Shawney Kersey missing from practice, could be leaving for good

Uh oh... is Kersey actually leaving this time?

Bob Flounders is reporting* today that receiver Shawney Kersey hasn't shown up to practice this week.

The Patriot-News has learned the Penn State football program may be on the verge of losing one its most talented young wide receivers.

Two sources close to the program said redshirt freshman Shawney Kersey, upset over a lack of playing time, did not show up for practice Monday. One source told The Patriot-News that Kersey did not practice today, either.

I swear we've heard this rumor for about a year now, but does that mean he's transferring/leaving for real this time?

Shawney Kersey not so missing after all

Sean Fitz and Bob Flounders each followed up with this sort of good news:

"After a one-week sabbatical, Penn State redshirt freshman wideout Shawney Kersey is back practicing with the team.

A source close to the program told The Patriot-News earlier this evening that Kersey practiced with the Nittany Lions Monday as they began preparations for Iowa Saturday."

I say sort of, because it's not like he won any more playing time (if any at all the rest of this season) by pulling a stunt like that. He might leave at the end of the season; we don't know. But whatever happened last week wasn't cute.

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Blue-White Game Preview '11: Receivers & Tight Ends

This post is part 2 of 5 this week previewing all the offensive and defensive units heading into the Blue-White scrimmage this Saturday in Beaver Stadium.

---

Part 2: Receivers & Tight Ends

This position took a big hit last week when Derek Moye sustained a concussion that will sideline him for the remainder of the spring session. But it could turn out to be beneficial to the progress of this unit--of course, it's horrible that Moye had to miss time due to such a serious injury--that the less-prominent receivers will see many more reps the next week of practice and in the scrimmage.

The tight end spot is even rougher than the wide receivers. With two of the top candidates out indefinitely with injuries, it will be yet another season of inexperience on the end.

More on each in the following sections below the break.

Depth Charting: Into the Summer

Did Paul Jones (under center) move his way up the depth chart following a great spring game? Probably not...

This would seem like a somewhat pointless exercise, going over the depth chart following the 2010 Blue-White Game. But there is still a lot to take away from the glorified practice session we all watched last weekend.

A week ago, we took a look at the last-minute depth chart heading into the game, which is one of the toughest things to project at any point in the season. Looking back, it was filled with all kinds of stuff that now needs to be cleaned up, mostly dealing with who belongs where. Here we go...

Offense

The quarterback race, despite what has exploded onto the message boards, remains the same. Kevin Newsome didn't lose his job. Matt McGloin was what you'd expect from a backup. And Paul Jones did not win the job. Sorry, but this will remain an open race until August, if not even later.

On the outside is a situation similar to the quarterbacks. Shawney Kersey had a fantastic day in the eyes of a casual fan, but did have some pretty bad drops. The coaches have said all spring how Kersey needs softer hands, and that he had been dropping plenty of passes all spring. Kersey will most likely get into the top-six rotation, but isn't exactly a starter right now.

Then there's the offensive line. I'm not even sure I want to tackle this today, as there isn't enough ibuprofen east of the Mississippi to combat the royal headache spawned from trying to break down the offensive front five.

But I'll try anyway. From what we've been hearing, there are two main contingency plans, each addressing two positions that are aleady known trouble spots: offensive center and left guard.

Situation #1 - Center

Doug Klopacz has been and still is the starter at center. However, should the move not work out well enough by summer, the staff have said that Stefen Wisnewski will move back to his 2009 position. That would open up the right guard spot, where 2009 starter Lou Eliades would return. In turn, that would leave a hole at right tackle, where Eliades started the last half of spring practice, and in the Blue-White Game.

In the first few practice sessions this spring, Mike Farrell and Adam Gress were the leading candidates, with Eric Shrive close behind. One of those three would absolutely have to step up and claim the starting role for this to work.

Situation #2 - Left Guard

DeOn'Tae Pannell started the Captial One Bowl at left guard, continuing that role in the Blue-White Game on Saturday. He displaced starter Johnnie Troutman, who had sustained a minor injury late in the season. But when Troutman wasn't able to quickly reclaim his old starting job this spring, I wasn't the only surprised pundit out there. The word around the internets is that Troutman's second-team status is partly (or mostly, depending on who you talk to) due to his inability to maintain his weight, or maintain a schedule. Troutman had been battling weight issues for a while, then failed to attend mandatory team breakfasts in March.

If Troutman gets his act together, and gets his butt out of Joe Paterno's dog house, Pannell will probably move back out to left tackle. But before you cringe, consider that this would allow the same starting interior line to maintain its cohesion from 2009. Talk all you want about how bad the right tackle position was (Pannell, Ako Poti, and Nerraw McCormack) in the first half of the season; but the interior played outstanding.

Pannell getting pushed out at left guard doesn't necessarily mean that he will get the starting left tackle job, either. Quinn Barham has become the talk of the line lately, as the coaches have praised his performance all spring.

The left side of the line all depends on whether or not Troutman can step up.

Defense

Suddenly, things aren't so crazy. The defensive line is looking fantastic as usual under Larry Johnson, Sr. The secondary will return all of its key players by this summer. Even the linebacker positions, all of which will be new full-time starters this fall, aren't nearly as scary as anything on offense.

