Usually Wednesdays are good for finding little tidbits about Penn State throughout the local Pennsylvania newspapers. They are good because Joe Paterno always has his weekly press conference on Tuesdays. But this week it's not too exciting to read through the local sports sections.
The word for the week is injuries, injuries, injuries, and injuries. Oh, and that Joe is worried about the offensive line.
To review again, LT Brown and RG Price will probably not play. Auletta will play LT, Rich Ohrnberger will most play RG and Gerald Cadogen will most likely play LG on Saturday. If anyone else gets injured the coaches will be faced with a decision of either Brown and Price and let them play hurt or put in somebody with no experience.
This makes center A.Q. Shipley the most experienced member of the offensive line, and he was playing defense last year. But Shipely says he's up to the task.
"It's just different people, really," said Shipley, who credited Auletta with having played well against Northwestern. He also reminded that Cadogan had started the first four games. "We're just going to go out and do the same things we've been doing."
But Shipley conceded there are minor technical adjustments to be made when playing with an altered lineup because offensive lines depend so much on cohesion.
The burden to make it work in the absence of Brown and Price, a pair of fifth-year seniors, falls to the redshirt sophomore Shipley.
"Coach (Dick) Anderson talked to me (Monday)," Shipley said. "He said, 'You have to step up a little bit and be more of a leader.' "
Let's hope Shipley took coach Anderson's advice to heart.
Go State! Beat the Gophers!