PSU Nittany Lions

Over the next week, NittanyNation will be taking a glance at different positions and their outlook for next season.

WIDE RECEIVERS

• Who: Allen Robinson is the star on this receiver corps, but the lineup isn't all that clear after placing him at the No. 1 spot. Brandon Moseby-Felder could still be in position to be the No. 2 target, but rising redshirt freshman Eugene Lewis and rising sophomore Trevor Williams will try their best to overtake him. Lewis has the higher ceiling, but Williams is more refined at this point. This group could see quite a bit of shuffling before Week 1 begins.

• Strengths: Penn State might be lacking depth at other positions, but it's absolutely stacked at wide receiver. There'll be at least 10 players at the position next season, which should provide some good competition and some close battles. Most of the wideouts here -- such as Robinson, Lewis and incoming freshman DaeSean Hamilton -- are more athletic than fast. Their leaping ability and hands are all good, and they should be an exciting group to watch.

• Weaknesses: Consistency was definitely something missing last season. Dropped balls plagued the wideouts -- even Robinson at times -- throughout the season. There's also not really a deep threat with top-end speed here. Alex Kenney is incredibly quick, but he seems to be made more in the mold of a track athlete than football player. Moseby-Felder showed flashes last season after overcoming an injury, and he might be Penn State's best bet as a deep threat as long as he stays healthy.

• Player to watch: Lewis is going to be a good one. He didn't play last season because he was unaccustomed to running routes since he played quarterback in high school. After a year of learning, he'll definitely be utilized in 2013 -- and he could end up being the biggest surprise on the offense.

• Overall: The receivers should be much improved from last season. Everyone with significant playing time returns, and it's difficult to see how a drop-off could occur with another offseason under Stan Hixon. Some of the wideouts' numbers might decline with a new quarterback, but the talent at this position will definitely be an improvement over 2012.

Matt McGloin used some strange adjectives to describe his offense's performance against Illinois. He skipped over "dynamic" and "high-powered" -- and went straight to "not enough."

Just one week ago, the fifth-year signal-caller said his goal entailed scoring 35 points. Sure enough, Penn State upended Illinois 35-7. But, this week, McGloin sounded as if it was Illinois who had scored the five touchdowns.

"We can do better than that," said McGloin, who ran for two touchdowns and passed for another.

"Anytime we get inside the 25 or 30, we got to put points on the board. We got the ability and plays to do it, so we got to stop making dumb mistakes near the goal line."

McGloin wasn't wrong. Despite its biggest scoring output of the season, the Nittany Lions were just 4-of-7 on their red-zone chances. For the season, Penn State is scoring just 62 percent of the time it enters the red zone -- the 11th-worst rate in the country.

On the flip side, Northwestern's defense has toughened up in that area and has allowed just seven touchdowns in 18 trips.

"I'd like to see myself do better," McGloin added, "and be more consistent at times."

(Read full post)

Stan Hixon saw this coming.

The wide receivers coach told reporters that extra defenders would stalk Allen Robinson throughout the Big Ten season, that they would stick to Matt McGloin's top target better than the names on the back of their jerseys.

"We want to spread it around a little more," Hixon said shortly after Penn State's first win, "because, when we get to Big Ten play, there's going to be some double coverage -- and other guys got to come through."

Enter Alex Kenney, a wideout-turned-cornerback-turned-wideout.

With the departure of Shawney Kersey, McGloin has relied more and more on Kenney as a Plan-B receiver. In the last two games, Kenney has quietly made seven catches to Robinson's eight.

In the non-conference season, Robinson accounted for 40 percent of McGloin's passing yards. But it's clear that won't fly against Big Ten competition. Against Illinois, he reeled in just three catches for 35 yards.

"I don't think you can double-cover one guy on us," McGloin said Wednesday. "We'll just throw to someone else."

Kenney, a redshirt sophomore, wasn’t always the most likely candidate to become that "someone else." He competed mostly at cornerback last season until he was thrust into a receiving role in the TicketCity Bowl.

When Hixon first saw Kenney, he told the speedy wideout he wasn't moving back to defense. Kenney waited to hear those words for two seasons.

"It was frustrating," Kenney said about his previous moves, "and it was tough because you didn't know where you were going to be or what plays to learn because you were constantly getting pushed back and forth.

"I'm really appreciative of having a home with this staff."

