Penn State coach Joe Paterno was optimistic about most areas of his team during a press conference before Saturday's Blue-White game.

But one question that drew apprehension from the 80-year-old coach was, have the Nittany Lions found enough leaders to replace Paul Posluszny and Levi Brown, who served as co-captains last season?

Besides rising senior quarterback Anthony Morelli, Paterno said no one else has proven themselves in a leadership role through spring practices.

"Morelli is the guy that's probably stepped to the front the most, which is really something you hope would happen," Paterno said. "[But] if I told you I thought we had enough, I don't know. We'll have to see."

Penn State returns 33 players that saw playing time last season, but only 12 will have senior eligibility next season.

Dan Connor, who is entering his final go-around, moved to Posluszny's inside linebacker spot this spring. Connor said last week he was eager to also fill the leadership void left by the likely first-round NFL draft pick, but realized he might not be at that level yet given his personality, which he said is comparatively quieter than Posluszny's.

"That's an area I definitely have to concentrate on and improve on through the summer and even the fall, to try to fill Paul's shoes," Connor said.

Last year, Paterno named captains during halftime of the annual spring scrimmage, but no such announcement was made Saturday.

"I'd like to see the kids that I think are going to be really good athletes understand that there's a little bit more than what they can do," Paterno said. "They have to have some sort of commitment to help everybody. We're OK, but I'm not enthusiastic about that area yet."

Day to Remember

The atmosphere: Virginia Tech tribute. Penn State students turned out in maroon and orange droves on Saturday in an act of remembrance of the shootings at Virginia Tech. In fact, ESPN's Chris Berman named Saturday's scene the No. 1 play on SportsCenter's "Plays of the Week," along with some of the other memorials around the nation.

Offense: Paul Cianciolo, QB and Chris Bell, WR. Cianciolo's stat line was near perfect: 8 of 9 passing for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Bell, a rising sophomore, showed why coaches and players have been raving about his performance in spring practices. He had 116 yards receiving, including a 74-yard one-handed touchdown grab in the fourth quarter.

Defense: Tyrell Sales and Jerome Hayes, LBs. By far, these two were around the ball more than any other defensive players. Sales, a rising junior had a game-high 11 tackles and Hayes, a rising sophomore, added 10.

Day to Forget

Offense: Andrew Quarless, TE. The returning starter had one catch for eight yards and it didn't come until less than a minute remained in the first half.

Defense: Secondary. It was only a scrimmage, but 440 passing yards against is too many in any situation. Keep in mind, though, returning All-Big Ten safety Anthony Scirrotto did not play because of an injury.

Did you notice?

A new fan group called "Zug's Thugs" dedicated to redshirt freshman receiver Graham Zug, who hails from Manheim ... Cianciolo running in a second-quarter touchdown despite wearing the traditional red jersey worn by quarterbacks, indicating he shouldn't be tackled.

Quotable

Paterno on his wife Sue, who he said he had never seen wear maroon and orange before Saturday:

"Between you and me, she looks like hell," Paterno said to a few dozen reporters and photographers that filled the media room. "She had to go down and dig around and find something that was maroon and orange."

Extra Point

Bell said he was surprised at the amount of Virginia Tech colors he saw in Beaver Stadium: "Especially [at] Penn State, being so traditional. But I guess that's what Penn State really is. We'll fight for it, or whatever. But we also will help in a time of need."