Rob Bolden named Big Ten co-Freshman of the Week

Rob Bolden, the first Big Ten Freshman of the Week for 2010.

Nice way to kick off your Penn State football career. The Big Ten trotted out a new award this year. Well, it was new to me, at least.

The conference will now give a pat on the back to an outstanding freshman performance each week.

Of course, having our very own Rob Bolden get the inaugural nod makes it that much more fun:

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.

11th Hour Depth Charting: Youngstown State Edition

Garry Gilliam (89) will be the No. 1 tight end this week.

The latest depth chart for this week's game, with some complementary notes...

-QB Robert Bolden has now been named the starting quarterback, with Newsome and McGloin as the backups.
-TE Andrew Szczerba will be out indefinitely, so Garry Gilliam gets the nod as starting tight end. Kevin Haplea has moved to the No. 2 spot, with Mark Wedderburn the reserve.
-The offensive line hasn't changed since mid-August.
-K/P Anthony Fera is now handling kickoff duties, as well as being named starting punter.
-CB Shelton McCullough returned to the team this summer, so moved into the reserve DB spot previously held by Evan Lewis, who is now listed as a WR on the roster.
-CB/WR Chaz Powell will remain on the defensive depth chart, since Paterno said he could end up back there, depending on the injuries on offense; but for now, he will mostly play WR.

If anything else comes up between now and kickoff, we'll change it here.

Also, here is the most up-to-date roster, which hasn't changed since last week.

And Your Starting QB For The Season Opener Is...

The dude pictured below. Commence pants-crapping...

Well, Mr. Bolden, good luck in Tuscaloosa, sprout!

Joe Paterno Press Conference Recap: Youngstown State

Chaz Powell could play offense
or defense this Saturday, depending on
some key injuries in the Penn State secondary.

Here's the long and short of what happened today at Joe Paterno's first game week press conference. The season opener against Youngstown State is four days away (!), and the quarterback situation isn't getting any better. But more on that in a minute.

Quick hits:

• Being a team captain is a lot like being an officer on Omaha Beach. Yikes.
  
• Andrew Szczerba's back isn't any better, and might not play for a few weeks. (I guess injury information isn't secret after all)
• Chaz Powell is moving back to offense. This is due to an unusually high number of injuries at the wide receiver position--Curtis Drake's broken leg, and Christian Kuntz's knee injury this past weekend. And with Szczerba's absence, they may take some time working in a sufficient gameplan for TE Garry Gilliam, meaning more WR sets.
• Linebacker will be a strength of the team, despite what the pundits are saying. Mike Mauti is fine.
• Stephfon Morris might be out, but it depends on how his neck injury heals. Powell can be moved back to defense if Morris can't go.
• Drew Astorino is doing alright, and should go.
• The offensive line is getting better. Joe and the staff are "very encouraged," which means they might actually be good. Joe doesn't praise units that aren't doing remarkably well. If they weren't, the wouldn't remark on them, right?
  
• Joe Paterno was asked about the quarterbacks, a lot. The gist of it all? Everything is fine, but unknown.
• Paul Jones was redshirted because of academics. Joe's worried about a few players, but wouldn't name them, and asked the guys not to ask about them.
• Both quarterbacks, Newsome and Bolden, can play. But they're obviously young.
• Hopefully a starter will be named tomorrow night.
  

So how many questions did Joe get about the quarterbacks? This many...

Newsome likely to start vs Youngstown State

Kevin Newsome (12) is likely to get
the official start on opening day.

You know that huge bubble of media speculation about true freshman Robert Bolden becoming Penn State's starting quarterback on opening day? Well, we may have just seen it burst. Reports came trickling out of Penn State's final scrimmage this weekend, as the team ends the camp portion of practice, and heads into actual game preparation on Monday. Scary, I know.

During Friday's practice, Kevin Newsome apparently looked like the best overall quarterback, something we've heard non-stop the last few weeks... about Bolden. Newsome had apparently run an offense mostly resembling the Nittany Lions' schemes from 2005 and 2008, in which a running quarterback was a very big factor. But the passing game had also hinted at Michael Robinson ca. '05 or Daryll Clark ca. '08, in that a heavy QB-TB rushing attack was supplemented with a devastating pass game that struck just when the defense was fully locked on the ground game.

