2008 Penn State Nittany Lions Football Preview

2008 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 2008 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 (43rd year at Penn State)
Team Name: Nittany Lions
2007 Overall Record: 9-4
Returning Starters: 18

The eternally-Joe-Paterno-coached Penn State Nittany Lions (9- 4 overall, 4-4 Big Ten) finished tied for fifth in the Big Ten last season, earning an Alamo Bowl invitation. The Lions met Texas A&M at the Alamo, beating them 24-17. This season, due to numerous loses on offense and defense, Penn State will need to have some of its younger talent step-up. Are they ready?

Will the Lions’ QB be senior Daryll Clark or sophomore Pat Devlin? Clark has more experience, but not that much more than Devlin. As a runner, the senior QB can be electric and elusive. But his passing chops have not been impressive. Devlin passed for more than 8,000 yards in high school, a Pennsylvania record, and he can make adjusts and move. Running back is also an unknown quantity, with sophomore Evan Royster (82 CAR, 513 YDS, 5 TDs) trying to secure the job and freshman Stephfon Green bringing more speed to the backfield. Derrick Williams and Deon Butler, both seniors, are speedy and sure-handed wideouts.

The defense brings back all four frontline starters, including DE and sack-master Maurice Evans (12.5). This unit is also exceptionally deep. A huge loss occurred at linebacker when senior Sean Lee, the Big Ten’s second leading tackler last season, tore his ACL in his right knee, sidelining him for the upcoming season. Last year, the secondary missed some huge plays against some of the better teams. Three of four starters return in the secondary but All-Big Ten corner Justin King is gone.

The Lions do not have the toughest schedule but it’s got its challenges. Wisconsin and Ohio State look like loses, while the September 27th game against Illinois is definitely a swing contest. October 18 at home with Michigan can also go either way. Six-and-two in the conference is not out of the question.

Joe Paterno may go with two quarterbacks this season. That could work. In 42 years as a head coach—all of which have been at Penn State—the Dean of NCAA Coaches is 372-125-3. If anyone knows how to make the Nittany Lions a winner, it’s Paterno.

Penn State Nittany Lions Football Schedule

Date	Opponent	Home/Away
Aug 30	Coastal Carolina	Home
Sep 6	Oregon State	Home
Sep 13	Syracuse	Away
Sep 20	Temple	Home
Sep 27	Illinois	Home
Oct 4	Purdue	Away
Oct 11	Wisconsin	Away
Oct 18	Michigan	Home
Oct 25	Ohio State	Away
Nov 8	Iowa	Away
Nov 15	Indiana	Home
Nov 22	Michigan St	Home

 

For more info on the 2008 Penn State Nittany Lions football program, view their official website or read up on the rest of the Big Ten foes below.