Penn State Football 2012: 7 Things That Will Be Different from Last Year

How will Penn State fare in its first season without long-time coach Joe Paterno leading the way?
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After spending months dealing with the fallout from the Jerry Sandusky scandal, along with the death of longtime coach Joe Paterno, it's now time for the Penn State football program to begin focusing on a new era, and that will start with the upcoming 2012 season. 

New head coach Bill O'Brien has arrived and begun to instill his message and his way of doing things at Penn State, and it should be interesting to see how O'Brien fares in his inaugural season. 

Obviously, Paterno will still be on the minds of pretty much everyone around the school and the program, and it will be odd to see a season-opener without the coach out on the sidelines this year. 

As far as the actual football team goes, with just nine returning starters and a whole new coaching staff, there's certainly going to be a major learning curve to be expected in 2012. 

A lot has changed from last season, so let's have a look at some of the major differences between the 2011 season and the upcoming 2012 campaign. 

1. There Will Be a New Leader on the Sideline

Bill O'Brien
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For the first time since 1965, Penn State will go into the season with a head coach that's not named Joe Paterno.

Bill O'Brien has taken on the monumental task of trying to replace Paterno, who was one of the most legendary coaches in the sport's history. 

Paterno's exit from the program may have come under troubling circumstances, but there's no doubt that he'll always be beloved by much of the Nittany Lions faithful. 

Before joining the New England Patriots coaching staff, O'Brien worked as an assistant at schools such as Duke, Maryland, Georgia Tech and Brown, so he does have plenty of experience at the college level. 

Following in the footsteps of a legend is one of the toughest tasks in all of sports, and it will be interesting to see how O'Brien ultimately fares during his time in Happy Valley. 

2. Matt McGloin Knows He’s the Starter

Matt McGloin
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Last year, Penn State juggled between two quarterbacks—Matt McGloin and Rob Bolden.

This season, though, McGloin knows that the job is his going into the season. 

Sure, McGloin may not have put up the best numbers in 2011, as he completed just 54 percent of his passes and finished with an 8-5 touchdown-interception ratio.

Nevertheless, new coach Bill O'Brien still feels that he's the best option to lead the offense. 

The 6'1'', 199-pound senior has started 10 games in his career, and it will be interesting to see if O'Brien can actually mold him into a serviceable passer in 2012. 

3. Michael Mauti Will Be Roaming the Field

Michael Mauti
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If it weren't for two separate knee injuries, we would probably be talking about Michael Mauti as one of the best linebackers in college football right now. Mauti has missed two full seasons (2009 and 2011) due to separate torn ACL injuries, but he's going to give it one more go this year. 

In his one full season as a starter back in 2010, the 6'2'', 239-pound senior notched 67 tackles.

Now, Mauti will join up with Gerald Hodges and Glenn Carson to give the Nittany Lions one of the strongest linebacker units in the Big Ten for the 2012 season. 

4. Silas Redd Won’t Have Much Room to Run

Silas Redd
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Silas Redd is one of the most underrated backs in college football, but no matter how good Redd is, he still needs to get the blocking up front to allow him room to run. 

That could be tough this season, though, since Penn State is breaking in four new offensive linemen this year. 

Last year, Redd ran for 1,241 yards and seven touchdowns, but the 5'10'', 200-pound will have a hard time matching those totals in 2012 if the new offensive linemen aren't up to the task. 

Redd is a strong and durable runner, who is capable of being a workhorse back, but if he doesn't get the blocking this year, he could struggle to produce at a high rate. 

5. Devon Still Won’t Be Clogging Up Running Lanes

Devon Still
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Penn State's defense only gave up 3.6 yards per carry last season, and a big reason for the team's success against the run was the dominant play of DT Devon Still. 

Last year, Still had 55 tackles, including 12.5 tackles for loss, which helped propel him to be a second-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft. 

The presence of Still will certainly be missed in the middle of Penn State's defense, and that means that DT Jordan Hill is going to have to step up in a big way this season. 

Hill had 59 tackles last season, but the 6'1'', 298-pound senior is going to have to play even better in 2012 to make up for the loss of Still. 

6. The Secondary Will Be Full of New Faces

Stephon Morris
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After the departures of cornerbacks Chaz Powell and D'Anton Lynn and safeties Drew Astorino and Nick Sukay, Penn State will have to replace all four starters from last year's secondary. 

The defensive backfield will be the most inexperienced unit and the biggest question mark on the Nittany Lions defense this year. 

New starters such as Stephon Morris, Curtis Drake, Adrian Amos and Malcolm Willis will have to gel in a hurry in 2012. 

Penn State ranked 17th nationally in pass defense, only allowing an average of 190 yards per game, last year. However, with four new starters, the secondary won't have the same type of success again this season. 

7. The Nittany Lions Won’t Make It to a Bowl

Penn State fan
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It's hard to know what to expect out of Penn State this season. 

After such an emotionally draining end to the 2011 season, it will definitely be interesting to see how the players respond this fall.

Still, with just nine returning starters and a whole new coaching staff, this certainly seems to be shaping up to be a transition season in Happy Valley. 

After all that's gone on at Penn State recently, the 2012 season shouldn't be measured in wins and losses. Instead, fans should appreciate the dedication, hard work and effort that the players show this year, as they turned out to be just innocent bystanders in this whole terrible situation. 

With teams like Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State, Purdue, Nebraska and Wisconsin all on the schedule, Penn State is going to have to pull off a few upsets if it wants to make it to a bowl this season.

Nevertheless, whether the Nittany Lions end up in the postseason is almost inconsequential, as this season will be more about the start of a new era and building for the future than it will be about present success.