Penn State Nittany Lions 2009 Football Betting Preview

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Penn State 2008 Record: (11-2, 7-1)
Penn State 2008 Bowl: Rose Bowl vs. USC (W 38-24)
Penn State Coach: Joe Paterno (383-127-3 at Penn State, 383-127-3 overall)
Penn State Offensive Coordinator: Galen Hall
Penn State Defensive Coordinator: Tom Bradley
Penn State Returning Stats Leaders:

• Rushing: Evan Royster, RB, 1,236 yards
• Passing: Daryll Clark, QB, 2,592 yards
• Receiving: Stephon Green, RB, 268 yards
• Tackles: Navorro Bowman, LB, 106 yards
• Sacks: Jared Odrick, DT, 4.5
• Interceptions: Drew Astorino, S, 2

Notable Penn State Returning Players: P Jeremy Boone, LB Josh Hull, OT Dennis Landolt, DT Ollie Ogbu, TE Mickey Shuler, G Stefen Wisniewski

Penn State Key Losses: WR Deon Butler, OT Gerald Cadogan, CB Tony Davis, DE Maurice Evans, DE Josh Gaines, DE Aaron Maybin, WR Jordan Norwood, G Rich Ohrnberger, S Mark Rubin, LB Tyrell Sales, CB Lydell Sargeant, S Anthony Scirrotto, C A.Q. Shipley, WR Derrick Williams

Penn State re-entered the national consciousness with a bang last fall, beginning the year 9-0! Penn State thrashed Oregon State early and beat Ohio State in Columbus before falling on a last second field goal at Iowa to ruin their dream of playing for all the marbles. The Nittany Lions won their 2nd league title in four seasons and improved their record during that time period to 40-11. While they disappointed against USC in the Rose Bowl and have a lot of holes to fill, Penn State is loaded with talent and should be on course for another great year. Will ageless wonder Joe Paterno guide his team to another BCS bowl this fall?

Everything begins on offense with senior quarterback Darryl Clark, who threw for 2,600 yards and 19 touchdowns last fall against only 6 interceptions while rushing for 10 scores! Clark was a very deserving 1st team All-Big Ten selection and should be one of the best quarterbacks in the country this fall. He’ll be joined in the backfield by two excellent tailbacks: Junior Evan Royster and sophomore Stephfon Green. Royster ran for 1,240 yards last fall and 12 touchdowns while Green is an extremely explosive change of pace back. Expect another strong season from both players.

However, the experience ends about right there on offense. Penn State has to replace all three starting receivers and three 1st team All-Big Ten linemen, all of whom are now on NFL rosters. The good news is that junior Stefen Wisniewski should be an anchor on the line after moving from guard to center in the spring and the Nittany Lions appear to have found a solid line rotation. Thus, I expect another strong year up front because PSU has recruited well at the position. On the other hand, the wide receivers are a big concern and no one has any experience. However, with a veteran like Clark distributing the ball and a lot of talented young players on hand, I think that there should still be a strong passing attack. Just don’t expect the fleet of exceptional options that PSU showcased last fall. Overall, I think that Penn State has reloaded the offensive line very well and should have a strong running game with such talented tailbacks and a mobile quarterback like Clark. The passing attack might take a little longer to get on track but I think that this is still going to be a very strong offense and shouldn’t fall too far off of last year’s excellent production.

The defense also has to replace a ton of talent. However, the front seven appears to be in good shape. Up front, the Nittany Lions have a ton of depth at tackle and senior Jared Odrick was a 1st team All-Big Ten selection last fall. While losing two former All-Big Ten defensive ends will be tough, Penn State recruits well and line coach Larry Johnson always seems to have another stud ready to go. Keep an eye on sophomore Jack Crawford, who the staff has been raving about. At linebacker, Penn State is as deep as any team in the country. Junior Navarro Bowman was a 1st team All-Big Ten choice last fall after making 105 tackles and senior Josh Hull was also impressive with 75 stops. However, Hull is moving positions this year as senior Sean Lee returns after missing the 2008 season with a knee injury. Lee was a projected 1 st round pick before his injury last offseason and was such a consummate teammate that he helped coach during his rehab! Penn State is going to be very tough up front once more and will have one of the country’s best sets of linebackers this fall.

