FanHouse AustinScott

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.

Last Friday, the Fanhouse reported that Austin Scott wouldn't play against Iowa and that State College police were investigating a football player for sexual assault, inviting readers to connect the dots. Now the dots come pre-connected:

Suspended Penn State running back Austin Scott has been charged with raping a woman at his on-campus apartment after meeting her at a bar.

Scott maintains his innocence (via his lawyer):

"The interaction he had with the woman involved was consensual, and we anticipate we will be able to prove that in court," his lawyer, Joseph Amendola, said. "Very optimistic. We're looking forward to the opportunity of establishing his innocence."

He's still off the team; with his trial highly unlikely to be resolved in the next couple months, his career at Penn State is for all intents and purposes over.

Last Friday Brian Cook told you that the Nittany Lions would be without running back Austin Scott on Saturday because of what was apparently a sexual assault Scott may or may not have been involved with.

Well, whether he was or not, the school has suspended Scott indefinitely.

Penn State running back Austin Scott's future with the program remained unclear Monday after his indefinite suspension by coach Joe Paterno said.

Scott was suspended Friday for violating an unspecified team rule, Paterno said. The 6-foot, 222-pound senior from Allentown, Pa., did not dress or play against Iowa on Saturday, a 27-7 victory for the Nittany Lions.

This is the last thing Joe Paterno needs at Penn State, as it follows an off season centered on Anthony Scirotto and other players getting into a fight at an off campus apartment.

Of course, what Scott's being accused of is far worse than a couple of drunk college guys getting into a fight.

As far as how the Nittany Lions will handle this on the field, Rodney Kinlaw seems more than capable of filling Scott's shoes. Kinlaw rushed for 168 yards on 28 carries for Penn State in their victory over Iowa.

FightOnState, Scout.com Penn State site, is reporting that Austin Scott will not play tomorrow:

Multiple sources have informed FOS that senior tailback Austin Scott will not play against Iowa tomorrow.

Fight On State will post additional information as it becomes available and is confirmed by reliable sources.

Meanwhile, Run Up The Score reports that local television is, uh, reporting...

According to the WJAC-TV, police are investigating a Penn State football player regarding a sexual assault reported early Friday morning on the Penn State campus.

This would be bad for Scott, the potential victim, Penn State, and the Big Ten, which could do without multiple sexual assault cases levied against its players in a single year. Insert very serious "if, in fact, these two events are connected" here. Insert SEC crowing about that Jim Delany open letter here. Insert end of post here.

If Penn State is going to be a legitimate contender for the Big Ten title this season, they're going to need more than just an improved Anthony Morelli to do so. With last year's workhorse Tony Hunt now in training camp with the Philadelphia Eagles, Austin Scott will finally get a chance to prove he's the running back everyone thought he was in high school.

Scott was the biggest name of Penn State's 2003 recruiting class, but things haven't worked out quite the way everybody thought they would. His time in Happy Valley so far has been spent standing on the sidelines watching Tony Hunt do all the work. He's rushed for over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career at Penn State, but those were supposed to be yearly totals, not lifetime.

Well, this season will be Scott's last chance to prove everybody was right about his talent in high school, because Hunt is gone and the onus now falls on him.

"He's always been a good prospect," coach Joe Paterno said. "I think when he came in here, things had been so easy for him in high school, and, all of a sudden, maybe he expected some things to happen to him because he was Austin Scott.

"I think Austin Scott's just got to be a little more consistent. When he wakes up in the morning, he can't be one guy one morning and another guy the next morning. And I think he's much better than he was. We'll see. But I think he's closer to where he's got to be to be a big-time, consistent college tailback than he was a year ago."

Well, I'd hope he is better than last year, because he spent last season redshirting on the scout team.