But why should one practice have such an impact, as to sway conventional and almost uniform belief that Bolden has basically won the majority-time quarterback job? Because during Friday's practice, Bolden was reportedly playing much less like the boy-wonder the media had been making him out to be, and more like a very talented, but very raw true freshman quarterback. It should also be noted here that the coaching staff continued to play the quarterbacks without the protection of red jerseys.

Even if Matt McGloin is out of the race,
he'll still be a valuable backup quarterback.

Matt McGloin, the darkhorse in this race, seems to have now settled in as the official backup quarterback. Earlier in the week there was a rumor out that Newsome and Bolden would each receive 40 percent of the snaps in practice from now on, while McGloin would see 20 percent.

I was really starting to get on the Bolden Bandwagon this season; really, I was. If he does end up starting, and Newsome comes in as the "change of pace" quarterback, that's great. But if Newsome is The Guy for 2010, it's just as good.

How can I say that it's just as good? Because we just don't know which guy will do better when three separate BCS Bowl winners are breathing down his throat. I'm excited for 2010, even with the unknown that is the quarterback position. I'm excited because of the young talent that this team has, yet not forgetting the powerful upperclassmen in the starting lineup as well.

Penn State seems to have been written off this season, by the media, by most of the fans, and by everyone else. They say Penn State is just going to have a "meh" season this year, and hopefully send Joe Paterno out on a winning note in 2011. I'm not buying that. This team, starting with the quarterbacks, has so much raw talent, it is probably more talented than any Nittany Lions team from the last 10 years. The experience will come. Hopefully it can come quickly to the quarterback, or quarterbacks, whoever he or they might be.

Odds 'n Ends...

-Andrew Sczcerba might not see action until week 3, as his back problems haven't gotten any better. That means RS frosh Garry Gilliam will get to start game one of his Penn State career.

-Johnnie Troutman is making a strong push for DeOn'tae Pannell's spot at left guard. Some are saying that if that were to happen, Troutman would go to left guard, Pannell to right guard, and Wisniewski would go back to center. I'm not crazy about that, but if it happens, it wouldn't be crushing; would probably only make the line that much better overall, to have the best five on the field.

-If you're wondering who No. 93 is on the field next week, it's James Terry. He's pretty good, so learn the name-number association.

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Linkbacker U has no room for a Pitt Stop

Cross-State Clash Not in the Fold

Wow I can't wait for rivalry week. I am so excited for Penn State to battle Michigan State for the prestigious Land Grant Trophy! There can't be a bigger rivalry in all of sports than Penn State and Michigan State football.

Obviously, beyond the tally in the win column, I could give two you know whats about this "rivalry" nor can anyone else really. The current generation of Penn Staters hardly even know that the Land Grant Trophy exists. Every Penn Stater and their grandma, especially the Pennsylvania natives, are foaming at the mouth to see Pittsburgh on the schedule.

Sorry to break it to you, but the likely nine game conference schedule means it is not going to happen, says Jerry Depaula of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

"That is one of the challenges I am struggling with as we contemplate going to nine conference games," Curley said. "That reduces your ability to move around the country to make these games happen."

Now I understand the desire by most Penn Staters to stick it to Pitt, but as Jersey native, its the Rutgers series in 2013/2014 that I'm really looking forward to....if it's not a conference game by then.

Prom or Practice? Is Enrolling Early Worth It?

Thinking back to my fondest memories of high school, my second semester of senior easily tops the list. I was already accepted into Penn State and had no responsibilities besides enjoying my final days of high school as much as possible before I left for the valley.

But we've been seeing more and more that players are sacrificing that final semester to enroll in college in the spring. Paul Jones and Dakota Royer enrolled early, and it hasn't quite worked out for them

But was enrolling early really worth it? Surely it was a tough decision for all of the early enrollees who just want to see playing time, but many of the Lions are finding out that their teammates who didn't enroll early are having just as much preseason success.

Though Joe Paterno has been adamant about not particularly liking the early enrollment trend all across college football, only time will tell if the rest of this year's early enrollees will feel the same way.

Great job by the Collegian's Footblog. Obviously enrolling early works much better for some players than others, but it seems that the freshman Bolden, who starts his first non-summer class today, may end up getting the nod to start.

