Athletics

Nittany Lion football meets the media as Lions gear up for 2008 season

University Park, Pa. — Coach Joe Paterno and the 2008 Nittany Lions met the media Friday as the squad continues its opening week of pre-season practice. The season opener with Coastal Carolina is three weeks away, at noon on Aug. 30. in sold out Beaver Stadium.

After a five-day acclimation period, the Nittany Lions will begin two-a-day practices on Saturday. The vast majority of the players have one week of classes and finals remaining before being able to devote all of their attention on football until the fall semester begins on Aug. 25.

The NCAA allows 105 players to participate in pre-season practice until the first day of class.

Among the subjects Paterno addressed during Media Day was developing depth in the wide receiver unit, which features a trio of seniors - Deon Butler (Woodbridge, Va.), Jordan Norwood (State College) and Derrick Williams (Greenbelt, Md.) - who have been instrumental in the Nittany Lions' 29-9 record the past three seasons, with a trio of bowl wins.

For photos from Media Day, click here.

"I think we have to have to work with a lot of young kids," Paterno said. "We have kids who will have the chance to do it. It's a little too early for me to try and highlight them. We have five or six kids who will be good or at least adequate. Brett Brackett (Lawrenceville, N.J.) played last year and he has a lot of ability. Redshirt freshman (Derek) Moye (Rochester) has a lot of ability. (Graham) Zug (Manheim) had a great spring. Zug was a walk-on and has a lot of ability. He's going to get a scholarship. So, I think we are going to have some backup guys. Whether they can be as good as the kids ahead of them, I don't know. Brackett can. Those three kids have played a lot of football. The quarterbacks are comfortable. I'm more worried about if the quarterbacks are comfortable with them."

All seven Nittany Lion home games are sold out, as well as Penn State's allotment for three road contests. Tickets for Big Ten games at Purdue (Oct. 4) and Iowa (Nov. 8) are on sale at: www.GoPSUsports.com, the official website of Penn State Athletics. Orders also can be placed by calling 814-865-5555 weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

The Nittany Lions, ranked No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches' pre-season poll, will face eight bowl teams from 2007 this fall, including five at home. Penn State opens its 122nd season on Aug. 30, hosting Coastal Carolina at 12:00 p.m. The contest will air on the Big Ten Network, the Penn State Sports Network and GoPSUsports.com. The Big Ten Network will debut on Comcast Cable systems throughout the eight Big Ten states on Aug. 15. A minimum of three Penn State football games will air on the Big Ten Network this season, including the season opener, the Sept. 20 game with Temple (12:00 p.m.) and at least one conference clash.

Penn State Football Eve will launch the season on Friday, Aug. 29, with activities starting at 6:00 p.m. outside Beaver Stadium. The program inside the stadium starts at 7:45 p.m. featuring the Blue Band, cheerleaders, dance team and videos. The seniors will be introduced and after Coach Joe Paterno's address to the crowd a new stadium video will be unveiled. The event and parking are free.

Also on Aug. 29, the Penn State women's soccer team plays Florida State at 5:00 p.m. in its home opener and the State College Spikes have a 5:30 p.m. game in Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

Paterno's 43rd Penn State team returns 35 letterwinners and 16 starters for the 2008 season. Penn State has won 31 of its last 40 games, tied for eighth-best record in the nation over that span.

2008 Numerical Roster Get Acrobat Reader

2008 Alphabetical Roster Get Acrobat Reader

Quarterbacks Daryll Clark (left) and Pat Devlin are both vying for the position this pre-season, and both will likely share time under center this season. For more photos from Media Day, and quotes from Joe Paterno and players, click on the image above. Credit: Geoff Rushton / Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated November 18, 2010

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