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P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> have a say in how things play out, and two other redshirt freshmen – Bryce Effner and Juice Scruggs – figure to be in the fight for playing time, as well. On the defensive front, Jayson Oweh made the most of his lim- ited playing time last fall, total- ing two sacks and a quarterback hurry against Kent State, the first of four games in which he saw action. With Shareef Miller leaving early for the NFL, the Lions have a vacancy at defen- sive end. Whether Oweh is ready to step into a starting role is an open question, but a solid per- formance this spring should put him in position to be a big part of the defensive end rotation. The Lions also have needs in the middle, with Kevin Givens leaving early for the draft, Hansard recovering from a sea- son-ending knee injury, Thorpe headed back to offense and Robert Windsor's status unclear due to a suspension that kept him out of the Citrus Bowl. Even if Windsor is back in the staff's good graces this spring, the Lions will be looking find a starter and build depth at defensive tackle. P.J. Mustipher played in 12 games last year, so he didn't get to hold onto his freshman eligibility. But two of his classmates did: Aeneas Hawkins and Judge Culpepper. We'll most likely be seeing more of them in the weeks and months to come. As for the true freshmen who are already on campus, running back Noah Cain and linebacker Brandon Smith will definitely bear watching. Cain will have a chance to earn playing time in the backfield now that Miles Sanders is off to the NFL, and while the Lions have a fair amount of proven depth at linebacker, Smith might be too good to keep off the field. ■

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