WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — In honor of strength coach Craig Fitzgerald’s pregame stretch routine, where he hits the ground for an up-down — sometimes with no shirt — that looks like the worm dance, we’re kicking off a new Sunday feature: Up-Downs.
Who’s up?
- Zach Zwinak – A consistent presence in the backfield since Sept. 22 against Temple, Zwinak starred Saturday, racking up a career-best 134 yards on 21 carries.
- Brandon Moseby-Felder – Has come on strong in the second half of the season to become another viable target for Matt McGloin. His 129-yard showing Saturday was his best game to date.
- Sean Stanley – Starting to string together solid performances week to week. Stanley was a constant force on quarterback pressure. Even though he was only in on two tackles, both were made behind the line of scrimmage, and he forced a fumble.
- Alex Butterworth and Sam Ficken – The two Indiana natives have started to turn their seasons around. Butterworth has pinned five of his last nine punts inside the 20-yard line, and Ficken has connected on five of his last six attempts. Granted, he still has not made a kick beyond 40 yards, but a minor quad injury had been slowing him down some.
- Matt McGloin – Senior quarterback is rising up the Penn State record books.
- Craig Fitzgerald – Role far extends beyond winter and summer conditioning. An active presence on the sideline and during pregame, Fitzgerald is a master motivator and one of Bill O’Brien’s most valuable hires.
- John Butler – Secondary is seeing a lot of physical play, particularly out of cornerback Adrian Amos. Butler’s secondary has allowed an average of 190 passing yards in the last four games.
Who’s Down?
- Curtis Dukes – Scary moment for Dukes occurred when he got clocked on the opening kickoff. Concussion not ruled out.
- Bill Belton – He’s been unable to show the consistency in practice needed to separate himself as the top option in a loaded backfield. Same guy who rushed for more than 100 yards two weeks ago at Iowa never touched the ball Saturday.
- Alex Kenney – It’s been a tough stretch for the State College native. Zero catches since Sept. 29 at Illinois, when he had four receptions for 24 yards. Freshman Trevor Williams has earned his share of reps in the slot position, too.
- Jordan Hill – Down, but not out? An MRI on Sunday will determine his availability moving forward. Hill sounded optimistic he could return before his career ends Nov. 24.
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