Austin Scott spoke slowly in the Penn State weight room on Friday, fielding questions that mostly revolved around how frustrated he must have been these last three years.

But Scott wanted to make one thing clear: He was no longer angry, frustrated or remorseful, especially about last year and his time on the scout team.

"I definitely look at it as a blessing in disguise," he said. "I definitely
feel lucky to be put into this
situation because we have everything lined up for a promising future."

The fifth-year senior running back, who sat out the entire 2006 season, admitted he thought about transferring and quitting -- mostly while he rode the bench following the season after his rookie campaign. But, when he sprained his ankle last year, he looked to the season ahead and seriously considered redshirting.

"I looked at the situation after Notre Dame, because I was better after the second game, and I saw the linemen needed another year. And Morelli started getting better at the end of the year," Scott said. "So, I knew this year was going to be a lot better than last year."

Scott's seen limited playing time in his career, but he's far from an inexperienced tailback. He led the team with 436 rushing yards during his first season -- and turned in an admirable performance at the Orange Bowl.

The Pennsylvania native took over for an injured Tony Hunt and scampered for 110 yards and two touchdowns in Penn State's 26-23 triple overtime win against Florida State. That, according to Scott, was what really lifted his spirits and made him believe he could compete at this level.

"Times get rough, and it's easy to try and look for a way out and go away from things and run away," Scott said. "But I stuck to it."

At Penn State's first spring practice in Holuba Hall on Friday, Scott split time with Rodney Kinlaw on the first-team offense. And, for some, it was a bit surreal to see such a different style of tailback in the backfield.

"It's different, just for the fact that last year with Tony, you could almost not make a block, and he would get 10 yards out of it," center A.Q. Shipley said. "[Scott's] not your typical 'Tony runner' ... Austin can go both ways, in terms of running up the middle or going outside."

Hunt was a great teammate, Scott said, but the redshirt senior is turning to another former Penn State tailback for inspiration: current Kansas City Chief Larry Johnson.

Like Scott, the all-pro running back waited until his senior year to amass more than 2,000 yards in a single season. Prior to his last season, Johnson averaged less than seven carries and 30 yards a game.

Scott said he talks to Johnson whenever he gets the chance but doesn't bother the Penn State product because he's "a busy guy."

"He's my motivation," Scott said.

Granted, Johnson never spent a full season with the scout team. But Scott, who once drew comparisons to NFL Hall of Fame tailback Tony Dorsett, said he came away from the scout team with some valuable experiences.

"It was great because I got to get back into my running style," he said. "Every day was fun because I didn't have anybody on my back and I wasn't competing for a position.

"I really got a chance to get back to my roots and figure out what type of running back I was in college and what I had to offer."