Linkbacker U Tries to Make Sense of Nonsense, Spring Games Edition

(Photo: PennLive.com)

Talk about a dud of a spring game. Well, for all the fumbles, interceptions, rain, mud and general slop, at least it wasn't a real game. Aaaanyway, today's Linkbacker hands you the post-game punditry from the Penn State football beat. Plus, I threw in at the end a few other links to spring games from around the Big Ten. Enjoy.

Dan Vecellio, OnwardState.com:

In maybe the most gruesome game of football Beaver Stadium has seen since “6-4“, the Blue team defeated the White Team in a rain-shortened Blue-White Game by a score of 10-0.

It gets worse after the jump.

Blue-White Game Preview '11: Secondary & Special Teams

This post is the final part of our week-long series previewing the major position groups heading into the Blue-White scrimmage this Saturday in Beaver Stadium.

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Part 5: Secondary & Special Teams

"Bend but don't suck." Is that how the saying goes?

Penn State's defense has been particularly good at being particularly simple the last, oh, half-century. Playing 8-10 yards off the receivers; blitzing a safety or corner every once in a never. It's all part of keeping the opposing offense on the field as long as possible, without actually surrendering any points in the process. Sounds crazy, I know.

But what Tom Bradley does with the Nittany Lions' pass defense has been actually very impressive. Penn State has been a regular in the top pass defense rankings the last 10 years, with several top-10 appearances along the way. Generally speaking, it's not usually the defensive secondary's fault exclusively when an opposing quarterback torches Penn State for 400 yards.

There have been some really great defensive backs who have come through Happy Valley. Alan Zamaitis, Mark Robinson, David Macklin, Darren Perry, Michael Zordich, Neal Smith, Pete Harris, Kim Herring, to name a few of the best. That story isn't over, though, and it may continue strongly this season. But it all depends on things like injuries, and whether or not certain players with the ability to be great, rise up and meet that potential.

Penn State returns 52 starts from the 2010 defensive backfield. Among those returning starts are six players who started a game last season. But this unit is coming back for 2011 with fewer "issues," like injuries and suspensions. Though the injuries are rampant for this weekend--the entire projected starting secondary will miss the game--they likely will not affect the regular season.

But that doesn't mean there isn't much to look forward to seeing tomorrow on the field. Younger guys, particularly those called into action last season, will have an opportunity to run with the first team defense in a game-like situation in front of a larger crowd than any during the 15 previous practices this spring.

More below the break.

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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Blue-White Game Preview '11: 'Linebacker U' Returns

This post is part 4 of 5 this week previewing the major position groups heading into the Blue-White scrimmage this Saturday in Beaver Stadium.

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"Linebacker U" is back.

Part 4: The Linebackers

Quite the different tone I'll show you today. After all, you are reading Linebacker-U.com. Naturally, even in the down years, this is a position all of us here can get excited about covering. But this is not a down year; far, far from it. In fact, I'll venture to say that this could be Penn State's best two-deep set of linebackers in a decade. Yes, that means it could, could be better than 2009, better than 2005. But that all depends on whether or not this group of 'backers can achieve the level of success on the field as it projects on paper.

Last season was mired by injuries, much as it was in 2009, when Navorro Bowman and Sean Lee went five weeks without playing together. In 2010, Michael Mauti couldn't shake nagging injuries that kept him from going 100 percent for longer than a game or two. Gerald Hodges, who was projected to either start or get very significant playing time, broke his leg in week two on the first kickoff at Alabama.

But something else that 2010 brought was a much lower level of linebacker play overall in the chosen starting lineup. Granted, "Backer" (MLB) Chris Colasanti and "Sam"(SOLB) Bani Gbadyu put in their time and effort with the program. But it doesn't cover the fact that their performance last season left way too much to be desired. Part of that had to do with injuries to guys like Mauti and Hodges. But there were Khairi Fortt and Glenn Carson on the bench. You can't tell me they would have been much worse. At least it would have had some sort of long-term benefit.

Now two starters are gone, but four return with at least one start last season. Enough with what happened last season. Let's dive into what's happening right now at Linebacker U.