Chaz Powell will probably be the No. 3 cornerback, behind D'Anton Lynn and Stephon Morris. This is a great move by the staff, as Powell is a great athlete who can offer superior depth in teh secondary. Andrew Dailey stepped in for Drew Astorino in the Blue-White Game, which didn't make much of a difference. Astorino will return this summer anyway.

The starting linebackers are still the same group we anticipated at the start of spring ball: Nate Stupar, Chris Colasanti and Bani Gbadyu. Barring injury, they will start in the fall. But that doesn't mean a guy like Gerald Hodges couldn't rise up and steal a starting job. Hodges was everywhere in the Blue-White Game, but one scrimmage doesn't mean he's earned anything.

Throw Michael Mauti into the mix, and Penn State is just fine at linebacker.

Pre-summer depth chart. Keep in mind that the "First Team, Second Team..." stuff isn't meant to be concrete. In most cases, Penn State has a rotation of players. It breaks down into this:

First Team = Starts or plays in nearly all situations;
Second Team = First one in to replace starter or at least one play per drive;
Reserves = Guaranteed playing time, but probably when PSU has a big lead.

OFF	First Team	Second Team	Reserves
QB	#12 Kevin Newsome, So	#11 Matt McGloin, rSo	#10 Paul Jones, Fr
RB	#22 Evan Royster, rJr -OR- #21 Stephfon Green, So	#25 Silas Redd, Fr -OR- #26 Curtis Dukes, rFr	#30 Kykeem Brodie, So; #23 Shaine Thompson, rJr
FB	#37 Joe Suhey, Jr	#35 Pat Zerbe, rFr	#33 Andre Dupree, Fr
WR	#6 Derek Moye, Jr	#19 Justin Brown, So	#14 AJ Price, rFr
WR	#7 Curtis Drake, So	#20 Devon Smith, So	#8 Brandon Moesby-Felder
WR	#5 Graham Zug, rSr	#4 Shawney Kersey	#83 Brett Brackett, rSr
TE	#89 Garry Gilliam, rFr	#80 Andrew Szczerba, rJr	#13 Mark Wedderburn, rSr
LT	#67 Quinn Barham, rJr	#78 Mike Farrell, So	#58 Adam Gress, rFr
LG	#50 De'OnTae Pannell, rJr	#74 Johnnie Troutman, rJr	#75 Eric Shrive, rFr
C	#68 Doug Klopacz, rSr	#54 Matt Stankiewitch, rSo	#53 Ty Howle, rFr
RG	#61 Stefen Wisniewski, Sr	#64 John Urschel, rFr	#77 Lou Eliades, rSr
RT	#77 Lou Eliades, Sr	#52 Chimaeze Okoli, rJr	#75 Eric Shrive, rFr
LS	#53 Jon Rohrbaugh, rSo	--	--
K	#36 Collin Wagner, Jr	#28 David Soldner, rSo	--
KR	--	--	--
KR	--	--	--
Hold	--	--	--
DEF	First Team	Second Team	Reserves
DE	#81 Jack Crawford, Jr	#44 Kevion Katham, Jr	#90 Sean Stanley, So
DT	#71 Devon Still, rJr	#47 Jordan Hill, So	#75 Evan Hailes, Fr
DT	#85 Ollie Ogbu, Sr	#99 Brandon Ware, So	#72 James Terry, rSo
DE	#56 Eric Latimore, rJr	#59 Pete Massaro, rSo	#84 Kyle Baublitz, Fr
OLB	#15 Bani Gbadyu, rSr	#51 James Van Fleet, rSo	#32 Dakota Royer, Fr
MLB	#48 Chris Colasanti, Sr	#33 Mike Yancich, rSo	#9 Mike Zordich, rSo
OLB	#34 Nate Stupar, rJr	#6 Gerald Hodges, So	#11 Khairi Fortt, Fr; #40 Glen Carson, Fr
CB	#12 Stephfon Morris, So	#2 Chaz Powell, rJr	#5 Derrick Thomas, rFr
Hero	#10 Nick Sukay, rJr	#13 Andrew Dailey, rJr	#27 Jacob Fagnano, rSo
FS	#13 Andrew Dailey, rJr	#23 Stephen Obeng-Agyapong, rFr	#2 Chaz Powell, rSr
CB	#8 D'Anton Lynn, Jr	#14 Mike Wallace, rFr	#10 Malcolm Willis
PS	Russell Nye, rFr	Graham Zug, rSr	--
PR	Brandon Moseby-Felder, rFr	Shawney Kersey, rFr	--

Have a fantastic weekend!

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11th Hour Depth Charting: Penn State at Iowa

Chima Okoli gets the nod this week at right tackle
against Adrian Clayborn, Karl Klug
and Broderick Binns.
Good luck, kid...

BIG changes in tonight's edition, as three important defensive players, along with ACL victim Lou Eliades are missing from this week's chart.

The latest depth chart (from what we can tell) for this week's game, with some complementary notes...

-Remember, this isn't the "official" depth chart that Penn State releases each week. I add changes based on what we've seen, not always what is said or released by Penn State.

