2011 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Preview

Joe Paterno remains college football’s most enduring fixture. Now entering his record 46 th season as head coach at Penn State, Paterno enters the 2011 season giving no indication that he intends to step aside or even slow down. The offseason has even seen stories of him making renewed efforts to get acquainted with social media tools and technology to continue his ability to recruit players to State College. Having led the team for decades as an independent and then into the Big Ten, Paterno now leads the program into divisional conference play in the Big Ten Leaders Division. The Nittany Lions return 14 starters from last season’s team that finished 7-6 and lost to Florida in the Outback Bowl, but, should be much improved in 2011.

Inconsistency at quarterback plagued the Nittany Lions in 2010, but, there’s hope that the situation might be settling. After switching back and forth between the steady Matt McGloin and the super-talented freshman Rob Bolden, there was concern that Bolden no longer wanted to be in State College and would transfer. He has since announced his intention to stay and if he does, he is the more talented players and better fit for Penn State’s offensive attack. He is a viable threat to both run and throw the ball in much the same way Darryl Clark was before him. If Bolden doesn’t work out, the Lions’ offense loses the running threat dimension that Bolden brings and that would be a big loss.

If quarterback is the biggest offensive challenge, then replacing tailback Evan Royster is a very close second. Royster rushed for 1,014 yards in 2011 and at times was Penn State’s only viable weapon. The tailback duties will fall to former blue-chip recruit Silas Redd. Redd is big back that should be able to pick up where Royster left off, even if he isn’t quite the homerun threat that Royster was. Still, tailback is a position that has been recruited well over the years, so there’s plenty of talent behind Redd. At receiver, last year’s leading receiver Derek Moye and Justin Brown both return, giving Penn State the chance to field a very balanced offense if the quarterback position is settled. Whoever is taking the snaps will play behind a big offensive line that returns three of five starters.

Defensively, there are holes to fill at linebacker, but, Penn State should still be an improved defense as five of the team’s six leading tacklers return in 2011. The defensive line will be led by seniors Devon Still and Jack Crawford. Still and junior Jordan Hill are a load at defensive tackle. Their presence eats up space and keeps blockers off of the linebackers. That’s a good thing, because only outside linebacker Nate Stupar returns from last year’s group. Stupar was the team’s third leading tackler and is poised for a big senior season.

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The strength of the Nittany Lions’ defense is in a deep, experienced, and talented secondary. Cornerback D’Anton Lynn is the leader of the secondary after picking off three passes in 2010 while finishing second on the team with 75 tackles. It’s rare for a corner to be anywhere near the team lead in tackles, but, that just shows the kind of aggressive corner that he is. Nick Sukay is a ball-hawking free safety that tied with Lynn for the team lead with three interceptions in 2010. This is a deep group that coaches are extremely comfortable leaving in man coverage to allow for more elaborate blitzes by the front seven. With questions at linebacker, the Nittany Lions should rely on the secondary and bring lots of blitzes until the front seven is settled.

The Penn State schedule is nothing short of brutal in 2011. After opening with a tune-up against Indiana State, the Nittany Lions host possible preseason number one Alabama. October features games against the softer part of the Big Ten schedule, but, when November rolls around, the intensity picks up. After a bye week, Penn State hosts Nebraska. Then finishes the season with road games at Ohio State and at Wisconsin in what amounts to a round robin tournament to decide the Leaders Division. If the Lions somehow manage to go 2-1 in those final three games, they could sneak into the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game.