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P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> STRENGTH IN NUMBERS I n the storied history of Linebacker U, four groups of linebackers are consid- ered the best of the modern era dating back to 1950. The 1969 trio of Jack Ham, Denny Onkotz and Jim Kates was one of them. So were three others: 1986 with Shane Conlan, Don Graham, Trey Bauer and Pete Gi>opoulos; 1998-99 with LaVar Arrington, Brandon Short and Mac Morrison; and 2005 with Paul Posluszny, Dan Connor and Tim Shaw. Ham, the only Penn State linebacker enshrined in both the college and pro football halls of fame, doesn't hesitate to name the No. 1 group, and it isn't his. "Shane Conlan's 1985-86 group with Bauer, Graham and Gi>opoulos made the biggest plays in the biggest game in Penn State history and won the national cham- pionship against Miami," Ham said in a recent telephone conversation. "Remem- ber, they were damn good the year before when they played for the national cham- pionship and lost to Oklahoma. But those guys and all the others who had been red- shirts as freshmen came back in 1986 with a purpose, to win the national championship, and they sold the deal. Don't discount how smart and mature that team was. "If you make big plays in the biggest games, that sets you apart. They didn't just make big plays against Miami, but they made big plays during the season. I remember one against Notre Dame but I know there were others. It wasn't just the linebackers. The secondary and defensive line complemented each other, and they made the big plays, too." At the time, Penn State used a 3-4-4 defense. The big plays happened throughout the season. In the second game of the year, the Nittany Lions avoided an upset at Boston College, es- caping thanks to an end zone interception by Conlan in the third quarter and a fourth-quarter interception by senior free safety Ray Isom that led to the clinching touchdown in a 26-14 victory. In the Lions' fourth game, they had to overcome a 17-14 de;cit in the fourth quarter to beat a mediocre Cincinnati team that had entered Beaver Stadium with a 3-2 record. The biggest plays by the defense came at the end. A>er Penn State took a 21-17 lead with three minutes le> in the game, two sacks by the defense forced a punt near the end zone that Con- lan blocked for a safety, giving Penn State a 23-17 victory. Bauer was selected De- fensive Player of the Game with his 12 tackles, including a 9-yard sack, and three pass de

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