Jeff Houston University Of Pennsylvania

Busy afternoon

UNIVERSITY PARK — Fullbacks still get the ball every once in a while in the Penn State offense these days, but rarely to the extent that they did during Saturday’s 41-7 win over Indiana State.

Joe Suhey and Mike Zordich combined for 11 carries, two receptions, 61 total yards and two touchdowns, hammering the middle of the Sycamores’ defense time after time.

“That was part of the game plan,” Zordich said. “We watched some film, saw what they were vulnerable to and went from there.”

Most of the Nittany Lions’ 359 total yards — 245 of them, to be exact – came on the ground, which reflected the playcalling — 48 rushes to 20 pass attempts. Look for Penn State to strive for more offensive balance Saturday against an Alabama defense that allowed 90 total yards (and minus-9 rushing) in a 48-7 season-opening win over Kent State.

Though the fullbacks might still get the occasional touch, the featured backs going forward will likely be Silas Redd and Brandon Beachum, who spent the summer and parts of Saturday’s game playing behind different fullbacks at different times.

“We’ve got a lot of skill with our backs,” Zordich said. “We’ve got a lot of depth, but different styles at each and every spot. Me and Joey have different styles of play, Silas and Beachum have different styles, and I think it’s going to help our team to have that back

there.”

The Crimson

Tide should provide a much better measuring stick for Penn State's rushing attack than the FCS Sycamores.

“We’re really looking forward to this next week to see where we’re at,” Zordich said.

Here’s one more look at what went right and wrong for the Nittany Lions on a warm afternoon in Beaver Stadium.

The Good

•Best foot forward. Saturday was the coming-out party for Redd, who ran through large holes, powered through small ones or simply dodged and darted out of trouble during his 12- carry, 104-yard, two-touchdown afternoon.

Penn State's Jeffrey Field gets new playing surface | Penn State ...

UNIVERSITY PARK — Jeffrey Field is still at the corner of Park Avenue and University Drive. It’s been there for decades.

But something is different about it this soccer season, and the Nittany Lions so far like what they see — and feel.

There’s a new playing surface ready to go for the men’s and women’s soccer teams, and it will get its biggest test this weekend.

The Nittany Lion women play their home opener at 7:30 p.m. today against No. 17 West Virginia in the Penn State Invitational, then host Richmond at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. George Mason meets the Spiders at 5 p.m. today and the Mountaineers at noon Sunday.

The men also are on the field for their Penn State Classic, hosting Siena at 7 p.m. Saturday and American at 7 p.m. Monday. Ohio State also will meet the Eagles and Saints prior to the Penn State contests.

Technically, there was nothing wrong or diseased with the former playing surface. It was Kentucky bluegrass, much like on Penn State’s other varsity fields including Beaver Stadium. But the last couple years, a different blend of bluegrass had been growing on the field, creating lighter green splotches.

A field which had been named the Sportsturf Managers Association’s Collegiate Soccer Field of the Year in 2006 was looking less than award-winning.

So as soon as the lacrosse season ended last spring, the university’s turf management staff scalped the old surface and reseeded with rye — the same thing used on many of Europe’s major soccer pitches. It is still young at just 14 weeks old, but was ready faster than bluegrass would have been and provides a much different influence on the game.

“It’s certainly a lot faster,” said senior back Matt Smallwood, who is a turf grass science major who helped out the university’s staff last summer. “Most people don’t know, but the mowing height is cut down. The type of grass holds water better so the ball skips.

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