Penn State splits its outside linebackers into the "Fritz" and "Sam." The Fritz is the weakside linebacker, while the Sam plays the strongside. The Fritz is the strongest linebacker, playing a combination of inside and outside positions, based on the set. The Sam is the most athletic linebacker, playing a combination of outside linebacker and safety. The "Backer" position should be, according to a copy of PSU's defensive playbook, filled by a "powerful athlete with good judgment," and is referred to as the "Defensive Quarterback."

More after the break.

Blue-White Game Preview '11: Offensive & Defensive Lines

This post is part 3 of 5 this week previewing the major position groups heading into the Blue-White scrimmage this Saturday in Beaver Stadium.

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Part 3: Offensive & Defensive Lines

See this? Yeah, this shouldn't happen.

Oh man, the offensive line? Do I really have to do this?

But alas, here we stand, the final week of spring practice, and both of the two most important groups on this team are in trouble. At least, I guess, they're in different kinds of trouble. Not that that makes it any better.

The offensive line was one of the toughest positions for Penn State to develop the last two seasons, with 2009 scraping by on inexperienced talent, and 2010 pushing along with injuries and even less experienced talent. This season could be better, or it could be the same. The only way it could get worse along the offensive line is if returning starters--there are actually four of them this year--don't make any improvement whatsoever. Then it's time to worry.

Possibly worse than the offensive line, how about the defensive line? I can't believe there would come a day when the defensive line wasn't one of the positions I look forward to writing about.

For a unit like the D-line, it's become much more than just a problem of finding the right combination. The defensive line this season--compared to the downright lethal units Penn State managed to produce for about seven years until 2010--is in nothing more than shambles. Injuries and two years of unexpected attrition have absolutely destroyed the unit's depth, something that was long a critical factor in its success under Larry Johnson. Unless some young bucks really rise to the occasion this spring and summer, it could be another rough season stopping the run and getting to the quarterback.

More after the break.

Poll: 2011 Blue-White Game - What Do You Want To See This Saturday in Beaver Stadium?

There are so many reasons to not actually care about what happens this weekend during the Blue-White Game. The most anyone should really hope for is an injury-free scrimmage, as to which Pete Massaro can attest.

But we look forward to the spring scrimmage every year. It's the first taste of football the fans and media get that looks anything remotely like the real thing.

There are plenty of storylines going into Saturday, mostly dealing with specific position battles and line ups. Which quarterback gets the first snap? Can the offensive line block anyone? Does the defense remember how to tackle?

So we ask you...

Which are you most anxious to see during the 2011 Blue-White Game?

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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.

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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.

Blue-White Game Preview '11: Offensive Backfield

This post is part 1 of 5 this week previewing all the offensive and defensive units heading into the Blue-White scrimmage this Saturday in Beaver Stadium.

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Part 1: The Offensive Backfield

Penn State has more talent at the skill positions this spring than I can remember. That doesn't necessarily mean that talent is experienced, developed or realized at this point. A dominating theme last season was that of underachievement by a football team that had arguably more raw talent than at least two of the teams that defeated it (Illinois & Michigan State) and probably another (Iowa).

In the first parts of our preview series heading into the Blue-White Game, we'll start with the offensive backfield--quarterbacks and running backs. Then tomorrow it's on to the receivers and tight ends.

While the quarterback position remains a hot mess this spring, the running backs are surprisingly strong with the loss of Penn State's all-time leading rusher. Even the fullbacks are something to get excited about for 2011 and possibly on the field this weekend.

More on each in the following sections below the break.

Penn State Spring Media Day 2011 Recap: Depth, Injuries, and Quarterbacks

It's not really football season until Joe Paterno
blows off reporters in a press conference, right?

The weather is warming (unless you're in State College), the trees are budding (unless you're in State College), and football is in the air (especially if you're in State College). Joe Paterno gave his first press conference today for the 2011 football season, focusing on spring practice, injuries, the quarterback situation, and a few other topics. It was only the average 30-minute Q&A with reporters. But afterward, players were available, who also had some good things to say.

Pete Massaro now injured (Updated: It's a knee)

Pete Massaro (59) went down
this week to injury. It's the
second injury to a major player
this week alone.

You can't make this stuff up:

Penn State's starting defensive end was hurt in practice Friday, according to team sources. It is the program's second significant injury of the spring.

FOS goes on ($) with more, but what you see here was included in the teaser, which is all you really need to know. FOS wouldn't use "significant" if it wasn't so--otherwise it would be rather, um... you know.

