FanHouse AnthonyScirrotto

At the rate the Nittany Lions are going these days, the Penn in Penn State is going to stand for Penitentiary before long.

First it was Anthony Scirrotto and his teammates getting into a brawl at an off-campus apartment in April, then there was running back Austin Scott being accused of rape and basically getting kicked off the team earlier this season, and now we have a few more Nittany Lions in trouble with the law.

Penn State defensive tackle Chris Baker and backup linebacker Navarro Bowman were charged with assault Thursday over a campus fight in which police said a man was kicked and punched.

Baker, of Windsor, Conn., and Bowman, of District Heights, Md., were arraigned Thursday on charges including felony aggravated assault and two misdemeanors, simple assault and disorderly conduct. They were also charged with summary harassment and stalking.

Police said they were called to the Hetzel Union Building early Oct. 7 to break up a fight during a party. One man suffered a bloody nose and lip after he said he was kicked and punched "by numerous people,'' according to a police criminal complaint. The man was treated at the scene by paramedics.

Baker, of course, is the same Chris Baker that was involved with Scirrotto during the off-campus fight last April. It's good to see that the young man has learned his lesson, and is keeping his nose clean.

Along with Baker and Bowman, cornerback Knowledge Timmons will also be receiving a summons in the mail for the fight any day now.

No word on whether any of the three will play this weekend, but even if they do, I wouldn't invite them to any parties afterward.

If anybody was worried about the Penn State ground game after the indefinite suspension of tailback Austin Scott, I don't think they need to worry anymore. Scott, you may have heard, has been suspended indefinitely by the school for allegedly raping a girl in his apartment a few weeks ago. Just another fun story to throw on the Penn State pile this season, right there on top of Anthony Scirrotto's drunken fighting, and JoePa's busy middle fingers.

The Nittany Lions were able to rack up 221 yards on the ground on Saturday, as they buried the Wisconsin Badgers 38-7 in Happy Valley. The 221 rushing yards against Wisconsin came just a week after the Nittany Lions ran for 256 yards against Iowa. So in two games without Scott, Penn State is averaging 238.5 yards a game after averaging only 164.2 yards a game with him in the backfield.

The reason for their success has been the 5'9 senior Rodney Kinlaw. After only carrying the ball only 80 times for 326 yards his first three years in Happy Valley, Kinlaw has compiled 283 yards the last two weeks alone. Including the 115 yards and touchdown he had against Wisconsin on Saturday.

Kinlaw's not alone either, as freshman Evan Royster has played well in Scott's absence as well. Royster rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown of his own against Wisconsin, as the Nittany Lions are finding a lot of options in their backfield. Which is a very good thing, because every time Anthony Morelli takes a snap and hands it off to a running back, it's one less time Morelli will throw the ball. Something that's sure to make a lot of Penn State fans sleep better at night.

Penn State safety Anthony Scirrotto got some good news on Monday as five of the seven charges he faces thanks to an off-campus fight back in April have been dropped.

Centre County Judge Charles Brown Jr. dismissed felony charges of burglary and criminal solicitation; two misdemeanor counts of criminal solicitation; and one misdemeanor count of simple assault.

Brown ruled Monday there was no evidence indicating Scirrotto instigated the fight.

The two charges that Scirrotto still has to deal with are non-felony counts of criminal trespass, and harassment. Neither of which should pose a real threat to Scirrotto's availability for the Nittany Lions this fall.

As for his teammate, Chris Baker, there is nothing new to report in his case. Scirrotto's lawyer filed to have the charges against his client dropped a few weeks ago, while Baker's attorney has decided to fight the charges saying that it's a case of "mistaken identity."

I wonder if seeing the major charges against Scirrotto dropped will have any effect on how Baker chooses to fight the charges in the future.

Both players are scheduled to undergo trial in October.

The Nittany Lions enter this season with a few question marks surrounding the team. One of those questions is who will be on toilet duty, but the more important question is will Anthony Scirrotto and Chris Baker be around all season?

With the two players set to undergo trial for an incident that took place on campus on April 1st, nobody has been sure about the availability of the two players. Well, we now know that they'll be around through at least October.

Scirrotto and Baker originally were scheduled to go to trial this month, but that date was pushed back to October because information from Penn State's Office of Judicial Affairs had not yet been handed over to legal authorities.

The good news about the trial being delayed for the Nittany Lions is that it means both players will be available for Penn State's games against Notre Dame and Michigan. The bad news is that there's a chance neither player will be available for dates against Wisconsin and Ohio State.

If you're unfamiliar with what happened, Scirrotto and his girlfriend got into a confrontation with three other men. Whatever happened, eventually about 20 Penn State players showed up at the apartment of one of the men Scirrotto had the disagreement with, and punches were thrown.

As a result Scirrotto is facing felony charges of burglary, criminal trespass and criminal solicitation along with smaller charges of simple assault and harassment.