2008 Penn State preview: Will this be Paterno’s swan song with Nittany Lions?
Will this be JoePa’s last year in Happy Valley? Joe Paterno, entering his 43rd year on the sideline at Penn State, doesn’t have a contract past 2008, but that was via a mutual agreement with the school president to do them on a year-to-year basis, but not to be addressed until after the season. But maybe the writing is on the wall, as Paterno reportedly has told recruits that his successor is currently on the PSU staff, and Paterno rarely goes out and recruits anymore (although he did make an exception for Terrelle Pryor). In typical Paterno fashion, he refuses to address his future and is only focused on the 2008 Nittany Lions.
2007 record: 9-4 (4-4 Big Ten)
Coach: Joe Paterno (43rd year, 372-125-3)
Returning starters: 16 (offense: 8, defense: 6, special teams: 2)
Key returnees: WR Deon Butler, WR Derrick Williams, LT Gerald Cadogan, C A.Q. Shipley, G Rich Ohrnberger, DE Maurice Evans, DE Josh Gaines, S Anthony Scirrotto
Key losses: RB Rodney Kinlaw, QB Anthony Morelli, LB Dan Connor, CB Justin King, LB Sean Lee, DT Chris Baker, DT Phil Taylor
2008 schedule
Aug. 30 Coastal Carolina
Sept. 6 Oregon State
Sept. 13 @ Syracuse
Sept. 20 Temple
Sept. 27 Illinois
Oct. 4 @ Purdue
Oct. 11 @ Wisconsin
Oct. 18 Michigan
Oct. 25 @ Ohio State
Nov. 8 @ Iowa
Nov. 15 Indiana
Nov. 22 Michigan State
Key game: Oct. 4 at Purdue – This game begins a hellacious stretch for the Nittany Lions that will determine their season. With a road game at Wisconsin waiting after this tilt, PSU can’t look past a sleeper Purdue team. A loss here could potentially send the Lions on a four-game losing streak. A win could propel them to a potential Big Ten title showdown with Ohio State.
2008 overview
It’s a two-man battle at quarterback to replace Anthony Morelli between Senior Daryll Clark and sophomore Pat Devlin. Clark played in the Alamo Bowl victory last season over Texas A&M and is more of a dual-threat QB – he rushed for 50 yards and a TD vs. the Aggies. Devlin, a former prep All-American, is the dropback type. Clark has 36 career passes in college, while Devlin has one. Expect this battle to be waged all through fall camp but for both to play this year. Remember that Paterno prefers upperclassmen, however.
Evan Royster will be the feature back this year after rushing for 513 yards and averaging 6.3 yards a carry last season with five TDs. Freshman Stephfon Green will be a change-of-pace back to Royster. He’s smallish but reportedly runs a 4.2 40-yard dash.
Penn State has plenty of experience at receiver in Deon Butler, Jordan Norwood and former super-recruit Derrick Williams, who combined for 142 catches, 1,646 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. The tight end position, not recently a big factor in the PSU offense, is still up for grabs.
The offensive line could be the best in Happy Valley in more than a decade as all five starters return from a unit that allowed only 20 sacks last year while helping Penn State average 194 yards rushing. Stefen Wisniewski, a part-time starter last year, has won the right guard spot.
The defensive line looked to be another strength with its depth, but Chris Baker and Phil Taylor were kicked off the team after being involved in off-field fights last year. So the defensive middle is still a bit in flux. The ends are not – the starters are senior Josh Gaines and junior Maurice Evans.
Linebacker U lost its best defender when All-American candidate Sean Lee tore his ACL during spring practice. He will redshirt this season. This unit also lost Dan Connor to the NFL, so there are some holes to fill. Senior Tyrell Sales started at OLB last season and now is the lone returning starter. Inexperienced sophomores Bani Gbadyu and Chris Colasanti are in line to fill the roles at OLB and MLB, respectively.
The secondary also lost its best player to the NFL in cornerback Justin King. The most likely candidate to step into his role is A.J. Wallace. Lydell Sargeant returns at the other cornerback spot, and Tony Davis is in the mix as well.
The quarterback situation has to play itself out, but Penn State could be 5-0 when Purdue visits Happy Valley. Then comes trouble, as the Lions haven’t won at Wisconsin since 2002 or at Ohio State since 1993. Oh, and they haven’t beaten Michigan since 1996. So I’d say another nine-win season looks about right. Will that send JoePa into retirement?
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