Penn State Nittany Lions Season Preview

Joe Paterno enters his 46th coaching season without former senior leaders Evan Royster and Stefen Wisniewski. Royster had arguably his worst year of his career and the stats backed it up, as the team was 74th in the nation averaging only 142 yards per game on the ground.

Still, he was the all-time leading rusher in program history. Expected to take over will be Silas Redd and Stepfon Green. Green was dismissed earlier this month, but has just been reinstated.

Redd only toted the rock 77 times but still rushed for 437 yards and two touchdowns as a backup. Redd has freakish skills, including a quick burst when he crosses the line of scrimmage. He is arguably more talented than Rosyter, but time will tell whether or not he can become just as productive.

Who to Start Under Center?

The offensive line returns three starters and despite losing Wisniewski they are capable of becoming one of the premier lines in the revamped Big Ten. Quinn Barham is one of the finer tackles in the Big Ten and will be expected to protect the blindside of whomever the starting quarterback is.

Speaking of the signal caller, there is quite the battle. Rob Bolden (Sophomore), Matt McGloin (Junior), and Kevin Newsome (Junior) were all expected to compete for the job.

Paul Jones was in the mix as well, but he is now expected to sit out the year due to academics. Newsome is also reportedly seeking a transfer.

McGloin was the most impressive last season, though he had his own struggles, such as the Outback Bowl against Florida where he threw five interceptions!

He had a 13-4 TD/INT ratio going into the game against Florida and despite quarterback coach Jay Paterno alluding to no one as the front-runner for the job, odds are that it will be both Bolden and McGloin under center for the opener against Indiana State.

Much Needed Boost on Offense

The receiving corp has always had some controversy, but with everyone back things should brighten up a bit.

Derek Moye is back for one final season in Happy Valley.

53 catches, 885 yards and 8 TDs was just the norm for Moye, who now has 15 TDs in his career. Justin Brown (6’3”, 216-pounds) and Devon Smith (5’7”, 157-pounds) give the Nittany Lions a mix of both strength and speed.

This figures to be one of the best corps in the entire conference. Moye gives them a consistent threat down the field and Smith and Brown have great ability to stretch a defense as well.

The Nittany Lions better get help from those guys, because they were only 52nd in passing offense a year ago. The offense as a whole was even worse, as it was just 68th in total offense (372). Though a ton of talent remains, they will need to decide on who their quarterback is so the offense does not fall out of place.

Linebacker University No More?

Despite the defense technically returning only eight starters, everybody is essentially back despite all the injuries that PSU suffered last season.  Jordan Hill, Devon Still, Eric Latimore and Jack Crawford are all back up front and they are expected to wreak havoc.

The linebacker corp is pretty much loaded, with Michael Mauti, Gerald Hodges, Nate Stupar, Khairi Fortt, and Glenn Carson all seeing extensive time on the gridiron.

Those guys were nicked up and gashed against the run last season, allowing 165 yards per game (74th). PSU will be tested right away against Trent Richardson and the Tide’s powerful ground game on September 10th.

There is a ton of experience and they have six highly touted players, which means this unit should improve by leaps and bounds if they can regain their 2009 form.

Sensational Secondary

The secondary returns everyone, including their backups as well. D’Anton Lynn, Stephon Morris, Drew Astorino  and Nick Sukay (back from pectoral muscle tear) are four stingy defensive backs that will thrive with the constant pressure put on by the front seven.

They were 16th against the pass because so many were gashing them up front, but with everybody back healthy up front it only means one thing: More pressure and more turnovers! They only forced 17 turnovers last year, ranking 94th in America. Expect those turnovers to nearly double, closer to 30 in 2011.

Phil Steele ranks this as the top secondary in the Big Ten this season, and I truly believe they will be among the best in America!

Drama's Forecast

This Penn State team has seemingly been thrown under the bus by every so called "expert" in the nation. Vegas has them slated for eight wins, which is fair since their defense was nowhere near exceptional last season.

However, with all of the talent returning and with Joe Pa looking somewhat close to retirement, you must believe he has a few solid seasons ahead of him. The quandary at quarterback could plague this team, but they have so much talent at receiver that either one gives them a great chance at winning. If Still and Crawford can control the line of scrimmage, the linebackers will have a feast on ball carriers. 

Throw in a favorable schedule (outside of home dates against Alabama and Nebraska), a few road dates (Ohio State and Wisconsin), and you may be looking at, dare I say, a ten win season?

RETURNING STARTERS: 7* Offense/7 Defense

PROJECTED RECORD: 10-4, 7-2

PROJECTED BOWL: Capital One Bowl

PREDICTED FINISH: First in Leaders, Second Overall