-Sean Stanley, Derrick Thomas and Brandon Ware are not on this week's depth chart, as it was reported by Ron Musselman tonight that they will miss this game, though no reason was given.

-With Chima Okoli stepping in at RT, Adam Gress is suddenly a play away becoming a first-team tackle.

-Shawney Kersey is back with the team, apparently. But he's likely to miss time (if he plays at all) for a while. The whole not-coming-to-practice thing doesn't go over well with JoePa.

-Not only has Brett Brackett locked up the slot receiver spot, Justin Brown has officially earned the starting role at split end. After his performance the first four games, he deserves it. Graham Zug was ousted from his starting role on the official depth chart.

-Michael Mauti is the new starting Fritz OLB, replacing Nate Stupar. But that doesn't mean much, because both are likely to play equally. These are the two best play-making linebackers on the team.

-Pete Massaro is listed by Penn State as an "OR" starter with Eric Lattimore. But I'm guessing he will get the start again this week.

Preseason Depth Chart and 2010 Roster Updates

Updated 8/17, 2:00 p.m.

Less than three weeks until kickoff, folks.

With that, I thought a quick update to the roster and depth chart was in order.

I'll do a fall camp update later this week.

Roster

Here are some new weights for some players since preseason practice began: Silas Redd [5-10, 202], Stephfon Green [5-10, 200], Jack Crawford [6-5, 268 to 272], Stephon Morris [5-8 1/2, 186], D'Anton Lynn [6-1, 204], Christian Kuntz [6-5, 215], Sean Stanley [6-1, 243 to 246], Devon Still [6-5, 295], Brandon Ware [6-3, 330], Chima Okoli [6-4, 296], Paul Jones [6-3, 235], Curtis Drake [5-11, 180], Justin Brown [6-3, 213] and Garry Gilliam [6-6, 265].

Update: P Russell Nye and RB Shaine Thompson are no longer with the team. Thompson was declared academically ineligible, but will remain in college and earn his degree. No word on why Nye left, probably no room on the roster. Good luck to them both.

Check out the latest updated version of Penn State's 2010 football roster.

Depth Chart

Projecting a depth chart is fun, but really tough to get right unless you're watching practice every day. But if you read enough of everything, you'll get most of it right.

Here are some notes on it:

Curtis Drake is out for a long time, 6-8 weeks. Don't be shocked if he takes a redshirt season. It does look like Brett Brackett will take over the R receiver position, which to me looks like the slot. But there are some out there saying that true frosh Alex Kenney is gaining traction with the coaching staff, and could see some time behind Brackett.

Brandon Beachum is on this depth chart, even though ACL recoveries don't usually get a green light by the doctors until after a full year has passed. But for now, it looks like Beachum wants to get back on the field, right now.

Sophomore receiver Justin Brown (19) should see a ton of time this fall, on both offense and special teams.

A nice corps of receivers are developing behind the "Big 2" of Derek Moye and Graham Zug. But the loss of The Drake still stings a big. I'm very excited to see Shawney Kersey and Justin Brown have a bigger role this year.

At tight end, with the emergence of Garry Gilliam as a potential candidate to "co-start" with Andrew Sczcerba, I'm not expecting Kevin Haplea to make the depth chart this year. That's not saying he's not good enough. But as long as Mark Wedderburn is around, I don't see the staff wasting a season of eligibility on Haplea in 2010.

The linebackers are a muddled mess right now, but in a good way, I swear. There are just waaayyy too many great players at this position. The starters are set, and I'm comfortable with them. But I do expect Mike Mauti to get back into the swing of things by the Big Ten opener. The other guy I'm really looking forward to seeing is Gerald Hodges, but who isn't? Basically, that entire second string could start for any BCS automatic qualifier, and be considered a strength of the defense. They're all that good.

Let's hope the special teams are settling down a bit. I like the idea of Brown fielding punts. And if Anthony Fera is really, finally keeping his head about him, I like him to take over punting duties. Then again, who knows anything definite about Penn State's special teams?

So here we go, what I think is a logical projection of the 2010 Penn State football depth chart going into the season:

