SENIOR CORNERBACKS A.J. Wallace and Knowledge Timmons are vying for the same spot in Penn State's starting lineup, but, as individual competitions go, this one couldn't be any friendlier.

Good thing, too, because Wallace and Timmons are roommates and former occupants of coach Joe Paterno's famously spacious doghouse. Maybe the latter of those shared similarities is the tie that most closely binds them.

"He's a cool, down-to-earth person," Wallace said of his kindred-spirit relationship with Timmons. "He's one of those guys who can click it on and off. He knows when to be serious and when to joke around and have fun."

Timmons has started the first two games at left cornerback this season, but Paterno isn't inclined to divulge whether he or Wallace will take the field first when the fifth-ranked Nittany Lions (2-0) host Temple (0-1) tomorrow afternoon in Beaver Stadium. That might or might not be a ploy, or the situation might must be too close to call. The jockeying for playing time could continue right through the season.

"I think I'm making progress," Wallace said of his nearly 4-year bid to finally become a full-time regular. "Right now, all I know is that me and Knowledge will both get in the game. I'm not sure who will start, but, for myself, I definitely think I'm making progress."

It wasn't supposed to be this difficult for the 6-1, 195-pound Wallace, who was rated as the nation's sixth-best cornerback prospect when he signed with Penn State out of McDonough High in Maryland. He had size, speed and the sort of versatility that allowed the Nits to experiment with him on offense and special teams during his freshman season in 2006, when he averaged 24.2 yards on 16 kickoff returns, rushed eight times for 153 yards and even caught a pass, in addition to seeing time in the secondary.

But Wallace was unable to unseat Lydell Sargeant as the starter in 2007 or '08, in part because of a succession of nagging injuries and in part because of his occasional disinclination to adhere to Paterno's rules.

There was some question as to whether Wallace even would be allowed to rejoin the team after Paterno was informed over the summer of academic irregularities that reportedly involved cutting classes.

Paterno at first intimated that Wallace would be suspended for the first two games, but he relented following a private meeting in which the player assured Paterno he had gotten back on track with his studies, a pledge said to be supported by favorable reports from Wallace's academic counselors.

"It was a grade that I didn't have in, and I needed those three credits to remain eligible," Wallace noted. "My grade was deferred, so [Paterno] didn't know where I was in my course work. When my grade finally came in, everything was all right, but he put me on the third team, because he wanted me to learn a lesson."

If anything, Timmons came even closer to having the disciplinary hammer come down on him. He was suspended in November 2007 for his involvement in a brawl at the student union and did not make the trip for the regular-season finale at Michigan State or to the Alamo Bowl. In January 2008, he was temporarily booted from the team pending a hearing by the university's Judicial Affairs committee. He was reinstated in April.

"I got another chance. It's a fresh start," Timmons said at the time of his brush with dismissal.

Both players take responsibility for their actions and insist they've learned from their mistakes.

"Anything that happened, I pretty much brought on myself," Wallace said. "I have no complaints. I've enjoyed my time here. There were one or two things I could have done that I didn't do, but I can't look back. I can't change anything anyway. I'm just taking things day by day and trying to do the best I can with the time I have left."

Timmons, a 5-10, 182-pounder from York, Pa., has so rededicated himself to football that he is living up to his imposing first name.

"Knowledge has definitely matured," linebacker Josh Hull said. "He's gotten stronger. The speed has never been an issue with him.

"But the thing that jumps out at you now is his knowledge of the game. He's able to anticipate things better than before."

3 things to look for

 

* Redshirt junior Ollie Ogbu isn't exactly the forgotten man in Penn State's defensive front four, but the 6-1, 285-pounder does tend to be overshadowed by the other d-tackle, All-America candidate Jared Odrick. Coach Joe Paterno calls Ogbu "my Staten Island Ferry," because he's from Staten Island, N.Y. He's a major reason why the Nits have allowed only 46.5 rushing yards per game.