Tate Forced to Not be a Cocky Tool Anymore

I think Tate Forcier missed the memo last year that he actually didn't end up winning the Heisman Trophy. That was Sam Bradford. And he doesn't make Chuck Norris or Jack Bauer poop his pants, that's Tim Tebow.

Now, he may have to accept that he's not even going to be the starting quarterback at Michigan. And that, has finally scared him humble.

Forcier did his best to stay quiet Sunday during media day, until he asked for and received permission from Rodriguez to talk to reporters. After posing for pictures with Robinson and Gardner, the returning starter said he didn't know what his chances were to keep his job when he was peppered with the first of many questions.

"It's way too soon to tell," Forcier said. "Coach Rod keeps it as open as possible and I don't think he's close to a decision."

The three QBs each had a chance to impress the coaches Saturday during a scrimmage at the Big House, but Rodriguez wasn't saying much about the competition less than 24 hours later.

"It's a race that is not going to be settled in the next couple of days," Rodriguez said.

You'd think playing for Michigan would have been enough to make him lose his ego...

A Freshman QB? I'm not the Only Skeptic

Robert Bolden has been the sexy pick to start at quarterback in recent weeks. Is this warranted? Who knows. Hardly anyone has actually seen these practices, so no one knows for sure. But I've been saying for a while that if there was ever a year to start a young quarterback Pat Devlin was the guy. I tend to think it will go with Newsome or McGloin, and Neil Rudel of the Altoona Mirror agrees.

As a starter, the development of Bolden could be severely impeded by a whipping at Alabama, which could then set the quarterback position back even further. If Bolden is viewed as the best player down the road, it's doubly important for him to be standing by mid-October.

One thing possibly working in favor of a freshman starting could be the fact that JoePa has deferred more decisions to his assistants the last few years, and especially lately, and he's given particular leeway to his son Jay, the team's quarterbacks coach and or "co-offensive coordinator" as the BTN called him.

JayPa might be more eager to roll the dice than his dad.

Except that they're still his dad's dice.

Personally, I expect the staff to ultimately go with whichever one has the best chance of making it as an NFL fullback/ special teamer. I'm still banking on Newsome.

Adam Highberger Puts off Dental School, Transfers to DII School to Ball

He was one of the four players to leave the program last year, and was easily the least talked about. The walk-on Adam Higbherger said he wasn't going to use his last year of eligibility in order to attend dental school. He will, but not so fast my friend. Highberger announced that he is instead transferring to the Division II Quincy to use his last year of eligibility.

``I will never look back in my life when I'm 40, when I'm 45 and say, `Man, I wish I would've used that extra year of eligibility.' ... I know I'm going to leave it all on the floor.''

He was obviously not the most talented player on last year's team, but his effort was never questioned. Let's hope he's able to stay healthy for his new school and make a positive impact.

Joe Paterno open to dual-QB offense for 2010

If Penn State uses two quarterbacks in 2010,
true frosh Robert Bolden (pictured) could see the field,
or even get the nod as the starter, in his first collegiate game.

He sure doesn't like the idea, but he's not ruling it out.

During the the Big Ten Network's Penn State preview special Wednesday night, Joe Paterno said he would not rule out playing two quarterbacks in tandem this season.

Jerry DiNardo: Coach, you've been through quarterback changes before. Your thoughts on playing two, if no one emerges?

Joe Paterno: Not crazy about it, Jerry, but you gotta do what you gotta do. I would prefer that we get a leader; I would prefer a guy that gets in the huddle that can grab a couple guys by the jersey and say "Hey, don't blow that block again or I'm gunna kick your rear end." You know, somebody who takes over. I would prefer one. It's tough to do that with two. So... but if we gotta play with two, we play with two.

I'm really surprised this hasn't been kind of one of those dog-whistle moments for bloggers and the media, especially this close to the season. But I guess when everyone is more concerned with Joe Paterno's health, what happens on the field is secondary, or at least covered in a "yeah, yeah, but Joe was..."

This is a big deal. Penn State hasn't been a team that likes to rotate quarterbacks, but there has been a model in place, one more recent than 1999 when Kevin Thompson and Rashard Casey split time during games.