OFF	First Team	Second Team	Reserves
QB	#12 Kevin Newsome	#11 Matt McGloin	#10 Paul Jones; #1 Robert Bolden
RB	#22 Evan Royster	#21 Stephfon Green	#3 Brandon Beachum; #26 Curtis Dukes
FB	#37 Joe Suhey	#9 Mike Zordich	#33 Andre Dupree
X	#6 Derek Moye	#19 Justin Brown	#8 Brandon Moesby-Felder
Z	#5 Graham Zug	#20 Devon Smith	#4 Shawney Kersey
R	#83 Brett Brackett	#18 Alex Kenney	--
TE	#80 Andrew Szczerba	#89 Garry Gilliam	#13 Mark Wedderburn
LT	#67 Quinn Barham	#78 Mike Farrell	#58 Adam Gress
LG	#50 De'OnTae Pannell	#54 Matt Stankiewitch	#74 Johnnie Troutman
C	#68 Doug Klopacz	#53 Ty Howle
RG	#61 Stefen Wisniewski	#64 John Urschel	#77 Lou Eliades
RT	#77 Lou Eliades	#52 Chimaeze Okoli	#75 Eric Shrive
LS	#53 Jon Rohrbaugh	--	--
K	#36 Collin Wagner	#30 Anthony Fera	#28 David Soldner
KR	#2 Chaz Powell	#8 Brandon Moseby-Felder	--
KR	#21 Stephfon Green	#20 Devon Smith	--
Hold	#83 Brett Brackett	--	--
DEF	First Team	Second Team	Reserves
DE	#81 Jack Crawford	#44 Kevion Katham	#90 Sean Stanley
DT	#71 Devon Still	#47 Jordan Hill	#75 Evan Hailes
DT	#85 Ollie Ogbu	#72 James Terry	#99 Brandon Ware
DE	#56 Eric Latimore	#59 Pete Massaro	#84 Kyle Baublitz
OLB	#15 Bani Gbadyu	#42 Mike Mauti	#51 James Van Fleet
MLB	#48 Chris Colasanti	#33 Mike Yancich	#40 Glenn Carson
OLB	#34 Nate Stupar	#6 Gerald Hodges	#11 Khairi Fortt; #40 Glen Carson
CB	#12 Stephfon Morris	#2 Chaz Powell	#5 Derrick Thomas
Hero	#1 Nick Sukay	#23 Stephen Obeng-Agyapong	#27 Jacob Fagnano
FS	#28 Drew Astorino	#13 Andrew Dailey	#10 Malcolm Willis
CB	#8 D'Anton Lynn	#4 Evan Lewis	#14 Mike Wallace
PS	#95 Russell Nye	#30 Anthony Fera	#5 Graham Zug
PR	#19 Justin Brown	#5 Graham Zug	#8 Brandon Moseby-Felder

I'm sure I won't have to ask for your own thoughts on that chart, so just let'em rip. (remember: no anonymous comments, please) But this seems pretty safe, considering there's so much uncertainty.

I think that's it for now. Start correcting me...

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Blue-White Countdown 2010: Wide Receivers

Previous entries...
1: Special Teams
2: Defensive Backs
3: Linebackers
4: Defensive Line
5: Offensive Line
6: Tight EndsGraham Zug (5) has earned a cult-like following among fans.

We continue our countdown to the 2010 Blue-White Game. Penn State football is up and running, the weather is warming, and that itch you're feeling won't be fixed by a doctor, but rather a sunny day in Beaver Stadium with 80,000 fans. As we close in on the Blue-White weekend, I'll go through all the major positions, trying to give the most reasoned explanation of who we could see come out big, and why. In today's edition, the wide receivers get a look.

Background

From 2000 through 2004, Penn State had exactly one big-play threat wide receiver--Bryant Johnson in 2002. But ask most fans suffering through those "Dark Years," which positions contributed most to the poor on-field product, and they will surely point to the pass catchers. The Nittany Lions simply couldn't stretch the field on offense, allowing defenses to pile up in the box. It wasn't a fun time for the Penn State passing game.

Then, along came a kid from Greenbelt, Maryland named Derrick Williams. He was no ordinary recruit; he was the No. 1 recruit in college football for 2005. His commitment to the Nittany Lions in December 2004 gave new life to a program struggling to find the light at the end of the tunnel.

That fall, Penn State fielded what could have been dubbed the fastest group of wide receivers ever to wear the blue and white. Forty wins, three bowl wins, and two Big Ten titles later, the class of 2005 had gone on, leaving a huge hole on the outside of the offense.

Last season, new talent had to step into that void, and did so in surprisingly easy fashion. Derek Moye, Graham Zug and Chaz Powell helped quarterback Daryll Clark become the first Penn State player to pass for more than 3,000 yards in a season. All three return for 2010, but that doesn't mean the wide receiver positions are going to remain the same as 2009. With a new quarterback and new tight ends, this spring will be crucial to the development of the Nittany Lions' pass attack this fall.

Receivers

Derek Moye (6) became Penn State's go-to guy last season, catching 48 passes for 785 yards and six touchdowns.

Last season, we saw the emergence of Moye and Zug as Penn State's two main receivers. They combined for 1,385 yards and 13 touchdowns.

That might not seem like much, but when combined with Andrew Quarless' 536 from the tight end spot, Powell's 336 as an all-purpose-style receiver, and nearly 400 yards from the running backs catching passes, the Nittany Lions had plenty of fire power through the air.

This spring, expect Moye and Zug to be held out of any serious competition. Powell has been moved to the defensive backfield. And the tight ends probably won't get nearly as many balls thrown their way as in 2009.

So, where does that leave Penn State? Well, not as bare in the cupboard as you'd think.

Aside from Moye and Zug, four returning receivers caught at least one pass last season--Curtis Drake, Devon Smith, Justin Brown and Brett Brackett. From the early reports out of spring practice, it looks like Brackett could be used as a flex-tight end in certain situations. But for this exercise, we'll include him in the wide receiver corps.

