Paterno looks to future

By DONNIE COLLINS
and WILLIAM KALEC
Collegian Staff Writers

While Penn State football coach Joe Paterno was eager to talk about the future of the program this past Friday at his spring football press conference, everyone else seemed ready to talk about the past.

Friday in the Beaver Stadium media room, thoughts of those who made Penn State known as "Linebacker U" were rekindled by those looking at the potential depth and talent of the 1999 Lions.

Finding a better starting linebacking trio than senior Brandon Short, junior LaVar Arrington, and senior Mac Morrison may be difficult to do.

Short, Arrington and Morrison ranked one, two and three in total tackles last season, compiling 67, 65 and 47 stops, respectively, for last season's 9-3 squad.

They combined for 16 sacks, 38 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 12 sleepless nights for opposing quarterbacks.

The prospect of being considered among the best linebacking units in Lions lore is part of the reason Short chose Happy Valley instead of the NFL. With the start of spring practice Saturday, Short took the first step to achieving that goal.

"This is Linebacker U," Short said. "We're going to bring that tradition back. People are going to be talking about Linebacker U for a long time now."

Cordell's condition

Tailback Cordell Mitchell's senior season was supposed to be his chance to claim the spotlight as Penn State's starting tailback.

But a shoulder injury suffered during practice the week before the Lions' 27-0 loss against Michigan last Nov. 7 sidelined Mitchell for the final four games, and is now the current source of the upcoming season's uncertainty for Penn State's second-leading rusher from last season.

"I know we're not going to do anything with him this spring," Paterno said. "The doctors and trainers believe he's improving all the time. But they're very reluctant to put him into anything this spring."

If Mitchell doesn't return, sophomore Eric McCoo seems to be the most likely candidate to nab the starting slot.

Raising Arizona

For the first time in three years, the Lions will strap on their helmets a week early to face Arizona in the Pigskin Classic at Beaver Stadium.

The Aug. 28 meeting with the Wildcats will mark the Lions' first-ever appearance in the Pigskin Classic, which was first played in 1990. The Wildcats return 17 starters -- including 1,000-yard rusher Trung Canidate and quarterback tag-team Keith Smith and Ortege Jenkins -- to a team that finished No. 4 in the Associated Press poll last year and defeated Nebraska 23-20 in the Holiday Bowl.

"We wanted a formidable opponent, but I'm not sure if we wanted as formidable an opponent as Arizona," Paterno said. "I had no idea how good they were. They may be the best team in the nation next year. Hopefully, it will be a challenge for our squad."