A let-down season was coming, and in my heart of hearts, I knew there was no shot at a national title because so much talent was lost. The O-line returned only one starter, All-American Levi Brown, but he does not have the capability to spread his athletic ability to everyone. The secondary was completely revamped as Zemaitis, Anwar Philips, Calvin Lowry, and Chris Harell all departed. The D-Line lost Hali, Scott Paxson, and Matt Rice to graduation as well. Most importantly, though, Robinson, the Big-Ten Player of the Year, would be replaced under center by back-up favorite Anthony Morelli.
With so much loss, there was still hope. The wide receivers Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood, all of whom were freshmen in the previous year, were ready to return and continue to play at a high level, especially with a more traditional pocket passer in Morelli. Tony Hunt, coming off a quiet 1,000 season, had the potential to take pressure off of Morelli with his bone-jarring runs between the tackles. And the line-backing corps, which had re-established Penn State as "Linebacker U", was, bar none, the best in the country. Paul Pozluszny, the unquestioned leader of this defense, returned as did solid junior Dan Connor, and senior Tim Shaw, who moved to a defensive end/line-backer hybrid position to make room for sophomore sensation Sean Lee.
Even with these returning stars, this Penn State football team was thrust into the national spotlight within the first month, having to play two rough roadgames at Notre Dame and then Ohio State. Their inexperience showed in the Notre Dame game as Brady Quinn had a field day with the secondary and was hardly pressured. The offense had potential, but it could never sustain a drive that resulted in points when it mattered. A botched hold ruined any chance of putting three points on the board early, and Notre Dame had too many weapons that the team could not cover man-to-man.
The defense showed promise against Ohio State. It stood strong in the first half, shutting out an Ohio State offense led by eventual Heisman winner Troy Smith and the speedy Ted Ginn. In fact, Penn State was the first team to force Smith into turning the ball over all year, not once, but twice. Justin King picked off a poorly thrown ball to Ted Ginn while Dan Connor set up the offense at the beginning of the second half with a pick of his own. But the offense could not capitalize with such a short field. The Ohio State offense eventually woke up and scored 14 points, 7 of which were scored on an amazing scramble by Smith, who eluded Tim Shaw and found Brian Robiskie in the end zone. Penn State still had a chance to stay in the game as the offense moved down to the goal-line, but were turned away three times. They settled for a field goal, and with Morelli's two interceptions, both of which were returned for TDs, the game was put out of reach for good.This was the theme of the season: one side of the ball could not complement the other. The defense rose to the occassion in each week while the play-calling on offense was as terrible as it was in the two losing seasons prior. It showed in the losses to other ranked teams, Michigan and Wisconsin. Against ranked teams, this team had serious trouble.
Against unranked teams, it was a mixed bag, but the team took care of business. The defense continued to play at it high level for the entire game, waiting for the moment for the offense to put together a sustained drive that resulted in points. Fortunately, this formula was a success against 8 of Penn State's opponents. I was quite pleased that this team did not succumb to a losing season similar to that of the 2003 team, which lost much talent as well from its 2002 team including Heisman candidate Larry Johnson. This team, despite the inconsistencies on offense, has been able to take care of business against the teams that they were supposed to beat.
All of this bodes well for next season. The wide-outs, whose production dropped due to a combination of bad play calling and the erratic ability of Morelli, should be in top form again having spent a year with their signal caller. The O-line will be returning more starters and should be much healthier and more experienced, which will likely result in more protection for the quaterback. Morelli's play should improve due to a year of experience, his growing chemistry with his receivers, and an O-line that will be more consistent. Austin Scott, the back-up for Tony Hunt, was red-shirted this past season, and he will become the workhorse of this offense between the tackles like Hunt.
There should be no drop-off in the play of the defense. They have too much talent despite losing Poz and possibly Dan Connor, who may leave early. If Connor does leave, Sean Lee will be the most experienced linebacker, but Penn State has been stocking some high talent on the bench. Jerome Hayes and Tyrell Sales have the potential to plug right into these vacated positions at LB. The D-line has just as much talent. Freshman Jared Odrick gained valuable experience this season as did Josh Gaines and Maurice Evans. The secondary will be just as stocked as the front seven as 3 out of the 4 starters will return. Justin King played very well for a second year player, giving the Lions a shut-down corner that will anchor the secondary for the next two years. Sophomore Anthony Scirrotto is a playmaker at safety as he had 5 interceptions for the season, which is tied for the most in the Big Ten. Speedy frosh A.J. Wallace may move into a starting CB spot while Tony Davis may shift back to safety. This secondary will not only be fast, but seasoned as well.
Next season could see the Nittany Lions rise in the rankings again after dropping out of the top 25 this season. A good starting point to show that potential would be to knock of No. 17 Tennessee in the Outback Bowl. I'll post my thoughts on this game within the next few days.