No.	Name	Pos.	Elig	Ht/Wt	High School	Coach
4	Shawney Kersey	WR	rFR	6-1/187	Woodbury, N.J./Woodbury	Zack Valentine
5	Graham Zug	WR	rSR	6-2/183	Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central	Mike Williams
6	Derek Moye	WR	JR	6-5/198	Rochester, Pa./Rochester	Gene Matsook
7	Curtis Drake	WR	SO	5-11/168	Philadelphia, Pa./West Philadelphia Catholic	Brian Fluck
8	Brandon Moseby-Felder	WR	rFR	6-2/170	Fort Washington, Md./Oxon Hill	Kevin Wolfolk
14	A.J. Price	WR	rFR	6-4/177	Reston, Va./South Lakes	John Ellenberger
17	Christian Kuntz	WR	rFR	6-4/207	Camp Hill, Pa./Trinity	Jeff Boger
19	Justin Brown	WR	SO	6-3/208	Wilmington, Del./Concord	George Kosanovich
20	Devon Smith	WR	SO	5-7/153	White Plains, Md./Westlake	Dom Zaccarelli
25	Andrew Goodman	WR	rSO	6-0/183	Philadelphia, Pa./George Washington	Ron Cohen
26	J.D. Mason	WR	rSO	6-4/208	Philipsburg, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola	Jeff Vroman
27	Tariq Tongue	WR	rFR	5-8/164	Flushing, N.Y./Holy Cross	Tom Pugh
81	Ryan Scherer	WR	rSO	5-8/168	Avon Lake, Ohio/Avon Lake	Dave Dlugosz
83	Brett Brackett	WR	rSR	6-6/232	Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence	Rob Radice

Receivers are like defensive backs and offensive linemen; you can never have enough on the roster. Including the six already mentioned, Penn State could have as many as ten wide receivers in serious contention for playing time in the fall. Four of them--Shawney Kersey, Brandon Moseby-Felder, A.J. Price and Christian Kuntz--are all redshirt freshmen, all of them looking for a chance to impress the coaches enough to land a spot in the regular receiver rotation. Spring practice and the Blue-White Game is where careers can be made. This season is no different, especially for these four young men.

A.J. Price (14) is just one of the young talented receivers trying to break into the rotation this spring.

Kersey and Moseby-Felder gained some early traction with the coaches, when in winter workouts prior to the Capital One Bowl, the two were said to have worked extraordinarily hard to help the team prepare. That is absolutely no slight to Kuntz or Price, as there have been no negative comments from the staff about them. It's just that the former two have been particularly praised going into the spring. Some reports have indicated that Moseby-Felder might not have been redshirted at all last season, had it not been for an injury during his senior year of high school.

The more experienced backups, including Drake, Brown and Smith, will all fight this spring for the vacancy left when Powell moved to defense. With Zug having played in the slot before, Brown won't have to worry about being left out. Drake and Smith are definitely more suited to play the slot position.

Brown is one of the players I'm particularly excited to see get more playing time. Not only did he show flashes on offense, but he saw even more in-game action on special teams as a punt returner. At 6-foot-3, and more than 200 pounds, he has prototypical NFL size, with speed to match. Paired up with Moye, Brown could give Penn State another huge boost down the sideline or to the post.

Smith played early last season, but managed to land himself in Joe Paterno's doghouse after the second or third game. He's one of the fastest players on the team, running several end-around plays and kickoff returns last season. If he can get his off-field issues settled, it will be difficult to keep him on the sideline. Smith was injured last week, but it's supposedly only a slight ankle sprain that shouldn't keep him out too long.

Then there's Drake. A former high school quarterback, the true sophomore earned increasingly more playing time as last season went on, eventually catching everyone's attention against Michigan State. On a fake end-around, Drake tossed one into the end zone for a touchdown. If that play was any indication of how the staff might want to use Drake this season, we could have another Derrick Williams on our hands. The coaches like to pull out a few tricks for the Blue-White Game crowd. I imagine this will be one of the players to do so.

Two final names, Brackett and running back Stephon Green, should be mentioned before we close. Brackett is entering his final spring session, but hasn't been able to capture a starting role for the Nittany Lions. He's seen plenty of action over his career, but with the de-emphasizing of tight ends this season, I won't be shocked to see his number of plays increase significantly. Green has been mentioned as a possibility to split out from the backfield. The coaches really want to keep him on the field as much as possible this season; catching passes might be the way to do it.

Next: Running Backs

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Blue-White Countdown 2010: Defensive Backs (updated 3/25)

Previous entries...
1: Special Teams

We continue our weekly countdown to the 2010 Blue-White Game. In today's edition, we'll take a look at a rather unsettled situation in the defensive backfield, as injuries and position shifting could shake things up by the time spring practice concludes on April 24 in Beaver Stadium. Over the next six weeks, I'll walk through all the major positions, trying to give the most reasoned explanation of who we could see come out big, and why.

Way Too Early 2011 Depth Chart: Pre-Spring Offense

Admit it, you've been already fighting off the football itch, and it's not even letter-of-intent signing day. So as we dive deeper into the worst part of the off season--yes, worse than after spring practice, when at least the preview magazines start rolling out--we're going to roll out a few football posts here and there looking at Penn State's 2011 spring practice. Today, we're starting off with arguably the most entertaining--albeit the most unpredictable--part of any season preview: The Depth Chart.

11th Hour Depth Charting: Temple Edition

The latest depth chart (from what we can tell) for this week's game, with some complementary notes...

