PSU Receivers Set Up

Entering the 2009 Penn State football season, lots was made of how the PSU receiving corps would likely be a weakness. Granted, Penn State lost multi-year starters Deon Butler, Derrick Williams and Jordon Norwood. However, Penn State fans need not look far to understand that coming into the 2009 season, the receivers are not the weakness that many might have expected. Let's turn the clock back to 2005. Penn State was coming off an atrocious 4-7 campaign. The offense was the glaring weakness in 2004. The 2005 team had an offensive rejuvenation where the receiving corps was led by 3 true freshman. Being true freshman, those 3 guys (named above) obviously had no collegiate football experience. The 2005 season yielded an 11-1 record, a Big Ten Championship and an Orange Bowl victory.

Fast forward back to 2009. Is it so inconceivable that the 2009 PSU receivers can produce at a level provided by the "big three" from 2005? I have argued this offseason that we are in better shape at receiver in 2009 than we were during our 11-1 campaign in 2005. This year, we return game experience as well as a dimension that was missing from our departed seniors, height. In the first game of the 2009 season, Daryl Clark passed for 353 yards and new receivers Derek Moye, Chaz Powell and Graham Zug had 138, 65 and 62 yards receiving respectively (all 3 receivers had a TD reception). That's an impressive debut for 3 players that were supposed to be a weak link.

I know the national media needs story lines for every team, but a position of weakness coming into this season should not have been the wide receivers. They all may be new starters, but they are not new to the collegiate level. Also, don't under estimate the advantage of having Daryl Clark as the signal caller. He was the Big Ten's top QB from a year ago and provides a strong sense a leadership to the new wide receivers. Although Michael Robinson was a great leader throughout the 2005 run, he was also not a seasoned starter when he took control of the offense in '05.

I expect great contributions from the PSU receiving corps throughout the 2009 season. Their debut against Akron did not leave me disappointed. What did leave me disappointed was a sub-par second half and only 136 team rushing yards. The offensive line has to step up.