Blue White Illustrated

means the next few seasons will be a test of O'Brien's capacity for efficient management. The good news for Penn State is that O'Brien seems to be pretty darn efficient. After the Blue-White Game, he said he was going to spend some time by himself looking at film and making evaluations. Four days later, those evaluations had been made and the terms of the QB battle were established, Bench having departed and Ferguson having emerged as the early leader for the spot. "There's no room for gray area," O'Brien explained. "We don't have time for it. We only have time for the truth. We're going to build this program on truth, honesty, integrity, the best way we can. And so that's what we're trying to do and… I believe that, in the end, that's how we're going to win." O'Brien's job got a little bit harder when the Nittany Lions were thrown into the Big Ten's new East Division with Michigan and Ohio State. During the past 15 seasons, Penn State has gone 8-18 against the league's two historic power programs. At one point, the Lions lost nine in a row to the Wolverines, and their struggles at the Horseshoe over the years – they've scored in single digits in six of their 10 trips to Columbus since joining the Big Ten – have been enough to make even Buckeye fans wince. And now Penn State will be competing against those two teams annually for the division title. Shortly after he was hired by Ohio State, Urban Meyer made some enemies in the conference by violating a gentleman's agreement regarding the recruitment of players who are verbally committed to other Big Ten schools. Among the players he signed were several who had committed to the Nittany Lions before the San- dusky scandal hit. Meyer has brought a highly competitive Southeastern Conference mentality to Ohio State, and it's already resulted in an undefeated season and shaped the Buckeyes into likely national championship contenders this coming fall. O'Brien, meanwhile, has brought an NFL sensibility to Penn State. His approach may not sit well with those who grew accustomed over the years to seeing the program run like a family business, but it's consistent with Penn State's desire to compete on an elite level. This is a university with a world-class weight room, a stadium that ranks among the world's biggest and a coaching staff that can draw on decades of college and NFL experience when it makes its personnel evaluations. O'Brien may not want to broadcast those evaluations to the entire stadium. But he does want to fill it. WEB SURVEY WHAT DO YOU SEE AS PENN STATE'S BIGGEST CONCERN COMING OUT OF SPRING PRACTICE? Defensive tackles. DaQuan Jones has played a lot but will need to take his game to the next level. He will need to create havoc and make plays despite being double-teamed every down. A player like that makes it easier for the rest of the D-line. Jones is a solid tackle but not really a playmaker thus far. The other tackle, Austin Johnson, will be a redshirt freshman. PennsylvaniaPride constantly applying pressure, QBs get dancing feet and make hurried throws. It appears that the O-line is quite good at run blocking. If that's the case and the defense has to adjust to stop the running game, the play-action pass should be very effective, thus solving the problem. A solid running game will also shorten the game, keep the defense off the field and reduce the pressure for the QB to perform. JoeHomsey Most people will say depth at linebacker or the quarterback choice, but I say the elephant in the middle of the room is still the kicking game. We learned the hard way last year that the lack of dependable kicking can easily lose one or more games all by itself. We need better punting all around, more consistent place kicking, and young players to emerge on coverage teams so precious defensive starters are not exposed to injury on those units. Old as Dirt Depth. PSU looks to be a team that could win between eight and 10 games if it can stay healthy and develop some depth for both the fourth quarter and when the injury bug hits. ga.lion The biggest concern, I think, will be the effectiveness of the quarterback. Part of that concern will be rooted in the offensive line. How well can the offensive line keep the quarterback protected? I don't care how good a QB is. If the opposing defensive linemen are If answering the same question 12 months ago, my answer – and I believe the answer of many others – would have been QB. I have faith that under the tutelage of O'Brien, the quarterback position will again be at least OK. Therefore, my greatest concern is injuries, and that, of course, goes hand-in-hand with the lack of depth at several positions. scottpsurules 1. Protection from OL 2. LB Depth 3. Zwinak's hand ptomaselli Offensive and defensive leadership/grit. Who will rally the team when things are difficult during a game? Who will make a play that pivots a game? Who will force the team to refocus after a tough loss? We (the fans) have been spoiled over the years by the caliber of PSU's on-field leadership. George50 As seems to be the case in most years, quarterback. Weak play under center will cripple the running game and put the defense under tremendous pressure, especially with the lack of depth. heckmans 1. LB depth 2. QB 3. Consistency in kicking game 4. Overall Depth Krytter Replacing Matt McGloin and the All-Conference linebackers. solution20 Our ability to convert field goals inside the 30 and make all our extra points can be the difference between close wins and close losses. I think our defense will be OK. Good D, plus good special teams, can make up for what might be a slow-developing offense. Rick76

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