Anyway, this SUCKS. Curtis Drake was a big loss for at least the spring. But Massaro had shown some flash of brilliance last fall, after of course missing 2009 due to an ACL tear in that year's Blue White Game. With another spring in the starting lineup, Massaro could have become something really special this fall. But as more comes out, it could be better than thought, or worse. Let's hope for the former.

Update: Bob Flounders revealed tonight that it's more specifically a knee injury. And worse...

"The extent of the injury is still to be determined but Massaro could miss the 2011 season."

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Curtis Drake breaks his left leg... again

Curtis Drake... more like Curtis "Break."
Oooh, too much? (Photo: LBU/Mike)

How easy would it have been to make that headline "Curtis Drake catches another 'break'"? Easy, I tell you. But I'm not feeling that cheesy tonight. Not matter what, this news about another Curtis Drake injury still sucks to the ump-teenth degree:

Penn State wide receiver Curtis Drake has suffered another serious setback in his effort to resume his career this spring.

For the second time in seven months, he has suffered a fractured left tibia in practice during a non-contact drill.

Drake, a redshirt sophomore, will miss the rest of spring drills and his status for the fall remains uncertain, a source confirmed Thursday night.

At least he's sure to get (if he wants) a 6th season of eligibility, should he in fact miss the 2011 season. This is the kind of medical hardship the NCAA usually grants to players. And you can bet that Joe Paterno and staff want to keep Drake around for as long as they can. He's a dynamic playmaker, as we saw glimpses of in 2009.

Also to note:

The source also said that former backup middle linebacker Michael Yancich, from Trinity High School, has been shifted to tight end.

So that may just offer up a huge hint as to what some of us speculated yesterday about the tight end position for this spring and fall.

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Did Penn State oversign for 2011? Kinda.

Math. While it's a tough concept for those in SEC country, up here in the north it doesn't seem like all that much work to, you know, count. And that's all it took to figure out that Penn State appeared to have oversigned for the class of 2011 by two scholarships. But as I'll explain in this post, the Nittany Lions coaching staff did not, in fact, do anything outside of the Big Ten's oversigning regulations.

JayPa reveals pass chart from practice

Not exactly "holy cow" news, but interesting. I guess we should thank the ever expanding world of social media for this one. Jay Paterno posted this pass chart from a practice session. The green checks are good passes, the red aren't. Not that you couldn't figure that out. But just sayin'...

It's kind of pointless to analyze this too much. It's very straight forward, and keep in mind that this is just the beginning of spring practice. I can just see/hear it now. "Too bad they don't throw down the middle that much in real games," or "If McGloin was that red dot QB, I'm sure half those checks were complete... to the other team."

Spring is in the air, folks!

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Rob Bolden talks, future still not certain beyond spring practice

Penn State's spring quarterback battle
is already getting fired up. (Photo: LBU/Mike)

Sounds like Rob Bolden is still a bit sour (wouldn't you be?) on Penn State's handling of the quarterback situation last season. While more of the juicy stuff is behind paywalls this afternoon, some quotes have been reported free by guys like Ron Musselman:

"Nothing is official," he said today. "I'm just here for the spring. I decided to come back. I'm just here. I'm going to work hard and we'll see what happens from there." [snip] "Hopefully, it will be an open competition," Bolden said.

Not sure if this was a planned move by Bolden to rekindle the fire that raged after the Outback Bowl, or just the media figuring they would egg him on to get spring started with a pop. Regardless, we officially have pop, and it doesn't look like things will go flat any time soon.

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Penn State moves Spring Practice start to Saturday

Red jerseys and fifth stringers? Gotta be spring football!
(Photo: LBU/Mike)

When was the last time you can remember Penn State spring football practice taking a back seat to any other sport in mid-March? This week, that's exactly what's going on. In fact, Penn State football is not only taking the back seat, it's riding bitch with four other major events crammed into the same week.

Because of the men's basketball team heading out to Tuscon for the NCAA first round game Thursday afternoon; the Lady Lions hosting their first round game on Saturday; the wrestling team vying for nationa titles this weekend; AND the Penn State pro-day workout set to start today, the athletic department and Joe Paterno (assuming he was in on the decision as he is with all major moves) will delay the start of spring football practice until Saturday. Spring ball was originally supposed to start today.

