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Youngstown St.-Penn St. Preview

Sep 2, 2010 - 12:27 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Youngstown State (0-0) at No. 13 Penn State (0-0), 12:00 p.m. EDT

Chasing another milestone, head coach Joe Paterno is back for a 45th year. A number of key changes has Penn State trying to reclaim the Big Ten title.

The 19th-ranked Nittany Lions look to get their quest for a third conference championship in six years off to a strong start when they host overmatched Youngstown State on Saturday.

Paterno's return to the sidelines is constantly in question. Instead of fielding questions about potentially retiring, the 83-year-old Hall of Fame coach has been subjected to speculation regarding his health due to various surgeries and ailments over recent years.

"I have one request; Please, don't ask if I'm going to die. Believe me, I got a few more days left," said Paterno, the all-time leader among coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 394 wins.

Entering his 61st year on Penn State's staff, Paterno will try to join Eddie Robinson (408) and John Gagliardi (471) as the only coaches to surpass the 400-win mark. That honor means little to him at this point.

"You know, when I'm down and looking up, are they going to put 399 on top of me or are they going to put 401," Paterno said. "Who the hell cares? I won't know."

Paterno will be more concerned with getting the Nittany Lions back atop the Big Ten after tying Iowa for second last year and going 11-2 overall. Penn State last won the conference in 2008.

The iconic coach finally made a decision on his starting quarterback Tuesday, tabbing freshman Robert Bolden. A school spokesman said it is the first time the Nittany Lions will open the season with a true freshman at quarterback and the first time Paterno has started a true freshman under center since Wally Richardson in 1992.

"Based on what we have seen to this point, Bolden has a slight edge right now, but we are confident all three quarterbacks are ready to go and hope to give them an opportunity to play until we settle on the one that gives us the best chance to win," Paterno said.

Paterno did add quarterbacks Matt McGloin and Kevin Newsome could be starters at some point during the season.

The lack of clear-cut No. 1 quarterback means the offense could rely heavily on running back Evan Royster, a preseason candidate for the Doak Walker Award. Royster finished last season second in the conference with 1,169 rushing yards, a 5.7 average per carry and six touchdowns.

The senior is 481 yards shy of the Nittany Lions' career rushing mark of 3,398 yards held by Curt Warner, and Royster has bulked up in anticipation of more carries this season.

"You don't want to bring in a new quarterback and be throwing the ball 40 times a game," Royster said. "I expect to take more of a bigger workload this year, take more carries, and the hits."

Royster is also expected to be more involved as a receiver. He has 360 yards and two touchdowns on 36 catches over three seasons.

Defensively, Penn State ranked third in the nation last year, allowing 12.2 points per game. The unit, however, is dealing with major losses after All-America defensive tackle Jared Odrick and all three starting linebackers left for the NFL.

Not so, said senior defensive tackle Ollie Ogbu, one of the team's more vocal leaders.

"I would say we're not losing anything ... It's going to be the same physical play we have here," he said. "It's one of those things where one piece comes out, one piece comes in ... the machine keeps on working."

Ogbu and junior defensive end Jack Crawford will be important keys to the defensive line. Ogbu had two sacks and three forced fumbles last season, while Crawford was second on the team with 5 1/2 sacks and 14 1/2 tackles for a loss.

Penn State is in good position to start the season with a victory against Youngstown State from the Football Championship Subdivision. In 2006, the Nittany Lions won 37-3 at Beaver Stadium in the only meeting with the Penguins.

Youngstown State has also lost three consecutive season openers by a combined score of 119-9, including 38-3 last year at Pittsburgh.

The Penguins finished 2009 at 6-5 and tied for fifth with Missouri State in the Missouri Valley Conference.

They'll have Kurt Hess at quarterback after he beat out fellow freshman Najee Tyler and junior Marc Kanetsky after the departure of Brandon Summers.

Youngstown State's run defense might have difficulty with Royster. The unit allowed 137.5 yards per game and 18 touchdowns last season compared to 184.0 through the air with 11 scores.

The Penguins been outscored 156-33 while losing all four meetings against ranked opponents since 1996.