The time has come for me to offer my thoughts on this week’s set of questions for the Blue/White Roundtable.

The questions for this week’s edition are courtesy of Mike at Zombie Nation. Be sure to read Charlie’s and Devon’s responses as well as our fellow contributors to this weekly forum:

W. F. Yurasko
Happy Hour Valley
The Nittany Line
We Want the Lion
Zombie Nation
Nittany Whiteout
Nittany Lounge

And now, on with the questions that will be answered…

1. We all know Penn State is going to beat Akron. But what is it about this year’s Penn State team that really scares the crap outta you? Basically, explain what will cause you to throw the tortilla chips across the room more than once this Saturday?

While the trendy answer seems to be the defensive secondary I find myself going a different way on this question. I fully expect Penn State to win this game by about three touchdowns but what will drive me crazy is the if the wide receivers appear to be mediocre.

I think the success of this year’s team rests more on the wide receivers than it does the secondary. Evan Royster will only be able to do so much and without a steady crop of receivers Daryll Clark’s abilities will be limited. I do not think the wide receivers are as poor as the pre-season previews and experts seem to indicate. The worst thing going for them before week one is the fact tha they are not Derrick Williams, Deon Butler or Jordan Norwood. Those three guys cemented themselves as the backbone of the offense over the last few years, and rightly so. But that does not mean that Penn State is trotting out a bunch of stiffs.

2. Hopefully, the backups will see plenty of playing time this weekend. Which second-stringer(s) are you most interested in seeing take the field against a living, breathing opponent? What kind of role do you want to see them play this year? (Note: if you say Kevin Newsome, you have to talk about at least one other player, too)

Putting the obvious Newsome aside, I would say I am most interested to see A.J. Price at wide receiver and Gerald Hodges at free safety. As I just mentioned, the wide receivers are a concern for me, and I have some hopes for success from Price at the position in the next few years. If he and Newsome can grow at the same rate the Penn State offense could be really fun to watch.

I also want to see Hodges gain some experience in the secondary and become a player that can anchor the defensive backfield in the future. Somebody needs to have a breakout season in the secondary, so why not Hodges?

3. So Penn State’s non-conference schedule sucks in terms of straight up opponent quality. That aside, tell us why or why not this opening slate will help or hurt this team later in the season.

The non-conference schedule will give Penn State a good chance to experiment a bit with some different combinations of players and formations before the important Big Ten games start up. I have been on record as saying that the Eastern Illinois game actually comes at a terrific time for Penn State. When Penn State plays the Panthers they will have played a pair of tough Big Ten games and the coaching staff should have a good feel for what they really need to work on before resuming conference play. The Eastern Illinois gives Penn State a great opportunity to iron out the kinks in their offense and defense, if needed.

I have gotten to the point where I do not believe a weak non-conference schedule will hurt a team in terms of preparation for tougher games. When you are a program like Penn State you are one of the tougher teams. The weak schedule did not prove to have Penn State less prepared for tougher games last year. They beat Ohio State in Columbus, where it is near impossible to win, and the USC game was a mismatch in the passing game to the extent that it would not have mattered if Penn State had played the 1947 Notre Dame Fighting Irish or the 2001 Miami Hurricanes in the non-conference schedule.

4. What will it mean for this team to have Joe Paterno back on the sidelines again, right up in their facemasks, for ALL the games?

How can the morale level get any higher? Penn State football is not the same without Joe Paterno pacing up and down the sidelines of Beaver Stadium. As if the Paterno story line was not enough Sean Lee and Jerome Hayes are back in uniform and starting. If those three guys are back there should be no excuse for any player letting up. It can be a huge motivational factor.

Releated Posts:

1. Blue White Roundtable: Blue White Edition
2. Blue/White Roundtable: Blue/White Game Edition
3. Blue/White Roundtable: Y’Town State Edition
4. Blue White Round Table – Gopher Edition
5. Blue White Round Table – Kevin’s Take on Syracuse

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