In the 2007 Alamo Bowl, the coaching staff successfully implemented a dual-quarterback game plan that worked extremely well. Daryll Clark didn't have to throw a pass, but was successful at keeping the defense off-balance, particularly when Clark and Anthony Morelli were in the game at the same time. And to wonder, what if Morelli was also a dual-threat quarterback, as was Clark? How insane would that drive opposing defenses?

Well, we might find out.

With the news yesterday that Robert Bolden's freshman counterpart Paul Jones will redshirt this season this boils the race down to three guys--Bolden, Kevin Newsome, and Matt McGloin. The coaches like McGloin's poise, but Newsome's athleticism. Bolden has been impressing everyone in Happy Valley the past few weeks.

If Penn State uses two quarterbacks, my guess is that one of them will be Newsome. He's the fastest quarterback by far, and is lethal running a spread-run offense. The staff might also want to try out Newsome as the starter, with McGloin and Bolden rotating in and out. But I can't imagine that happening during even the Youngstown State game. They want to know who will be their guy--or guys--before then.

But I won't get excited over something that's still an unknown in many ways. We don't know if Penn State will actually use two quarterbacks in its offensive game plan. We don't know, if two QBs are used, if it will actually work against the other teams, particularly the better defensive football teams like Iowa and Ohio State.

This is an interesting twist, two weeks away from the opening game. That's one thing we do know.



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Paul Jones to redshirt 2010 season

At least there is something certain coming out of Penn State's 2010 quarterback derby. Mark Brennan at FOS is reporting ($) (Here is a free version of the story by Frank Bodani at the YDR) tonight that true frosh Paul Jones will redshirt this season.

This isn't surprising, but I wouldn't say I was expecting it to come out at this time. Jones wowed everyone in the Blue-White Game, but most realized that you can't judge too much from that scrimmage against the second and third team defenses. This leaves Kevin Newsome, Matt McGloin and true freshman Robert Bolden, who's been on campus all of three weeks.

I guess this is a nice problem to have, figuring out which top-10 quarterback should get the job.

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Linkbacker U loves that sound coming from Tuscaloosa

Quick heads up for today... Kyshoen Jarrett will announce his college pick this Wednesday afternoon, so I'll wait to post Tuesday Recruitin' until after his decision is made. this heads up is pointless. I lost track of what day it was.

The sound of complacency, to be exact... There aren't too many things going for Penn State when trying to examine the Nittany Lions' chances of beating Alabama in week two of the 2010 college football season. Well, there aren't too many things besides the bunch I've been saying for months now, but that's beside the point today, as we may have a full-blown glimmer of actual hope. The interesting part of it, it's not coming from Happy Valley. Rather, it's what is going on--or, not going on, to be more precise--on the Crimson Tide football team right now.

Such was the case Monday as the Crimson Tide completed its final two-a-day session of preseason, two days after a scrimmage where an experienced offense worked a rebuilding defense for almost 700 passing yards and 13 touchdowns.

Though only numbers from a closed scrimmage, they could be construed as a warning flag about a defense that must replace nine starters. Saban wasn't kind afterward, bemoaning poor tackling and, perhaps worst of all, a troubling lack of effort.

But what do I know about Alabama's defensive troubles, right? This should be very troubling news for Tide fans. I will not get into the game of telling them how horrible their team will be, or that they're going to lose to Penn State if this doesn't get fixed. I hate when other teams' fans do that about the Nittany Lions, especially recently about Joe Paterno.

So, I'll leave it at this: There is no greater danger to a ridiculously talented team like Alabama than to lack a sense of urgency. Do these players not remember what happened in the 2009 Sugar Bowl? Don't give me that crap about how Utah was great, or that Bama was missing Andre Smith. There was no reason for the Tide to get blown away like that. It was a lack of effort, plain and simple. And going into the second week of the season, with nine new starters, seven or eight with virtually no meaningful playing time, against what figures to be an unknown but talented Big Ten team (which, by the way, returns most of the guys who beat LSU on Jan. 1), a sense of urgency is one thing this Alabama team cannot lack.

Quarterback controversy? What Quarterback controversy? It will not end until September 4th, and that's even an optimist's prediction. Good God, man:

Do not be surprised, our man said, if sophomore Matt McGloin, the former walk-on, opens the season as the starter. And Penn State could use a two-QB system with Bolden coming in as a reliever, much the same way Ohio State used quarterbacks Todd Boeckman and Pryor in 2008.

