Bernard Fernandez: The Nittany Line: Finally, Penn State's Wallace meets expectations

MAYBE IT ALL came too soon and too easily for A.J. Wallace. When you're an instant sensation, starting out at the top, as it were, there really isn't any place to go but down.

Coming to Penn State in 2006 as a five-star recruit out of McDonough High School in Maryland, Wallace was dynamic on offense, defense and special teams as a true freshman. He played in every game, averaging an eyebrow-raising 21.8 yards per touch. He was fourth on the squad with 546 all-purpose yards on his 25 touches, averaging 24.2 yards on 16 kickoff returns and 19.1 yards on eight rushing attempts. He also had a 5-yard pass reception.

Five times, Wallace delivered plays of 40-plus yards. His first college carry, on a reverse, went for 42 yards in the 2006 season opener against Akron, and he later bolted for a 76-yard touchdown on a reverse against Youngstown State.

And then ...

It's not as if the 6-1, 201-pound Wallace has been a bust. He's been a contributor since he arrived in Happy Valley. But he hasn't become the breakout superstar his freshman campaign hinted at, and, from the fans' perspective, there is always a hue of disappointment surrounding those who fail to live up to the highest of expectations.

But if Saturday's performance against Minnesota is any indication, Wallace might be ready to finally fulfill his vast potential. In his first start of the season (and eighth of his career), he played perhaps his best game as a cornerback, virtually locking down Golden Gophers standout wide receiver Eric Decker, who was limited to one reception for 42 yards - which came when Wallace was not on him. Not coincidentally, the Nittany Lions pitched their first Big Ten Conference shutout since 2002 in winning, 20-0.

Some might link Wallace's delayed star turn to defensive coordinator Tom Bradley's challenge to him that he needed to step up and personally neutralize Decker.

Now, with No. 13 Penn State preparing for its biennial trip to that house of horrors, Michigan Stadium, where the Nits have not won in their last five visits, the question is whether Wallace can continue playing at that high level for the remainder of the season.

After Wallace shut down Decker, linebacker and team co-captain Sean Lee said, "As physical as A.J. is, he should be able to play like that every week."

"I guess you could call it a challenge, but I don't look at it like that," Wallace said of Lee's comment. "I just want to prove to my team that I'm supposed to be out there and ready to help them out.

"You've got to always play your heart out. That's something I need to do every game. I've shown that I can do it; I just have to build upon [the Minnesota game] and learn from the things that made me successful."

The inference is that maybe he didn't always play his heart out. That might explain why, despite being perhaps the most physically gifted cornerback on the roster the past three seasons, he couldn't break into the starting lineup on a full-time basis ahead of Lydell Sargeant in 2007 and '08 and fellow senior Knowledge Timmons this year.

It hasn't all been a lack of maximum effort. Some poor off-the-field decisions occasionally landed him in coach Joe Paterno's doghouse, and a series of hamstring pulls left him sore and blunted his quickness.

Wallace has kept his legs limber with a more intensive stretching regimen and, although he will continue to split time at left corner with Timmons, he enjoys being in the spotlight again.

A different sort of challenge awaits him in Michigan, which has two mobile freshman quarterbacks (Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson) who can keep plays going long enough that receivers can break off their routes and freelance.

"You have to be sure you stay on your man and don't stop," Wallace said. "The coaches tell us not to stop until 3 seconds after the whistle. You don't know for sure when the play is over. You have to expect the unexpected."

Or, in Wallace's case, the time might be right to again expect the expected.

* Senior tight end Andrew Quarless could be frequently targeted by quarterback Daryll Clark on slants, where his speed could prove bothersome to Michigan's outside linebackers.

* Michigan should rotate Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown, a couple of hard-running tailbacks, in an effort to take pressure off freshman quarterback Tate Forcier and wear down Penn State's defense, the best in the Big Ten. Minor sat out last week's 63-6 rout of Delaware State to nurse a high-ankle sprain and should be close to 100 percent.

* Senior Ako Poti will start his third straight game at right tackle, a sign that maybe the rotating cast of characters on the blocking front is finally settled.

Who: No. 13 Penn State at Michigan

When: 3:30 p.m. tomorrow

Where: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor.

TV: Channel 6.

Radio: WNTP (990-AM); WPNV (1440-AM).

Records: Penn State 6-1, 2-1 Big Ten; Michigan 5-2, 1-2

History: Michigan leads, 10-4. The Nittany Lions won last year in Beaver Stadium, 46-17, scoring the last 39 points after falling behind 17-7, and breaking a nine-game losing streak to the Wolverines.

Coaches: Joe Paterno (44th year, 489-128-3); Rich Rodriguez (second year at school, 8-11; 17th year overall, 113-73-2).

About Penn State: Most expect this to come down to Penn State's defense, which allows just 8.7 points per game, fewest in the Big Ten, against the Michigan offense, which leads the league with a 37.3-point average. But the reverse could be true; the Nits are second in the Big Ten in scoring at 29.6 ppg while the Michigan defense appears to be much more vulnerable with an average of 21.9 points allowed ... Tailback Evan Royster got the Wolverines fired up when, after last week's shutout of Minnesota, he remarked that he felt Penn State was "the better team and we can go in there and beat them" ... Outside linebacker Sean Lee, limited to nickel-package plays last week after missing the three previous games, should be on the field much more often ... If backup tailbacks Stephfon Green (ankle) and Brent Carter (knee) can't play, wide receiver Chaz Powell might see some time as the third-teamer behind Royster and Brandon Beachum.

About Michigan: New defensive coordinator Greg Williams, the former Syracuse head coach, has the Wolverines playing much more aggressively. "They don't run any defenses that we haven't seen thus far, but they have a lot of guys that make plays," Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark said. "They trust their athletes a lot because they play a lot of man coverage.'' The Wolverines are blitzing more, too ... It will be interesting to see whether 3-year starter Donovan Warren, a 6-foot, 187-pound cornerback, can handle the physical mismatch with the Nits' 6-5, 198-pound wideout, Derek Moye ... Center David Mock is recovered from a broken foot and should return to the lineup, which means a shift of fill-in center David Moosman back to right guard.

Penn State 28, Michigan 17.