Thursday, August 29, 2013
It's that time of year again. It's better than Christmas and Thanksgiving multiplied by the 4th of July. Penn State football is back. Every year bring new stories, new players, and new excitement. Players graduate and move on to careers in and out of football, and the remaining players have to be the next man up.
The most marked losses from last year lie at quarterback and linebacker where experience and depth are exceptionally thin. Matt McGloin is chasing the impossible with the Oakland Raiders, while two young guns battle out the starting QB role without a single NCAA snap between them. At linebacker the loss of Michael Mauti and Gerald Hodges (both now Minnesota Vikings) leaves a lone returning starter in Glenn Carson.
Many around the nation wait in suspense to get a glimpse of Christian Hackenberg, the highly touted true freshman quarterback. He has all the tools to be a great quarterback, but regardless of how good he was in high school, facing a tough defense like that of Syracuse is going to be a challenge for him. He and Ferguson, who has impressed me thus far (though I think he will be relegated to the backup role even in Week 1), have the great fortune of being coached by one of the best and also having arguably the best skill position players in the Big Ten. With so many weapons on offense, it will be an easier transition for Hack or Ferg into big time college football than most true freshman would have to endure, and they are setup in a position to succeed.
Linebacker worries me the most of any position, and it's not because of the starters. Carson is an underrated player, but will get some accolades this year as he is no longer overshadowed by Mauti and Hodges (both finalists for the Butkus award last year). Hull is another great player that is going to have a breakout season. I expect 100+ tackles, 5 interceptions and at least one defensive touchdown. He is a dynamic player with tremendous work ethic, and he is going to be unleashed this season. The other outside backer will be Nyeem Wartman, a true sophomore who is an absolute load. He looks like he should fit in fine, but after these three, there is little depth. Kline is coming off of some injuries, though he is very capable, Wooten doesn't seem ready for the big stage yet after a pretty lousy performance in the Blue White game, and Bell, a true freshman will likely be getting most of his reps on special teams. O'Brien will likely move Amos or Obeng-Agyapong down from safety to be a hybrid linebacker in certain situations to help out with the lack of depth.
The defense as a whole could be very dynamic this year, but lack depth at almost every position besides defensive back (who would have thought we'd be saying this a year ago?). I honestly believe that the secondary may be the backbone of the defense. The pass rush will be solid, and if the unit can stay healthy, they should be one of the Big Ten's top defenses. Oh, yea....Deion Barnes...watch yourselves...he's coming.
Offensively there really isn't much to say. If the QB can limit mistakes, they are going to be explosive. That's kind of a weird statement, but it's true. The offensive line is the best it's been since 2008, the running backs are fantastic with power (Zwinak) and speed (Belton) and the combination (Lynch), and we all know what the receivers and tight ends are capable of.
If this team stays healthy, I swear to God, they could go undefeated. Why not? Where's the weakness? The schedule is set up nicely with the first six contests being very favorable, and by then hopefully whoever is playing quarterback has developed a rhythm to carry into the Ohio States and Michigans. I'm always pathetically optimistic, but these guys are going to be good. I'm going to predict a 10-2 record, and they're going to start that off with a 31-13 victory over a Syracuse team that thinks they have a chance. HA
