Penn State’s tight ends will be busy in the 2009 season. They will be called upon to help out the Nittany Lions offense in more than one way.

First, they will be called upon to help an inexperienced offensive line, which will have three new starters on it. Secondly, they will have to get down the field and make plays in the passing game to help inexperienced receivers.

Luckily for Penn State they have two talented senior tight ends to get both jobs done. Andrew Quarless and Mickey Shuler will no doubt get their fair share of playing time this season, and the Nittany Lions might use a lot of two tight end sets to take advantage of both players’ talents at the same time.

Quarless, has been disappointing through his career at Penn State, as he has not lived up to the talent he posses. Off-the-field issues and injuries have been a problem for him and have kept him in Joe Paterno’s proverbial doghouse for much of his previous three seasons.

Last year, Quarless caught 11 balls for 117 yards and one touchdown in only six games. His best season was his freshman year in 2006. He caught 21 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns.

The promise of that season landed him on the 2007 Mackey Award watch list, an award that is given to the nation’s top tight end. During that campaign, Quarless saw his numbers drop, as he only posted 14 receptions for 205 yards and two touchdowns.

Nevertheless, coming off another down year, Quarless has been named to the 2009 Mackey Award watch list.

Shuler, is listed on top of the depth chart right now, and is unheralded compared to Quarless. Last year Shuler had nine receptions for 120 yards and one touchdown in nine games. He was banged up a lot but when healthy showed he could stretch the field, as he averaged three more yards per reception than Quarless.

In 2007 Shuler caught seven passes for 91 yards and one touchdown.

Andrew Szczerba, a sophomore, sits third on the depth chart, and will provide depth behind Quarless and Shuler. As a redshirt freshman last season he collected one catch for nine yards in the season opener against Coastal Carolina and then did not contribute any receiving stats the rest of the season.

Redshirt freshman Mark Wedderburn is fourth on the team’s depth chart.

The main thing to look for from this group will be to see if Quarless can finally live up to his potential. Also, watch for Shuler to keep up his steady improvement as a player. One last thing to look for in 2009 is the possibility that their numbers could be kept down if they are called upon to stay on the line and block. A distinct possibility if the offensive line is struggling to protect Daryll Clark.