THERE IS SPEED, and there is quickness. The characteristics are similar, but not identical. The main commonality is that each trait can be beneficial on the football field.

No one on the Penn State roster now, or maybe ever, has topped the breathtaking acceleration of true freshman wide receiver Devon Smith. The 5-7, 153-pound Smith is a national high school sprint champion, a burner who can and will take it all the way if he ever gets a step behind the defense.

Then there is another somewhat smallish wideout, 5-11, 169-pound Curtis Drake, whose swiftness is best appreciated when it follows a crooked path. The true freshman from West Catholic High is more of a Point A to Point B to Point C to Point D kind of guy, a start-and-stop runner who can change direction like a rabbit being chased by a predator. Drake is getting better at running precise pass routes, but once he gathers in the ball all bets are off. He goes wherever his feet take him, and the journey is likely to be improvisational.

"I'm excited about his future," Penn State senior quarterback Daryll Clark said of Drake, who has five receptions for 64 yards and two rushes for 9 yards in limited duty. "Obviously, I won't be here when he really gets to be in the mix, but once Chaz [Powell] went down, Curtis came in and made some plays for us.

"The past couple of weeks, Curtis has really started to stand out at practice. He's a great young talent. He's very explosive. Once he gets some more experience, some more reps and game-time work, he'll be someone to be reckoned with."

Maybe Drake's time isn't as far off as some might think. Although Powell, one of the Nittany Lions' three listed first-team wide receivers, continues to be slated as a starter for tomorrow afternoon's regular-season finale at Michigan State, he almost certainly won't play because of a sprained AC joint in his shoulder suffered in last week's 31-20 victory over Indiana. The normal recovery time for such injuries is 4 to 6 weeks, which might mean Powell could be available to play in Penn State's bowl game.

For now, though, Drake - who quarterbacked the West Catholic Burrs to the PIAA Class AA championship game last season, then was the Pennsylvania MVP in the Big 33 Classic - could be in line for his first college start against a Michigan State secondary that has been exploited for more than a few big plays. The Spartans yield an average of 350.9 yards per game, 245 of those coming through the air, which could mean a big day for Clark and his receivers.

Drake had something of a coming-out party against Indiana. He had a 26-yard carry on a reverse, a gain which was augmented by a 13-yard personal foul penalty against the Hoosiers. The Nits wound up scoring on a 13-yard pass from Clark to tailback Evan Royster, enabling them to go into halftime 10-10.

Drake also demonstrated his elusiveness on a 28-yard reception, a goodly chunk of the yardage coming after the catch. He finished with two catches for 34 yards.

"He's in the lineup now," Clark said of Drake. "He'll be our second flanker, so he's going to play a lot. He's seen a lot of passes this week in practice.

"Michigan State does a lot of press technique on the outside guys. It's important to get Curtis established in the offense, both in the pass game and on gimmick plays. He'll definitely see the ball [tomorrow]."

Whether Drake is excited about his rising stock is uncertain; one of coach Joe Paterno's rules is that true freshmen not share their thoughts on football matters, or anything else, with the media. That leaves Clark and Paterno to help fill in the blanks.

"Drake has been a quarterback on a team that was one play from winning the state championship," JoePa noted. "He's got a little more versatility and can do more things than [Smith] can. He doesn't have the speed that Smith has, but they both have a place in the future."

Don't be surprised if Drake eventually winds up taking some direct snaps out of the Wildcat formation, something Penn State did for 4 years when wide receiver Derrick Williams, now a rookie with the Detroit Lions, was a multipurpose threat.

"Curtis told me they were putting in some Wildcat stuff for him, but I don't think they've used any of it yet," said Brian Fluck, Drake's coach at West Catholic. "I think he'd do very well at that. He just wants the ball in his hands."

3 things to look for

 

* Reconfigured and, hopefully, more effective special-teams units. If the Lions don't break any long punt returns, blame it on Joe Paterno, who personally put a special emphasis on that this past week. "I still got the Brown record for yardage in one game on punt returns," JoePa said jokingly, or maybe not. "I'm going to show those guys how I used to catch punts and ran for touchdowns every time I got my hands on the ball."

* Penn State will be keenly aware of where Michigan State linebacker Greg Jones, the Spartans' version of Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman, is on every snap.

* Unusual formations in which senior tight end Andrew Quarless lines up in the backfield, where, Paterno said, "he's half a fullback, half a tight end."