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Friday, November 29, 2002

Q: NFL scouts are predicting 4-6 Penn State players will be drafted in the first two rounds of the NFL draft. How do you measure the talent of this year's senior class vs. last year's senior class?

Bill of Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

Fittipaldo: Really, there is no comparison. Last year's senior class produced two NFL draft picks. Running back Omar Easy went in the fourth round to Kansas City and tight end John Gilmore went in the sixth round to New Orleans. Eddie Drummond signed as a free agent with Detroit and plays for the Lions. This year's class is really talented. Defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy will be a top 10 pick. Larry Johnson has moved up to a potential first-round pick. Receiver Bryant Johnson is a late first- or early second-round pick. Defensive end Michael Haynes should go in the second or third round. Defensive tackle Anthony Adams, cornerback Bryan Scott and safety Shawn Mayer could get drafted, too. Penn State has not had more than four players taken in the draft since 1996. The Lions should easily surpass four this year, although it will be hard to top the 10 players taken in '96. It only goes to show that talent almost always wins out in college football. When the Lions went through losing seasons the past two years, they did not have a player taken in the first or second rounds.

Q: Is this correct? Paul Cronin, the redshirt freshman walk-on, had the first interception of the year and the last one of the year. If so, it's an interesting piece of trivia.

Karen Vijuk of Murrysville

Fittipaldo: Paul Cronin did record the last Penn State interception of the regular season, but he did not record the first. Calvin Lowry had the only interception in the opener against Central Florida. You must be thinking of the interception Cronin returned for a touchdown against Louisiana Tech in the third game of the year. Cronin was replaced by Anwar Phillips in the middle of the season as the primary nickel back. The coaches are ecstatic with Phillips' play. He helped turned around the defense this season with his ability to cover. Remember, Penn State was having problems stopping people in third-down situations early in the year. Cronin is a nice reserve player, but there is a lot of depth in that secondary, and I would not expect him to see much playing time next season because Lowry and Yaacov Yisrael will be returning from season-ending injuries.

Q: Although a graduate of UT-Austin many times over, I have been a fan of Coach Paterno and his Nittany Lions for many years. What was Larry Johnson's role during the previous two years? I can't recall much about how he was utilized in the sputtering offense the Lions were able to put together. Thanks.

Alfredo Alarcon of Austin, Texas

Fittipaldo: Larry Johnson was used in a part-time role the previous two seasons at tailback. He had 75 carries for 358 yards and one touchdown in 2000, 71 carries for a team-high 337 yards and two touchdowns last season. Penn State coaches had three talented backs in those years. In addition to Johnson, Omar Easy was a tailback-fullback hybrid with tremendous athleticism. Eric McCoo led the Lions in rushing his first two seasons and split the duties with Easy and Johnson last season. Even converted receiver Eddie Drummond played tailback last season when Paterno went to the power-I. The coaches have admitted that it was a mistake trying to find a role for each of them at the same position, but Joe Paterno is a very fair person and is always partial to his seniors, so Easy, McCoo and Drummond received their opportunities to play. In hindsight, of course, it appears to have cost the Lions because I'm sure Johnson could have helped the Lions win more games last year if he had been the main back.

Q: Any chance of showing a picture of the Land Grant trophy? I read how bad it is but have never seen it and can't locate a picture of it anywhere.

Jim Johnston of Atlanta, Ga.

Fittipaldo: Jim, if you call Penn State sports information and order a media guide, you can look at it. There's a picture on page 201 along with a picture of the Governor's Victory Bell, which is given to the winner of the Penn State-Minnesota game. The Land Grant Trophy is awarded to the winner of the Penn State-Michigan State game. I'll describe it for you. It's tall with pictures of Penn State and Michigan State at the bottom. There appears to be two football figurines near the top of the trophy, along with a Nittany Lion. The trophy was created to add some teeth to the Penn State-Michigan State game. (Michigan State and Ohio State are the two teams Penn State plays ever year). Perhaps in 50 years or so, it will have the same kind of lore as the Little Brown Jug or Paul Bunyan's Axe, but I doubt it.

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