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No. 4 Penn State               2006 record- 9-4, 5-3 Big Ten

Projected Finish in 2007- 9-3, 5-3 Big Ten

It's been 41 seasons and still Joe Paterno has not found a reason to leave the position that he managed to grasp in 1966. He's led his teams to 363 victories (an average of 8.85 wins per season), and the Penn State squad of 2007 looks to maintain that level of success coming off a 20-10 win over the Tennessee Volunteers in last season's Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla..

Playmakers on offense coupled with a mix of veterans and young talent on the defense is the formula that Joe Paterno will turn to this season in hopes of getting back to a Jan. 1 bowl and possibly even a BCS bowl if Penn State can capitalize on a favorable schedule. The Nittany Lions will host both Wisconsin and Ohio State while its toughest game will be on the road Sept. 22 in their Big Ten opener against Michigan. After visiting Ann Arbor, though, Paterno's crew will benefit from a home crowd in each of their tough remaining games. Off the field problems were a bit of a concern in the offseason involving a couple key players, but it appears that Paterno has gotten the message across after assigning his team to clean-up duty after every home game at Beaver Stadium this season.

The play of quarterback Anthony Morelli will be the key on offense as he has had trouble in the past finding consistency in the passing game, but will now have his final chance as a senior leader of the PSU offense in 2007. The presence of Butkus award candidateand senior linebacker Dan Connor will be a big help to the defense which will have to rebuild up front, while having a defensive backfield full of experience and athleticism.

Quarterback

When Morelli played good, the offense followed suit in 2006. However, when he did not, the offense struggled to score points and left running back Tony Hunt carrying the load. Morelli threw for 186.5 yards per game (2424 passing yards), but passed for just 11 touchdowns while throwing eight interceptions last season and with a completion percentage at just 53.9 percent, Morelli was, at times, the epitome of an inconsistent passer. With a bevy of talented receivers to throw to Morelli will have every opportunity to quiet his critics this season and improve upon nearly every passing category. The leadership role is something that Morelli will not be able to avoid this season as he will have to both lead by being vocal in addition to his leading by example by his play on the field. The success of the offense will once again be dictated by the level of success that Morelli is able to generate under center and the adjustments that he is able to make.

Running Back

With the departure of Tony Hunt to the NFL, Austin Scott is slated as the top back for the Nittany Lions, as he looks to return to the same form that he showed in his freshman season back in 2003. Scott led the Penn State in rushing as a true freshman with 436 yards and five touchdowns while starting only four games. However the last three seasons have been somewhat disappointing as Scott rushed for just 312 yards in 2004 and 273 in 2005 before missing the entire 2006 season. During his time at Penn State, Scott has spent more time nursing injuries than he has playing on the field, but now has the chance to regain the top spot in the backfield once again. Penn State averaged 150 yards a game on the ground last year, ranking sixth in the Big Ten, and should expect similar results this season with an anticipated better passing attack as support. Fullback Matt Hahn returns as the lead blocker in the backfield and even received a few carries last year totaling 42 yards on 11 carries. The backfield has questions, but those questions will be answered quickly because Joe Paterno will find the right guy to provide that spark to the offense.

Wide Receivers

With the return of the top three receivers from the 2007, the offense will rely heavily on the playmaking ability of the trio of Deon Butler, Derrick Williams and Jordan Norwood in the passing game. Butler was the leading receiver a year ago racking up over 600 yards receiving followed by Norwood and Derrick Williams. Between the three, however, they managed to score just five touchdowns through the air. The inconsistency at the quarterback position limited their production, but Morelli is glad to have them back in hopes that he can improve upon last year and put up some impressive numbers in 2007. The strength of having three legitimate go-to receivers should serve the offense well and provide the type of balance that will allow them to be one of the more consistent offenses in the Big Ten this season.

