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Let the gloves continue to drop

First Posted: 9/7/2012 The first road game for this Penn State group. And don't let Virginia's modest 60,000-seat stadium fool you. These fans can be as harsh as any in the Big Ten. Last year at Ohio State and Wisconsin, the reaction to the Nittany Lions from the crowd was somewhat subdued because of the horrible gravity of the situation.
Some time has passed. Expect things to be fair game from a fan standpoint. Expect the crowds to be much more hostile from this point forward. And expect a more entertaining game in the second half this week.
--derek
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<div style="text-align: center">VIRGINIA vs. PENN STATE&amp;nbsp;</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">QUARTERBACK</div>
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Funny how things work out. Michael Rocco, a would-be legacy recruit for Penn State, impressed Joe Paterno's staff enough at a camp three years ago that they were interested in bringing him aboard. The problem, of course, was that they already had early verbal commitments from Rob Bolden and Paul Jones, who were considered two of the top QB recruits in the country at the time. So they had to offer Rocco a greyshirt to enroll a semester later and count against the next year's scholarship limit. But Rocco had other major offers and chose UVA after a coaching change at his original pick of Louisville. Rocco is already far more accomplished than both Jones and Bolden. As for Matt McGloin, there were plenty of signs that he can handle this new offense at Penn State, and he should continue to improve. EDGE: UVA
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<div style="text-align: center">RUNNING BACK</div>
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It's a delayed launch to Bill Belton's career as a tailback as the sophomore is back in State College resting up this weekend because of an ankle injury. That means former walk-on (run-on... whatever) Derek Day will get the start. Bill O'Brien said Thursday that Curtis Dukes will also get his first carries of the season. Other healthy backs are Zach Zwinak and true freshman Akeel Lynch, though O'Brien said Thursday that the vets will get their shot first. It will be a fluid situation. Virginia will also rotate guys in the backfield, with the versatile Perry Jones leading the way. Khalek Shepherd and Kevin Parks also figure to see time after all three were successful in a leisurely rout of FCS Richmond in last week's opener.&amp;nbsp;EDGE: UVA
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<div style="text-align: center;">RECEIVER</div>
<img style="float: right;" src="http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm187/dlevarse/Penn_State-1.gif" alt="" width="150" height="113" />Neither team is terribly experienced here. Junior Tim Smith and sophomore Darius Jennings are the top targets for the Cavaliers. Lions sophomore Allen Robinson showed why Bill O'Brien and the coaching staff were praising him in the summer with a nine-catch effort that led all Big Ten receivers on opening weekend. Not too shabby. Question marks remain after that, but tight end Kyle Carter was impressive in his first collegiate game. O'Brien said this week he would like to balance out his offense by running more, but with Belton unavailable, it's receivers like Robinson, Shawney Kersey and Alex Kenney who are going to have to step up to win this game for Penn State. EDGE: PSU
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<div style="text-align: center">OFFENSIVE LINE</div>
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Both of Virginia's starting tackles have a shot to play on Sundays. And senior left tackle Oday Aboushi will be as good as anyone the Lions will face in the Big Ten. On the right side, Morgan Moses is no slouch either. Penn State players remarked this week that the size of the Hoos' line across the board stands out immediately. Bill O'Brien praised the play of his offenive line in the opener, saying it was arguably his team's best unit against Ohio. The line didn't allow a sack and was consistent outside of a stretch where LT Donovan Smith was forced to the sideline and things got shuffled around. O'Brien said on his radio show Thursday that he expects to rotate some guys a bit more with Adam Gress at tackle and Angelo Mangiro and West Scranton's Eric Shrive at guard.&amp;nbsp;EDGE: UVA
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<div style="text-align: center;">DEFENSIVE LINE</div>
<img style="float: right;" src="http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm187/dlevarse/Penn_State-1.gif" alt="" width="150" height="113" />A disappointing start for Penn State's front four, which never really had a chance to tee off on Ohio's Tyler Tettleton because of his quick release on three-step drops in the Bobcats' spread offense. Senior DT Jordan Hill said the unit has to do a better job of recognizing when pressure on the QB is not possible in those instances, instead focusing on disengaging from blockers in order to get arms up and swat down those short passes at the line. Hill and DaQuan Jones will have to be strong up the middle in this one, because the Lions' rushers on the edge will have their hands full with Virginia's tackles. The Cavs, likewise, didn't have a dominant day on the pass rush last week, finishing without a sack. EDGE: PSU 
 
