Astorino leading defensive backfield

Jeff Rice

- jrice@centredaily.com

He wouldn't or couldn't say when, exactly, he injured his left shoulder, and isn't even really sure of the severity of the injury.

CDT file photo/Michelle Bixby

Penn State’s Drew Astorino (28) has stepped into a leadership role in the Lions’ defensive backfield, ranking fourth on the team with 41 tackles.

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What is certain, though, is that during the last few weeks, as he hurdles his body at ballcarriers and blockers, Penn State safety Drew Astorino hasn’t been at full strength.

“I’m not really sure what’s wrong with it,” Astorino said Tuesday morning. “But it’s something I can play with and not really a big deal.”

Astorino has started all but one game this season at strong safety for the No. 11 Nittany Lions (8-1, 4-1 Big Ten), who host No. 15 Ohio State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Beaver Stadium. In the game he didn’t start, against Minnesota, he missed only the game’s opening snap after getting bumped up on the Gophers’ opening kickoff return and returned the next play.

Astorino described his injury as a “stinger,” which is a nerve pinch injury that causes numbness or weakness in the shoulder or arm. It’s the nagging kind of injury that is not ideal for a player involved in as much contact as Astorino, who is fourth on the team with 41 tackles, but he downplayed it during a teleconference with reporters.

“I’ll rehab it a little bit during the week,” he said. “It felt good on the weekend. It just gets sore.”

The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Astorino’s presence has given the Penn State secondary, one of the team’s most scrutinized units during the preseason and even during the season’s first few games, consistency and cohesion. Cornerbacks A.J. Wallace and D’Anton Lynn and free safety Nick Sukay have come on in recent weeks, and true freshman Stephon Morris has been a welcome and productive addition as the team’s fifth defensive back in nickel packages.

Even with a couple of shaky early series during games at Michigan and Northwestern the past two weeks, the Nittany Lions have allowed just 170.7 yards passing per game this season, the top ranking among Big Ten teams and 12th-best in the nation.

“There was a lot of question marks, and I think it was just because we were young and nobody had seen us play,” Astorino said. “We’ve been working hard in practice, jelling more and more throughout the season, and we do have a lot of good athletes back there. Coach (Tom) Bradley and Coach (Kermit) Buggs have been doing a good job, and guys are just following their lead and doing what they’re told.”

Astorino, who saw significant time in the nickel and backing up free safety Anthony Scirrotto as a redshirt freshman in 2008, was somewhat surprised to wind up at strong safety this fall, a move that was the result of both the inexperience of Sukay and backup safeties Cedric Jeffries and Andrew Dailey and a desire to get Astorino around the football more often.

“He can be involved in more plays and have more leadership impact,” Penn State coach Joe Paterno said Tuesday. “And I think that’s worked out pretty good.”

The challenge facing Astorino and the rest of Penn State’s defense this week is Ohio State’s inconsistent but gifted quarterback, sophomore Terrelle Pryor, who leads the Buckeyes with 554 yards rushing.

“We’re gonna defend him basically like we defend all the running quarterbacks — try to keep him in the pocket, and make him beat you with his arm,” Astorino said. “But he’s gotten a lot better at passing.”

Astorino will be asked to help shut down the Buckeyes’ running game, provide underneath coverage and prevent Pryor from leaking out of the backfield, as Mark Rubin did memorably with his key fourth-quarter hit on the quarterback last season. His teammates appreciate what Astorino has been able to accomplish, bad shoulder and all.

“That’s an extremely underrated injury,” said linebacker Sean Lee, who has played through his own injuries this season. “You get a stinger every time you hit somebody. But he sucked it up and that’s the type of guy he is … we have no doubt he’s going to do what it takes to be on the field each week.”