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police officers found marijuana and LSD at their on-campus apartment in August. OUTLOOK Penn State's depth here is formidable, regardless of whether there are any on-field ramifications for Ford. Journey Brown and Noah Cain combined for 1,333 yards and 20 touchdowns last season, while four-star Florida prospects Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee joined the program in the off-sea- son. Holmes reportedly impressed in winter workouts before everything got shut down. So, as it stands now, Penn State has one of the most enviable back- field situations of any team in the coun- try. One possibility that was weighing heavily on the minds of some Penn State watchers in early September was that Brown might consider opting out of the season. He doesn't boast an ex- tensive college resume, having only emerged as an elite running back in the second half of last season. But the peo- ple who study such things seem to like what they've seen so far. Neal Driscoll of ProFootballNetwork.com called him one of the five best draft-eligible run- ning backs in the country, trailing only Clemson's Travis Etienne, Alabama's Najee Harris, Oklahoma State's Chuba Hubbard and Memphis's Kenneth Gainwell. Gainwell, who had 34 yards and a touchdown in the Cotton Bowl last year, has already announced that he's sitting out the season in anticipa- tion of the draft; as of this writing, Brown hadn't said anything about join- ing him. WIDE RECEIVER WHAT WE SAID IN AUGUST "Given the abundant youth at this position group, along with the arrival of a new assistant coach, losing spring practice was a sig- nificant blow. … There's no substitute for structured practice reps with hands- on instruction and in-person feedback. The Lions didn't get any of that this past spring, so now they're having to cram months of face-to-face learning into a relatively brief practice window leading up to the season." – Matt Herb WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE Not a lot of newsworthy happenings here. The Lions haven't had any injuries, transfers or de- fections, so the extremely tentative depth chart they released in April is pretty much intact – and every bit as tentative as it was in the spring. OUTLOOK The Lions aren't very experi- enced at this position group, with six of their 10 scholarship wideouts holding freshman eligibility. That being the case, they haven't had to worry much about anyone forgoing the upcoming season to prepare for the NFL. Hardly any of their receivers are even eligible for the draft, and the ones who are eligible still have a They know how important it is that they learn how their play-caller oper- ates with the season coming so soon. "It's not like they started with a blank slate," Ciarrocca said. "Let's be honest about that. These guys have been well- coached and they had some good, sound thought processes already." Of course, it's been crucial for Ciar- rocca to learn about his quarterbacks as well. In Clifford, he said, the talent is what stands out. "He can throw and run," Ciarrocca said. "He's a natural leader, a guy who's extremely driven and committed to being the best player that he can possi- bly be. His actions are constantly back- ing up that vision. He wants to be coached, which is a trait that excep- tional players – anybody who is at a very high level – you always hear that about them that they're the type of guy who wants to be coached and wants to learn and is a quick learner. I can't say enough good things about him." For Levis, who appeared in seven games and even started against Ohio State with Clifford injured, an ability to read the game is key. "Will is a guy who's got a high level of intelligence," Ciarrocca said. "A lot of talent. Big arm. It might be as strong an arm as I've been around. Will doesn't have quite the amount of experience that Sean has had, so he's still learning some of the things Sean might have al- ready experienced out there with it. But he's a super talented, super tough guy – a guy who can beat you with his arm and his legs." Ciarrocca also touched on Ta'Quan Roberson and Micah Bowens, two ex- citing young quarterbacks whom Penn State fans are only starting to get to know. "Ta'Quan, having not seen him play in a live situation yet that really mat- ters, he's really growing," Ciarrocca said. "I've seen a tremendous amount of improvement with him. His mind is starting to work a lot more, where I think that for him, he's always been able to just go out there and play and his talent has taken over, but I think he understands the value of being able to think and process information before the snap." Like Roberson, Ciarrocca hasn't seen much of Bowens, but he hasn't needed to see a lot in order to identify his tal- ent. "Everything is new for him, and he didn't have the head start that these guys have had with learning every- thing, so it's really hard," Ciarrocca said. "Micah is a talented young man. I think it's really hard to evaluate a quarterback until you've given him enough time to learn everything and get enough repetitions so that he's not still thinking on every single play when the ball is snapped. Because with quarterbacks, you have to do all your thinking before the ball is snapped. When the ball is snapped, now you have to react. But I'm pleased with Micah and his work ethic and the tal- ent that he has." ■

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