Tight End

Tight end Andrew Quarless recorded nearly 300 yards receiving last season and added two scores for the offense in 2006. The backup is expected to be Brett Backett, a 6'6, 250 pound redshirt sophomore. The depth chart is not deep at the tight end position in regards to potential in the passing game, but if the tight ends can slip in and make a key catch here and there, it will make the offense even tougher to defend as the receivers will grab so much of the attention from the defense.

Offensive Line

Perhaps the position group being overlooked the most is the offensive line. The biggest question on the offense is probably the offensive line. With just two returners with extensive experience on the line, the production of the running game and the opportunities for Anthony Morelli will both hinge on the performance of the offensive line week in and week out. The line allowed 23 sacks last season, and that was a line that included top ten NFL pick Levi Brown. Redshirt junior center A.Q. Shipley was the only lineman to start every game in 2006 and will be lined up next to guard John Shaw, who as a redshirt junior last season started the first 10 games before missing two games due to injury and eventually playing in the bowl game. Gerald Caldwell and Dennis Landolt have playing experience, but have not started a season yet while guard Lou Eliades is coming off a redshirt season and has not seen the field at all. Shipley and Shaw will have to lead and hope that the other three adapt fairly quickly before squaring off against some of the tougher defenses toward the start of the Big Ten schedule.

Defensive Line

Similar to the offensive line, the experience is a concern along the defensive front as well. With the loss of Ed Johnson and Jay Alford and their combined 23 tackles for loss and 13 sacks, the line will be in a rebuilding phase with one junior, Josh Gaines, and three sophomores, Maurice Evans, Phillip Taylor and Jared Odrick as the projected starters. Gaines is the leading returner with 25 tackles and two sacks last season while Evans registered just 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Taylor and Odrick will start at the defensive tackle positions and will have a heavy load on their shoulders in helping defend against the run and creating leverage for the rest of the defense.

Linebackers

Another Butkus Award candidate in Dan Connor returns in the Big Ten conference as Connor finished right behind Paul Posluszny last season as the second leading tackler on the PSU defense with 113 tackles and five sacks. Junior Sean Lee and senior Tyrell Sales will join Connor as the remaining two linebackers with Lee slated as the middle linebacker and Sales as the other outside linebacker. Lee was actually the third leading tacker for the Nittany Lions last season with 89 tackles and 5.5 sacks. The linebacker position looks to be solid once again for Tom Bradley's defense as they have plenty of experience and athleticism to make up for some of the inexperience that exist on the defensive line.

Defensive Backs

The defensive backfield should be one of the all-around best in the conference this season as they ranked fourth in the Big Ten in pass defense last season. Cornerback Justin King and safety Anthony Scirrotto lead the backfield as Scirrotto escaped a potential disastrous offseason after an off the field incident threatened to jeopardize his junior season. Scirrotto led the team with six interceptions last year while King returns as the shutdown corner on the defense after establishing himself as a defensive weapon that few quarterbacks have the confidence to test. Sophomore A.J. Wallace has started to blossom at the other corner position where he was highly touted coming out of high school. The other safety position will be occupied by senior Tony Davis who led the team with 13 pass breakups last season. The experience and athleticism that makes up this defensive backfield is impressive and should allow them to dictate how offenses decide to attack the defense in 2007.

Special Teams

Kevin Kelly is coming off a season in which he went 22 of 34 in field goals including 17 of 21 from 39 yards and in. Although his long is from 49 yards, Kelly's strength is his consistency from short yardage and has worked on his accuracy from longer distance. The graduation of Jeremy Kapinos leaves the punting position open for competition and figures to go to sophomore Jeremy Boone who was the backup to Kapinos last season but did not see any game action. Derrick Williams and A.J. Wallace will be the top returnmen for the Nittany Lions and being that they are both playmakers, the special teams looks to be very solid in 2007. Williams averaged 12 yards per punt return last season while returning one for a score while Wallace averaged more than 24 yards per kick return in 2006. Special teams could play a major factor for Paterno's team this season and could help determine the outcome of several games throughout the Big Ten schedule.

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