It’s hard to believe just how depleted Penn State was at the wide receiver position just four years ago. Especially with the senior trio of Derrick Williams, Deon Butler and Jordan Norwood giving the Nittany Lions, perhaps, the finest group of wideouts in the nation for 2008.

But all you have to do is examine the lengthy career of fifth-year senior Mark Rubin to bring back the gruesome memories. The Amherst, N.Y., native is currently PSU’s starting safety, and is about to make his eighth straight start on Saturday at Syracuse. But in 2004, Rubin was a true freshman – and by the end of the season, he was the Lions’ most productive wideout.

Rubin didn’t even play in the first three games in ’04. But when Zack Mills and Michael Robinson went down in the Big Ten opener at Wisconsin, Rubin made his playing debut. A week later at Minnesota, he made his first start. And by the end of the season, he saw action in 407 snaps and nabbed 18 receptions for 187 yards.

But in 2005, Rubin suffered a dislocated ankle before the opener and missed the entire season. By the time he returned, Penn State was loaded at wideout, so the 6-foot-3, 216-pounder moved over to the defense. Midway through the 2007 campaign, he moved into the starting unit when Tony Davis went down with appendicitis, and finished with 32 tackles.

“The total experience has made me stronger,” Rubin explained. “Playing on offense early in my career taught me tons of important lessons. I am actually thankful for the path I was able to take.

“I would have preferred not to get injured my sophomore year and have to redshirt, but that allowed me to stand on the sidelines and watch the game from a different perspective.”

This season, Rubin has seven tackles and picked off the first interception of his career against Oregon State. His days as a wideout may seem like ancient history. Either that or Penn State fans have simply repressed those memories. – NEIL GEOGHEGAN.