Review: Penn State 44, Youngstown St 14

Collin Wagner (36) put on a distance-kick
clinic against Youngstown State.

It was a very iffy start, but the biggest question facing the Nittany Lions going into the season opener--"Can Rob Bolden do the job?"--was answered in the most definitive of means.

That and more in today's review of Penn State's 44-14 win over Youngstown State in the season opener. Expect this to be the main format throughout the season for game reviews, with things like players of the game, best unit performances, things that need work, etc. At the end, I'll just go through a few miscellaneous points in the order I noticed them re-watching the game today. On regular game weeks, this post will most likely be done earlier on Sundays. But I had a long travel weekend, which kind of screwed up my timing. Plus, with the extra day off tomorrow, we're delaying some of our stuff until Tuesday, when you're all back at work needing something to read.

Players of the Game

Rob Bolden -- Who else would you pick first? The true freshman did everything (and more) anyone could have dreamed for his collegiate debut. He completed 70 percent of his pass attempts for 239 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception that wasn't completely his fault (Derek Moye fell down mid-route). Bolden never once looked spooked in the pocket, even when defenders breached the offensive line. Granted, Youngstown State isn't Alabama, but Bolden's performance was extremely encouraging going into next week.

2009 Penn State Football Roster

Updated 1/1/10

For the current football roster, click here.

11th Hour Depth Charting: Alabama Edition

Will the steady Bani Gbadyu hold on
to the starting "Sam" OLB spot, with the uber-athletic
Gerald Hodges pushing from behind?

The latest depth chart (from what we can tell) for this week's game, with some complementary notes...

-Barring some catastrophic meltdown tomorrow, Rob Bolden will be Penn State's quarterback for the foreseeable future. Also, Kevin Newsome and Matt McGloin are now apparently the No. 2 and No. 3 QBs, respectively. We'll know more to project the remainder of the season, after this weekend wraps up.

-Glenn Carson is now the No. 3 fullback, behind Mike Zordich. Penn State now has so many great linebackers, even the really frickin' good ones are being pushed to other positions. And who says we're not "Linebacker U"?

-Unless Penn State changed it for this week, there are now dual punt returners--Devon Smith and Justin Brown.

-At left guard, rumors have it that DeOn'tae Pannell and Johnnie Troutman were splitting time this week. But that's what we've heard before. So take that for what it's worth.

-There was a bit of a stir this week, when on the Thursday night radio show, Ron Vanderlinden hinted/suggested/leaned towards the idea that Gerald Hodges would supplant Bani Gbadyu at the "Sam" outside linebacker spot. With all the rotating of linebackers last week, does it even make a difference who starts?

-Michael Mauti was shifting from the "Backer" to the "Fritz" often last week. I figured in my game review that the following would be the order coming off the bench: Mauti, Gerald Hodges (could end up being Gbadyu, if Hodges starts), then Khairi Fortt or Mike Yancich. I was surprised Fortt played; thought he would redshirt.

11th Hour Depth Charting: Illinois at Penn State



Yet another true freshman could start
for Penn State this season, as Khairi Fortt has been
taking snaps with the first team this week in practice.

 The injury bug has hit hard this season, with some very big names off the projected starters list this week.

The latest depth chart (from what we can tell) for this week's game, with some complementary notes...

-Remember, this isn't the "official" depth chart that Penn State releases each week. I add changes based on what we've seen, not always what is said or released by Penn State.

-Sean Stanley and Derrick Thomas are still off the depth chart, and we may not even see these two the rest of the season. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

-Jack Crawford, Jordan Hill, Michael Mauti, and Bani Gbadyu are all out with minor injuries, but could play. The least likely to play are Crawford and Hill. No matter how underwhelming Crawford has been this year, it will still hurt if he can't go this weekend. Hill is getting over an ankle injury from the Iowa game, but may sit out this week.

-Khairi Fortt and Nate Stupar have taken over the starting OLB spots in our depth chart this week, but they could end up rotating out with Mauti and Gbadyu, depending on how those two guys are feeling.

-Glenn Carson moved into the second team "Backer" spot, as Mike Yancich has been splitting time between OLB and ILB with the injuries to Stupar and Mauti.

-DeOn'Tae Pannell was taking snaps this week behind Chima Okoli at right guard. Remember that Pannell was the starting right guard for a few games last season, until he was manhandled by Iowa's Adrian Clayborn and Broderick Binns.

-No surprise that true freshman Kevin Haplea will get the start at tight end this week. Former defensive walk-on Jonathan Stewart, and TE Mark Wedderburn will be the backups.

Clear the Bench: 11 Starters Likely to Miss the Blue-White Game

Injuries will for some of Penn State's
best players to sit out of the spring game.

