O'Brien rests some players before Penn State's season opener

With little more than a week remaining before he makes his game-day debut as Penn State head coach, Bill O'Brien is resting some veteran players in the preseason - some for bumps and bruises, others as a precaution - while taking a look at younger backups.

Some of the players who were held out of Tuesday's practice were defensive ends Pete Massaro and Brad Bars, wide receivers Shawney Kersey and Malik Golden, tight end Garry Gilliam, and safeties Malcolm Willis and Jake Fagnano.

Massaro, a Marple Newtown High graduate, has returned to the lineup after missing all of last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

"We've tried to manage some of the older guys like Pete, who had a knee issue," O'Brien told reporters before practice in State College. "We gave [linebacker] Gerald Hodges a day off last week. Those guys have played a lot of football. It also gives us a chance to watch some of those younger guys play."

The real injury concern is at safety, where Willis and Fagnano have missed much of training camp with injuries. Willis reportedly has a lower leg injury and Fagnano is battling a hamstring problem.

"Malcolm is doing much better," O'Brien said. "Jake is touch-and-go. It's a tough deal when you have a hamstring. You have to let it heal, otherwise it will keep nagging at you. Hopefully, Jake will get back in there soon."

O'Brien said he would move sophomore cornerback Adrian Amos to one of the safety positions if Willis or Fagnano is not ready for the Sept. 1 season opener against Ohio. He said he is confident playing Amos "in any position on defense except the defensive line."

Offensive tackle Donovan Smith has returned to practice after missing some time with a hamstring injury. Mike Farrell, who filled in for Smith at left tackle, is back on the right side and battling Adam Gress for the starting job, O'Brien said.

O'Brien said quarterback Matt McGloin showed during a weekend scrimmage that he has a "real good grasp of the operation" on offense and the progress made by the unit. Sophomore wide receiver Allen Robinson is having "an excellent camp," the coach said, and has made a lot of big plays.

As for McGloin's backup, O'Brien said redshirt sophomore Paul Jones needed to be more consistent, and noted that freshman Steven Bench was coming on.

"The freshman, Steven Bench, has come in here and done pretty well, so that's good competition there," he said. "Paul has shown flashes at times of doing pretty well and other times of not doing so well. If he can play more consistent, he can be the player that he wants to be."

In other areas, O'Brien said, senior Derek Day was the No. 2 tailback behind sophomore Bill Belton (Winslow Township) and that he is still worried about inconsistency with his punters, although Alex Butterworth has shown some improvement the last few days.

Paterno book released. A much-anticipated biography of Joe Paterno, the longtime Penn State football coach, was released on Tuesday.

Paterno was written by former Sports Illustrated writer Joe Posnanski, who had extensive access to the coach before and after the arrest of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky on child sexual-abuse charges. The resulting fallout cost Paterno his job.