Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/79325
to shine. He came out [to preseason practice] ready to go, and I expect him to do that every day. He's a good football player, and he's going to play this year." True freshman Akeel Lynch has a running style that is similar to Bel- ton's, but he appears to be a slightly more physical back. He stands 6-0, 205 pounds, and is a very patient runner with impressive speed. In May of his junior year, Lynch ran a 10.6-second hand-timed 100-meter dash. During his senior season at St. Francis High School in Athol Springs, N.Y., Lynch rushed for more than 2,100 yards and 32 touch- downs and was New York's Gatorade Player of the Year. Along with Belton and Lynch, sen- ior Derek Day, redshirt junior Curtis Dukes and redshirt sophomore Zach Zwinak will also factor into the run- ning back equation. With the departure of Justin Brown, junior Shawney Kersey en- ters the season as Penn State's lead- ing returning receiver with six career catches for 110 yards. He is joined by sophomores Allen Robinson and Alex Kenney in the starting lineup. Of those three, Robinson by far had the most productive spring practice session. In this spring's Blue-White Game, he totaled three catches for a game-high 87 yards, including a 41- yard reception. Robinson has the best chance of filling Brown's expected role on of- fense this fall. Physically, he is very reminiscent of Brown. He stands 6- 3, 203 pounds, compared to Brown, who stood 6-3, 209. Robinson credited his improvement this spring to the physical develop- ment he underwent in Penn State's new strength and conditioning pro- gram. "I think it began this winter during workouts," he said. "It's just about hard work. I've gotten a lot bigger and stronger, and that has re- ally helped me. The new strength staff helped me in that area." Robinson also said wide receivers coach Stan Hixon helped him to ma- ture mentally, preparing him to be a full-time starter. "I'm really excited about working with Coach Hixon," Robinson said, "I paid special attention to all the tips he gave me this spring. I can't imag- ine there being a better wide receiver coach in the country. He did it at LSU and the NFL, and he'll produce great wide receivers here at Penn State. He's the ultimate professional with the job he does." While a stable of wide receivers and running backs ready themselves for new roles, much of their success will depend on the performance and co- hesion of the linemen up front – one reason why so many Penn State fans will be closely watching the offensive line this fall. Assistant coach Mac McWhorter has to find four new starters, but fortunately for him, Penn State has some excellent underclassmen on its roster. The star of that group is red- shirt freshman Donovan Smith, who has the potential to be a four-year starter at left tackle and an All-Big Ten performer. Opposite Smith, redshirt junior Adam Gress is projected to start at right tackle, with Miles Dieffenbach at left guard, Matt Stankiewitch at center and John Urschel at right guard. The good news here is that only Stankiewitch graduates after this season, and Angelo Mangiro, a redshirt freshman, is projected to re- place him at center in 2013. This year, however, Stankiewitch is the established leader of an otherwise in- experienced offensive line. Penn State also has wonderful leadership from Michael Mauti, Michael Zordich, Gerald Hodges and Matt McGloin and a dedicated group of underclassmen who believe in O'Brien and his coaching staff. This may surprise you, but I truly believe this team – with the help of underclassmen like Belton, Lynch, Smith, Amos, Barnes, Zettel and Baublitz – can win eight or nine games this fall and be a force in Big Ten football. They aren't going to a bowl game, but they definitely deserve the un- equivocal support of fans and alum- ni. 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