In the preseason, his starting job in the slot wasn't guaranteed either. He rotated in and out of the first team with Evan Lewis. Even during Week 1, a dreaded "OR" was listed next to his name on the depth chart -- signifying the job was still open.

But Kenney ended up wrestling the start away from Lewis. Maybe it had something to do with his speed -- he still holds the state's 60-meter record in high school (6.8 seconds) -- or something else the coaches saw. Kenney isn't sure. He just knows he can't take a play off now.

"I'm just trying to make as many plays as possible and catch balls thrown my way," he said matter-of-factly.

The State College native is beginning to emerge as the No. 2 wideout, but he might not be there yet. McGloin hasn't consistently targeted him downfield -- despite being one of the fastest players on the team.

Most of Kenney's catches have come on screens and short routes, but more aggressive targets could be on the way.

"Alex is a great weapon for us," McGloin said. "He's got a lot of speed. We want to get him the ball in space."

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Stan Hixon stood near the sideline with shorts, short sleeves and a wide smile during a warm afternoon practice.

"Nice weather," said a visitor. "Wish it were Saturday."

"Me too," a grinning Hixon said, before jogging off to coach the receivers.

Hixon later had reason to smile -- his wideouts caught everything in preparation of Saturday's Northwestern game. The assistant head coach stood 12 yards in front of the quarterbacks and didn't raise his voice once during the open session of Wednesday's practice.

He glanced down a few times at a folded piece of paper, directed his players in a soft tone and sometimes pulled a player aside. He'd pump his arms to mimic route-running and send the player off with a pat.

Matt McGloin completed seven straight passes to Hixon's wideouts, mostly on intermediate routes, before a large digital clock showed all zeroes to indicate the drill was over. No wideout dropped a pass, and the only incompletion -- from Steven Bench -- came on a miscommunication with Matt Zanellato.

Trevor Williams caught two balls for 36 yards, Allen Robinson grabbed two receptions for 28 yards, and Brandon Moseby-Felder had two grabs for 21 yards. Alex Kenney also caught a 16-yard pass.

(Read full post)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Call Navy one dimensional. Go on, call them predictable.

Penn State's players know what's coming. Everyone does. Navy's recipe for success hasn't been a recipe inasmuch as it's been a single ingredient: Run.

But knowing what's coming and knowing how to stop it are two very different challenges.

They're good at what they do, and they're fast," defensive end Pete Massaro said. "There's no way you can get a scout-team offense up to that level in just a few days."

Loading the box is one solution, but it's a lot like marking "C" on a Scantron test: It can't be the answer every time. With the triple option, Navy can roll around the outside if a defensive end bites. If the DBs hesitate, watch out for the play-action.

Through sleight-of-hand and a tricky set-up, Navy has ridden this offense to become one of the country's premier running teams. Since 2002, the Middies have consistently ranked as one of the nation's top four rushing teams.

Well, except for 2010. That was a down year. Navy finished just sixth nationally and rushed for a paltry 284.8 yards a game.

"You have to change up your whole defense for a team like Navy, Georgia Tech and any triple-option team," cornerback Adrian Amos said.

Bill O'Brien preached discipline this week like Navy preached ball-control. For Penn State to out-muscle a team that runs four times for every pass, their front-seven can't be out of position.

Quarterback Trey Miller will dive forward more often than he drops back. Noah Copeland and at least half-a-dozen other running backs will record a carry. O'Brien knows what to expect -- everybody does -- it's just a question of the outcome.

"I didn't schedule Navy," O'Brien said with a laugh.

Surprise tailback? O'Brien offered fans a bit of a riddle during his weekly radio show Thursday.

"We're going to do a few different things on Saturday," he said. "There' be one other guy back there that you haven't seen carrying the football."

O'Brien told fans they'd have to see Saturday who it was, but reporters and fans have already ventured quite a few guesses: Gerald Hodges, Paul Jones, Glenn Carson, P.J. Byers, Alex Kenney, Akeel Lynch, Garry Gilliam, etc.

Byers and Lynch are the favorites, but one can never tell with O'Brien -- who used a linebacker (Hodges) to return kicks during Game 1.

Leading the Big Ten: Even if sophomore wideout Allen Robinson fails to record a catch Saturday, he could still lead the conference in receptions.

