Article Photos

The football often flutters back to Daryll Clark in the shotgun, dipping as it approaches the quarterback and forcing him to lunge at it.

That's not the way it's supposed to happen.

"The snap needs to be brought back a lot faster and up higher," Clark said.

Shotgun snaps are far from the biggest problem Penn State faces, but it's a subtle area that could lead to bigger problems unless first-year center Stefen Wisniewski improves his technique.

Wisniewski, one of the more candid Nittany Lion players, didn't hide his true feelings Wednesday when asked about his transition from guard to center.

"I think it is a little harder than I expected," he said.

Wisniewski also admitted, "Snapping the ball is actually a lot harder than I thought it would be, snapping it and trying to block real quick."

The center's responsibilities are largely taken for granted by football fans. It's usually only when a center starts botching a bunch of plays that people notice him.

Wisniewski has botched only one play so far. Joe Paterno pointed out it was the center's fault on a poor exchange with Clark that led to a goal-line fumble against Syracuse in week two.

Wisniewski said he's "not terribly disappointed with [the snaps]" because there haven't been a lot of fumbles. But watch his shotgun snaps, and it's clear he's making Clark work too hard simply to get the ball and start the play.

"That's something that was brought up on Sunday and Monday," Clark said of the poor shotgun snaps.

"It's a lot easier to focus on the play," Clark added, "if the snap lands right in your lap with your head up front [seeing] what's going on in front of you."

And the kind of floating snaps he has been getting?

"Sometimes it can knock off a bit of timing, especially if you're going quick game out of shotgun," Clark said.

Football often comes down to a fraction of a second, and that's essentially what the Lions are losing when Wisniewski makes a soft, arching snap.

"Ideal is you want to get it back there fast, but not like a rocket," Wisniewski said. "You don't want it to be so fast that it's kind of hard to deal with, but you want it to be fast enough that you grab it and [can look] down the field pretty quickly."

Wisniewski has been letting fear dictate things on his snaps.

"The thing holding me back from [snapping it quickly] is just kind of fear of having a real bad one, snapping it over his head or something, which is certainly a lot worse than having a slow one go back there," Wisniewski said.

Wisniewski, from Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, came to Penn State ranked as the No. 8 guard recruit in the nation. He quickly impressed the coaches as a true freshman, appearing in eight games and starting one. He started 12 games last season, 11 at right guard, one at left.

The departure of All-American A.Q. Shipley, the Rimington Award winner as the nation's best center, left an opening at the snapper position. The coaches decided to move Wisniewski instead of keeping him at guard and giving the center job to redshirt junior Doug Klopacz, who backed up Shipley last season before tearing his knee after three games.

Paterno second-guessed the decision to move Wisniewski just two weeks into the season.

"Maybe we should have kept him at guard," said JoePa, who was hesitant to do so given Klopacz's limited experience.

Wisniewski was asked Wednesday if he would rather still be playing guard. There was a brief pause before he gave an answer that hardly sounded convincing.

"I mean, I like them both," Wisniewski said. "They're similar -- both get to hit people. I like them both."

The biggest difference between center and guard is that a defender is right on top of the center, so he must be ready to get hit immediately. Guards have a yard or so of cushion between themselves and the opposing defensive lineman.

Paterno caused a bit of a stir last week when he publicly questioned Wisniewski's leadership on his weekly radio show. The criticism, Wisniewski said, was the same stuff he has heard personally from the coach.

"He's definitely been on me about that in practice, as well," Wisniewski said.

JoePa's primary point has been for Wisniewski to be a better mentor to some of the other offensive linemen, particularly the inexperienced guards.

Wisniewski has a lot of experience and should be a natural leader, but at the same time, he's also learning a new position. And he's struggling with it, which could be affecting his confidence.

He has received advice about playing center from his uncle, Steve, an All-American guard at Penn State and eight-time NFL All-Pro.

"My uncle is always helping out with drills and things I can be doing," said Wisniewski, who noted his father, Leo, who played in the NFL, hasn't been able to help much because he was a defensive lineman.

Shipley also has reached out to offer advice about playing center.

"I've talked to him a couple times, and I really appreciate that," Wisniewski said.

The biggest thing Wisniewski already has learned about his new position, he said, is that he still has "a lot more learning to do."

"I still have a lot more things I need to improve on," Wisniewski said.

Cory Giger can be reached at 949-7031 and cgsports12@aol.com.