Penn State vs. Akron Post-Game Notes

• Darryl Clark hasn't missed a beat and really helped an unproven WR corp look absolutely solid out there

• There's plenty of versatility in this new WR group. Derek Moye is looking like a great deep threat, Graham Zug is a solid possession guy, Brett Brackett is the biggest target at PSU since Joe Jurevicious and Chaz Powell is a do-it-all option for this offense.
  
• Moye and Powell, especially, were very impressive in their starting debuts
• The running game, on the other hand, is a concern. Evan Royster and Stephfon Green benefitted from a sensational interior line last season. In the first game, new starters Lou Eliades and Matt Stankiewitch failed to open up many holes in the run game.
• Coach Paterno mentioned that Akron unexpectantly used 4-man fronts most of the game instead of the 3-5 set that they had employed last season, leading to confusion in blocking assignments along the line. I want to buy that, but a) By the second half, you'd think the O-Line would have adjusted and b) They had been practicing against 4-man fronts all off-season.
• Defensively, Penn State boasts an extremely stout DT duo in Ollie Ogbu and Jared Odrick. Odrick, especially, appears to be a first-day pick in next year's NFL draft.
• Navarro Bowman left in the first quarter because of a nagging groin injury that's hampered him for some time, but Nathan Stupar stepped in and outplayed everyone in the back-7.
• Sean Lee was solid, but unspectacular. Having not played in a competetive football game since the 2007 Alamo Bowl, that's somewhat understandable, but he's been healthy for 8 months now, so look for him to return to being spectacular again.
• The secondary looked fine, despite outspoken concerns about the group leading upto Saturday. Other than one blown coverage by Nick Sukay, the entire group played solidly.
  
• Andrew Dailey had and interception and had the game's longest run on a fake punt. I wonder if he'll get more opportunities in the future.
• New kicker Collin Wagner struggled. But remember, kicking is the only element of football where you can't get into a rhythm because it's done so sporadically. So nerves play a really big part in it. First-year kickers tend to struggle. Remember, Kevin Kelly had a rough first season, too. I'm willing to stay patient with Wagner
  
• I hate Royster returning punts. Punt Returning is an extremely dangerous part of football, and Royster is a key kog to this offense. On one return, it looked like Royster's leg bent a little awkwardly, and sure enough, he sat out the entire drive as Green handled the duties. Why would you ever want your starting RB unavailable for an offensive series? Get Royster off Special Teams!
• Tons of True Freshman, especially for a Paterno team. WR Devon Smith was a huge surprise to me, given that he's 5'7 and 153 lbs. The freshman was an active part of the offense and actually had Penn State's first touch of the season, as he returned the opening kickoff. Other true Freshmen contributing were WR Curtis Drake, DE Sean Stanley, QB Kevin Newsome, S Gerald Hodges and DB Stephon Morris