<div style="text-align: center">LINEBACKER</div>
<img style="float: right;" src="http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm187/dlevarse/Penn_State-1.gif" alt="" width="150" height="113" />Michael Mauti and Gerald Hodges combined for 23 tackles in the opener, and that's with the latter missing a few drives with a sore knee. Of course, they had plenty of opportunities because the defense couldn't get off the field in the second half, something the players have taken very personally this week. True freshman Nyeem Wartman is on the trip after serving as the second-string MLB behind Glenn Carson and coming through with that huge punt block, which drew accolades from Bill O'Brien. Against a pro-style offense this week, the Lions' linebackers will have a chance to shine again. The Cavs have some talent here, too, namely MLB Steve Greer, who ranks second among active ACC players in career tackles. LaRoy Reynolds has also been solid for Virginia. EDGE: PSU 
<div style="text-align: center"> SECONDARY</div>
<img style="float: left;" src="http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm187/dlevarse/UVA.gif" alt="" width="150" height="113" />As last week's game went along, it certainly showed that Penn State was breaking in a new starting unit in the defensive backfield. Losing Stephon Morris to an ankle injury didnt' help either. Morris is expected to start and play this week, though he may not be entirely at 100 percent. One imagines Virginia will try to test out his mobility in the early going. Despite a penalty, true freshman Da'Quan Davis handled himself well enough in Morris' absence. Experience is also a concern here for Virginia, which is one of just three FBS teams in the country to not start any seniors in the secondary. Sophomore corner Demetrious Nicholson played plenty as a rookie and is emerging as a special talent.&amp;nbsp;EDGE: UVA
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<div style="text-align: center;">SPECIAL TEAMS</div>
<img style="float: left;" src="http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm187/dlevarse/UVA.gif" alt="" width="150" height="113" />Things aren't going to be getting better any time soon for the Lions. Despite that aforementioned blocked punt, the problems here remain massive. Bill O'Brien was right to be concerned about his punting game after a rocky start for Alex Butterworth. The return games remain a huge question mark after linebacker Gerald Hodges was pressed into service on kickoffs and punts last week, losing a fumble. Right now, Penn State would just settle for a bit of stability and worry about fine-tuning things later. This week, the coverage units will also be put to the test against the Cavs, who averaged better than 30 yards last week on kick returns. Special teams has been an offseason focus for UVA coach Mike London.&amp;nbsp;EDGE: UVA
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<div style="text-align: center;">OUTLOOK</div>
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Penn State is understandably a 10-point underdog in this one, though the term itself doesn't mean too much to the players after what they've been through. What was so surprising about last week's loss was that the script was flipped -- the Lions expected to be the ones taking over the game in the second half and pulling away after some early emotional chaos. It's very, very difficult to get a read on this team's psyche given all that's involved, but I don't think this is a group that's just going to roll over and go through the motions of what will be a difficult season. Playing against a non-spread offense should me more comfortable for the suddenly faltering defense, and I expect the touch and accuracy on Matt McGloin's deep ball to be notably better this week. There wasn't much to suggest from that first week that Penn State could come out and beat a major conference team on the road, but here we are. I thought last month that the Lions would finish 7-5 with a 3-1 mark in the non-conference slate. I'll stick with that. EDGE: PSU
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PREDICTION: PENN&amp;nbsp;STATE 28, VIRGINIA 24

NITTANY NOTES: Lions-Cavs breakdown