Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/144988
plaint. Playing on the scout team – or the "Dirty Show" as it's come to be known under O'Brien – helped him understand that he still had work to do as he transitioned both to the college game and to a new position. "I realized I had a lot of things that I needed to work on," he said. "At the end of the day, I knew it was going to help me, so I'm grateful for that redshirt." Lewis concentrated on his route running and learned how to disengage from press coverage. He approached his work on the scout team as a chance to show what he had learned and to make an impression on the coaching staff. Which, by all accounts, he did. "When you're on the Dirty Show, you just want to make plays," Lewis said. "You're going against the first defense, so if you can do it against the first defense that we had last year, then you know things are going well." Even without Lewis, things went spectacularly well for Penn State's wide receivers last fall. Robinson led the Big Ten with 77 catches for 1,013 yards and was named the league's Receiver of the Year, while Brandon MosebyFelder came on strong in the second half of the season, averaging 3.6 receptions and 52.6 yards in Penn State's final seven games. They're both back this fall, as are reserves Matt Zanellato and Alex Kenney. Throw in one of the better tight end contingents in the country and a tailback who started out his career at wideout (Bill Belton), and the Nittany Lions have plenty of options in the passing game. "We've got a lot of guys coming back, and a lot of young guys coming up," Lewis said. "I'm really excited for this season." After sitting out last fall, Lewis made his Beaver Stadium debut this past April in the Blue-White Game. It wasn't a breakthrough performance – he finished the game with one catch for 8 yards – but it was another step toward his real debut, the one he'll make on Aug. 31 when Penn State opens its season against Syracuse. Lewis is eager for that day to arrive, and so is O'Brien. "I can't say enough about him," the second-year coach said. "I think he's got an excellent future here at Penn I State, and I love coaching him." BREAKOUT PERFORMER Carter enjoyed a tremendous freshman season, finishing second on the team with 36 catches for 453 yards and two touchdowns.