As if the rain wasn't going to ward away enough spectators, Penn State announced the injury report for this weekend's Blue-White Game. It's not pretty:

OUT FOR 2011 SEASON
TE Garry Gilliam (knee)
DE Pete Massaro (knee)

OUT FOR BLUE-WHITE GAME, POSSIBLE FOR SEASON
WR Curtis Drake (leg)

OUT FOR BLUE-WHITE GAME, EXPECTED TO BE 100 PERCENT FOR SEASON
S Drew Astorino (hamstring)
DE Jack Crawford (foot)
RB Derek Day (elbow)
FB Andre Dupree (shoulder)
DT Evan Hailes (leg)
WR Shawney Kersey (head)
WR Christian Kuntz (collarbone, knee)
DE Eric Latimore (wrist)
CB D'Anton Lynn (back)
CB Stephon Morris (head)
WR Derek Moye (head)
LB Nate Stupar (hamstring)
FB Joe Suhey (shoulder)
S Nick Sukay (chest)
TE Andrew Szczerba (back)
FB Zach Zwinak (knee)

At least the guys lower on the depth chart will get a lot more snaps.

Speaking of that weather situation, Penn State released this a little while ago:

The recent rain and expected inclement weather on Saturday has led to additional parking changes for the Penn State Blue-White Game presented by AAA.

Fans attending Saturday's Blue-White Game are encouraged to leave their RVs at home this weekend due to the saturated fields that have reduced the number of available parking spaces around Beaver Stadium.

Let's set the over/under for attendance at 20,000.

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11th Hour Depth Charting: Penn State at Ohio State

Another week with little change. It becomes more clear why Penn State has been able to play so well the last three games--stability! The latest depth chart (from what we can tell) for this week's game, with some complementary notes...

11th Hour Depth Charting: Michigan at Penn State

The latest depth chart (from what we can tell) for this week's game, with some complementary notes...

Abbreviated Media Roundup: Coaches Clinic Scrimmage

Mike Yancich (33) warms up before practice. (photo: Mark Selders/GoPSUSports.com)

We already covered the initial reports from Penn State's Coaches Clinic Scrimmage in Beaver Stadium Saturday. Now, we get a bit more meat from the press corps. Here's the long and short of it all.

• GoPSUSports.com, with some background on the clinic:

Among the former Nittany Lions attending today's practice were George Landis, Mike Zordich, Yaacov Yisrael and Daryll Clark. Zordich is the defensive quality control coach with the Philadelphia Eagles. His son, Michael, will be a redshirt sophomore running back this fall for the Nittany Lions. Yisrael is an assistant football coach at Halifax (Pa.) High School... The clinic began Friday and featured lectures and demonstrations by Paterno and the entire Nittany Lions' staff...

• Bob Flounders, Patriot News, on Kevin Newsome, the O-line, Silas Redd, and Mike Yancich:

"The Lions looked uncertain.

There were bad throws, bobbled snaps, fumbles, missed tackles and more than a few blocking attempts by some unproven offensive linemen that ended up horribly awry..."

• Mike Poorman, StateCollege.com, with more on Newsome:

"Didn't look like he was ready to be the Nittany Lions' starter in the home season-opener Sept. 4 vs. Youngstown State. Didn't look very good warming up, but then again Penn State's receivers dropped a number of balls."

• Ron Musselman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with more on Yancich:

"I am getting a decent amount of action this spring," Yancich said. "I'm enjoying it. I didn't feel like I was getting as much work the last few years as I needed."

• Mark Brennan, Fight On State, piling on Newsome and the O-line:

"He was extremely erratic during Drill 6 (7 on 7), overthrowing or under-throwing nearly every pass. He opened the actual scrimmage by leading the first-team offense against the first-team defense, hitting on only 1 of 4 passes but also scrambling for a first down on a drive that eventually stalled.

...the new line looks like this: RT, Eliades; RG, Wisniewski; C, Klopacz; LG, Pannell; LT, Barham.

Because of that new look, the first-team defensive line generally pushed around the offensive front. On a fourth-and-1 early on, tailback Stephfon Green was thrown for a 2-yard loss."

• Phil Grosz, Blue White Illustrated ($), the only one who's correctly not flipping a sh*t about the offensive line:

"I don't think that there was one starter on the first-team offensive line in today's scrimmage, that was playing at a position he will play in the fall," BWI was told by that contact. "Eliades in my opinion will be at right guard, Wisniewski will be the starting center and from what I'm being told Pannell will be at the starting left tackle position."

• Jeff Rice, Centre Daily Times, with a little more perspective:

"In fairness to quarterbacks Kevin Newsome, Matt McGloin and Paul Jones, their offensive linemen didn’t give them a lot of time.

In fairness to those linemen, a lot of them were in unusual positions Saturday."

• Derek Levarese, Times Leader, on Matt McGloin:

"McGloin, a former walk-on from West Scranton, was the sharper passer on the day, completing 8-of-17 for 120 yards, unofficially. He connected on deep passes to Shawney Kersey and Graham Zug for the bulk of his yardage."

Happy Monday.

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11th Hour Depth Charting: Penn State at Indiana (updated)

Will we get "The Scranton Slinger,"
or "McSix" this week?
(Photo: Mike/LBU)

Another week with little change. The latest depth chart (from what we can tell) for this week's game, with some complementary notes...

Offense
-No major changes. Matt McGloin is still the starter.

Defense
-Michael Mauti is out this week with that shoulder injury (dislocation). Nate Stupar should fill in nicely, but there will still be a big leadership void on defense.

Sp. Teams
-Anthony Fera's appendix nearly exploded all over his innards. The surgery will set him back at least the rest of the regular season, if not longer. True frosh Alex Butterworth takes over.

