Why Penn State's Worst Season in Years is Actually a Good Season

I know many of us Penn State fans are disappointed with our anemic offense and slow-starting defense and their lack of ability to make tackles.  But lets face it, over 75 percent of our roster is made up of freshmen and sophomores, and our starting quarterback is a true freshman, a first for Joe Paterno. 

This is a rebuilding year for Penn State, and probably the best one we could have for a young team that needs experience.  One of the biggest reasons why this is a great rebuilding year for Penn State is that all of our young players get a chance to play against good teams in hostile environments on the road.

So far, we have seen Rob Bolden perform at Alabama and at Iowa.  Although he was unable to record any points, one could see from his performance that he wasn't rattled at all by perhaps the best two defenses in the NCAA.  He looked composed and poised in the pocket, and for a true freshman, he made the right decision most of the time.

He took a lot of hits, but didn't let these monster defenses get in his head.  He looked like a senior quarterback leading his team.  Although he made some errors in the red zone, I was very impressed that a true freshman was able to go on the road in two very hostile environments and stay composed.

This is telling me that we have a quarterback for the next four years.  He still has some mechanical and decision making issues to work out, but those will come as he grows as a quarterback.  He has an amazing arm, and is a real leader on this offense.  He didn't even come to spring practice but Joe named him the starter.  That means that I'm not the only one who sees the promise in this kid.

With road games against Alabama and Iowa on his back, and a road trip to Ohio State later this season, this freshman has the experience of playing against the top teams in the toughest environments.  Although we may struggle in the stats category and the win loss category in these games, it only helps for our future, perhaps to making next year's team a championship contender.

Its great that our young team gets to play on the road against these tough teams this year, so that next year, they will be more experienced, better, and will get to play most of their tough games at home.  This gives us a good chance to win most of those games, and maybe even win a National Championship or at least a BCS game. 

Another factor in potentially winning these games next year is that Alabama loses McElroy, Ingram, and most likely Jones, who are huge impact players, and Iowa loses their senior quarterback Stanzi.

Another couple of players I have noticed to be spectacular this year are: running back Silas Redd, wide receiver Justin Brown, and all purpose player Devon Smith.  Silas Redd seems to just shed tackles and bounce off defenders.  Along with his great power, he has great agility and vision, and also great speed.  He seems like he is going to make a great back for Penn State, and may even be better than Royster. 

Justin Brown is a great reliable receiver who has come down with a lot of balls and a lot of big catches.  I see a bright future for him.  As for Devon Smith, well, anyone who can run a 4.23 40 is going to make a HUGE impact, and he is used all over the field and is a dynamic player who can make big plays for Penn State.

The only problem we have for next year is that we lose Ollie Ogbu on the defense, and about half our offensive line.  We also lose Royster, which hurts.  These could be potential drawbacks in our hunt for a championship. 

However, with our freshman and sophomores stepping up and getting good experience on the road, I think they'll be plenty confident and much more prepared next year when they seek revenge against these top teams at home.