Nits' O'Brien: Let's play ball

STATE COLLEGE - After a summer filled with all sorts of national news about Penn State's football program, coach Bill O'Brien made it clear Tuesday that he and his team are ready to actually play that thing called a game.

"We can't wait to play," O'Brien said of the Sept. 1 season opener against Ohio in Beaver Stadium. "We're tired of hitting each other and tired of three staff meetings a day, and ready to go play some ball."

O'Brien said he has been watching Ohio film since the day he got the job at Penn State, and scouting reports are ready for the first three opponents: Ohio, Virginia and Navy.

During a media gathering at the Lasch Football Building's practice fields, O'Brien also offered updates on several positions.

Interestingly, the coach said sophomore cornerback Adrian Amos can be expected to play every position on defense except defensive line. The versatile and speedy Amos, who also returned kicks last season, has practiced at both safety and cornerback. Now it seems he could even see time at linebacker.

On the offensive side, O'Brien said there's a battle going on at the right-tackle position between senior tackle Mike Farrell and redshirt junior Adam Gress for the starting job.

"No question it's a competition," O'Brien said. "Mike had a really good summer obviously, and so did Adam, but Mike's an improved player. They'll both play for us, I can tell you that . . . but it's definitely a battle for the starting job, no question about it."

O'Brien said redshirt senior quarterback Matt McGloin has a good grasp of the offense; sophomore wide receiver Allen Robinson has had an excellent training camp, and six or seven wide receivers can play this year; and sophomore tailback Bill Belton has continued to impress, with senior Derek Day the No. 2 option in the backfield.

He said redshirt sophomore quarterback Paul Jones needs to be more consistent, and true freshman QB Steven Bench has done well.

As a whole, O'Brien thinks his offense has improved since the spring, but there's room for improvement.

"I don't think we're going to be this unbelievable 2007 New England Patriots offense, but I think we'll be competitive," he said.

O'Brien said a concern right now is simply health and making sure that Penn State can go to battle on Sept. 1 at full squad. He said senior safety Jake Fagnano is still dealing with a hamstring issue, and redshirt junior tight end Garry Gilliam has tweaked a quad.

O'Brien also commented on the amount of media availability he has given this summer. After the tumultuous events Penn State has gone through this past year in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, transparency and openness have been stressed by the university.

The coach has apparently bought in. The latest session marked the fourth time he has answered the questions of a media gathering since Aug. 6, when training camp started.

"I think it's important for people to see what's going on here," O'Brien said. "We feel like it'll help us in recruiting, it'll help us in the community, just to make sure people understand what we're all about. Once game week rolls around, I don't think we'll be having five press conferences a week, but right now I think it's pretty good to have you guys around."