[Buckskin86]

9/11/2009

Will Crawford be next big thing at Penn State?
By Rich Scarcella
Reading Eagle

New players are introduced to Penn State fans at the first game each season, along with new signs created by the student section at Beaver Stadium.

Jack Crawford, one of the 10 first-time starters last week for the Nittany Lions, noticed a banner in his honor hanging from the east stands Saturday: "Jack the Ripper."

"It's a nickname for me on the team," Crawford said. "The people who made it asked me about it before they hung it. It was a nice surprise."

The nickname and the banner are appropriate. Like the unidentified serial killer who roamed London in the late 19th century and whose exploits became almost mythical, Crawford's performance on the practice field became almost legendary.

"That kid's going to be an All-American very soon," said Aaron Maybin, a Penn State All-American himself last season and a first-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills. "He reminds me of myself when I got here. He's going to be an outstanding player."

Maybin made those observations before the 6-5, 265-pound Crawford had made his first start or his first sack. Crawford got those issues out of the way Saturday against Akron, starting at right end and dropping quarterback Chris Jacquemain for a 4-yard sack in the first quarter.

"The potential and the expectations are there," defensive line coach Larry Johnson said. "It's just where he meets those kinds of things. I think he will. I think everything is in place for him."

Will Crawford be next big thing at Penn State?