SPORTS The Daily Collegian Linemen looking to move on By Audrey Snyder COLLEGIAN STAF WRITER Ollie Ogbu is tired of hearing the same question year after year. Asked if Penn State’s defensive line would take a step back after C ftr»TD*ii Jared Odrick was FOOTBALL selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the defensive captain didn’t hesi tate. “Well, Aaron Maybin was a round draft pick tin 2009] and so was Jared. And they both came year after year,” Ogbu said. “So we kind of build off that.” While Ogbu is reminded he’s the Monroig taking new role By Alex Angert COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Maddy Evans took a seat on the field, lowered her head and placed it in her lap following last weekend’s dis- appointing loss to William & WOMEN S SOCCER Senior Megan Monroig would have none of that. She walked over to Evans, reached out an arm and pulled her younger teammate up from off the ground. For Monroig, a simple act like this hasn’t been uncharacteristic so far this year. As one of only two seniors on a young team, Monroig’s coaches and team mates have watched her raise the bar for the rest of the team and step into a position of lead ership on and off the field. “She’s been fantastic,” coach Erica Walsh said. “ She was out here [Tuesday] having her hard est training session of the year and she completely set the stan dard. She’s got a better psycho logical dimension and she’s going to bring this team up with her.” With her patented black head band and armbands on, Monroig roamed through the backfield during last weekend’s games with her sights on the bail. And as soon as it entered her zone, in the blink of an eye she cocked her foot back and cleared it right back out of danger. But it’s not just her ability to defend that makes her so valu able, but also her ability to lead on the field too. Barreling after forwards like a freight train, Monroig shouts out to her fellow defenders and helps lead the communication on the field amongst the players. A leadership she has devel oped over time, Monroig knows how to pick up on things during a game and relay them to her coaches and teammates “She’s leading it in different See ROLE, Page 12. Steph Witt/Collegian Monroig (yellow) runs after a ball during paractice last spring. lineup 1 ' SPORTS ON TV Philadelphia at Colorado 7:10 p.m., CSN TRIVIA Q: When was the last time the Pittsburgh Pirates lost 100 games in a season? Wednesday’s Answer. Bruce Arena coached U.S A soccer before current coach Bob Bradley only senior on the Nittany Lions’ defensive line every time he walks into the meeting room, he’s certain the team’s young talent will make the line just as good as last year’s. “Every year I feel like people say the same thing, ‘How good is your D-Line gonna be? You lost this All American or that All American,’ but every year we keep having, guys step up and play,” Ogbu said. Part of Ore reason for Ogbu’s optimism comes from the amount of praise defensive tackle Devon Still received. Even Joe Patemo, who isn’t one to just hand out compliments, said the redshirt junior was already a good player last year. Ariel Scott (left) goes up for a kill during practice Wednesday. Scott may redshirt this season Freshmen could By Emily Kaplan COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Blair Brown sat on the sideline her entire freshman year. At practice, she would blend in with the other 16 & erSO SMe WOMEN'S womens volley- VOLLEYBALL ball roster. ====== Dressed in navy spandex and a light-colored gym shirt, she would push through Lions trying to focus on Youngstown State By Andrew J. Cassavell COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER It may seem strange the words “Youngstown State” were not included in any question asked of his weekly press FOOTR a, , conference. After hUUiBALL all, the Lions ~ open their season at noon Saturday against the Penguins. But, given that nine days from now Penn State heads to No. 1 QUICK HITS Player collapses on court The scene was simply scary: Victoria Azarenka, a 21-year-old on the rise in the WTA rankings, paused about a half-hour into her second-round match Wednesday at the U.S. Open, then staggered, stumbled and collapsed to the court. Azarenka, seeded 10th in the Grand Slam tournament, rolled over to rest her head on her arm, and a trainer rushed over. Someone covered Azarenka’s legs with a white towel. She eventually was helped into a wheelchair, her yellow visor askew atop her head, then taken to a hospital, where tests showed she had a mild concussion. Azarenka herself later revealed she fell in the gym while warming up. Despite playing in the shadow of Odrick, the 6-foot-5-inch, 311-pound tackle spent the offseason doing something Odrick did so well: get ting off the ball fast. “If I can get off the ball fast enough, I can create more havoc in the backfield,” Still said. “And whenever you can create havoc