NCAA College Football Season Preview: Penn State Nittany Lions
A constant subplot for any Penn State Nittany Lions football season is how much longer 83-year-old Joe Paterno can stay on as the head coach. Considering that his team has three 11-win seasons in the last five NCAA men’s football seasons and 51 wins since 2004, Paterno appears to remain as the right man for the job.
Pen State’s offense will be led by senior running back Evan Royster. The All-Big Ten First-Team selection averaged 5.7 yards per carry to go with his 1,169 total yards on 205 attempts. He will need help from an offensive line that was underwhelming in 2009. They will be more experienced this season, and if they can stay healthy, they should give Royster a chance to be one of the best running backs in the nation.
Another key to Penn State’s success will be at quarterback. Following the graduation of Daryll Clark, Kevin Newsome will be the likely starter but he will be competing for the job with Matt McGloin. Clark earned a reputation as a player who couldn’t come through when it mattered most, and it may be asking too much for Newsome to step in right away to become the steady leader Penn State needs to prevail in big games.
Penn State’s line backing trio of Navarro Bowman, Sean Lee, and Josh Hull all need to be replaced. Fortunately, they are expected to have Michael Mauti back after he missed all of last season with a torn ACL. Nathan Stupar is another Penn State linebacker who is excited to step in and get more time.
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