued from page 10
AP PHOTO
Junior guard John Urschel is one of nine new starters on offense this season as Penn State overhauls its system entirely.
GAMES Continued from page 9
Stephen Obeng-Agyapong Junior safety
change brings difference. It’ll be good stuff.” Outspoken senior cornerback Stephon Morris embraces the new changes and forecasts a defense that isn’t as centered around the linebackers. “To be honest, it’s always going to be Linebacker U,” Morris said. “And with Coach (Johnson)’s resume, I feel it’s going to be D-Line U as well. It’s our time to step up, and we’ve been giving a great opportunity to do so. “Why not make it DB U now and in further years?” Morris admitted he was not happy last season in his diminished role in the secondary. He said unlike Bradley, Roof and Butler’s sets allow him to be “more aggressive” and move
out of the “comfortable” Cover-3 patterns. “You know it; y’all been covering Penn State football for a while,” Morris said to a handful of reporters at the team’s media day. “We had to lay back. It was Cover-3; you couldn’t really be aggressive. Read three-step. It wasn’t a Cover-2 team. So definitely as far as this year’s team, we could really be aggressive, get in people’s faces, and reroute receivers, things like that. “And just play football like we wanted to when we were recruited to come here.” “We have so many schemes that a lot of teams are going to have to really scout out our defense and prepare ourselves about it.” Senior safety Jacob Fagnano, a Williamsport graduate, explained the atmosphere in the locker room is the biggest change of this year’s team from last year’s squad. “Every year, a team tries to come together and get excited for the season,” he said. “This year, this is by far the most we have come together. Everything that has happened has only drawn us together, to work and drive even harder. Everything is just that much more important.”
AP PHOTO
Glenn Carson returns to start at inebacker for Penn State. He could have some company in the middle this year, however, as the Lions will mix some four-linebacker fronts in with their base 4-3.
PAGE 11
is the best quarterback in the NFL, a future Hall of Famer, the thing that people have to understand is that he’s been in that offense for 12 years. He would tell you the same thing – that offense has evolved as he’s evolved.” The entire offensive coaching staff from the old regime is gone. Charlie Fisher, Stan Hixon, Charles London, Mac McWhorter and John Strollo replace Dick Anderson, Galen Hall, Bill Kenney, Mike McQueary and Jay Paterno. More than just the faces, however, the division of labor has changed significantly. Penn State’s former playcalling system was a convoluted one where Hall and Paterno would share the load up in the coaches booth, relaying calls to McQueary on the sideline before being signaled into the huddle. With the occasional
change-up from Joe Paterno himself. This year it will be O’Brien running the show himself from the sideline after serving as the play-caller for New England’s prolific attack. London and Strollo are expected to be upstairs, with Fisher, Hixon and McWhorter joining O’Brien on the field. At quarterback, Matt McGloin will have more freedom to call audibles and change the play at the line, something that rarely – if ever – was permitted in the past few years. “Obviously the things the Patriots have done in the past, you’re aware of,” McGloin said. “They’re not like any other team you see. They rely so much on the quarterback to get the team in the right play. Coach O’Brien puts a lot of trust in the quarterback. “I’m not going to sit here and say what our offense is like, but the quarterback does have the ability to get into right plays. We don’t want to run a bad play ever.”
adapt to changes and move forward. That’s what our kids are doing. That’s what our coaches are doing. It doesn’t matter what happened; it’s where we are right now.” Junior linebacker Glenn Carson said Roof has made the new Penn State defensive look resemble that of the Auburn teams he has coached in the past. This year’s team, he said, will look “more like a chess match” than anything. Several players hinted that Penn State will shy away from the basic defenses from the past. Senior safety Stephen Obeng-Agyapong noted that it will be a lot more complex than it was under former defensive coordinator Tom Bradley. “Last year, we just stayed in a lot of basic defenses,” ObengAgyapong said. “This year, we’re switching it up with a whole lot of different things. At the end, it’s a good result.” Johnson argued that it’s not a matter of complexity; rather that Penn State is going to “be doing different things. Any
“Last year, we just stayed in a lot of basic defenses. This year, we’re switching it up with a whole lot of different things. At the end, it’s a good result.”
TIMES LEADER PENN STATE PREVIEW, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012
P E N N STAT E 2 012
TIMES LEADER PENN STATE PREVIEW, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2012
P E N N STAT E 2 012 P E N N S TAT E S E A S O N S C H E D U L E ! .- 2 ! @
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