sflbuck;1413836; said:
I am with you on this one OR. It's not just that they lost starters, its the fact that the starters that they lost combine in such a way that the remaining units will be even weaker.
On defense, they lose their entire secondary and although some of the expected replacements have talent (Wallace as an example) none were able to replace anyone in a 2008 secondary that was very average. (Anyone that wants to agrue that should rewatch the Rose Bowl). One way to protect a young secondary is with an agressive Pass Rush. Except they have also lost their two best edge rushers.
On offense, they lose all three starters at WR and with these positions they don't even look to have really otstanding replacements. So they focus on the run with Royster and a athletic Clark. Except they also lose 3 of 5 on the OL including their best player there in Shipley.
They do get us in HV at night and this year it later the usual so they have time to find some answer, but right we should be better and they may lose a game or two earlier in the year.
Well look at what we return as far as "starters":
QB (Daryll Clark, Newsome - early enrollee)
RB(s) (Evan Royster & Stephfon Green)
TE (both Andrew Quarless & Mickey Shuler)
OT (RT Dennis Landolt)
C/OG (Stefen Wisniewski - at center right now)
6'6 230 QB converted to WR, Brett Brackett, has been playing for two years now. Graham Zug got PT and could be decent in the intermediate passing game. We also have two other TEs, former 4* recruit Mark Wedderburn (6'6 230) & Andrew Szczerba (DE GPOTY - 6'6 265).
All of the offensive lineman vying for the opening guard spots are physical specimens, and 5 or 6 of the OL vying for LT, LG, RG were rivals 100, rivals 250 and/or 4* recruits. RS JR OG Lou Eliades, RS FR C/OG Matt Stankiewitch, true sophomore LT DeOn'Tae Pannell, RS SO OG JB Walton, RS SO OG Johnnie Troutman (dropped due to injury in H.S., greyshirted prior to PSU enrollment). WR is where we are in some trouble, hopefully a freshmen or two can make limited contributions, and one of 6'4 RS FR AJ Price, 6'5 RS SO Derek Moye, and 6'1 RS SO Chaz Powell step up.
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LB (Navarro Bowman - stud, Sean Lee - stud, Josh Hull)
DT (Jared Odrick - stud, Ollie Ogbu, Abe Koroma)
We'll also have 6'2 255 RS SR DE Jerome Hayes back after back-to-back ACL surgeries in 2 seasons, one on each knee. 6'5 260 true freshmen DE Jack Crawford played well last year. 6'6 260 greyshirt/RS SO DE Eric Latimore is finally healthy after surgery on both shoulders and is rounding into form. Kevion Latham is more of a tweener at 6'2 245 but he can do some things...there are a # of things we could do, including knocking Bowman down to stand-up DE at times just to allow him the opportunity to attack, which could get a LB combo of Lee-Mauti-Stupar on the field at times.
Not only do all three DT cogs return, but former highly touted DL Devon Still is actually healthy (so far...knock on wood) and he wasn't as a true freshmen or RS freshmen, this will be his first year starting the season without a season-ending injury. RS FR Brandon Ware is 6'4 340, down from 365-270 and may very well play in the rotation as well.
Michael Mauti and/or Nathan Stupar joining Bowman & Lee as the starting 3 is such an improvement physically over Bowman/Hull/Sales it isn't even funny.
AJ Wallace was a 5* recruit that has never put it together at CB, but he'll need to do so now as a true senior. true sophomore D'Anton Lynn had offers from USC, tOSU, Florida, Oklahoma, (etc.) and will likely start opposite...with Knowledge Timmons and a bunch of incoming freshman rounding out the depth. true freshmen early enrollee Gerald Hodges is an absolute monster at 6'3 220 (+), and may very well end up being the starter at Rubin's S position this year...if not 6'3 200 RS SO Nick Sukay could be the one after foot surgery last season.
Massilion (sp?) LB/S Andrew Dailey is getting a look at that S position as well, because it is more run support and he has tremendous lateral quickness and agility...WE SHALL SEE. I think PSU will surprise, it is easy to write PSU off after back-to-back seasons with Anthony Morelli at QB, but let's see what PSU does with Daryll Clark at QB for consecutive years. I didn't see Clark throw into coverage save 3-5 times all year, as a first year starter...Morelli threw into double/sometimes triple coverage even as a second year starter at QB.
Yeah, that transitive theory is bullet proof.
