Blue White Illustrated

box, how to play coverage," O'Brien said. "What more can we ask of that guy? He's a fantastic kid and he's a very important part of our program." When Obeng-Agyapong first changed positions, the move was met with some skepticism. He was Penn State's iron man, having seen action in every game of his career on special teams or at defensive back, and at 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, his size prompted questions: How would he handle the rigors of the Big Ten as a member of the front seven instead of the secondary? How would the move affect his professional hopes? As ObengAgyapong acknowledged, "I'm way too undersized to be a linebacker in the NFL. " But to players with professional aspirations, versatility is an invaluable asset. Obeng-Agyapong is hoping his year at line- backer bolsters his resume. As with the view from his New Jersey hotel window, he has now seen the football field from a new perspective. That adds to his value. He said he has a newfound respect for linebackers and their game-day responsibilities. Setting the defensive front, identifying the keys and reading the offensive guards – it's part of the overall strategy now. Last year those tasks were almost an afterthought. Said ObengAgyapong, "It definitely helps me because I've seen both aspects of the game – as a linebacker in the box and a DB in the backfield, so it definitely helps enhance my game." Obeng-Agyapong has an artistic side. His tattoos are of cultural symbols from his parents' native country of Ghana and other parts of Africa. He is first-generation American, and his hyphenated surname derives from the Akan language spoken in Ghana and Ivory Coast. It translates to Wisdom-Success. He's taken a few art classes throughout college, even though his degree is in information sciences technology. (He's working on a second degree in security risk analysis.) Charcoal or pencil, drawing is his specialty and a longtime hobby that he said used to be his "passion." He also has inked a few oil paintings. Landscapes are his favorite – beaches, countrysides, city skylines. "I like drawing them more than anything," he said. In order for him to draw a landscape, though, he must capture a moment in his mind. A screenshot, of sorts. The skills involved in that process, Obeng-Agyapong said, translate onto the football field. A Tale of the tape Film study helps turn Jordan Lucas into a rising star for the Nittany Lions | he camera doesn't lie. No matter what they think they did on Saturday afternoon, no matter what they think they saw in the heat of battle, the true story is found on those videos that Jordan Lucas and his teammates watch when they evaluate their performances. Often, there's a fairly sizable discrepancy between perception and reality. "Your mind plays tricks on you sometimes," Lucas said. "But when you watch the film, you can actually sit down and see what coverage you were in. You see what they gave you and see what you messed up. When you break the film down, that's when you'll have your answers. " Lucas, a sophomore cornerback, has spent a lot of time breaking down T film both of himself and his opponents this year. Eager to refine his game, the first-year starter has been trying to eliminate telltale tendencies that opposing receivers and quarterbacks could potentially exploit. "Just as we study wide receivers and quarterbacks, they study us, too, and we have tendencies," he said. "Sometimes you have to break those [habits] that you do, just to give them a different picture. That's what I look at." The film work has helped turn Lucas into one of Penn State's rising stars. He's started every game for the Nittany Lions, and through 10 games he ranked third on the team with 53 tackles. He also collected a teamhigh three interceptions. In Penn State's victory over Illi- nois, his understanding of the game's finer points helped him make one of the most important plays of the afternoon. On the Illini's first drive, he intercepted a Nathan Scheelhaase pass on the right sideline, ending a possession that seemed likely to result in points. Lucas said that as he saw the play develop, he knew exactly where the ball would be. "The coverage we were in allowed me to stay on top of the receiver, he " explained. "As soon as I saw the route, I knew Jesse [Della Valle] was going to break under it, and as soon as he threw the ball, I knew it was going to be a tipped ball. So I didn't move. I stayed right there, and the ball just happened to come to me. " Lucas hasn't just been working

• Cover