The secondary paints a much different picture. All four starters from last season are gone and their most experienced returnee, senior corner AJ Wallace, has been in Paterno’s doghouse during camp. To make matters worse, their top defensive back recruit couldn’t make the grade and has since left the team. Penn State fielded their best pass defense in five years last fall, so there is going to be some regression with so little experience. However, Paterno sounded pleased with the performance of sophomore safety Drew Astorino, who made 39 tackles in 2008 and the safety position is expected to be solid going into the year. Overall, I think that Penn State should be excellent against the run and I think that their secondary will come together before Big Ten play begins. Expect another year of excellent defense in State College.

Another reason for optimism is the Lions’ unfortunately light schedule. Their biggest non-conference game is against weakling Syracuse and their first three games are going to be very easy as their out of conference slate is one of the country’s worst. That will definitely give them plenty of time to figure things out at receiver and cornerback. Big Ten play kicks off with a visit from Iowa, who has won six of the last seven meetings and the Nittany Lions also host Minnesota and Indiana. Oh, I almost forgot: They also host Ohio State in what is rapidly becoming a very hard-fought rivalry and that game could easily determine the Big Ten Championship. PSU also has to travel to Illinois, Michigan and Michigan State, so there are some tough games ahead for Paterno’s crew.

For a team replacing as many key contributors as the Nittany Lions, they could not ask for a better opening schedule. Penn State has three games to figure out all of their problems and I expect to see a well-oiled machine when Iowa comes to town to open Big Ten play. Furthermore, there is more talent in Happy Valley than almost anywhere else in the entire league and this is a team that knows nothing but winning. I expect the Nittany Lions to breeze through their non-conference schedule and then make another run at the Big Ten Championship. With a great running game, a talented senior quarterback and a great defense, they’re a top contender. Furthermore, if the ball bounces their way in a few big games, I would not be shocked if Penn State had a chance to play for the National Title. While I’m not predicting such major success, there is definitely no question that this is one of the nation’s best teams in 2009.

Pen State Big Games: Sept. 26th vs. Iowa, Oct. 3rd @ Illinois, Oct. 24th @ Michigan, Oct. 31st @ Northwestern, Nov. 7th vs. OSU, Nov. 21st @ MSU

Penn State’s Strength:

Coach Joe Paterno only returns four starters on defense, but that does not include linebacker Sean Lee. Lee was supposed to be the superstar on the defensive side of the ball, but missed the entire season with an injury. With Lee back in action and the return of Navorro Bowman and Josh Hull, Penn State will have one of the most dominating group of linebackers in the nation. What else would one expect from Linebacker U? The offensive backfield should be in good shape as well. Quarterback Daryll Clark and running backs Evan Royster and Stephfon Green are now proven players who are ready to take the next step. Clark, now a senior, threw 19 touchdowns and just six interceptions and his ability to keep the ball in the hands of the offense was very important for a team that occasionally needed to squeak out close victories.

Penn State’s Weakness:

The problem on both sides of the ball is in the trenches. Two of the four returning starters on defense are linemen, but this is a team that lost ends Aaron Maybin, Maurice Evans and Josh Gaines. Those three accounted for 19 sacks and an incredible 31.5 tackles-for-loss. What happens to the rest of the defense, especially the new and inexperienced secondary, when the front line cannot get pressure on the opposing backfield? The same problem can occur on the other side of the ball. Center A.Q. Shipley was a coach on the field and guard Rich Ohrnberger and tackle Gerald Cadogan were experienced linemen. Tackle Dennis Landolt is back and guard Stefen Wisniewski has the potential to be one of the best in the conference, but it is very possible that this line will need some time to come together.

Our Prediction for the 2009 Nittany Lions:

Even if Clark has time to throw, who is he going to throw it to? Deon Butler, Derrick Williams and Jordan Norwood, arguably the best group of receivers to ever don the blue and white, are now off to the NFL. Green, the back-up running back is actually the most prolific pass catcher returning. As usual, there are holes to fill, but this might be a little too much for the Nittany Lions to overcome in their effort to win the Big Ten again in 2009.

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