Big Breakdown Begins

It’s less than a week now that the nation’s best college football players take the field. The Big 10 has been dubbed the most overrated conference in the past few years. Ohio State won the 2003 Fiesta Bowl and Penn State was the class of the conference last year. The Buckeyes continue to be a top ten team, while Penn State rates highest in most of the major Big 10 categories. The Nittany Lions flirted with an undefeated season but were proven less than perfect. Now, the team from Pennsylvania’s Happy Valley returns a broke unit but one inspired to achieve greatness.
Joe Paterno’s Penn State team lead in points per game, points allowed, total yards per game and total yards allowed. As long as Joe Pa has blood flowing through him, he will try his hardest to field a quality football product. The legendary coach has yet to have a repeat conference champion in his 16 seasons in the Big 10. Last year’s successful regular season ended with a loss in the Rose Bowl. This year, the linebackers are perhaps the best in college football even with the holes on offense and only four returning starters on defense. Most of Penn State’s top playmakers are gone but the Nittany Lions have one of the most outstanding option quarterbacks on the 2009-10 roster. Daryll Clark is still unpolished, but will call signals at the line for Paterno this season after taking just 36 snaps in two years on the Penn State sidelines. The 6’2” Clark’s health is Penn State’s number one problem. He sustained three concussions in his first two years, including a brutal takedown against Ohio State last season. The offense will suffer if Clark has to scramble for yardage and it is not known how he will be affected by his past occurrences. Even if Clark if a confident passer, he will have to find a way to spread the ball. Penn State’s prolific trio of dangerous wideouts no longer exsts in Happy Valley. Former walk-on player, junior Graham Zug, is similar to last year’s top receiver Jordan Norwood. Both can expose defenses and catch the ball. Zug is not as quick as Norwood and Paterno probably won’t use him against opponent’s number one and two cornerbacks. Brett Brackett’s main attribute is his size. It sounds simple, but Brackett will be successful if he can get open. The potency may be missing, but the Lions can make up for their thin receiving with mistake-free football and an energetic running game. Evan Royster didn’t receive much in terms of publicity last year, but he possesses incredible ability in moving the ball. Royster averaged 6.47 yards per carry for 1,236 yards. The smooth runner will be used as a package with flashy 5’10” Stephfon Green. Offensive coordinator, Galen Hall, hinted he could utilize both of his backs as receivers to exploit matchups. The wide receivers will ease into unchartered territory thanks to the return of Andrew Quarless at tight end. He could take a lot of pressure off the receivers if he capitalizes on his immense talent. Connecticut-born Brennan Coakley, also returns for his senior year at tight end. Penn State’s tight ends are extreme and explosive, and should be one of the strengths on the squad. Whatever the look of the Penn State offense, they will have to do so with a young and inexperienced line.
Penn State will boast the most tenacious pair of linebackers in the nation as they open the season next Saturday against Akron. The Nittany Lions’ linebacker unit is ranked number one and their effectiveness remains Penn State’s allegiance. Navarro Bowman and Sean Lee are the duo sending shivers down the spines of Big 10 quarterbacks as we speak. Bowman is the reliable attacker who mans the weak side. He earned Big 10 honors last year, and will be joined by a recovering Lee. Lee missed all of last season with a knee injury but is a team leader and former All-American. The fifth year senior was also the conference’s second leading tackle two seasons ago. The show stopping blue and white defense glistens with the ferocious front seven. Defensive tackle, Jared Odrick, leads the powerful line. Brandon Ware, Devon Still, Ollie Ogbu (I love that name) and Chima Okoli will command plenty of attention as they tackle opposing offenses. Penn State’s versatility and strength up the middle will be hard to compete with and you would be hard pressed to find a comparable unit in the Big 10. The secondary and edges are another story for Penn State. The Nittany Lions begin the new season with plenty of question marks at defensive end, cornerback and safety. First round draft pick, Aaron Maybin is difficult enough to replace, but Penn State also has to find two other productive defensive ends. Two new starting cornerbacks will suit up for Paterno. The Nittany Lions have precious little depth in the secondary but perhaps the linebacker tandem can accommodate the defensive drought. Kevin Kelly kicked competently for the Rose Bowl bound Lions last year. The four-year player accurately footed 73% of his field goals and missed just two extra points while a Lion. Paterno named Collin Wagner this season’s placekicker with big shoes to fill. Eighty-two year old Paterno and Penn State will also benefit from a soft schedule. They should breeze through their non-conference opponents and find themselves in the top ten. College football is a beautiful thing. It’s even more magical when men take the field at pristine Penn State University’s Beaver Stadium. I’ve seen the venue in person and to encapsulate what I saw: ENORMOUS.

Parting Points: Is this a Penn State blog? GO BUCKEYES!