He currently has 19 catches, while Purdue's O.J. Ross is second with 13 grabs. Robinson might have even had 21 catches -- if he didn't drop two on back-to-back plays last week.

"I had a couple drops this week because of lack of concentration," he said. "I just can't let that happen anymore. ... I need to focus and make sure I'm looking the ball in."

Where's Amos? O'Brien said in the preseason that Amos could play anywhere: safety, cornerback -- even linebacker.

Against a run-first offense like Navy, which requires some sure-tacklers, it'll be interesting to see where Amos lines up. If O'Brien wants to move Amos around in the early part of the season, this game seems like his best bet.

Stopping the run: Deion Barnes might be the team's best pass-rusher -- he's tied for the Big Ten lead in sacks with three -- but he admitted this week he needs to get better at stopping the run.

With the better run-stuffer, Massaro, likely out with several injuries, Navy could target the redshirt freshman.

"You got to read blocks better," Barnes said. "You have to be more attentive this week."

Trick plays: O'Brien was asked Thursday if he planned to use many trick plays against Navy, like last week's fake punt that resulted in a 19-yard scamper by a linebacker.

"We're going to pull out all the stops," he said. "So we got a few trick plays for Saturday, and we'll see if we can pull them out. When you call them, you want them to work."

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Nine players might have transferred from Penn State and the roster might be slimmer than ever, but Bill O'Brien swore at Tuesday's news conference this team contains no walk-ons.

No, O'Brien said while chewing gum, this team has "run-ons."

"I know that goes against everybody's term for non-scholarship players over the last 100 years of college football," O'Brien said with a smile, "but that's just our term for them. ...

"These guys don't walk, they run on the field. They sprint on the field. They bust their butts on the field."

O'Brien's staff has placed an increased emphasis on "run-ons" this season. They've turned to several former walk-ons -- Derek Day, Matt McGloin, Matt Lehman -- to spark the offense, and they've tried to unearth future "run-ons" by visiting in-state high schools that haven't produced an FBS player in 25 years.

O'Brien said Tuesday that he's hoping his "run-on" program sends a loud message to high school recruits in Pennsylvania.

"High school players can really look at that and say, 'Here's a place I've grown up loving, and I've always wanted to play there, and here's my opportunity,' " he said. "I think there's no doubt, hopefully, that resonates with kids in Pennsylvania."

"Run-on" isn't the only new term the first-year head coach has coined. Scout teams and foreign teams are gone, too. They're now referred to as the "Dirty Show," something O'Brien admittedly stole from the New England Patriots.

Instead of chastising the offense when the defensive scout team makes a play, the "Dirty Show" will celebrate and maybe spike a ball as coaches congratulate them.

"Coach O'Brien is a positive thinker the way he goes about everything," fullback Michael Zordich said. "Nobody really likes to be called the foreign team or scout team or walk-on because it feels like they just came and nobody wanted them here -- which is far from the truth."

Kick returners: The official depth chart listed Bill Belton and Adrian Amos as the starters, while linebacker Gerald Hodges and wideout Alex Kenney were the backups.

But, O'Brien said, he wasn't so sure his All-Big Ten linebacker would return kicks Saturday. Hodges fumbled one punt, caught another punt with his hands above his head and returned the opening kickoff out of the end zone to the 12-yard line.

"He's an excellent athlete. He caught every one in practice, but that's a lot on his plate," O'Brien said. "His main role is obviously as our outside linebacker, so he might or might not be back there."

Open competition at punter: Alex Butterworth averaged just 35.8 yards on five punts Saturday, so O'Brien said the punting job will be a week-to-week battle. Joe Baker and Reynolds Parthemore are the other two punters listed on the roster.

"It's not good enough," he said. "Everybody knows that."

Redshirt?: Akeel Lynch is a true freshman who has impressed this coaching staff, but O'Brien said the staff is still trying to balance a few things with his playing time.

"The decision you have to make there is just like with any freshman," he said. "If you're going to play those guys, then you better play them. So we're going to see how practice goes this week with Akeel and make a decision later in the week."

If Bill Belton can't go Saturday, Lynch could be called into action.

Sticking with McGloin: O'Brien dismissed any talk of a quarterback controversy by reiterating that McGloin will remain the team's QB1. O'Brien was asked if Paul Jones might make an appearance against Virginia:

"Paul has made a lot of improvement but, right now, we're going to stick with one guy," O'Brien said.