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.

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.

2011 Penn State Football Roster

Penn State released its first roster for the 2011 season. There are what look like a few eligibility mistakes on this list, so take all the new info with a grain of salt. It will get worked out as the spring goes on. For now, have at it...

Wrestling Wreport: the Big Ten Championship edition

The Penn State wrestling team heads to Evanston, Ill this weekend to take part in the Big Ten Championships. The two day event starts Saturday at 11 a.m. and ends with the championship round on Sunday at 4 p.m. The championship round will air live on the Big Ten Network. We'll take a quick look after the jump.

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.

Outback Bowl '11: Florida 37, Penn State 24

(Photo: Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel)

The Gators slammed the door shut on what could have been a very nice season finale. It's time to move forward, on to signing day, spring practice, summer camp, and the 2011 season. But first, let's do a quick review of the game.

What to like. What to hate. What to not freak out about.

Right now...

McGloin Leads Penn State to Outback Bowl Loss

(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

There is a reason Matt McGloin didn't win the starting quarterback job in late August 2010.

For all the talk of "moxie," and "swagger," none of it could match poor throws into coverage, five interceptions, one pick-6 that sealed the defeat, and about three other passes that should have been intercepted by Florida in the Gators' 37-24 win over the Nittany Lions today.

Things started off well enough, as after an initial 3-and-out, Penn State marched down the field with McGloin connecting on 6 of 7 passes for a touchdown to Derek Moye. Florida struggled much of the day on offense, which was compounded by a stellar effort by the Penn State defense. But mistake after mistake led to the Gators being allowed to stay in, and win, the 2011 Outback Bowl.

Outback Bowl '11: Penn State Depth Chart

Updated

Michael Mauti is emerging as the
next great leader at Linebacker U.
(Photo: Mike/LBU)

Not many changes for the Outback Bowl. Michael Mauti returns to full strength, which should be a real boost for the defense.

No commentary this week, due to the fact that there isn't anything do analyze. Mark Wedderburn and Kevin Newsome are no longer on the chart, as they have stayed home, and will likely leave the team this off-season.

Here is this week's bowl depth chart.

Outback Bowl '11: Inside Penn State

Penn State had some low expectations coming into the 2010 season. And the Nittany Lions managed to meet every one of them, and some. The quarterback situation was scary, the offensive line even scarier. The defense had to replace three NFL linebackers and the defensive player of the year at tackle. The schedule wasn't kind, either, with the defending national champs, Rose Bowl champs, Orange Bowl champs, and some other teams that turned out to be much better than many predicted.

But with all the downs, came the many ups this season. Finding one too many very good quarterbacks. An improving offensive line. Some damn good receivers. Silas Redd. Michael Mauti. And a team capable of beating almost any opponent, if not for the gross inexperience on the side of blue and white.

Now Penn State returns to another post-season exhibition against the SEC. The last two times out between the Nittany Lions and the most powerful conference in college football resulted in victories for the slow-pokes from snowy Pennsylvania. We'll see if they can do it once again.

In this post, we'll take a quick look at the team overall, then have a game-by-game rundown.

Always for the Glory: NFL Update Week 14

It was a fantastic week for one of Linebacker U's very own, as Sean Lee erupted onto the scene with two interceptions, one going for a pick-6. Oh, and Lee's interceptions came against some quarterback named Peyton who wore a horseshoe on his helmet.

Adding to that, Cameron Wake is now the NFL leader in sacks this season (12), while Tamba Hali picked up two more sacks, and a forced fumble, in the Chiefs' divisional win this week.

And finally to note this week, Jeremy Kapinos--who gets bounced around the league like a pinball--hooked up with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Always for the Glory: NFL Update Week 13

There are still 29 former Nittany Lions currently on NFL rosters, including a few who are making quite the impression on their teams.

From Aaron Maybin making a tackle (holy cow!) to Tamba Hali and Cameron Wake tearing up the AFC, and a few more pleasant surprises in between. It's all in this week's Always For The Glory update.

NFC North

Chicago Bears - Chicago Bears 31, Philadelphia Eagles 26

This week: Chicago @ Detroit, 1 p.m. Sunday on FOX.

