Experience helped Morelli with spotlight
August 02, 2007
by Jeff Rice
CHICAGO -- Going into last season, his first as Penn State's starting quarterback, Anthony Morelli knew his pre-snap reads. He knew where he was going with the football if a blitz came.
What he didn't know -- at least not as well as he does now -- was how to be at ease under the Penn State football microscope.
"Being a starting quarterback at Penn State is a rollercoaster," Morelli said Wednesday at Big Ten Media Days. "You have your ups and downs; you might blow it up. You've just got to put it behind you, and not pay attention to it."
Morelli's up-and-down junior season included a few testy moments with the media, but he was relaxed and confident Wednesday about the prospects for his senior season. The Nittany Lions return three starters on the offensive line -- two more than they did last season -- and a host of talented and experienced receivers. Their quarterback is more than ready to return to the field.
"His confidence level is up, and he's just making unbelievable throws," Penn State linebacker Dan Connor. "He's threading the needle, great on the long ball. Him and the receivers' timing is some of the best I've ever seen. And it's really showing this summer with the 7-on-7 drills that we do."
Although he has yet to decide if he wants to name Morelli or Connor, or any Nittany Lion, a team captain, Penn State coach Joe Paterno is comfortable with the ball in the hands of the 6-foot-4 senior from Penn Hills.
"I think Morelli's doing well," Paterno said. "I'm anxious to watch him. I think that Anthony had to put up with a lot of mishaps that were not his fault. We didn't play really well against some football teams last year. We had a chance to beat a couple of pretty good teams and we didn't because we made mistakes. But not Morelli."
Fifth time's the charm
Morelli's expected backfield partner will be fifth-year senior tailback Austin Scott, who has potentially 13 more games to live up to the considerable hype that followed him from Parkland High School in Allentown.
"He's been working really hard. He's changed his attitude completely -- he's really focused and serious," Morelli said. "He's eager to get out there on the field and prove people wrong."
Scott led the Nittany Lions in rushing as a freshman in 2003 before losing the starting job to Tony Hunt the following year. He redshirted last fall, working with the foreign team and trying to prove to the coaches that he would be a more-than-capable replacement for Hunt this season.
Paterno still needs some convincing.
"I think Austin Scott's just gotta be a little more consistent," Paterno said. "When he wakes up in the morning, he can't be one guy one morning and another guy the next morning. And I think he's much better than he was. ... We'll see. But I think he's closer to where he's gotta be to be a big-time, consistent college tailback than he was a year ago."
Loading up
Connor, who never played with more than 225 pounds on his 6-foot-3 frame at any time during his first three seasons, said he weighed in Tuesday at 239 pounds, a daunting prospect for Big Ten tailbacks. The senior from Wallingford, who moved from outside linebacker to middle linebacker this spring to replace Paul Posluszny, believes the extra bulk will only increase his production.
"I feel good running, I feel good moving," he said. "Hopefully it'll give me a little extra pop on my hits."
Connor will play behind a number of young defensive linemen this season as the Nittany Lions search for replacements for productive tackles Jay Alford and Ed Johnson. The lone senior on the first-team defense has liked what he has seen this summer from sophomores Maurice Evans and Jared Odrick.
"Those two guys on the D-line have proven themselves in the offseason," Connor said. "Great players, tough guys and they've just been hungry to get on the field. When they get their chance, they're gonna make something happen."
Future schedules
Penn State's 2008 non-conference schedule includes home dates with Arkansas State and Division I-AA Coastal Carolina as well as a road trip to Syracuse. The Nittany Lions will host Eastern Michigan, Syracuse and Temple in 2009. The fourth non-conference game for both seasons has yet to be announced.
