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F A S T F O R W A R D >> A N E A R L Y L O O K pension put a damper on his season, but he still appears set to continue as one of the Lions' starting outside linebackers. It's possible that Bowen and Farmer will occupy the outside linebacker posts. Farmer made his first career start in place of Bowen in the Rose Bowl. He's a relative newcomer to defense, having excelled as a running back and wide receiver in high school. He was a man without a position in his first two seasons at Penn State, shuttling back and forth between line- backer and safety. But the 6-1, 222- pounder will be a redshirt junior in the fall, and the Lions definitely have a need. Preparation, meet opportunity. Penn State will also have Cabinda back in the middle. His announcement prior to the Rose Bowl that he plans to return for his senior season was excellent (if not un- expected) news. He's coming off a season in which he finished third on the team with 81 tackles despite his extended ab- sence. "I told him I was going to tie him up and handcuff him and not let him go, so it didn't matter" whether he wanted to come back, Pry joked. "It's a great feel- ing. We want all these guys to come back. We think we're on the verge of something really special. We were a rel- atively young team on defense. I think having Jason return [helps because of ] his leadership off the field. He's one of our best workers in the winter, summer. So he helps us not just with his experi- ence on the field, but leadership in the entire off-season." For evidence of Cabinda's on-field im- pact, look to his performance in his first game back, in which he finished with 13 tackles against Ohio State despite playing with a heavy wrap on his left hand. Or, if you're pressed for time, just look at the hit he laid on quarterback C.J. Beathard on a fourth-and-short play against Iowa. Leaping over the pile just as the ball was snapped, Cabinda slammed into Beat- hard, sending him shuddering backward where he was dropped for a loss. It was one of Penn State's best defensive plays of the season. Behind the three potential starters are Brown, who saw extensive action as a true freshman, Cooper and the three incoming freshmen: Franklin, Faison-Walden and Rivers. There's not a lot of experience there, so the Lions will have to hope that they fare better on the injury front than they did this past season. DEFENSIVE BACK KEY RETURNEES CB: Christian Campbell, Grant Haley, John Reid, Amani Oruwariye, Garrett Taylor; Saf: Marcus Allen, Troy Apke, Jarvis Miller, Ayron Monroe, John Petrishen, Nick Scott KEY LOSSES CB: Jordan Smith; Saf.: Malik Golden NEWCOMERS CB: D.J. Brown, T.J. Johnson, Zechariah McPhearson; Saf.: Jonathan Sutherland; DB (position to be determined): Donovan Johnson, Lamont Wade OUTLOOK The Lions got a big boost when Allen announced that he will return for his senior season. He's been a starter from the seventh game of his true fresh- man season, and he was the third-leading tackler in the Big Ten this past year, fin- ishing with 110 stops. Included in that tacking total were six negative-yardage stops, and of course he made one of the biggest plays in the program's recent his- tory when he blocked a fourth-quarter field goal attempt by Ohio State that led to Penn State's upset win. The Lions aren't home free at safety, though, as Golden is departing. He had to wait till his final season for a chance to start every week, but he made the most of that opportunity, ranking fourth on the team with 75 tackles including six tackles for loss. Apke, a senior-to-be, is the most experienced of the backups, having played behind Allen the past two seasons. In addition, Scott has gained a year of experience on defense after switching over from running back last spring. But this could also be a spot where one of the team's young un- knowns gets a shot at early playing time. Monroe and Miller didn't see a lot of ac- tion on defense as redshirt freshmen, playing primarily on special teams, but they will likely get a long look this spring. Wade will be on campus for spring drills as well, having enrolled in January. The 5-9, 190-pounder was a five-star cornerback at Clairton (Pa.) High, but he wants to get on the field as quickly as possible, and safety or nickel back could provide him with that oppor- tunity. The cornerback spots, by contrast, will be in veteran hands next fall. The two- deep boasts a wealth of experience, with Haley and Reid set to reprise their start- ing roles, and Campbell, Oruwariye and Taylor backing them up. As expected, Reid turned out to be a fine cover corner- back in his first season as a full-time starter, breaking up a team-best nine passes. Haley, meanwhile, was involved in some of the team's biggest plays of the season, including a fourth-down stop against Wisconsin that clinched the Nit- tany Lions' victory and of course his scoop-and-score against Ohio State, which is destined to live on forever in Penn State lore. But despite all that experience, there are a couple of caveats to note. The first in- volves turnovers. As a team, Penn State had only 10 interceptions in 2016, and only six were by defensive backs. The coaching staff will no doubt look to boost both of those numbers next season. The second caveat is that Penn State's secondary didn't go out on a high note. Sam Darnold ripped the Lions for 453 passing yards in the Rose Bowl, with five touchdowns and one interception. There were a number of factors that played into those eye-popping numbers, including Darnold's elusiveness in the pocket and his uncanny ability to throw accurately while on the run. So, let's give credit where credit is due and not come down too hard on the defense. But a certain amount of reflection is both inevitable and appropriate. The Lions won't get where they want to go in 2017 if opposing quarterbacks enjoy even an approxima- tion of the success that USC's freshman passer enjoyed in the Rose Bowl. SPECIAL TEAMS KEY RETURNEES H: Billy Fessler, Chris Gulla; KR: Irvin Charles, Miles

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