in the backfield, it’s a good thing.” With Ogbu expected to see more than his share of double teams at nose guard, Still said he hopes he can capitalize on his one-on-one matchups, and like Odrick, make a name for himself at a position that receives little accolades. Redshirt sophomore James See LINEMAN. Page 12. drills and sweat through grueling weight room sessions —just like everybody else. Come game time, however, the 6-foot-5 outside hitter's home was on the side of the court, where her contribution to the team was limited to just vocal encouragement. But ask Brown to describe the 2006 season, and she’ll say one thing it was the best thing that happened to her volleyball career. Alabama for its Doing so, how first game against ever, isn’t easy, a defending senior guard national champi- Stefen Wisniewski on since 2003, said. The Nittany Lion fans Crimson Tide and media alike have been the have overlooked first thing on his Youngstown State p a * erno mind throughout Wolford in the weeks lead- the offseason. But ing up to the in the week lead opener. ing up to Youngstown State, The players are trying to avoid Wisniewski said his sole focus will For more coverage on the football falling into a similar trap. be on a brighter shade of red. team. | SPORTS, Page 13. Clarett confident of success Maurice Clarett sidestepped questions about his past Wednesday in his first com ments since signing with Omaha’s United Football League team, saying he wants to discuss what lies ahead. The former Ohio State star said that he hoped for but was unsure he would be given a chance to play again. He said his legs are fresh and he’s confident he can be success fill once he readjusts to the demands of football. Clarett hasn’t played in a game since helping lead Ohio State to the 2002 national championship. He broke NCAA rules for accepting gifts, lost a bid to enter the NFL after his freshman year, got cut by the Denver Broncos once he was drafted, and then served 3'A years in prison for his role in a robbery. Ollie Ogbu (85) makes a tackle against Minnesota last seson Tyler Sizemore/Collegian redshirt As the 2010 season shifts into full swing, the Penn State coach ing staff faces a familiar dilem ma: From the crop of new fresh men, who can benefit from an experience like Brown’s? The answer, at least for now, is still up in the air. "At this point, until further notice, I’m probably redshirting the girls who haven’t played,” coach Russ Rose said. “Whether or not that changes [depends on] See REDSHIRT, Page 12. Thursday, Sept. 2,2010 I 11 Spikes streak at six The State College Spikes took a complete 360-degree turn Wednesday night. One night _______ removed from an 11-run and arißta 13-hrt perform ance, the Spikes mustered a gM mere two hits, g shutout by the Auburn Auburn Doubledays. The 1-0 defeat in |y§ front of 3,324 fans at Medlar State College Field at Lubrano Park extended the Spikes’ losing streak to six games. It probably goes without say ing that the Spikes are frustrat ed right now. With the loss, State College (32-39) dropped to fifth place in the Pinckney Division standings, one game behind Auburn (33-38). “I know they know they’re better than that,” State College manager Gary Robinson said. “I know that there is not one guy in that room that wants me to sit here and make excuses for why we re not winning games. We haven’t played poorly. We’ve been in the games.” The Spikes were held hitless for the final four innings Wednesday night as a Drew Maggi infield single in the third inning and a line single to center by Kelson Brown in the fifth were the only two Spikes’ base knocks all night. Only once the entire game did a State College base runner reach third base as the Spikes See SPIKES, Page 12. Spikes’ pitcher Zac •jKyjfeFuesser had his best outing of the season: “In the offseason, the game we thought about was' Alabama more than Youngstown,” Wisniewski said. “But this week, the team’s done well of being focused on the game we have this week, which is Youngstown. I don’t think we’ll be thinking about Alabama until we finish our game with Youngstown.” See FOCUS, Page 12. OUR THOUGHTS ‘Bama starter matters more Congratulations to Robert Bolden on being named starting quarterback. But despite all the history that goes along with him being the first true freshman to start a season under center, this week isn’t the one that matters. Youngstown State essentially serves as a glorified scrimmage. If Bolden struggles on Saturday and in the next week of prac tice, being named starter on opening day shouldn’t guarantee him the starting job in Alabama. Matt McGloin and Kevin Newsome like ly aren’t too thrilled with Joe Patemo’s decision and will be waiting for a chance in case Bolden stumbles. Daniel Bott/Coilegian By Jake Kaplan COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER psucolleglan.com
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