Kordell Young is feeling no soreness after playing last week against Cincinnati. Needless to say, that’s a good thing, especially after he saw about 5-7 more carries than expected. Say what you want about the potential of Brooks, but Young is by far our best running back right now. He has the best vision and patience out of all the backs, and he seems to be the only one who hits the hole with any sort of explosiveness. Robinson and Young may have similar speed, but Young is able to at least break a few tackles and carry defenders with him; Robinson seems to get knocked over by a small gust of wind. Brooks is still playing quite hesitantly, as if he is afraid of fumbling the ball (his difficulty holding onto the ball in practice has been well document). He is running straight up and is carrying the rock with both hands, something that is severely limiting his quickness, flexibility, and lateral movement. Until he gains confidence in himself to hold onto the pigskin, he won’t be as effective running the ball as Kordell currently is.

Furthermore, Young is the best back at pass-blocking and picking up blitzes, and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and work in space cannot be matched by the other three tailbacks. He’s our best option, and quite honestly, I’m expecting a bit of a break-out game this week.

And what about a break-out game for Dom Natale? Will the junior actually see some time at quarterback this week? Schiano just adds to the rumors that the Michigan State transfer will play on Saturday. There’s no denying the fact Greg is at least thinking about pulling Teel if he falters.

Also, Scott Vallone is out for the year. It seems like he was rushed back a bit too early from his foot injury. He will get a medical red-shirt. To state the obvious, this isn’t good news, especially considering out opponent this week. Donald Brown is more of a power back and he will pound it up the middle, meaning Tverdov and Silvestro are going to be working quite a bit. If they get tired or injured, we’re now dangerously thin at defensive tackle.