Anthony Adams (1999-02), DT
Adams started at nose tackle for the Bears, forcing a Michael Vick fumble while recording a sack for a loss of nine yards in the third quarter.

Robbie Gould (2001-04), K
Gould was perfect on the day, going 1-for-1 on field goal attempts, making a key 23-yarder late in the third quarter, and 4-for-4 on PATs.

Review: Michigan State 28, Penn State 22

Penn State managed to end the 2010 regular season with a thud, which happens to be exactly how the season as a whole will be viewed by most fans and media.

Penn State's senior class will be remembered for helping lead the team
 to a 47-17 record over their five seasons in Happy Valley. (Photo: Mike/LBU)

It was the first senior day loss since 1999. It also completed the first winning regular season since 1992 in which Penn State failed to reach eight victories. But all that aside, Penn State did manage to prevent the blowout, actually putting quite the scare into the overly-comfortable Spartans late in the game. It was the kind of never-die attitude that could bode very well for the future of this team. But that's all next season. Let's talk about this season, and this depressing loss, in particular.

What to like. What to hate. What to not freak out about. Right now...

11th Hour Depth Charting: Michigan St at Penn St

Some important injuries this week, though not nearly as destructive as other points this season.

RG John Urschel could start,
depending on Doug Klopacz's status.
 (Photo: Mike/LBU)

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

-The players marked with an asterisk (*) are only projected to either start or not start, based on how the injury situation plays out at each position.
-The offensive line depends on whether or not Doug Klopacz is ready to go. If not, then Stefen Wisniewski will move to center, as he did against Indiana, while John Urschel will move up to start at RG.
-Michael Mauti could end up playing, but I'll go with Nate Stupar as the starter again this week.
-It's senior day, so Bani Gbadyu will start. But that doesn't mean he'll stay there the full game. Watch for Gerald Hodges to come in early.

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:

Always for the Glory: NFL Update Week 11

Paul Posluszny looks like he's finally back. Bryan Scott teamed with Poz to help earn the Bills their first win of the season. While Deon Butler is proving why Penn State fans made all those shirts saying "Throw the Ball to Butler."

On the downside, I finally figured out what happened to Jeremy Kapinos. He was only signed to the Colts for a week, then cut. So Kapinos is done again for now.

NFC North

Chicago Bears - Chicago Bears 27, Minnesota Vikings 13

This week: Chicago @ Miami, 8:20 p.m. Thursday on the NFL Network.

Anthony Adams (1999-02), DT
Adams started at nose tackle for the Bears, recording three tackles, including one for a loss.

Robbie Gould (2001-04), K
Gould was 2-for-3 in field goal attempts, connecting on kicks of 34 and 37 yards, and converted on all three of his PATs.

Review: Ohio State 38, Penn State 14

(Photo: PennLive.com)

The very highest of highlights, and very lowest of lowlights, from Penn State's dramatic meltdown in Columbus.

It's tough to really get past the terrible second half performance by the Nittany Lions. But for about 30 minutes Saturday afternoon, Penn State was dominating Ohio State like it was 1994. Okay, maybe not that dominant. But it sure felt like Penn State was facing just some Ohio State university, not The Ohio State University.

What to like. What to hate. What to not freak out about. Right now...

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...

Always for the Glory: NFL Update Week 10

Linebacker U had a bittersweet week in the NFL. Paul Posluszny, Cameron "Derek" Wake, and Tamba Hali all played outstanding football, but Dan Connor went down with yet another season-ending injury. There are currently 29 former Nittany Lions on NFL rosters.

NFC North

Chicago Bears - Chicago Bears 22, Buffalo Bills 19

This week: Chicago hosts Minnesota, 1 p.m Sunday on FOX.

Anthony Adams (1999-02), DT
Adams started at nose tackle for the Bears, recording two tackles and a quarterback hit in the narrow win over the Bills.

Robbie Gould (2001-04), K
Gould missed his only field goal attempt, a 42-yarder but was 2-for-2 on PATs.

11th Hour Depth Charting: Northwestern at Penn State

There actually isn't much change this week, which could be a good thing for a team that could use a little stability. The latest depth chart (from what we can tell) for this week's game, with some complementary notes...