A.Q. Shipley says Rich Ohrnberger, his roommate and teammate, came to Penn State as a quiet freshman who didn't mutter too many words in his first four months.
"Over the next four months, you couldn't get him to quiet down," Shipley said.
Shipley and Ohrnberger have been anchors on an offensive line that has the Nittany Lions among the country's best 15 offenses in rushing yards per game, total offense per game and points per game.
But the two also work in cahoots off the field as Ohrnberger and Shipley have provided teammates with colorful stories.
Sometimes, they're too colorful.
"Rich's stories are R-rated," wide receiver Deon Butler said, laughing. "There's some very funny stories, but they're ones that can't be out there."
Butler did share one story centering around Ohrnberger, whom Shipley called "the impressionist."
Ohrnberger mimics Mike McQueary, Penn State's wide receivers coach, when McQueary calls out the Nittany Lions' cat personnel grouping when the unit is huddled together.
"It is the funniest thing," Butler said. "We'll be in the middle of the huddle, and he'll start doing it. Everybody in the huddle has to laugh. You can't help but laugh at him and A.Q."
Daryll Clark couldn't help himself when he watched the game tape of Penn State's win over Ohio State. The quarterback left the game with a concussion, and Clark said his head was ringing.
Ohrnberger and Shipley went to work.
Ohrnberger feverishly fixed Clark's helmet. He readjusted the chinstrap and put it under Clark's chin as Shipley administered his own test to a dazed Clark by asking how many fingers he was holding up.
"I just thought it was real funny, because looking back, looking at the game tape, you hear Brent Musberger and Kirk Herbstreit talking behind it," Clark said. "It looked real funny on TV."
No one, from the media or the players, have been spared from the duo's cunning ways. Earlier this year, Ohrnberger stepped in for Shipley on a conference call in October when the center was tired. Ohrnberger was in the room, and a plan long discussed was hatched when Shipley tossed his phone to his best friend on the team.
Ohrnberger, who answered a question about himself and included all of Shipley's western Pennsylvania colloquialisms, fooled the reporters on the call. Most of the coaches, aside from offensive line coach Dick Anderson, laughed.
"He gave a lot of y'knows, gave a lot of Pittsburgh-ese to the fullest extent," Shipley said. "It was good."
Shipley might have used the free 20 minutes or so to devise another way to trick Penn State's campus police out of issuing him a ticket, similar to what he did at one point during his five years riddled with parking tickets. Ohrnberger said he couldn't think of a semester when Shipley's parking pass wasn't revoked.
Shipley walked into his apartment one day with a sandwich and wide grin when Ohrnberger asked him what he pulled.
He directed Ohrnberger to open the front door.
Shipley parked his car directly in front.
"There's no way I can get a ticket," Shipley told Ohrnberger.
"A.Q., I don't know if this is going to work," Ohrnberger said.
Twenty minutes later, campus police knocked on the door.
"These guys are like, 'Hey, what are you doing? Get your car out of here now!' ... Probably more strict than they should be, but what are you going to do?" Ohrnberger said.
