Penn State Football: 5 Players Key to Nittany Lions' Success in 2012

To say Penn State football and the State College community had an emotional past year would certainly be a vast understatement.

There was an image-tarring alleged sex scandal and firing of Joe Paterno, followed by frustrated and confused students overtaking Beaver Canyon, and then the eventual death of a legendary coach, humanitarian and icon.

However, football was played, in case you missed it.

The Nittany Lions were actually in first place of the Big Ten’s Leaders Division for the majority of the season as they were in undefeated in their first five conference contests.

However, an absurdly difficult three final games of the regular season proved too strenuous for a Paterno-less Lions, going 1-2 with a gut-wrenching loss to Nebraska in the home “Blue Out” game and a 45-7 humiliating loss at the hands of Wisconsin.

With Bill O’Brien firmly entrenched in Happy Valley after being named JoePa’s successor, he’s been trying to implement his new offense and provide a facelift for Penn State football.

However, regardless of the scheming changes that will take place, the Lions players still have to go out there and perform.

On the field, the Lions put together a nice season with a 9-4 record, but in order to build on that and contend for the Big Ten Championship a few players are going to have to step up in a big way.

Silas Redd

While Penn State’s offense looked abysmal and sometimes nonexistent last year, one constant for the Lions was their workhorse running back Silas Redd.

Despite playing behind Evan Royster in 2010, Redd showed flashes of shiftiness and quickness as a freshman and had many fans salivating over what he could do in 2011. With inept and indecisive quarterback play, the rising junior didn’t disappoint with 1,241 yards on 244 carries and seven touchdowns.

Within last year’s campaign, Redd was statistically the best running back in the country during the month of October, in which he totaled 703 yards and gained at least 129 yards in every contest.

Although Bill O’Brien’s offense is heavily focused on the air attack, don’t think for a minute he’ll shun a running back of Redd’s capabilities.  

However, Redd will need to stay healthy as knee problems have hankered him in the past.

And if the bulldozing speedster can somehow improve on his stellar 2011 campaign, he will, without a doubt, be in the running for the Doak Walker Award and play a crucial role in Penn State’s 2012 results.

Matt McGloin

Does anybody know for certain who’s going to start at quarterback for Penn State this upcoming season?

One thing we do know for sure is that it’s not going to be Shane McGregor. That’s about it.

While we may not know for sure who’ll take the first snap against University of Ohio on Sept. 1, my best guess points to rising senior Matt McGloin getting the nod.

McGloin may not be the most talented quarterback on the roster, but he’s my pick for 2012 based on his experience and moxie.

McGloin started for most of the 2011 season, compiling 1,571 yards and eight touchdowns. He has shown in the 10 starts over two years that he’s somewhat capable of managing an offense and plays with confidence, despite his tendency of throwing to the wrong team in the end zone.

Let’s just hope he doesn’t lose his cool again and decide to fight someone on his own team and end up in the hospital.

Justin Brown

With Derek Moye, one of the school’s best wide receivers, departing, there will be a massive hole that needs to be filled in the receiving corps.

In 2012, look for rising senior Justin Brown to step in and fill that slot admirably.

The Delaware native emerged as an offensive threat his sophomore year and played a large role in the Lions’ offense last year with 35 receptions and 517 yards.

However, Brown struggled at points in the season, having issues with route running and holding onto passes. Also, Brown had only one game in which he recorded more than four receptions and failed to break the century mark in yards during all of 2011’s contests.

Despite this, he showed incredible "spurtability," averaging 14.8 yards per catch.

As a senior and with no experienced receiving threat behind him, 2012 will be Brown’s chance to emerge as a consistent force to be reckoned with across the middle and down the field as he’ll try to bolster Bill O’Brien’s pass-happy offense.

Gerald Hodges

After a breakout season, linebacker Gerald Hodges flirted with the idea of leaving Happy Valley a year early and entering the 2012 NFL draft.

However, the rising senior decided to come back to State College to earn his degree and possibly forge his name as one of Penn State’s best linebackers in recent memory.

Even though he played safety in high school, Hodges gained a solid amount of success at the weakside linebacker position the past two seasons for the Lions. In 2011, the athletic defensive star led the Lions with 106 tackles, including 10 for a loss and 4.5 sacks, and adding an interception and two forced fumbles.

Despite this success, Hodges will be moved to strongside linebacker in 2012, making him focus on not only stuffing the run, but also having extend responsibilities in pass coverage.

While former defensive coordinator Tom Bradley is now gone, linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden was retained and will help Hodges reach his maximum potential as a player, just as he did with NaVorro Bowman, Sean Lee and others.

Also, new defensive coordinator Ted Roof is notorious for his aggressive schemes, so Hodges should get plenty of chances to rush the passer and create plays in the opponent’s backfield.

All that being said, Hodges has one of the brightest outlooks of any linebacker across the country and will make sure Penn State’s reputation of Linebacker U is continued in 2012.

Adrian Amos

Penn State’s defense last season was one of the best in country as it always is and won games for the Lions despite a weak offense.

The defensive line will hold up well with Jordan Hill returning and Pete Massaro coming back from injury, and the linebacker group is probably the most talented and deep bunch in the Big Ten.

However, the weak spot of the defense is a glaring one to say the least: the secondary.

After having a fantastic crop of effective and experienced defensive backs last year, the Lions will be losing guys like Drew Astorino, Nick Sukay, Chaz Powell and D’Anton Lynn, and they will need to fill those voids if their defense is to thrive.

One player can’t take care of all the secondary departures, but a player like Adrian Amos will cover enough field to make it feel like he’s cloned himself.

A rising sophomore, Amos stood in last season when Lynn and Powell went down with injuries and provided a spark wherever he was on the field. In 2011, Amos played in all but one game and recorded 13 tackles, one interception and four pass breakups.

After being moved to safety for the upcoming year, the Towson, Md., native will be charged with the responsibility of pass coverage and run stopping, but the freedom to roam around the field and make big plays.

If the secondary is going to rebound from all the losses to graduation they endured, it will start with the performance of hard-hitting Amos in 2012.