Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/541265
Pavilion, which has been absorbed into the Lasch complex. As the Nittany Lions progress through the summer months in anticipation of preseason camp in August and, ready or not, the start of the 2015 campaign on Sept. 5 against Temple in Philadelphia, optimism has been restored. The 2014 season may have been the third in a row in which the Lions' record was worse than the year before, but on the heels of an encouraging Pinstripe Bowl victory over Boston College, there are many rea- sons to believe that the downward trend is about to be reversed. Reason No. 1 is that the Nittany Lions return veteran quarterback Christian Hackenberg. Heading into his junior season, he remains an exceptionally tal- ented asset. His sophomore year, de- scribed by some as a "slump," was in fact the byproduct of a wide range of person- nel deficiencies on offense. Hacken- berg's dedication to improvement – backed up by limitless curiosity and at- tention to detail – has earned him tremendous respect from players and coaches alike. This year, the running back, tight end and wide receiver positions appear to be improved. For a surgeon like Hacken- berg, picking apart a defense is guaran- teed to be more efficient with a support- ing cast that now understands the pro- cedure. On the other side of the ball, a defense that gave up the fewest points and yards in the Big Ten last year is returning al- most wholly intact. Even with main- stays Mike Hull and Adrian Amos hav- ing graduated, there is reason to hope that the overall level of play at line- backer and in the defensive backfield will improve, with a number of young players having gained a season's worth of experience. This is not just wishful thinking. Oh, and our cover boys for this pre- W E B S U R V E Y 8-4 But I hold out some hope for 9-3. I think the schedule is very favorable. Maryland lost a lot. Rutgers lost a lot. Michigan is at home. No really scary nonconference games. This should make 8-4 highly attainable barring major injuries. 9-3 is very plausible as well. Howie'81 9-3 We lose to Ohio State, Michigan State and either Northwestern or Michigan. I can't see us losing this year to anyone else. But of course... it is possible. Grove Lion 8-4 I just don't see us doing any better unless the offense is much improved. If the O-line is similar to last year and we can't get a running game going, then going 4-2 against Rutgers, Indiana, Maryland, Illinois, Northwestern and Michigan will be tough sledding. If the O-line jells, we get a running game, and Hack is settled and comfortable in the pocket, well, one can dream... psugo 8-4 This is really based on strength of schedule. In my opinion, only Ohio State has more talent than us. MPK65 8-4 Three conference losses and one out-of-conference loss. DamonEagles 9-3 Definite wins: Buffalo and Army. Probable wins: Temple, Rutgers, San Diego State, Indiana, Maryland and Illinois. Toss-ups: Michigan and Northwestern. Definite losses: Ohio State and Michigan State. aubnit 9-3 As always, the unknown is how many times we beat ourselves. Working on consistency, but not there yet. Hope we have a great (and uneventful) Au- gust. jberrie 8-4 I think the OL improves and stays injury-free. If this is true, with Hack upright and the improvement of our RBs and WRs, we should be better on offense. I think our defense will be better than last year even losing Amos and Hull, one of the best in the na- tion. I think our DEs will be better, making our D-line strong and deep. Our secondary will be very, very strong. I think our LBs will be, as a unit, at least as good as last year, with the improvement by the rest of the unit making up for the loss of Hull. At place-kicker, we will suffer a bit, but not as much as first thought. Punting is where we really need to see some improvement. Games are lost all the time on field position battles. I think with Thompkins and possibly Polk newly available, we may have some home run hitters in the return game. Realistically, we can be anywhere from 7-5 to 9-3. ptomaselli 8-4 We're getting closer. Finish with a bowl win, so ultimately 9-4 and finish ranked. Oh, and those of you picking us What do you think the Lions' record will be in 2015?