The Daily Collegian Young players gaining experience for next season By Brendan Monahan COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER The biggest stumbling block for Penn State was youth going into the season. Growing pains are still a topic of conversation for Joe Patemo with pnnTRAi two regular-sea- FOOTBALL “You are bound to have those days where things, you know, you can’t make something happen for yourself,” Patemo said. “And any thing adverse that happens is probably a little bit more dramatic than it would be when you get older kids.” Youth may be a cause for the four losses this season, but it could be beneficial beyond this year. There are 82 players on Penn State’s 117-man roster who have freshman or sophomore eligibility, but Paterno said youth won't change whom he plays in the final games. He believes the upper classmen deserve to finish off the year and said he won’t start doing anything new simply for the bet terment of the 2011 Nittanv Lions With only two games left in the season, plus a bowl game, young players have increased expeeta leers finding themselves in midst of season identity crisis By Anthony Barton COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Following a two-game sweep at the hands of Rhode Island this weekend, the Penn State leers are searching for answers Removing a two-game s\veep of West Chester, which the leers historically domi nate, the team has now lost four of its last five games against more Senior Tim O’Brien (middle) fights off Ohio defenders this season tions. Senior wide receiver Brett Brackett said Patemo has been harping on younger players in practice and letting them know youth is no longer an excuse. ‘‘A lot of these young guys tech nically aren’t young guys any more,’' Brackett said. “They're getting experience ... They're making plays.” All three Penn State road losses came against considerably more experienced teams Alabama. lowa and Ohio State. The Lions will lose 10 seniors, and center and right guard are the only positions where backups have no experience. Injuries have caused younger players to step up this season. Safety redshirt freshman Malcolm Willis replaced an injured Nick Sukay. Willis said he continues becoming more comfortable with each snap he plays and attributes Sukay and safety Drew Astorino for helping him establish a com fort zone with reads and checks. Tight end Kevin Haplea, who started the season as the third tight end. is starting after injuries to .Andrew Szczerba and Garry Gilliam, and right tackle Chima Okoli replaced senior Lou Eliades after he tore his ACL. competitive teams. Their prob lem. senior forward Tim O'Brien said, is their inability to discover their identitv. "I think we re struggling but I think this would be the perfect time to figure out what kind of identity we're trying to build." O'Brien said. "We re kind of in a situation that I’ve never been in here at Penn State this early on in the year, and I think, you know. L f we're going to come together as a team this is the perfect time to do so." iCERS “Injuries are a part of the game,” Willis said. “At any given time, anybody can get hurt, so being one of the young guys, you just have to be ready to step up and fulfill their role on the team.” The injuries may help the Lions in the long run after 2010, as the setbacks force younger players to step into greater roles. Patemo thinks injuries and youth are rea sons why teams beat the Lions by at least 20 points on four occa sions, the first time that has hap pened under Paterno. Brackett said his goal is to win the next two games, but the team also has other objectives, like youth getting more experience and players learning to compete in difficult scenarios. "Just because the senior season hasn't gone the way I wanted it to go or anything like that doesn't mean we re not doing good things, we re not accomplishing things." Brackett said. To e-maii reporter: bjmsl46@psu.edu ertthst Indiana QB Ben Chappell ■‘>§l Jr" will likely be starting for the Hoosiers on Saturday: psucoilegian.com Junior forward Nick Seravalli said he's been on teams such as this before, and is confident the leers will be all right. Sometimes, he said, players don't gel together right away. In his opinion, the leers have been trying to force an identity on themselves instead of letting it come naturally. “We're on the cusp of being there." Seravalli said. "Right now we re not playing well as a team together, and some of the older guys are trying to take too much responsibility w hen we should be playing as a team. We can't have trial. We have to w'ant to play for each other." Junior forward Paul Daley said taking too much responsibility isn't just a problem with the veter an players, but the whole team. "There's a good amount of guys who haven't been held responsible lor plays they have made or, the ice." Daley said. "People need to be more account able for the plays they make. Hopefully if someone makes a Asit MlShra C Freshman running back Silas Redd 25 during the Lions' 38-14 loss to On o ■ o mistake they see some punish, ment for it and they won't make i! again." Assistant coach Josh llano said he thinks everyone on the team needs to put weight on their i shoulders in order for the leers m ; have success. While he hasn't seen players not taking responsibility for their struggles, he said if it is happen ing. it s definitely a problem. r "If we've got one or two guy . trying to succeed then were >:• T a « team." Hand said. “I think : the case, that's why v- •nig gling.” The leers scored only one goai in tw'o games against the Hann over the weekend, but Seravaid .said it wasn’t from a lack ot effi.-r. He said he thought the team played with heart and if the play continues, thev'll find success. Daley said the leers know what they want their identity to be. they just need to work on the intrica cies of the game to find a solid base to start from. Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010 I Cbwe timer Cmiegian nes the ball for Penn State Saturday afternoon. :wink we all realize we have -i i’i any - hut we don't have rely on someone . i.a.. eveiy game or in the a, •coring m the country." -aid "We need to come ■ r and play as a team eveiy and we know that going in. a the matter of executing it." ini thinks it comes back to : cliche: Plav as a team or ' i'iiey need to be a team in ■ty -ensc of the word." Hand d Th,-; need to be friends on P dw ice They need to be ■ he earl! other on and off a no, dtobe a hardwork ing supports each other, i think we re there vet." riei: acbsls2@psu.edu h For Ten Question Tuesday jf with freshman Mathew Madrazo, check out the Between the Pipes blog: psucollegian.com
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