But why would they actually move spring practice to what could turn out to be the biggest day this week--Saturday? That's the odd part of this thing. Regardless, it shouldn't make much of an impact on the team or its schedule.

FYI on Spring Ball: (more to come the next few weeks... MUCH more) Per NCAA rules, the Lions are allowed 15 practice sessions during a 34-day period, including scrimmages and the spring game. Only 12 of those practices can include contact. Of those 12 contact sessions, eight can include tackling.

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Way Too Early 2011 Depth Chart: Pre-Spring Defense

Today is part two of our look inside the projected spring depth chart.

Part 1: The Offensive Depth Chart

As the Penn State offense struggled to find any sort of consistency in 2010, the defense was surprisingly not as bad as many will remember. There were plenty of breakdowns on a defense that's planted its flag among the elite units in college football the past six to seven years, but the overall production from the unit has some major upside looking back and then realizing what returns for 2011.

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.

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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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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Abbreviated Media Roundup: Spring Game, Draft Week

Just some nuggets from across the internets, as we crest hump day. Much ado about the NFL Draft, the Blue-White Game, and such as. In no particular order, but not completely disorganized:

• Philly.com: Penn State has officially rolled out its new pitch for screwing the senior students out of their traditionally great seats near mid-field. No, seriously, it'll be better if you're all in the end zone!

• Blue White Illustrated ($): Trey Burke, 2010 basketball recruit, will still come to Penn State, despite the embarrassing season this past year.

• The Daily Collegian: Good piece on incoming frosh quarterback Robert Bolden. Forgot about him, huh? (HT: BSD)

• Phil Grosz, BWI ($): The coaching staff is experiementing with the O-line configuration. The lineup was the same in a scrimmage this past Saturday--RT - Lou Eliades, RG - Stefen Wisniewski, C - Doug Klopacz, LG - DeOn'tae Pannell, LT - Quinn Barham. Also, Curtis Dukes and Silas Redd could be the next Lydell Mitchell and Franco Harris.

• The Orlando Sentinel: A good overview of what's going on with the BCS meeetings in Scottsdale (Scottsdale?) and the conference meetings in Washington, DC. Some good quotes from Joe Paterno, but none you probably haven't already heard.

This is the man with the college football world in his hands. Scary.

• Sporting News: Graham Spanier is keeping a tight lip about expansion talks in DC this week. He said no announcement is expected. We'll see about that.

• The Des Moines Register: Another pitch for Nebraska.

• The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Ron Musselman's NFL Draft preview, highlighting Sean Lee, Jared Odrick and Navorro Bowman. Lee could be the No. 2 inside linebacker.

• The Chicago Tribune: Just a look at the outside linebackers. You have to scroll down quite a bit to find Bowman. Yikes.

• Philly.com: Lee, however, could be a huge sleeper. Who doesn't love a little homerism?

• The Boston Herald and Yahoo! Sports: The New England Patriots could go after Odrick. The Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year wouldn't mind.

• ESPN: PSU recruit Ishaq Williams is just another fantastic lineman from NYC. Good stuff about Larry Johnson, Sr., too.

From the blogs...

• The Rivalry, Esq.: Spending most of the spring disecting every Big Ten team. Good reading.

• MGoBlog: Brian gives us his self-proclaimed insane 16-team Big Ten configuration.

• Lake the Posts: Northwestern could play the Illini in Wrigley Field, so it's been a topic of interest this week.

• Eleven Warriors: A Q&A with PSU recruit Doran Grant.

• Hammer and Rails and Boiled Sports: Review of the Black and Gold spring game. Plus, a giant bobblehead of Drew Brees.

• Bucky's 5th Quarter: The Wisconsin spring game drew... well, not too many folks.

• The Daily Gopher: Minnesota has stormed onto the Fulmer Cup board.

Ready for some football?

• The Only Colors: MSU needed double overtime to beat... itself.

• The Enlightened Spartan: The Notre Dame-MSU game will be under the lights.

• Nittany White Out: Our buds hosted this week's Blue White Roundtable. Check it out. Tomorrow they will have the wrap up post.

• 2 The Lion: It's the first "game" of 2010. Naturally, everyone's favorite tailgating gals will be out in force!

Happy Wednesday!

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