Look, I know Bob Flounders said his source hasn't led him astray so far, but this is stretching it a bit. Sure, I could tell you not to be surprised if Graham Zug is the starting punter this fall. But if that doesn't happen, was I in any way incorrect in my "don't be surprised" statement?

Hot and Not returns... Mark Schlabach's column, which I actually enjoy reading, returns for the 2010 college football season. Two mentions to take note of; the first is under the "Not" category:

6. Season openers: Once again, most of the sport's heavyweights will open the season against cream puffs. Penn State hosts Youngstown State. FSU plays Samford. Georgia Tech plays South Carolina State. Miami opens against Florida A&M. Thank goodness for the "Jersey Shore" marathon.

...and the next "Not":

9. Big (Ten bashing): The conference everyone loved to beat up during the past five seasons stood its ground during 2009 bowl season. Ohio State beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Iowa took out Georgia Tech in the Orange. Penn State beat LSU in the Capital One. Wisconsin defeated Miami in the Champs Sports.

Sticking with TWWL... Adam Rittenberg recaps all the Big Ten mentions in ESPN.com's annual preseason pundit orgy:

Joe Paterno or Bobby Bowden: Adelson picks Bowden, writing, "After the age of 80, life just seems better on the golf course."

No, I'm pretty sure this life is just fine, thanks...

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Linkbacker U cannot make this stuff up

The lone bright spot in Penn State basketball's future got another police citation today, and I hardly blinked an eye. It was just that kind of day in sports.

Jim Gray "Decides"Corey Pavin is Going Down

Well Jim, if you wanted people to forget about the idiotic "Do you bite your fingernails" question, or one of the million other pointless questions that you asked Lebron James in the infamous "Decision" special, well you certainly did a good job.

The Washington Post provides a full chronology of the events, but the Spark Notes version basically states that Corey Pavin told him in an interview that he would pick Tiger Woods for the U.S. Ryder Cup team if he didn't qualify. Pavin then denied saying such things after Gray reported it, at which point Gray got in Pavin's face in the media room, called him a "liar" and that he would take Pavin down.

My bet? It's Gray that's going down. Pavin's the one with the golf clubs, and Gray already has one strike against him for the terrible "Decision". I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up scratching the Golf Channel from one of his 3,000 employers.

While We're Talking about High School Drama...

Have you been keeping up on this Darrelle Revis situation? As a die heart Jet fan, obviously this peaks my interest, but it seems its getting a lot of play on ESPN as well. Revis still has three years left on his rookie deal, but is holding out until he gets the money he feels he deserves. He is insistent on being paid as the top cornerback in the league, but you probably already know that.

The New York Daily News had a story yesterday that the two sides were still $40 million apart in negotiations, and not only can't agree on terms of the deal, but can't even communicate correctly. Did owner Woody Johnson offer to attend a meeting with Revis? That's what he said. But agent Neil Schwartz told the New York Post otherwise.

“Mike never, ever, ever, ever offered Mr. Johnson to come to that meeting,’’ Schwartz said. “That’s blatant lie that Woody was offered to come to that that meeting, a blatant lie. That was never, ever, ever offered.

“I would meet with Mr. Johnson anywhere, any place any time. I’d love to talk to Mr. Johnson but I don’t have his cell number. Why would I have insisted to Mike that that proposal go to Mr. Johnson and not want him in the meeting? I wanted Mr. Johnson’s input so I could go through his concerns. I felt we addressed all of his concerns in that proposal so we could get a deal done.’’

Man I remember when I was in high school...

The bench is boring, beating up father-in-laws is more fun

Another story out of the city that never sleeps. Following the Met game last night (which I happened to be at) closer Francisco Rodriguez was not exactly all smiles after manager Jerry Manuel did not put him in to attempt a four out save. Up steps Melvin Mora with the bases loaded and yada yada yada the Mets lose another game.

But K-Rod wasn't going to show up to the stadium and not get his moneys worth. The New York Post, among other news media outlets, reports K-Rod was arrested for assaulting his father-in-law in the Met clubhouse. I just don't even know what to say anymore. I guess you can say that K-Rod only increased the slugging percentage for the team that is struggling to hit.

Robert Bolden a Starter?

