Morelli makes debut for Nittany Lions
He's been waiting two years for a shot at quarterback.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- The heavy rain fell for hours until, as if on cue, the clouds let up in time for Anthony Morelli's debut as Penn State starting quarterback.
For the most part, he didn't disappoint -- even though he was just playing a scrimmage against his own teammates.
Morelli, famed for his arm but tied to the bench for the last two seasons, showed zip and accuracy on most of his passes during the annual Blue-White scrimmage Saturday, including a two-minute drill in which he connected with receivers Jordan Norwood and Derrick Williams for some nice completions.
There were a couple of minuses. Morelli fumbled at the goal line on a 4th-and-1 play, one of two goal-line sets in the first quarter in which Morelli's "Blue" team failed to punch the ball in for a score. He was also sacked a couple of times.
No matter. Morelli seemed to have impressed the coaching staff and teammates even before Saturday's scrimmage, which capped Penn State's spring drills.
Impresses coaches
"The thing I was really looking for in spring was, does he know where he's going with the ball, does he know why going there, and he really did," quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno said. "He's made great strides there."
Some seniors or key veterans nicked by injuries didn't play much, if at all. But Morelli's team was filled mainly with players presumed to be at the top of the depth chart. He has big shoes to fill: last season, Michael Robinson threw for 17 touchdowns, ran for 11 more and was the emotional center of a squad that went 11-1 and won the Orange Bowl.
Morelli isn't as much of a runner as Robinson and he's not as much of a talker as last year's charismatic starter, but he can certainly throw. Receiver Deon Butler says his hands get red after catching Morelli's throws in practice.
"It feels great, I had to wait for two years. I learned a lot -- it was a learning experience," Morelli said. "Things are working out now."
Several veterans didn't play
As expected, coach Joe Paterno didn't use his full complement of veteran players. Linebacker Paul Posluszny saw the field only during warm-ups, walking around in sweats as he encouraged his teammates.
Tackle Levi Brown, the only returning starter on the offensive line, didn't play either, and linebacker Tim Shaw and defensive tackle Jay Alford were in street clothes in the fourth quarter.
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