Alan Zemaitis didn't know what to make of it.

Had he done something wrong? Had he said something earlier in the week to the media that got him black listed by the coaching staff? As it turned out, it was all out of his control, and the theircampaign against Wisconsin suffered because of it.

Zemaitis, who had been the starting left cornerback all season for the Nittany Lions, sat on the sideline for the first few defensive series against the Badgers as he watched fellow redshirt sophomore Anwar Phillips surpass him as the No. 1 player for the position. After the game, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno gave his reasoning for the switch -- a switch that still doesn't add up.

"Well actually, Phillips has been practicing really well," Paterno said. "He made some really good plays in practice. In all fairness to [Penn State defensive coordinator] Tom Bradley, I needled Tom and said, 'you know Anwar has been really aggressive and made a lot of plays so we really should give him a shot at starting.' So that's why he started ahead of Zemaitis."

The rationale presented by Paterno sounds logical on the surface, but what doesn't seem to check out is that Zemaitis himself has not been playing badly, at least not badly enough to be looked over for the starting job. In fact, the Rochester native has been one of a number of defensive players on the Lions' roster that can be counted on a single hand that have been playing up to expectations.

"It hurts especially because you know you came here to play football," Zemaitis said. "You don't come to Penn State for your family or for academics; you come here to play football."

Considering the media is not privy to view Penn State football practices, the conclusion that Phillips is practicing well may be true, but there still may be more to the story. Regardless, it provides the Paterno naysayers with yet more fodder in their claim that the element of coaching has passed him by.

It wasn't just fans that were caught off guard by the switch; even some of his fellow teammates were confused as to why Zemaitis wasn't starting.

"Yes, I was very surprised to see Anwar get the start," senior cornerback Rich Gardner said. "Anwar has been practicing very well during the week, but that's a decision made by the coaches."

Not starting Zemaitis -- who ranks third in the Big Ten in pass break ups, leads the Lions in interceptions and is the team's fifth leading tackler -- doesn't seem to make much sense, especially considering Phillips isn't even on the defensive statistics radar. Playing well in practice is one thing, but producing in a game setting is another; Phillips may be playing well in practice, but producing in games has been what Zemaitis has been doing.

"I don't know what to expect anymore," Zemaitis said. "I don't need that kind of motivation, though. I just do what the coaches tell me to do. I get it done and I keep my mouth shut. When you go out there and produce week in and week out in practice and in games, and you don't complain. It's just a little frustrating."

Needless to say, the decision to start Phillips ahead of Zemaitis had lasting implications on the game. Phillips, who just recently joined the team after being acquitted of sexual assault charges, failed miserably on Saturday covering All-American candidate and Big Ten leading receiver Lee Evans. Phillips blew his coverage on the Badgers' first touchdown of the day, leaving Evans open by seven yards.

"I just didn't know which way he was going to go," Phillips said. "That was my fault."

Also, at the end of the first half, Phillips slipped trying to cover Brandon Williams, as Badgers quarterback Jim Sorgi connected for his second passing touchdown of the afternoon.

"I feel personally responsible for the loss," Phillips said. "I've had some things happen to me today that I've never experienced before, but I have to learn from those."

The basis of comparison is explicit. When Zemaitis was in, he shut down both Williams and Evans, as Wisconsin failed to score in the air in the second half when Zemaitis was a mainstay in the secondary. It was Zemaitis, who in a critical fourth quarter play, laid a monstrous hit on Evans, forcing an incomplete pass and a punt by the Badgers.

When asked if Saturday's change would affect his relationship with Phillips, Zemaitis fixed his eyes on Phillips, who was being interviewed just yards away, and went silent for five seconds, merely replying, "No, it doesn't change a thing."