It certainly would teach us not to put too much emphasis on the Blue White game. Or maybe based on all the other candidates' performances, he is the only option based on process of elimination. But Big Ten Network's Dave Revsine was at Penn State media day and saw the quarterbacks practice. His opinion? Bolden's got the goods. And he wasn't afraid to hide it, tweeting two separate times that he believes Bolden will be the starter.

It would not surprise me one bit if Robert Bolden is PSU's starting QB. Looks really good - poised, athletic, and has fantastic arm strength
about 8 hours ago via OpenBeak

To amend earlier tweet - not only wouldn't I be surprised if Bolden is PSU's QB - I'd also be surprised if he isn't -at least based on today

In other news: Stephon Morris is day-to-day with an apparent neck injury, Black Shoe Diaries breaks down all the pre-season hype for the Nittany Lion star players, and Isiah Thomas won't be coming back to the Knicks after all (THANK GOD.)

No word yet on whether Taran Buie was getting drunk out of a sliz cup. We will let you know if we get an update.

2010 Freshmen Jersey Numbers

Penn State freshman quarterback Robert Bolden (pictured) will wear the #1 jersey this fall.

Penn State updated its roster, so we finally get to see what numbers the freshmen got. Some of them we already knew, as a few of the freshmen enrolled in January and participated in the Blue-White Game.

Here they are:

83 Brad Bars DE FR 6-3/223

84 Kyle Baublitz DE FR 6-5/248

1 Robert Bolden QB FR 6-4/208

45 Alex Butterworth P FR

40 Glenn Carson LB FR 6-3/237

65 Miles Dieffenbach OL FR 6-3/290

49 A.J. Firestone P FR 6-0/222

11 Khairi Fortt LB FR 6-2/233

79 Luke Graham OL FR 6-4/278

75 Evan Hailes DT FR 6-1/307

82 Kevin Haplea TE FR 6-4/243

43 Mike Hull LB FR 6-0/211

91 DaQuan Jones DT FR 6-3/309

10 Paul Jones QB FR 6-3/246

30 Ryan Keiser FR 6-1/191

18 Alex Kenney WR FR 6-0/190

72 Khamrone Kolb OL FR 6-5/335

63 Alex Mateas OL FR 6-3/310

15 Chad Nicholas FR 6-1/177

86 C.J. Olaniyan DE FR 6-3/229

25 Silas Redd TB FR 5-10/200

55 Tom Ricketts OL FR 6-5/268

32 Dakota Royer LB FR 6-1/210

40 Zach Zwinak FB FR 6-1/227

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Linkbacker U is getting to know the Quarterbacks

Dissecting the Competition

We get it. Two freshmen quarterbacks. Three scramblers. One walk-on. None of which excite the Penn State faithful. But what about beyond the game...once they take their helmets and jerseys off and are actual people. StateCollege.com talked to each of the quarterbacks (wonder who their connection was) and found out a little more about them.

Kudos to you Mr. Newsome. The Goofy Movie is a phenomenal film.

No where to go but up....Right?

The special teams for Penn State last season was..well.. special. And that was WITH Jeremy Boone. When Collin Wagner is one of the only sure things for the special team unit, you know there are going to be problems.

Audrey Snyder of the Daily Collegian broke down the current state of affairs in the special teams unit, telling us a couple things. Wagner is expanding his range, the punting situation is still up in the air, and at least one member of the kick return unit from a year ago can now focus on his duties on offense.

"We have some guys that can step up and do the return game and stuff like that," Royster said. "I doubt I'll be too involved with that, but definitely catching the ball out of the backfield and trying to split out. I think we'll try and get into that."

Basketball in July

Thankfully basketball season is still a long way away, but the mass exodus at the end of last year opened up many a spot on the roster, and so far so good for their replacements, Talor Battle told the Pitt Stop

Not sure whether this is simply PR on Battle's part or not, but I guess when Battle has good things to say about his teammates, that's good to hear on a few different levels.

Speaking of Basketball, We've Got Company.

Jim Delaney was just too kind. He knew that us Penn State basketball faithful were getting lonely in the Big Ten cellar. So he invited Nebraska to give the Lions a run for their money on the court. Black Shoe Diaries talked with Brian from Corn Nation to discuss the newest addition to Big Ten basketball.

