Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/215616
Face-to-face, Belton presents himself as one of the Nittany Lions' more measured, thoughtful individuals. He speaks deliberately and with patience, and his answers suggest a depth that one doesn't often hear in the fast-paced, canned-quote world of major college football. But in Belton's first two years at Penn State, those qualities did not always extend into the classroom. Though the New Jersey native finished his true freshman year in fine academic standing, his ascent to the starting tailback position last season altered his path. A debilitating high-ankle sprain in the season opener against Ohio immediately followed, leaving him in an unfamiliar, unsettling place. "My sophomore year was when everything started going south. I think it was mainly because of football, Belton said. " "I wasn't playing that much, and when bad things happen like that, you tend to just close off, like, 'I don't care about football or school or anything like that. I ' think by struggling on the field, it definitely caused me to struggle in the classroom. " On the field, Belton finished the season with eight appearances and five starts, but his 263 rushing yards on 60 attempts were a personal disappointment when paired against his high preseason expectations. Off the field, the results were even less positive. Majoring in recreation, park and tourism management, he was trading the general education classes of his first year on campus for a much more demanding curriculum. The injury and the frustration it caused compounded the academic challenges he was facing, and the result was an up-and-down sophomore season and a downward spiral in the classroom. Belton had been so single-minded in his pursuit of a National Football League career that he neglected his other obligation as a student-athlete. "The reason you're here is to get a degree – and play football, Belton said. "I came " into it thinking that I was just going to play football, that school is school, and whatever. "Now, it's at the point where things are starting to equal out and I know it's important now. When everyone asked what P E N N S TAT E R S I N T H E N F L Western reunion Two former Lions renew acquaintances in San Diego | ich Ohrnberger and Johnnie Troutman were Penn State teammates for just one season, the 2008 campaign. But their bond remains strong, not only as fellow offensive linemen and as ex-Nittany Lions, but also because they are now teammates again in San Diego. "Yeah, it's great," said Ohrnberger, who is in his fifth NFL season and his first as a Charger. "Having Johnnie here, he is such a talented player and also just a great guy in general. A lot of catching up at first and now it's back to the good old days of sitting next to each other at lunch and having a lot of fun." Troutman agrees that having a fellow Penn State alumnus, especially one known for his great sense of humor and comedic stylings as Ohrn- R berger, currently the Chargers' backup center, is a huge positive in this, his second NFL season. "It's been a real good time," Troutman said. "We've got that connection working. Rich is a funny guy, so that helps lighten up the room and the team as a whole." Of course, the major difference between them is that Ohrnberger already has four years in the league under his belt, having spent his first three seasons in New England, where he was part of a Super Bowl team, and then playing last season in Arizona before signing with San Diego this past off-season. One reason he became a Charger was because his former head coach with the Cardinals, Ken Whisenhunt, is San Diego's new offensive coordinator, and this 27-year-old lineman is loving life under Whisenhunt with the Bolts. "It's been a really, really positive experience. The coaching staff is great. [Whisenhunt] is partially responsible for my being here. I'm comfortable with his system. It's just a great energy in the coaching staff and it's a really positive change in my life, Ohrnberger said. "I love it in " San Diego. "