2009 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Preview
2009 Penn State Nittany Lions season preview from Maddux Sports. Below you can find our official Penn State Nittany Lions football preview as well as the 2009 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Schedule. Dont miss Maddux's free college football picks on the weekly college football odds from the #1 sports handicapping team.
Coach: Joe Paterno (44th year at Penn State)
Team Name: Nittany Lions
2008 Overall Record: 11-2
Returning Starters: 9
After finishing 2008 tied for first with Ohio State, the Nittany Lions of Penn State (11- 2 overall, 7-1 Big Ten) traveled to the Rose Bowl. In that game, the Lions lost to USC 24- 38. This season, despite the fact that Penn State has lost major weapons on offense, this team will be a major national power.
Senior QB Daryll Clark (321 ATT, 192 COMP, 2,592 YDs, 6 INTs, 19 TDs) will run the team. Clark, who is an excellent decision-maker and fine ball handler, can also run, gaining 282 yards and making 10 touchdowns last season. Junior RB Evan Royster (191 CAR, 1,236 YDs, 12 TDS) is also back. He possesses fine field vision and elusive moves. Two concerns on offense are the inexperienced receiving corps and the thinned ranks of the O-line. Potential impact pass catchers include Chaz Powell, Brett Brackett (13 REC, 160 YDs, 1 TD) and Graham Zug (11 REC, 174 YDs, 2 TDs). The offensive line will look to solid junior Stefen Wisniewski for mentoring and leadership.
While the Penn State offense averaged 38.9 PPG (11th nationally) in 2008, the defense held opponents to 14.4 PPG (8th nationally). The frontline includes senior Jared Odrick (41 TKLs, 4.5 SKs, 5 TFL) and junior Ollie Ogbu (17 TKLs, 2 SKs, 0.5 TFL). Overall, this should be a solid squad. The linebacking unit, which features junior Navorro Bowman (106 TKLS, 4 SKs, 12.5 TFL, 1 INT), is one of the best in the nation. Sean Lee, a potential All-American, returns to the squad after missing 2008 with a knee injury. There is concern in the secondary, which does not return one starter.
There are some question marks on special teams. A few things are known. The first is that reliable punter Jeremy Boone, who averaged 43 yards per attempt, is back. The second is that elusive sophomore Chaz Powell (9 RET, 28.8 AVG, 0 TD) will be the primary kick return man. Unbelievably accurate placekicker Kevin Kelly, who is Penn State’s all-time point producer, is gone, leaving Collin Wagner, who tried one field goal last season, to fill his shoes. Sophomore D’Anton Lynn is the new punt return man. He is untested.
Coach Joe Paterno (383- 127- 3 in 43 years at Penn State) is the Old Man River of college coaches. In his 43 years at Penn State, which is the only team he has ever coached, he’s averaged just 2.9 losses per season. In 2004, Paterno’s team managed just four wins and missed their second straight bowl season. Many thought the old coach was all washed up, but then he roared back like a lion with State averaging 10 wins each of the next four seasons. This year, the non-conference schedule includes Akron on September 5, Syracuse on September 12 and Temple on September 19. Look for Penn State to win all three. On November 7, the Nittany Lions will host Ohio State. That game will decide the conference crown. Penn State will finish either first of second in the Big Ten and go to either a BCS contest or a high tier bowl game.
Penn State Nittany Lions Football Schedule
| Date | Team | Opponent | Site | Line | Total | Points | Opp Points |
| 9/5/2009 | Penn St. | Akron | home | ||||
| 9/12/2009 | Penn St. | Syracuse | home | ||||
| 9/19/2009 | Penn St. | Temple | home | ||||
| 9/26/2009 | Penn St. | Iowa | home | ||||
| 10/3/2009 | Penn St. | Illinois | away | ||||
| 10/10/2009 | Penn St. | Eastern Illinois | home | ||||
| 10/17/2009 | Penn St. | Minnesota | home | ||||
| 10/24/2009 | Penn St. | Michigan | away | ||||
| 10/31/2009 | Penn St. | Northwestern | away | ||||
| 11/7/2009 | Penn St. | Ohio St. | home | ||||
| 11/14/2009 | Penn St. | Indiana | home | ||||
| 11/21/2009 | Penn St. | Michigan St. | away |
For more info on the 2009 Penn State Nittany Lions football program, view their official website or read up on the rest of the Big Ten foes below.