"Brian: Again, we've been competitive. We just haven't had the wins to show for it. We won the league tournament in '94, and have a handful of upsets over Missouri and Kansas when they were ranked in the top 2 or 3. Case in point, we led Kansas in the second half during both games last year, but couldn't pull them out in the end.

Nebraska will be more competitive in the Big 10. We've had a few rough seasons, but our youth is very talented and after last season...experienced. Keep in mind, Nebraska led the Big 12 in scoring defense for the majority of the year in 2009-10. We fit the Big 10's style of play a bit better than the Big 12. I'd say that Nebraska will compare to an Iowa or Minnesota in terms of what they are capable of."

That pre-season optimism sounds all too familiar. I'm not buying it.

Checking in on our Old Friends

They won't be running out of the Beaver Stadium tunnel this season but they're still Lions in our book.

Bleeding Green Nation reports that A.Q. Shipley is doing well in the first team offense while Jamaal Jackson is out, Micky Shuler signs with the Vikings, and PackersNews.com says Andrew Quarless still has his work cut out for him.

“We’re probably going to have a lot of conversations like we had a few years ago (about Finley) where we have a young guy who’s got a long way to go,” McAdoo said of Quarless. “Really there’s not a lot to talk about right now. He’s a young man that has to learn how to practice the right way, he’s got to learn how to keep his pads down, he’s got to learn the offense.”

At Least not all Conferences Suck at Math...

Finally a conference that has as many teams as it claims to have. The Pac 10 added two more teams in Colorado and Utah, and just recently changed its conference name to indicate such. What a novel concept huh? Doesn't seem the Big 10 or Big 12 grasp this higher level of thinking.

Wednesday Recruitin': Blue-White Mish-Mosh

Just the straight dope...

Incoming freshman QB Robert Bolden (top) has been helping his Nittany Lions push for 2012 linebacker James Ross (bottom), Bolden's former teammate at St. Mary's High School in Michigan.

I'm bumping this first point to the top, not because it's more newsworthy than the others in this update, but rather it... well, you'll know why when you read it.

• Michigan standout 2012 linebacker James Ross gained some attention by showing up for the Blue-White Game on Saturday. Ross is from the same school as incoming freshman quarterback Robert Bolden. Apparently, Bolden has been one of Penn State's most vocal recruiters on Ross, constantly calling out "Penn State. Linebacker U." (now you know why I bumped it)

• Two big-time offensive linemen, Maryland's Donovan Smith and New Jersey's Marquise Wright, both told Blue White Illustrated that they thoroughly enjoyed their visits last weekend. Smith said that Penn State will "ride with him until the end," following his visit to campus last weekend. He also took a trip to the University of Maryland earlier last week. In the offers front, Smith recently received an offer from Wisconsin, bumping his total to more than 10. Wright has had Penn State at the top of his list for a while now, so his satisfaction after the Blue-White Game didn't come as a shocker to anyone.

• Maryland corner/receiver Brandon Phelps told Scout.com, “Right now Penn State sits pretty high with me... I’d like to make my decision before [next season] so I can play without having that on my shoulders.” But that doesn't mean anything. Phelps has every intention of keeping his recruitment open to nationwide programs, including south of the Mason-Dixon line, and west of the Mississippi. "It's wherever I feel is going to be the right fit for me whether it's in California, Louisiana or whatever," Phelps told William Weathers of Rivals.com. "It's where the best fit for me." The rising senior has received a scholarship offer from LSU, where he said he's "definitely interested." Phelps now has about 20 scholarship offers going into the month of May.

• Also at the game was one of Ross's teammates, wide receiver Allen Robinson, who told Nittany Network, "Oh, I like this one. This is the No. 1 [visit] by far."

• In-state tight end Ben Koyack gave his verbal commitment to Notre Dame this past weekend, in one of those "Oh, Shit!" moments for Penn State fans everywhere. Koyack was viewed by many as very much in the mix for the Nittany Lions, even though he had narrowed his top choices to the Irish and Ohio State just last week.

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2010 Freshman Class, Hello!

Penn State didn't have to worry about the usual National Letter of Intent Signing Day drama. Unlike the plurality of college football programs on signing day, Joe Paterno's crew likes to lock up their recruiting classes early.