P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >>
S T A F F P R E D I C T I O N S
O=ering a preseason prognostication
requires at least a cursory glance back at
the past four years. The 2014 and '15 sea-
sons were largely about survival, as the
program regenerated beneath the surface.
The 2016 season was about an abundance
of talent and grit translating into a feel-
good wave of success. The 2017 season, in
my mind at least, was about a group with
the highest expectations coming to grips
with an incredibly slim margin of error.
Now that the program has reached this
echelon, I expect "margin of error" to be
an annual theme. From a walk-o= victory
at Iowa to last-minute losses at Ohio
State and Michigan State, it was the pri-
mary takeaway of the 2017 season. De-
spite ;nishing 11-2, many within the
program would acknowledge that the re-
sults fell just short of what they believed
themselves capable of achieving.
Even in an o=-season of signi;cant per-
sonnel turnover, this group still believes
itself poised to compete at last year's
level, but it will have to answer questions
at tight end, at linebacker, and at place
kicker to do so. I expect those questions to
have some consequences for PSU, as that
thin margin of error comes into play on a
schedule over
