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quential decision of the Nittany Lions' off-season. They can tweak the offense to emphasize the running game a bit more than last year, but they still need a drop-back quarterback who is prepared to throw a lot of passes. Steve Manuel O'Brien talked last season about the challenging nature of Penn State's playbook, and it might be asking too much for a true freshman to absorb it all while at the same time getting acclimated to college life. Then again, this is a new era, and some of the conventional wisdom surrounding the program – notably its perceived aversion to using young players, particularly young quarterbacks – may not hold anymore. Either way, this is the most conse- RUNNING BACK Nowhere was the new coaching staff's resourcefulness more evident last season than at tailback. With Silas Redd off to Southern Cal and most of their other options either having been injured (Derek Day), having fallen out of favor (Curtis Dukes) or having suffered some combination of the two (Bill Belton), the staff turned to Zach Zwinak. An afterthought going into the season, Zwinak finished with 1,000 yards rushing and an average of 4.9 yards per carry and received honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition. Zwinak will be back this fall, and he'll be joined in the backfield by redshirt freshman Akeel Lynch. Lynch figures to be a very significant addition to the lineup. While Zwinak is deceptively fast for a runner of his size (6-1, 232 pounds) and power, he isn't a breakaway threat. Lynch has 4.4-second 40-yard speed and may be able to give the running game a dimension it lacked last year when its top two options were Zwinak and fullback Michael Zordich. "Obviously we can't wait to see what Akeel Lynch does," O'Brien said. "We think he's got a really good future for us." The Lions are also looking to get more out of Belton, who was the team's opening-day starter but injured his ankle against Ohio and never had the impact that many anticipated. He finished with only 60 carries for 263 yards, and now is looking for a bounceback junior season. O'Brien thinks he has a shot at playing a more significant role in 2013. "He went home over Christmas and he really worked," the coach said. "He's a great kid. I really have a unique relationship with Billy. I have a lot of respect for Billy, and we're going to do a better job starting with me. [The staff is] going to try to figure out different ways to use these guys – Billy being one of those guys – in the passing game and things like that because he can do a lot of different things." One player who apparently won't be back is Dukes. O'Brien said he didn't return for the spring semester, but that loss shouldn't have much impact on the running game. Even when injuries cut into the team's backfield depth, Dukes didn't see much action, carrying only 26 times for 98 yards last fall. WIDE RECEIVER Allen Robinson was a revelation in 2012, leading the Big Ten in catches (77) and receiving yards (1,013) and winning the league's Receiver of the Year award. His reception total set a school record. And that's not even the best news. The best news is that he's got two more years of eligibility. Will Robinson be able to eclipse even those gaudy numbers in the next two seasons? Penn State will need to get its quarterback situation resolved before that can happen. But this much is certain: After watching him average 13.2 yards per catch as a sophomore, the Lions will definitely be looking to get the ball in Robinson's hands as often as possible next fall. And Robinson isn't the only key returnee. All told, the Nittany Lions will welcome back nine of the 10 wide receivers listed on the season-ending depth chart. One of the most notable of those wideouts is Brandon MosebyFelder, who emerged as Robinson's most productive wingman following Shawney Kersey's abrupt midseason departure, catching 31 passes for 437 yards. Also worthy of mention is Eugene Lewis, a redshirt freshman who was reportedly impressive in practice last season. Lewis will be joining a wideout corps that helped Penn State finish second in the Big Ten in passing offense a year ago. In short, the Nittany Lions are loaded here. TIGHT END Here, too. Penn State's compliment of tight ends is probably as good as any in the country – a reflection of the talent that O'Brien inherited and the superb job he has done prepar-

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