Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/215616
DEPTH CHART no telling where I would be, he said. " "That definitely helped with my development as a player and as a person. "I wouldn't say I regret it, he added. " "It helped me learn from my mistakes. It happened, so I've just got to learn from it and just fix it. In the summer, I was playing catch-up, and when I finally got over the hump, I said, 'All right, I'm not going back to having those bad grades and having that type of year I had last year. " ' Belton hasn't looked back. Through 10 games this season, he led the Nittany Lions with 796 yards and had five touchdowns on 154 carries, racking up an average of just under 80 yards per game on the ground on top of his 153 yards and two touchdowns receiving. For O'Brien, seeing Belton develop a new perspective on life – while enjoying success on the field at the same time – has been a rewarding experience. "He wasn't doing well in the classroom when I got here, the coach said. " "He's doing better there. It's still a work in progress for him academically, but he works hard at it. Obviously he's playing well on the field, so it always makes you feel good when good kids do well." Regardless of how much success he has on the field, Belton is happy to be doing what he loves. Feeding off the criticism of skeptics who doubted his potential as a running back, he went into Penn State's home finale against Nebraska just 179 yards shy of reaching the 1,000-yard rushing milestone for the first time in his career. That was a personal goal before the start of the season, and he continues to pursue it as the end comes into view, all while maintaining perspective on the near-miss off the field that brought him to this point. "I love being doubted, Belton said. " "A lot of people didn't think I was that good. They didn't think I should be playing running back, I should be playing receiver and all this other stuff. "I think if I accomplish that, it would I silence a lot of stuff. " DEFENSE OFFENSE QUARTERBACK LEFT END 14 Christian Hackenberg (6-4, 220, Fr.) 5 Tyler Ferguson (6-3, 213, So.) OR 18 Deion Barnes (6-4, 245, So.) 98 Anthony Zettel (6-5, 258, So.) RUNNING BACK OR LEFT TACKLE 1 Bill Belton (5-10, 205, Jr.) 28 Zach Zwinak (6-1, 240, Jr.) 22 Akeel Lynch (6-0, 211, Fr.) 91 DaQuan Jones (6-3, 318, Sr.) 72 Brian Gaia (6-3, 280, Fr.) WIDE RECEIVER 8 7 Allen Robinson (6-3, 210, Jr.) Eugene Lewis (6-1, 201, Fr.) RIGHT TACKLE OR 84 Kyle Baublitz (6-5, 281, Jr.) 99 Austin Johnson (6-4, 302, Fr.) RIGHT END WIDE RECEIVER 86 C.J. Olaniyan (6-3, 244, Jr.) 95 Carl Nassib (6-6, 244, So.) 85 Brandon Felder (6-2, 200, Sr.) 80 Matt Zanellato (6-3, 203, So.) OUTSIDE LINEBACKER TIGHT END – Y 43 Mike Hull (6-0, 227, Jr.) 26 Brandon Bell (6-1, 226, Fr.) 18 Jesse James (6-7, 257, So.) 81 Adam Breneman (6-4, 235, Fr.) INSIDE LINEBACKER TIGHT END – F 40 Glenn Carson (6-3, 235, Sr.) 8 Gary Wooten (6-2, 238, Fr.) 87 Kyle Carter (6-3, 243, So.) 81 Adam Breneman (6-4, 235, Fr.) OUTSIDE LINEBACKER LEFT TACKLE 5 7 76 Donovan Smith (6-5, 327, So.) 58 Adam Gress (6-6, 320, Sr.) Nyeem Wartman (6-1, 241, Fr.) S. Obeng-Agyapong (5-10, 205, Sr.) LEFT CORNERBACK LEFT GUARD 65 Miles Dieffenbach (6-3, 295, Jr.) 66 Angelo Mangiro (6-3, 304, So.) CENTER OR 9 Jordan Lucas (6-0, 193, So.) 3 Da'Quan Davis (5-10, 164, So.) 16 Devin Pryor (5-10, 174, So.) SAFETY 60 Ty Howle (6-0, 293, Sr.) 66 Angelo Mangiro (6-3, 304, So.) 55 Wendy Laurent 6-2, 283, Fr.) RIGHT GUARD OR 64 John Urschel (6-3, 300, Sr.) 66 Angelo Mangiro (6-3, 303, So.) 56 Anthony Alosi (6-4, 283, So.) RIGHT TACKLE OR 77 Garry Gilliam (6-6, 305, Jr.) 58 Adam Gress (6-6, 320, Sr.) OR 1 Malcolm Willis (5-11, 205, Sr.) 39 Jesse Della Valle (6-1, 190, Jr.) SAFETY 23 Ryan Keiser (6-1, 205, Sr.) 39 Jesse Della Valle (6-1, 190, Jr.) RIGHT CORNERBACK 4 Adrian Amos (6-0, 215, Jr.) 10 Trevor Williams (6-1, 187, So.) 12 Jordan Smith (5-11, 183, Fr.) SPECIAL TEAMS KICKER KICKOFF RETURNER 97 Sam Ficken (6-2, 184, Jr.) 25 Von Walker (5-11, 199, Fr.) 7 Eugene Lewis (6-1, 201, Fr.) PUNTER 45 Alex Butterworth (5-10, 206, Sr.) HOLDER OR PUNT RETURNER 39 Jesse Della Valle (6-1, 190, Jr.) 25 Von Walker (5-11, 199, Fr.) 27 Adam Geiger (5-9, 191, Fr.) 45 Alex Butterworth (5-10, 206, Sr.)