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