The fortunes of the Nittany Lions in 2001 figure to be similar to last year. There is talent on hand, but to push their way into the top half of the Big Ten the tailbacks must carry the load, and on defense the front four must play up to the level of their talent on a game-to-game basis.

Penn State at a glance

2001 schedule Sept. 1 vs. Miami (Fla.) Sept. 13 at Virginia Sept. 22 vs. Wisconsin Sept. 29 at Iowa Oct. 6 vs. Michigan Oct. 20 at Northwestern Oct. 27 vs. Ohio State Nov. 3 vs. Southern Miss Nov. 10 at Illinois Nov. 17 vs. Indiana Nov. 24 at Michigan State 2000 results (5-7, 4-4 in Big Ten) USC L 29-5 Toledo L 24-6 Louisiana Tech W 67-7 Pitt L 12-0 Ohio State L 45-6 Purdue W 22-20 Minnesota L 25-16 Illinois W 39-25 Indiana W 27-24 Iowa L 26-23 Michigan L 33-11 Michigan State W 42-23

OFFENSE
On the offensive side, QB Matt Senneca showed the necessary leadership in the spring and figures to be a workmanlike signal caller. In the end, though, it will be up to tailbacks Omar Easy, Larry Johnson and Eric McCoo to take the pressure and focus away from Senneca. At FB, senior Mick Blosser steps in for the graduated Mike Cerimele. By the way, with Zac Wasserman transferring, redshirt freshman lefty Zack Mills is firmly entrenched as the primary backup to Senneca.

In the spring, McCoo practiced sparingly while concentrating on academics. This allowed Easy an opportunity to seize the spotlight. After an impressive showing, the 240-pound senior may be ready to surface as a top-flight running threat. Also in the mix is Johnson, who along with Easy and McCoo figure to make this one of the strongest and deepest positions on the Nittany Lions squad.

At split end, Eddie Drummond figures as the key option, even though he saw limited action in the spring as he focused on his school work. In the mix at that spot is sophomore Tony Johnson, who gained experience as a first-year performer last season. But the player who has been drawing a great deal of positive commentary based on his eye-catching performance in the spring is redshirt freshman Ryan Scott. The 6-2, 192-pounder has the size and athleticism to be a major factor in the pass offense this season. After struggling last year, junior Bryant Johnson came on strong in the spring and was named the Nittany Lions' Most Improved Offensive Player for his effort. He's penciled in to start at the flanker spot.

While there is potential at WR, the top overall performer on the Penn State offense figures to be senior TE John Gilmore. It will be incumbent upon Senneca to work the 6-4, 260-pounder into the offense early and often.

Along the offensive line, continuity will be the key. Last year, the Nittany Lions started eight different personnel groups along the move-'em-out gang. Senior Gus Felder will be the key man to watch at LT, with junior Matt Schmitt on the right side. Senior Joe Hartings (younger brother of Jeff) and junior Tyler Lenda will operate at guard, with junior Joe Iorio anchoring things up front.

DEFENSE
On defense, there is no question that the front four will be the key to the success or failure of the stop troop. Not only is there plenty of talent and experience in terms of the starters, but youngsters such as a RDE Jason Robinson and LDE John Bronson also showed in the spring that they can get the job done. The focus, though, will be on LDE Bob Jones, LDT Anthony Adams, RDT Jimmy Kennedy and RDE Michael Haynes.

The Nittany Lions' front four has the potential to be dominating. While Kennedy has impressive physical ability, the player I believe who could become a feared sack artist is Haynes. The 6-3, 265-pound junior replaces Justin Kurpeikis at RDE. Last year he started just two games yet tied for the team lead in sacks (six) with Kennedy. He could more than double that total this season. Haynes combines functional strength with superior quickness and closing speed. He also brings with him an intimidating approach. If Kennedy plays up to the level of his physical talent, the Nittany Lions will have the ability to wreak some havoc up front.

Shamar Finney holds down the ILB spot, but the OLB positions reportedly aren't settled going into the fall. Tom Williams, a former transfer from Lafayette where he worked at FB, has a slight edge over converted DE Sam Ruhe at the one OLB position. Last year, Williams played sparingly due to a knee injury but after an impressive spring is positioned to be the starter. Gino Capone figures to operate at the other OLB spot, with fellow sophomore Deryck Toles also in the mix. Derek Wake, who did an excellent job on special teams last year, moves from OLB to ILB where he'll backup Finney.

The Nittany Lions not only have to replace three starters in the secondary, but also the player I viewed as their top overall defensive performer -- James Boyd, a third-round pick of the Jaguars. Boyd's 109 tackles last season were the most ever by a Penn State DB. And CB Bhawoh Jue, a third-round pick of the Packers, led the Nittany Lions with 13 pass breakups during the 2000 season. Those are two huge losses.

The new-look secondary will have junior Bryan Scott and senior Bruce Branch at CB, with sophomores Horace Dodd and Yaacov Yisreal at the safety spots. Branch started six games last season, while Scott was in the starting lineup for the last five games of the campaign. At 6-2 and 215 pounds, Scott brings impressive size to the LCB spot. Yisreal, a versatile and talented athlete, starred at WR as well as in the deep patrol at the prep level. In a position change this spring, senior Sam Crenshaw has been moved from WR to FS where he will enter fall practice as the backup to Dodd.

SPECIAL TEAMS
David Kimball, a former Parade All-American who handled kickoff duties for the Nittany Lions last year, takes over as the placekicker this season. The punting duties are handled by junior David Royer.

Overview: If the RB-by-committee situation -- featuring Easy, Johnson and McCoo -- produces the results expected, Senneca should be able to settle in and doing a capable job. Significant improvement with the running game is critical due to the fact that Senneca has such limited experience. Gilmore has to become a real weapon catching the football from his TE spot, while at WR Scott has to build on the momentum he built up in the spring.

In the end, the skill-position talent will have to supply more big plays. The offensive line will be looking for continuity, something that definitely wasn't the case last year. Defensively, I like the potential of the front four, led by Kennedy and Haynes, a possible future All-American who could post Courtney Brown-type numbers. The linebackers figure to be decent, not spectacular, while a wait-and-see approach makes sense in the secondary when you consider they have to replace a pair of standouts in Boyd and Jue.