Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/847744
P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> But there's reason to believe the Nit- tany Lions are better equipped to main- tain their trajectory than the Hawkeyes were a year ago. During the four years that preceded Iowa's unbeaten regular season, its recruiting classes were ranked 43rd, 53rd, 59th and 58th by Ri- vals.com. Given those mediocre rank- ings, one can't help but view the team's success in 2015 as a perfect-storm sce- nario, a combination of overachieving players and a schedule that offered up only two ranked opponents while con- veniently deleting both Michigan and Ohio State. When the Hawkeyes went up against a loaded Pac-12 opponent in the Rose Bowl, they got crushed, falling to Stanford, 45-16. By contrast, the four classes that Penn State recruited prior to its 2016 break- through were ranked 43rd, 24th, 15th and 21st. As part of its championship run, it defeated two top-10 opponents in Ohio State and Wisconsin. And when it went up against a loaded Pac-12 oppo- nent in the Rose Bowl, it gave that team all it could handle, pinning Southern Cal to the ropes before falling, 52-49, on a last-second field goal. The Nittany Lions' recruiting trend line is continuing to rise this year, with their class ranked fourth nationally as of late June. Another strong finish on the field this fall would do a lot to con- vince recruits that last season was no fluke. That's an important considera- tion. To those of us who have been fol- lowing the program for decades, the Lions' success last year may have had the feeling of a return to normalcy. But today's teenagers don't know much, if anything, about that history. They may need some more convincing that Penn State is for real. The good news for the Lions is that they have a lot of strong persuaders on their roster, none stronger than No. 26. A year ago, Barkley played an outsized role in returning Penn State to national prominence. If he has the kind of season this fall that a lot of people envision, he'll play an outsized role in keeping it there – not just for one more year, but for a long time to come. ■ If Penn State can play entire games the way it did the second halves of its '16 run of success, it will be among the nation's most potent attacks. The question for this team comes on the other side, where replacing key members of the front seven is a must. Fail to do that, and every game could be a shootout. Plug the holes, and Penn State will join OSU and Michigan in a Big Ten East that will rival the SEC West for the best division around. Not bad for a coach who was updating his re- sume less than a year ago. ATHLON SPORTS With 15 returning starters, they go from #81 in my Exp Chart in '16 to #12 this year (most exp'd team in the Big Ten). They figure to be in the Top 10 to open and potentially favored in 11 of 12 games (not Oct. 28 at Ohio St.). They were not fa- vored in 6 games in '16 (won 3), so are likely one upset away from making the playoffs. PHIL STEELE'S COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW Penn State boasts two Heisman Trophy candidates in its backfield. Trace Mc- Sorley led the Big Ten in passing yards (3,614) and touchdown tosses (29) last season. He's an impressive passer with a throwback style, and threw just eight interceptions. Saquon Barkley also returns after rushing for 1,496 yards and 18 touchdowns as a sophomore. Barkley is the complete package at running back. Tight end Mike Gesicki also bypassed the NFL after compiling 679 yards and five scores in 2016. Together, they resemble the trio of Kerry Collins, Ki-Jana Carter and Kyle Brady in 1994. STREET & SMITH'S With Barkley and McSorley leading the way, Penn State's offense has big goals in the second year with Moorhead's system. The Nittany Lions rode their home run kind of attitude to the Big Ten title last season, and this is, all of a sudden, a program brimming with confidence and teeming with talent. All things are pos- sible in 2017. LINDY'S SPORTS Expectations haven't been this high since the mid-1990s, and with good rea- son. Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley are Heisman candidates. Pitt and Michigan come to Happy Valley this year, too. Ohio State is the toughest road game on the schedule. THE SPORTING NEWS It won't be easy for Penn State to win another Big Ten title — not just in 2017 but period, thanks to annual matchups against Ohio State and Michigan for a di- visional crown alone. But last year's step forward paints PSU as a program on the upswing, obviously. USA TODAY The Lions' top returning receiver from a year ago – Chris Godwin – is gone, but head coach James Franklin brings back essentially everybody else who helped quarterback Trace McSorley post a monster season in 2016. The senior trio of Hamilton, Blacknall and tight end Mike Gesicki will keep the numbers up there, and Johnson could have one of the biggest breakouts in the country. He's got elite talent. BLEACHER REPORT W H A T T H E Y ' R E S A Y I N G