DATE: Wednesday, October 8, 1997            TAG: 9710080669

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: STATE COLLEGE, PA.                LENGTH:  182 lines

HELPING THE LIONS ROAR 3 FORMER AREA STARS PLAY KEY ROLES FOR NO. 2 PENN STATE.

Chris Snyder can't say precisely what attracted him to Penn State. On his recruiting visit, ``Something about the place just hit me,'' he said.

Then Snyder enrolled, and had no trouble identifying what was hitting him.

Future first-round draft picks. Guys like Kyle Brady and Andre Johnson. Big Ten beef on the hoof.

Snyder was driven into the verdant turf of Happy Valley more times than he cares to remember. And that was just in practice.

Still, he persisted, and when the No. 2 Nittany Lions run onto the field at Beaver Stadium Saturday, to the roars of 96,000 true believers, Snyder will do so as a starting defensive end. A two-year starter, even, a veteran leader of one of the nation's best defenses.

The Indian River High graduate is also the senior member of a trio of Nittany Lions from South Hampton Roads. Joining him in the starting lineup against No. 7 Ohio State will be Anthony King, a cornerback from Granby High. Playing special teams - and possibly a few plays at safety - will be James Boyd, a true freshman from Indian River.

They're the latest in a long line that has made South Hampton Roads happy hunting ground for Penn State coach Joe Paterno.

``We've been down there a long time,'' Paterno said. ``We go way back to Darren Perry and Keith Goganious. I hope we can continue to recruit in Virginia. It's obviously a very fine area, especially the Tidewater area.''

Actually, Penn State has been recruiting here even longer than Paterno could recall off the top of his head.

Penn State's first big catch was D.J. Dozier, who graduated from Kempsville High in 1983 and finished his career second on Penn State's all-time rushing list. It continued with Deep Creek's Dwayne Downing in the mid-'80s, a three-year letterman, and Green Run's Goganious and Deep Creek's Perry, both defensive stars by the time they graduated from Penn State in 1991. Next came First Colonial's Brandon Noble, a three-year starter at defensive tackle who led the team in sacks as a senior last season.

Now there's the current trio, playing key roles on the best Penn State team since the unbeaten 1994 squad. Saturday's game is the type they came here for: a certified Big Ten collision, with national title implications, and Keith Jackson calling it for ABC (scheduled for pay-per-view only in South Hampton Roads).

``The game that everybody circled on their calendar,'' Penn State tailback Curtis Enis said.

``Exactly the way I thought it would be,'' said King.

Snyder echoes those sentiments, from the longer perspective of a fifth-year senior.

Now in his final semester, Snyder's a man at ease. His non-football obligations have dwindled to a manageable few. He's finished his course work toward a degree in kinesiology and will graduate in December. All that's left is an internship, which he's completing by working in the Penn State varsity weight room.

Taking a break from a morning spent supervising his teammates, Snyder relaxes in a lounge next to the weight room. His sweatshirt is inside out, his shorts baggy. His hair may or may not have seen a comb this morning. Under that sweatshirt, he's got a tattoo of Bruce Lee on his chest, and one of a Marvel Comics character, The Punisher, on his back.

Life is good.

Home is the basement of a State College house that Snyder shares with three teammates.

``I've got a punching bag in there,'' he says. ``It's my kind of place.''

So is State College. It's been called a quintessential college town, and Snyder admits to being amused at times by its fringe elements.

``Everybody doing their own thing, man,'' he said. ``It's actually a fun place, when you get time to do stuff.''

Snyder's come a long way since his days as a tense freshman, someone Paterno once said played ``like a robot.''

``You have to chill out a little bit,'' Snyder said. ``If you don't, you'll drive yourself crazy.''

Noble helped. The pair rode back and forth to school together. It was Noble who talked Snyder into getting his first tattoo, The Punisher. The pair are still close. Noble's big pickup was parked in front of Snyder's house a couple of weeks ago.

Snyder added the Bruce Lee tattoo after venturing to a State College martial arts school. His trip had nothing to do with football. Still, three years of offseason training in Jeet Kune do, a martial art developed by Lee in the 1960s, have improved Snyder's quickness and hand-eye coordination, which has helped in hand-to-hand combat with offensive tackles. Through four games, he has 10 tackles, four for losses, and 1.5 sacks.

