Blue White Illustrated

INTO Penn State needs cornerbacks to emerge A CORNER With Stephon Morris gone, NAT E   BAU E R   The story of former Penn State cornerback Stephon Morris is well known at this point. Frustrated with playing time throughout his first three seasons with the Nittany Lions, Morris considered a transfer last off-season – before the NCAA sanctions were ever announced. "I was pretty much leaving after last season. When Tom Bradley and [the previous coaches] were still here, I was pretty much out the door," he said before the 2012 season. "Once Bill O'Brien got here, even when the sanctions were handed down, I never thought about leaving. I was going to stay once Coach O'Brien got here." By the end of the season, Morris's decision had paid off completely. Under the direction of then-secondary coach John Butler, Morris thrived in Ted Roof's defense, frequently shutting down opponents' best receivers while racking up 60 tackles, fifth-best on the team. Although he didn't record an interception, Morris was one of the most effective athletes in the defensive backfield. "[Morris] is a guy who I got to know basically right when I came here because he is a sociable guy and he is passionate about the game of football," O'Brien said at season's end. "And he wanted to do really well this year and he wanted to go out there and help this team win. I know just like all of us, I'm sure he wishes that we had won more games, but it wasn't because of Stephon. Stephon went out there every single day and got better, did a great job of working on his technique, played within the scheme that was called. "You can't say enough about Stephon, playing some and not playing some, and now coming in there this year and he's done a nice job. That's not an easy position to play in our defense because there is a lot of man coverage on your own and you have to come up with big plays." Of course, Morris's counterpart, Adrian Amos, had a pretty good season of his own. Along with his 44 tackles, Amos had a pair of interceptions, three passes broken up and five passes defended. He'll need to step up even more this spring and take the reins from Morris in M A R C H | NBAUER@BLUEWHITEONLINE.COM SHUTDOWN STAR A returning starter, Amos needs to be a leader among the cornerbacks. Steve Manuel order for Penn State to have an effective defensive backfield. Clearly, Penn State's coaching staff will hope for one of its defensive backs to lead the team in interceptions, unlike this past season when linebacker Michael Mauti's three picks were the highest on the squad. Plus, with Amos' first interception not coming until the Ohio State game – a full eight weeks into the season – it was also the first of the season for the secondary. So Penn State will need to improve on creating turnovers this spring. With Amos established as a fixture in the backfield, the big question that remains for Penn State is how the opposite cornerback position will be filled for the season. And that will likely be determined during spring practice. As a true freshman last season, Da'Quan Davis played in 11 games, making three pass breakups, defending 2 0 , 2 0 1 3 4 three passes, and recovering a fumble. However, he was a mystery missing man at times during the season, and some less-than-stellar practices contributed to his lack of playing time, especially toward the end of the season. Penn State will need consistent performances from the rising sophomore to stabilize its defensive backfield, especially with the loss of Morris. Junior cornerback Jesse Della Valle also saw plenty of action last season, playing in all 12 games and racking up seven tackles. He, too, will be a contender for the starting spot opposite Amos. Additionally, look for both of Penn State's early-enrollee defensive backs – Anthony Smith and Jordan Smith – to begin their careers at cornerback. However, there is a possibility that either or both could move to safety as the off-season progresses. B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

• Cover