Mysteries solved….

Per the just released official PSU depth chart for Saturday’s game against Florida International.

The starting offensive line from left to right is as follows: Cadogen, Eliades, Shipley, Shaw and Landolt. (JUCO transfers Ako Poti and Nerraw McCormick are third team backup tackles)

Mickey Shuler or Jordan Lyons will start at tight end in place of Andrew Quarless, who is suspended for his underage drinking violation a few weeks ago. Quarless is NOT even on the depth chart itself, which indicates a multiple game suspension and that he will have to work his way up through the practice squad, if you ask me.

Daryll Clark is Anthony Morelli’s back up, no surprise there, just thought it needed mentioning.

Along the defensive line where depth is streched very thin, from left to right: Gaines, Odrick, Baker, Maybin. Phil Taylor is listed, so maybe he’s OK? He is listed as Jared Odrick’s backup, Olli Ogbu is backing up Baker, there is no mention of Tom McEowen because we are likely a week away from seeing him.

Abe Koroma will miss the game and probably the first month with a foot injury.

Interesting that linebacker Jerome Hayes is penciled in at the right end spot behind Aaron  Maybin, as sort of the Tim Shaw role from a season ago. So it appears we will see more of that standing end set.

Also interesting is that Josh Gaines beat out Maurice Evans, who was a lot of the talk in spring/summer ball.

Tyrell Sales is listed as the other outside linebacker opposite Sean Lee. So he appears to have beat out Navarro Bowman. Bani Gbadyu is still behind Josh Hull on the third team behind Lee.

Yes, Anthony Scirrotto is listed as starting (note that so is Chris Baker), but elsewhere in the secondary Lydell Sargeant has beat out A.J. Wallace for the left cornerback spot opposite Justin King. By the way, Brenden Perretta is King’s back up, not Knowledge Timmons.

Jeremy Boone is the starting punter, after being pushed by Ryan Breen. Rodney Kinlaw , A.J. Wallace, and Derrick Williams along with Scirrotto will field kick and punt returns.

Other notes:

• Behind Shuler and Lyons, Brennan Coakley and Francis Claude are the other tight ends, meaning PSU has virtually no experience there. If Shuler has one catch, it would be a career day (and that’s not meant to slight Mick, we’re just simply pointing out there is no experience really, here)

• I have to wonder if someone from the offensive line won’t pop up on the defensive line due to depth concerns. But glancing at the depth chart, there really isn’t anyone that comes to attention. The likely guy to do that would be Johnnie Troutman and he’s Cadogen’s backup at left tackle.

• Brent Carter is officially over on defense backing up Scirrotto at the hero spot.

• Devin Fentress is third team left cornerback behind King, Willie Harriott (busted with Quarless) is not listed.

• Brett Bracket has officially changed his number to 83.

Spencer rides out

Reserve defensive back Spencer Ridenhour is out at PSU, Fightonstate.com broke the story earlier this week.

Now it’s starting to catch fire. Bob Flounders of the Patriot-News has a story on it today, and Ridenhour’s hometown newspape’s website, LoHud.com has a story on the former White Plains standout.

Interesting quote from Ridenhour in the LoHud story.

“I just thought this was a good business move for me,” Ridenhour said. “I’m not leaving on bad terms. I’ll always appreciate the time I had at Penn State. I just want the opportunity to play more.”

Good business move? That implies there is soemthing “political” going on here if you ask me. Later in the story Ridenhour says he’s been thinking transfer for a while and that he didn’t feel like he had much of a chance to compete for a starting job. Again hinting at something political. (He look, as a journalist, we have to read into everything.)

Maybe I’m grasping for a straw…I dunno.

It begs a couple of other questions. With Anthony Scirritto likely to sit out the first game (that’s speculation on my part and that of other writers) and have to “earn” his starting position again, who becomes the primary backup?

According to the latest depth chart, it looks like Mark Rubin, seldom heard from Mark Rubin that is, could be the guy to back up Scirritto.

Cedric Jefferies? Nick Sukay? You have to figure that Rubin, a loyal Paterno soldier, is going to get the nod. Think about it, here’s a kid that came into the program with so much upside and some figured he was the “future” at wide receiver along with Mo Humphrey, and then all of a sudden Derrick Williams, Justin King, Jordan Norwood and Deon Butler show up on campus. Then Chris Bell follows.

Rubin’s’ future, really everything Rubin has been up in the air since he swapped positions. He always seems like the kind of guy that has been overlooked or swept under the rug because someone better or more athletic comes along. But all indications are the kid has worked hard, maybe now is his time to cement a role and a decent amount of playing time with Ridenhour now out.

From a depth perspective, Ridenhour will be missed.

Pryor on the lam??

There really isn’t anything new on the Terelle Pryor front, but there is a unintentionally hilarious story about him in the Columbus Dispatch (it was also posted on the “official” Pryor website, TerellePryor.org
I’ve been a little slow with the blog lately, but this story ran in Sunday’s edition and there is, as I said, an unintentional hilarious tidbit from it.

The story is about Pryor and his apparent “low profile” angle he’s taking.

“He’s laying low,” said Mike Farrell, national recruiting analyst for Rivals.com and one of the few to speak with Pryor recently. “If he doesn’t know you, he’s not going to call you back.”

“I see him going underground even more,” Farrell said. “I fully expect Terrelle to be completely inaccessible as we get closer to signing day.”

So he’s going on the lam now? I don’t blame him. With 11 schools and two national services after him, it’s no wonder this kid hasn’t gone and changed his name, social security number and gone into Witness Protection.

I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. It’s come to this with recruits.

The more interesting race is which Pittsburgh paper, the Trib-Review or Post-Gazette will get the story first when it happens. I’m sure a recruiting service will leak it out as well.