Update: Apologies for not mentioning Sean Stanley or Silas Redd. I believe Redd won't be punished by the team. There's no reason to. He wasn't drunk, and how many of us have done what he did? Sean Stanley, on the other hand, is up in the air. I'm leaving him as the main backup to Pete Massaro on the weak side, but if he doesn't play, it wouldn't shock me. The defensive line is very weak and thin this year, so him playing may happen. Still, Stanley's situation is much different than Redd's, because Stanley was out drinking the night before the Ohio State game. No matter if he got caught or not, what does that say about his commitment to the team? Nothing good, that's what.

The depth chart:

Eleventh Hour Depth Charting: 2010 Blue-White Game

Not sure if this is the way I want to do it during the actual regular season, but here goes. Penn State's spring depth chart isn't exactly what it looked like when the team first suited up in March. The defensive backfield, offensive line, and linebackers have seen more shuffling than cruise ship deck full of senior citizens. The offensive front five have been the most frequently changed over the last five weeks, as we've seemingly been told of a new starting lineup every few days.

I tried to sift through all the haze. There is no guarantee that this is rock solid, but neither is 99 percent of the stuff you've read on the internets this spring. So, here is what I've been able to carve out as the most probable starting depth chart for the 2010 Blue-White Game.

! Keep in mind that this is the SPRING SCRIMMAGE, not a real game. The coaches have planned to experiment, shift, test, and tinker with the lineups as the game goes along. This depth chart is designed specifically with this scrimmage format in mind. Enjoy...

OFF	First Team	Second Team	Reserves
QB	#12 Kevin Newsome, So	#11 Matt McGloin, rSo	#10 Paul Jones, Fr; #16 Shane McGregor, rSo; #19 Garrett Venuto, rFr
RB	#22 Evan Royster, Jr -OR- #21 Stephfon Green, So	#25 Silas Redd, Fr -OR- #26 Curtis Dukes, rFr	#30 Kykeem Brodie, So; #23 Shaine Thompson, rJr; #24 Derek Day, rSo; #29 Kevin Kowalishen, rSo
FB	#37 Joe Suhey, Jr	#30 Josh Matzkin, rSr	#33 Andre Dupree, Fr; #35 Pat Zerbe, rFr
WR	#6 Derek Moye, Jr	#19 Justin Brown, So	#14 AJ Price, rFr
WR	#7 Curtis Drake, So	#8 Brandon Moesby-Felder	#83 Brett Brackett, rSr
WR	#5 Graham Zug, rSr	#4 Shawney Kersey	#20 Devon Smith, So
TE	#80 Andrew Szczerba, rJr	#89 Garry Gilliam, rFr	#13 Mark Wedderburn, rSr
LT	#67 Quinn Barham, rJr	#78 Mike Farrell, So	#58 Adam Gress, rFr
LG	#50 De'OnTae Pannell, rJr	#74 Johnnie Troutman, rJr	#75 Eric Shrive, rFr
C	#68 Doug Klopacz, rSr	#54 Matt Stankiewitch, rSo	#53 Ty Howle, rFr; Mark Arcidiacono, rFr
RG	#61 Stefen Wisniewski, Sr	#64 John Urschel, rFr	#77 Lou Eliades, rSr
RT	#77 Lou Eliades, Sr	#66 Chimaeze Okoli, rJr	#75 Eric Shrive, rFr
LS	#53 Jon Rohrbaugh, rSo	--	--
K	#36 Collin Wagner, Jr	#28 David Soldner, rSo	--
KR	(no KOs in BWG)	--	--
KR	--	--	--
Hold	#83 Brett Brackett, Jr	--	--
DEF	First Team	Second Team	Reserves
DE	#81 Jack Crawford, Jr	#44 Kevion Katham, Jr	#90 Sean Stanley, So
DT	#71 Devon Still, rJr	#47 Jordan Hill, So	#75 Evan Hailes
DT	#85 Ollie Ogbu, Sr	#99 Brandon Ware, So	#72 James Terry, rSo
DE	#56 Eric Latimore, Sr	#59 Pete Massaro, rSr	#84 Kyle Baublitz, Fr
OLB	#15 Bani Gbadyu, rSr	#51 James Van Fleet, rSo	#32 Dakota Royer, Fr
MLB	#48 Chris Colasanti, Sr	#33 Mike Yancich, rSo	#9 Mike Zordich, rSo
OLB	#34 Nate Stupar, Jr	#6 Gerald Hodges, So	#11 Khairi Fortt, Fr; #40 Glen Carson, Fr
CB	#12 Stephfon Morris, So	#2 Chaz Powell, rSr	#5 Derrick Thomas, rFr
Hero	#10 Nick Sukay, Jr	#13 Andrew Dailey, Jr	#27 Jacob Fagnano, rSo
FS	#13 Andrew Dailey, Jr	#2 Chaz Powell, rSr	#23 Stephen Obeng-Agyapong, rFr
CB	#8 D'Anton Lynn, Jr	#14 Mike Wallace, rFr	#10 Malcolm Willis, rFr; #4 Evan Lewis, rFr
PS	???	--	--
PR	(No PR in BWG)	--	--

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