Anthony Scirrotto and Lydell Sargeant, roommates since their freshman year, have developed a close bond over the years.

How close? In one of their classes, when the class was broken into groups according to their number of siblings, the two stuck together.

Scirrotto and Sargeant helped form a group of three or more siblings -- never mind Sargeant doesn't have any brothers or sisters listed on his biography at gopsusports.com.

"Just having that bond not only on the field, but off the field, and thinking alike and seeing the same things -- even if we see things different from the coaches -- as long as we're on the same page, that's huge for us," Sargeant said. "I think we've kind of got that bond over the years, especially last year with all of us playing in the secondary."

Sargeant and Scirrotto both came to Penn State in the same recruiting class. Two other members of the secondary, converted starting safety Mark Rubin and top reserve Tony Davis, are also seniors with extensive playing time.

"Once you learn the system, you have that experience," Sargeant said. "You've done some things wrong and you learn from your mistakes. I think that's big for us."

Scirrotto, a starter the past two seasons, has shown a ball-hawking tendency and an ability to be a big hitter. In 2006, he led the Big Ten with six interceptions, and in the Outback Bowl he delivered a crushing hit on Tennessee receiver Jayson Swain just as a 35-yard pass would have been completed.

But his play dipped last year, as Scirrotto picked just three passes. He played the season with a felony charge of criminal trespass resulting from a fight at the Meridian Apartments hanging over his head.

Following spring practice March 29, Scirrotto refused to blame the off-the-field incident for his drop-off but acknowledged he felt like a "new man" entering this season without criminal proceedings lingering.

He hopes to regain his status as one of the conference's best safeties.

"When you're physical and all 11 guys are running to the ball and you're not looking tired and you're breaking out of the huddle loud ... that gets [the offense] thinking, 'Those guys are ready to go,' " Scirrotto said during a conference call this week. "That's how we've got to be on defense. We've got to be mean, we've got to be ready to play, we've got to go hard every play, and you've got to throw your body around. That's the sport of football."

The only new face in the starting secondary is A.J. Wallace, who won't play in tomorrow's Blue-White game because of an injury. Wallace, who replaces Justin King, has drawn rave reviews from teammates.

"He's athletic and fast, and so is Justin," Davis said. "They're basically the same thing."

Davis, meanwhile, moves back to cornerback after spending last season at safety, the only time he has played that position. He called cornerback, which he has played since he was 6, his favorite position.

"I love being back at corner," Davis said. "For right now in the spring, I'll be playing corner, and we'll find out if I move back to safety later."