Penn State Nittany Lions

Head Coach

Joe Paterno	43rd year
07-08	9-4
Big Ten	4-4
FCR	23

Previous Season Wins

Head Coach - Joe Paterno enters his 43rd season at Penn St and coming off back to back 9 win seasons the Nittany Lions will be looking for more in 2008. They return 15 starters with seniors dominating the roster, both lines will be outstanding and Penn St will win the battle in the trenches on most afternoons. The big questions are at quarterback and tailback, they’ll solve the running issue but will they have the answer as to who will be under center when play begins.

Quarterback - At quarterback the Nittany Lions have yet to name a starter and the battle will continue into the fall, Paterno thinks the possibility exists that they may go to a two-man quarterback rotation. Senior Daryll Clark and redshirt freshman Pat Devlin are options for the Lions this fall, Clark is the better runner of the two and might be the better fit but Devlin has the stronger throwing arm. Coming out of spring it appears that Clark has a very slight edge but Paterno is clearly not ready to name a starter.

Running Backs - At tailback the Nittany Lions have two solid options in sophomore Evan Royster and Stephfon Green. Royster last season rushed for 518 yards and 5 TD’s, he solid between the tackles and averaged 6.3 per carry. Green has blazing speed and will give the Nittany Lions a different look out of the backfield and looked outstanding this spring.

Receivers - Three senior starters return on the outside in Deon Butler, Jordan Norwood and Derrick Williams. Butler is the leader; he had 47 receptions for 633 yards and 4 TD’s, while Norwood and Williams combined for 95 catches and 1,013 yards and eight scores. At tight end junior Andrew Quarless is the projected starter but is currently suspended and in his absence fellow junior Andrew Szczerba was the leading receiver in the spring game and is a big body who can block and offers another receiving option over the middle.

Offensive Line - Outstanding unit that returns five starters, with senior center A.Q. Shipley the best of the bunch. Sophomore Stefan Wisniewski has supplanted senior Mike Lucian and will start at right guard, rounding out the unit will be senior Gerald Cadogan at left tackle, at right tackle will be junior Dennis Landolt and at left guard will be senior Rich Ohrmberger.

Defensive Line - Another outstanding unit upfront for the Nittany Lions, they ranked 7th nationally against the run and return all four starters, led by 1st team All-Big 10 defensive end Maurice Evans. The junior Evans had 12 ½ sacks and has great explosion off the edge; on the other side will be senior Josh Gaines who had 40 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks. Inside at tackle will be juniors Phillip Taylor and Chris Baker if they can return from their team suspensions. Penciled in for the moment are sophomores Abe Koroma and Ollie Ogbu, if everyone’s back they’ll have great depth and an excellent rotation.

Linebackers - They lose two starters and the outstanding Sean Lee went down for the season this spring at linebacker but senior Tyrell Sales returns, he had 50 tackles last season and three sacks and will be on the outside. In the middle look for up and coming sophomore Chris Colassanti and joining Sales on the outside will be sophomore Bani Gbadyu. This is Linebacker U and Colassanti has shown signs that the mantle will be passed on to him.

Defensive Backs - At cornerback senior Lydell Sargent and junior A.J. Wallace will start, Sargent had 70 tackles a year ago and Wallace stepped up late last season and claimed the other corner position. Senior Anthony Scriotto will be at the Hero, he had 70 tackles and is a force against the run, at free safety seniors Mark Rubin and Tony Davis will see action.

Special Teams - Penn St has one of the best special teams group in the land, they do everything well. At placekicker will be senior Kevin Kelly who was 20 of 26 and has bit time range and returning at punter is junior Jeremy Boone who averaged 43 yards last season and was the Big 10 leading punter. The returns are just as good as senior Derrick Williams averaged 11 yards per punt return and junior A.J. Wallace averaged 26.4 yards on his kickoff returns.

Schedule - Non-conference schedule is pretty soft, they get a Oregon St that will be slightly down from last season at home, the other three games are automatic. The always unpredictable Big 10 slate is no bargain, they miss Minnesota and Northwestern so they don’t get to avoid any of the projected power teams. They get Illinois, Michigan and Michigan St at home but must face Wisconsin, Ohio St and Iowa on the road. Joe Pa has a solid club that will be 8-0 when the visit the horseshoe to play Ohio St, the winner will have the inside track to the Big 10 title. They’ll fall to the Buckeye’s but that will be the only misstep and the Nittany Lions will be BCS bound and will get 11+ wins this fall.