Penn State bowl-capable once RB, QB questions settled
Judging by all of the negative publicity at Penn State of late, it might seem like the coolest perk about being a Nittany Lion is getting your name on (or getting it removed from) the local police blotter.
But fifth-year senior A.Q. Shipley, the reigning all-Big Ten center on the team ranked No. 22 in the preseason Associated Press poll, still thinks the best things happen in front 110,000 of his closest friends at Beaver Stadium.
"I still get chills every time when our defense is on the field on third down and a big play happens," Shipley said. "That stadium just goes wild, you know? Just hearing the student section right behind our backs. The place just erupts. It's the best feeling in the world."
Shipley believes the fans get louder for a big stop than for a Penn State score - and he always thought he'd be a part of the group basking in the bigger roars.
At 6-feet-1 and 297 pounds, he has the perfect size and leverage to play nose guard. That's where the co-captain began his college career, but then Joe Paterno intervened two years ago.
"We needed a center," Paterno told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Shipley wasn't happy about it at the time. He was a natural nose guard.
"It was a good move for the team because Shipley has become a real strong leader. He's a bright kid, good worker and we needed some leadership on offense."
This year more than ever.
While Paterno and his staff are still trying to decide on a quarterback - sophomore slinger Pat Devlin or Michael Robinson-esque senior Darryl Clark - and haven't settled on a running back as well, Shipley spearheads an offensive line that welcomes everybody back.
While Penn State's defensive line gets all the ink, thanks in part to All-America defensive end candidate Maurice Evans, Shipley believes he's finally on the right side of the ball when the team's top lines battle.
"There's a lot of great talent on the defensive line," Shipley said. "There's almost too much talent, they don't know what to do with it."
"But Gerald Cadogan, Rich Ohrnberger and myself, we've been starting together for 2, three years now. We all came in the same class and we've been looking forward to this moment for a while - to finally get the monkey off our back, to finally say the offensive line is a strength of Penn State."
Penn State Nittany Lions
Coach: Joe Paterno (43rd year, 372-127-3)
2007 record: 9-4, 4-4 (tied for fifth); beat Texas A&M 24-17 in the Alamo Bowl
Last bowl miss: 2004
All-Big Ten candidates: DE Maurice Evans, WR Deon Butler, C A.Q. Shipley, SS Anthony Scirrotto, P Jeremy Boone, K Kevin Kelly, G Rich Ohrnberger, KR/WR Derrick Williams
The Nittany Lions will go to a BCS bowl: If they can find a way to win at either Wisconsin or Ohio State in prime-time while sweeping their seven winnable home games.
BCS finish the last five years (2007 listed first*): 33rd, 26th, 3rd, 79th, 85th.
Ratings (courtesy CollegeBCS.com) are pre-bowls
Schedule
Aug. 30, COAST. CAROLINA, 11 a.m.
Sept. 6, OREGON STATE, 2:30 p.m.
Sept. 13, at Syracuse, 2:30 p.m.
Sept. 20, TEMPLE, 11 a.m.
Sept. 27, ILLINOIS, 7 p.m.
Oct. 4, at Purdue, TBA
Oct. 11, at Wisconsin, 7 p.m.
Oct. 18, MICHIGAN, 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 25, at Ohio State, 7 p.m.
Nov. 1, OPEN
Nov. 8, at Iowa, TBA
Nov. 15, INDIANA, TBA
Nov. 22, MICHIGAN STATE, TBA