*** NCAA Football Preview - Penn State Nittany Lions ***

From The My Sportsbook

By Frank Haynes, College Football Senior Editor

2003 SEASON IN REVIEW: Happy Valley was anything but happy last year as the Nittany Lions posted a school-record nine-loss season. The 2003 campaign began with Penn State losing two of its first three games, with an uninspired 23-10 win over Temple in the opener being its only triumph. The Lions would go on to lose each of their first six Big Ten tilts, and seven of eight league affairs overall. However, if you take away a 41-10 embarrassment at Michigan State in the season finale, the average margin by which legendary coach Joe Paterno's crew lost in conference games was just 8.3 ppg. Still, good teams find a way to win close games and the Lions just didn't get it done in '03, as injuries, bad luck and perhaps a slightly inflated sense of self-worth allowed for one of the more miserable seasons in school history. The Nittany Lions simply must improve in all facets of the game if they hope to get back in a winning frame of mind. Who better to get things turned around than one of the most successful coaches in the history of college football. Penn State has had losing season three times since the turn of the century, marking just four losing slates in Paterno's 38 years at the helm.

2004 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: New offensive coordinator Galen Hall will have to figure out a way to get last year's stagnant offense back on track. The return of talented senior QB Zack Mills should help as he is a heady player with the ability to make the tough throw. Mills is coming off a year in which he completed 54.2 percent of his throws for 1,404 yards with just five TDs and six INTs. The team's top four receivers have left, meaning senior Gerald Smith is the lone holdover. However, Smith caught just 15 balls last season and scored only one TD, meaning someone else will have to get into the fray and make an impact. Long a staple of Penn State football, the running game took a back seat a year after former standout Larry Johnson rushed for more 2,000 yards in '02, with freshman Austin Scott leading the way with just 436 yards. Scott is expected to be the feature back this fall and a year of experience can only help. But expect to see speedy redshirt freshman Rodney Kinlaw, who is back after missing last season with a knee injury, get some carries as well. The wild card is junior Michael Robinson. As the team's backup QB, the athletically- gifted Robinson adds a new dimension to the PSU backfield...mobility. He is simply too talented not to be on the field so expect him to see time at both RB and WR, in addition to any snaps he takes under center.

DEFENSE: The Nittany Lions have seven returning starters on defense, and the unit should be better for it particularly when you consider it ranked a dismal 104th against the run (209.1 ypg) last season. The entire defensive line is in tact, although junior DEs Matthew Rice and Lavon Chisley were the subject of disciplinary action this spring. If for some reason they are held out of action, the Lions could be in trouble as the team would be better served with them in the trenches. The linebacking corps is expected to add plenty of support, specifically senior Derek Wake, who tallied 71 tackles in '03 and is probably the best of the lot. Young guys like Dan Connor and Paul Posluszny will get the chance to show their worth as well. With the defensive line somewhat of a question mark, Wake could see time at end. The secondary features the return of Thorpe Award candidate Alan Zemaitis, who posted 71 stops, broke up a league-high 18 passes and came away with a team-best four INTs in '03. Senior FS Chris Harrell adds stability, while junior Calvin Lowry is an exceptional athlete who could help Penn State maintain the kind of pass defense it demonstrated last season when it allowed a minimal 153.3 ypg to rank third in the nation.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Senior kicker Robbie Gould is hoping for a return to his 2002 form when he booted 17 FGs, as last year was a bit of a disappointment as he hit just 9-of-16 attempts. It is fair to mention, however, that three of his misses were from 50+ yards. Still, the kicking game was hardly an area of strength so expect the Lions to concentrate heavily on getting their entire special teams unit up to speed. Sophomore Jeremy Kapinos is back to handle the punting duties, and the strong-legged 229-pounder should be able to return to the form that saw him average 41.9 ypp as a rookie.

OUTLOOK: A non-conference slate that includes Akron, Boston College and UCF should have the team in decent shape by the time the Big Ten schedule kicks off at Wisconsin on September 25th. That of course, is if the team wins at least two of those games as confidence will be an important factor in any success the Lions are to enjoy this season. It helps that Michigan is absent from the schedule and that Purdue, Iowa and Michigan State must all come to Beaver Stadium. The Wisconsin game is followed by a trip to Minnesota, both of which are ranked in the initial AP Top 25, meaning Paterno's troops aren't going to be able to leisurely slip into league play. But that said, the team has talent and is hungry to prove that last year's embarrassing effort was not a sign of things to come. The rabid Penn State faithful sure hope not, as even mediocrity is a state this fan base simply will not tolerate.