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P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> side is "just a matter of getting the form back down and just being more dominant with your right foot, right hand and things like that. It's de5nitely an adjust- ment, but it's something you get used to pretty quickly [by] just getting work at practice and things like that." But no matter how many reps he's got- ten on the practice 5elds, there is no du- plicating the speed of a game or the environment that players face when they enter a college football stadium on Satur- days. He said that with each game he's played, he's grown more at ease. A big part of the acclimation process, he said, has simply been "a matter of really trusting yourself and being more con5- dent overall." Coming from an o7ense that ran the ball frequently in high school, Fries was most secure in his ability to run block when he entered college. Now he's focusing on his pass-set technique, and his steady im- provement illustrates why he's been one of the 5rst backups to see action when some- one goes down, no matter the position. "In my opinion I would think I'm a bet- ter run blocker," Fries said. "That's some- thing that I worked a lot on in high school. It has come more natural to me. There are a lot of technique adjustments with jumping to the college level with pass protection. That's something that I keep working on and getting better and better on every day, just re5ning my technique to become the best player possible." ■ A native of Pitts- burgh, Joe Moor- head has his own recruiting territory. All of Penn State's assistant coaches are responsible for identifying and tar- geting prospects who hail from their respective geo- graphic areas. But Moorhead, the Nit- tany Lions' second-year o7ensive coordinator, has additional duties when it comes to recruiting. Not only does he put a stamp of approval on everyone of- fered to play on his side of the ball, he is in charge of discovering the best quar- terbacks from throughout the country, those who have the tools to operate a scheme that has been rewriting the record books at Penn State. He looks at tangibles and intangibles alike, skills that can be quanti5ed and those that don't show up on the stat sheet. "Can they beat you with their arm? Can they beat you with their legs? Can they beat you with their brain?" Moor- head asks. "How good of a leader are they? Are they a winner? Do they come from a winning program? All those things… paint a picture of the type of guy you would like to have lead your program." When he's on the recruiting trail, that's what he's looking for. On his team are players who serve as models for the kind of prospects he's looking for. Moor- head recently evaluated each of the four scholarship quarterbacks on Penn State's roster. Here's what he had to say: ON TRACE McSORLEY When you look at objective, measurable criteria, I think Trace has done a very good job. He's at or near the top of the majority of the passing categories in the Big Ten. When you compare it to the opening four games of last year… he's way ahead of where he was last year in passing yards. He's doubled his touchdowns. He's low- ered his turnovers. He's rushed for about 200 more yards, and he's about right at the pace where he was 5nishing o7 last season. He's directing an o7ense that's averaging 40 points a game and 500 yards. Our explosive plays are up 15 from our 5rst four games of last year. ON TOMMY STEVENS Tommy has done a very good job in the two-quarterback package. I think his positional 6exibility [and his ability] to operate the o7ense as a true quarterback while also having the skill set to be a runner and be a pass re- ceiver gives us a diverse package [in order] to utilize the things that he does well. That [package] will continue to grow throughout the season. When Tommy has had an opportunity to be in there as a true quarterback, I think he's shown the ability to move the ball down the 5eld and put points on the board, which is a very comfortable feeling to have. ON SEAN CLIFFORD Sean is a guy who has shown tremendous maturity as a true freshman. He was very well- coached in high school by Coach [Steve] Specht and those guys out in Cincinnati and really has a grasp of o7ensive foot- ball and put a lot of work in on his own to come into this season to understand what we're trying to do and why. We're very excited about Sean's progress and his potential. ON JAKE ZEMBIEC Jake has done a very good job. Like the other younger guys, when we go through the week with the o7ense that's going to play in the game with the travel squad, you really only have two guys getting reps, so everyone else in there is getting mental reps and going through individuals and things like that, throwing routes on air. Once you get in-season, it's not like spring ball or fall camp where you're repping out a bunch of guys. You have to get the ones and twos ready for game situations. But Jake is doing a good, steady job across the board and he's a guy who has done everything we've asked him to do since he's been here. –T.O. Coordinator assesses Lions' quarterback talent pool C O A C H S P E A K JOE MOORHEAD

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