The Penn State Football Show

Penn State fans commonly complain about starting off the season against weak non-BCS conference teams like Akron, but in my opinion it is essential. Not only does the team enjoy the money that they get from maxing out their home games, but it also gives the team some confidence going into the rest of the season. Tomorrow we will get to see a lot of new faces on the field for the Lions including completely new corps of wide receivers and defensive backs. Akron has arguably the best passing attack in the MAC conference and will provide a stout test for the green secondary of Penn State. Many are concerned about these areas as well as the offensive line, but personally I feel very confident with the players on the team.

Secondary:
Anthony Scirrotto will be replaced by Drew Astorino (Merritts' boy) who has the ability to be a better safety since he is a solid tackler and has very good instincts in the passing game. Mark Rubin, who will forever be remembered for his game altering forced fumble against Ohio State, will be replaced by Nick Sukay who we really know very little about. He had some foot issues last year, but is now 100%. He was highly touted out of high school and is a capable run support player and has more speed than Rubin, who was not known for his coverage skills. At the corners the trio of Knowledge Timmons, D'Anton Lynn, and AJ Wallace (who will not be playing vs Akron as part of his punishment for cutting class) will fill in for the graduated Lydell Sargeant and Tony Davis. Lydell had a solid year, but lacked physicality and really is not as athletic as the three guys this year. Wallace has the ability to play in the NFL, but needs to get tougher and focus. At times he can be dominant. Timmons has terrific speed and is an aggressive player and has made an impact of special teams for a few years, but now he needs to use some of that "knowledge" and make better decisions from the corner position. Lastly, Lynn...I think he is going to be the best of the bunch. His father is a running back coach for the Jets and during the offseason Lynn often works out with the NFL team. He has the best decision making skills of the bunch and should be a solid player. All-in-all, after getting three relatively easy games under their belt, this unit should be better in better pass coverage shape than the secondary from last year. Last years starters were great in run support, but with the terrific set of linebackers this year, that will not be a big concern.

Wide Receivers:
Clearly Penn State lost a lot of talent here with Butler, Williams and Norwood all graduating and playing for NFL teams (Bulter in particular has really proven himself with the Seattle Seahawks), but what encourages me about this year is that the new starters are COMPLETELY different than the trio from last year. Brackett (6-6 232 lbs) is a red zone dream. Last year the passing game relied on speed, this year size will be a huge factor. Williams was a great player and I love the guy, but he didnt have particularly good hands. These new set, Brackett, Moye (6-5), and Zug (6-2), may have better hands and certainly have more height and they will be tough matchups for any team Penn State plays. Imagine having two receivers on the field at the same time over 6'5"! That's not even including the tight ends (Quarless is 6-5, Shuler 6-4). Certainly Clark will have bigger targets to throw to, but some speed for sure will be lost. Ultimately, however, I see the passing game being different, but still potent.

Offensive Line:
This is what I feel to be the biggest concern this fall. Losing Shipley, Cadogan, and Ohrnberger certainly hurts, but since the Zack Mills era to which Drew mentioned, Penn State has seemed able to solidify at least one side of the line. This year Stefen Wisniewski moves from guard to center and should be very effective. Dennis Landolt moves from right to left tackle and he will be the anchor of the offensive line. The other three are new starters this year with the predicted guards being Lou Eliades and Matt Stankiewitch. Both are capable and I'm not too concerned. The right tackle position is the biggest question mark. Right now DeOn'tae Pannell is slated to start. He is a big boy and has all the tools to be a good player, he just needs some experience. That's where these cupcakes come in, and should be a benefit to the team before it starts its Big Ten competition.

Ohio State has always proven that it can reload. This is the year that Penn State (with only 9 returning starters) proves that they too can fill holes and be successful. It will be a new look to the team, but guys like Clark, Royster, Lee, and Bowman will lead this team to another Big Ten title.

College Football has begun