To celebrate the upcoming new year, and new decade, we’ll be offering a retrospective here at quebecpenspinning. Over the next two weeks, we’ll reveal all the members of quebecpenspinning’s All-Decade team, comprising of the best Penn Staters from 2000-2009. Don’t agree with our picks? Let your voice be heard in the comments! We continue today with a look back at Penn State’s best safeties of the past decade.

Just like at the cornerback position, Penn State’s soft zone coverage scheme doesn’t allow safeties to stand out.  You’ll never see a Taylor Mays-like missile ready to crush receivers going over the middle, or a ballhawk like Eric Berry, ready to pick off an off-target throw anywhere on the field.  Penn State safeties, like Nittany Lions at so many other positions, tend to be sure tacklers, solid in coverage, and play not to make mistakes.  More often than not, you’ll see one safety tasked with defending the deep middle and another stacked in the box, both ready to capitalize on mistakes but equally sure to not make one themselves.  Typically, it’s when you don’t hear the names of Penn State safeties that you know they’re doing their job, not when you do.  But the safeties we here at quebecpenspinning have selected for the All-Decade team did more than just not screw up, and went above and beyond the typical production we’ve come to expect.

Calvin Lowry (2001-2005) struggled to find playing time in his first two season with the Lions, at least at defensive back.  Through his freshman and sophomore season, Lowry found himself firmly a backup, making just 14 tackles in his freshman season, with one interception.  Lowry gained an expanded role as a sophomore, returning punts and kicks in addition to becoming a rotational player at safety, where Lowry chipped in 20 tackles.  But as he gained a starting role, at the “hero” position for Penn State, Lowry started to make his mark.  Lowry came up with 50 tackles for Penn State in his junior year, in 12 starts, and led the Big Ten in interceptions with 4, en route to being named a first-team all-conference selection.  His senior year brought similar success, as Lowry once again picked off 4 passes, this time ranking third in the conference, and increasing his tackle output to 79, good for third on the team.  Named a first-team All Big Ten selection for the second year, Lowry was drafted in the 4th round by Tennessee, but has never matched his collegiate success in the NFL.

Anthony Scirrotto (2005-2008) came to Penn State instead of pursuing a baseball career, and very early in his Nittany Lion career, that move paid dividends for Penn State.  Playing in 11 games as a true freshman, Scirrotto returned punts and intercepted his first career pass in Penn State’s 63-10 thumping of Illinois.  Heading into his sophomore season, Scirrotto earned the starting safety position and excelled from game one, making 5 tackles and intercepting a pass in the season opener against Akron.  Those numbers would only increase over the course of the season, and Scirrotto ended the year with 58 tackles and a Big Ten-high 6 interceptions, as he started all 13 games for the Lions and was named to the 2006 All Conference team for his efforts.  After being named to the preseason Big Ten first team in 2007, Scirrotto struggled to live up to the hype: his tackle total diminished to 37 and he intercepted just 3 passes, a dramatic decline in each category from his breakout sophomore season, despite starting the same 13 games.  But it wasn’t enough to stop him from once again being named to the preseason All Conference first team in 2008, and amongst a secondary that featured four senior starters, Scirrotto set a career high with 61 tackles, and added 2 interceptions.  During Penn State’s one regular season loss, Scirrotto was whistled for a pass interference call on a hit that was not only outside the definition of interference, but on a ball that was clearly uncatchable, and I’m not over that yet.  Despite being a 4-year contributor for Penn State, Scirrotto went undrafted last April, though he was selected in the 50th round of the MLB draft in June, despite not having played in 4 years.

Honorable Mentions: Bryan Scott, Chris Harrell, James Boyd