``Chris Snyder is playing really well right now,'' Paterno said. ``He's not the biggest kid in the world, he plays at about 250, but he's strong and quick.''

Snyder plays at 248, which means he gives up 50 or more pounds to most Big Ten tackles, or ``beefcakes'' as he calls them.

``I learned early that if you don't come off the ball low, you're going to end up 10 yards downfield,'' he said.

So he comes off low, uses those quick hands to his advantage and occasionally pulls something out of his martial arts bag of tricks.

In addition to a tackle, Snyder often has a tight end to deal with. As Penn State's ``X'' end, he always lines up on the strong side.

``That's because he plays the run so well,'' said defensive ends coach Larry Johnson. ``But if someone goes down in our rotation, Chris can also play the other side of the ball, and that makes him even more valuable.

``Our biggest problem is getting him out of the game. He hates sitting out. He goes non-stop. That's what I like about him.''

Perhaps Snyder doesn't like coming out because he waited so long for his chance. He redshirted in 1993 and was a reserve in 1994 and 1995.

He's been a model Nittany Lion, buying early into the Paterno system. The proof? In four-plus years, he's never been in Paterno's office.

``I've never even seen it,'' he said. ``Couldn't tell you where it is.''

Snyder, however, promises to make waves if Penn State again goes 12-0 and doesn't win the national title, which is what happened in '94. If Penn State is snubbed again, Snyder promises to give media types the soundbite of the year.

``I'll find a way to get on ESPN,'' he said. ``Coach Paterno won't be able to say anything to me. I'll be gone by then.''

King has never been in Paterno's office, either, except on his recruiting visit. He doesn't hear from Joe Pa much, either.

``The only time someone says something to me at practice is when I mess up,'' King said.

Which means they don't speak to him much at all.

``Anthony King has great athletic ability,'' Paterno said. ``He's getting better all the time at the corner.''

Although most Penn State freshmen redshirt, King had no interest in sitting out last year. Turns out, there was no need to. He played in every game, finished the season second on the depth chart, and won the starting job last spring. He's made eight tackles and broken up two passes in four games. Like most starters, he's yet to play much more than half-a-game.

``I just wanted to get the feeling of playing right away,'' he said. ``I think I'm a fast learner. I'm sort of a perfectionist.''

King is meticulous about everything he does. He carries a 3.24 average in business administration. He's a firm believer in the Penn State Way. In a 1996 NCAA report, Penn State had the highest graduation rate of any major Division I-A program. Off-the-field problems are few and far between.

``Basically, you're in an hourglass, with everybody watching,'' King said. ``We represent Penn State, and the tradition that's here. We can't mess up.''

King knows the drill. He loves the drill.

``They tell you what you're going to do, you do it,'' he said. ``It's either football or studying. If you're not doing one, you're doing the other.''

King seems born to play at Penn State. Winter is his favorite season. He even likes those plain blue and white uniforms, with the black shoes, plain white helmets and no names on the backs of jerseys.

``When I was younger I didn't like them,'' he said. ``I thought they were too plain. But then I realized you can be basic and simple and still be good.

``Just go out and play football. That's what it's all about.''

Boyd, a free safety, is going through what King went through last season. He's not yet on the depth chart, but is too talented to keep off the field, defensive backs coach Tom Bradley said.

``We try to play him as much as we can,'' Bradley said. ``He's played about 40 plays, just on defense, more on special teams. He's a very physical football player, an excellent tackler. His only drawback is his lack of experience.''

Boyd's made seven tackles, and a big impression in practice.

``The kid can hit,'' Snyder said.

Like all of Penn State's true freshmen, Boyd is off limits to the media. He said last December that he chose Penn State because of the stability of Paterno's program, the high graduation rate of black athletes, and the chance to play right away.

``The good thing about Penn State is there's really nothing to do up there,'' Boyd said. ``When you get there, all you can do is go to school and play sports.''

Not a bad combination. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS/File Color photo

Penn State's Chris Snyder, an Indian River graduate, breaks through

the line against Pitt Sept. 6. ``Our biggest problem is getting him

out of the game,'' said Nittany Lions assistant coach Larry Johnson.

``He hates sitting out. He goes non-stop. That's what I like about

him.''

Graphics

Photos

Chris Snyder

Anthony King

James Boyd

Past players