Bowman and Paterno are back on same page

They sat down for a meeting during the summer, the old-school 82-year-old head football coach and the 21-year-old linebacker who had experienced so much adversity in his life and once told a judge that he hated to go home during breaks from school because of how rough things were in his old neighborhood.

Navorro Bowman knew he had let Joe Paterno down. Just as he was about to complete a year of probation for his role in an October 2007 fight on campus, Bowman received an additional 12 months of probation last April after he admitted using marijuana in violation of his original sentence.

So Bowman, who did not dress for the spring Blue-White game, wasn't sure what would happen. But Paterno understood what Bowman had gone through. The player had lost his father, Hilliard, to a blood clot in June 2008 and his high school coach and friend, Nick Lynch, in an automobile accident the day before the Lions' Rose Bowl appearance.

So the result of the meeting was positive. Bowman, a junior, would return to be part of the Nittany Lions' strongest position throughout preseason practice heading into Saturday's season opener against Akron at Beaver Stadium. Bowman was relieved and excited.

"Me and coach, we see eye-to-eye on things now," Bowman said. "I was glad that he sat down with me and heard me out. I was glad to have a chance to let him know really what I was going through and the type of adversity that I had to overcome. So I'm glad that he saw where I was coming from and glad that he let me back."

At an alumni function in May in Allentown, Paterno had based Bowman's return on how he fared academically in the spring and summer. He later termed Bowman's classroom work in both grading periods "good" and has been pleased with his efforts to become a leader on the defense.

"I think he understands where I was coming from," Paterno said. "I think he realized that he's wasting a great opportunity in his life.

"In all fairness to the kid, he had a lot of bad things happen to him. You lose your father, lose your high school coach, all pretty close to each other, I think that had a little bit of an impact on him. When you're that age, maybe you start feeling a little sorry for yourself. You compound the problem because you start cheating yourself out of some opportunities you might have. I think he's been all business."

With Bowman and outstanding senior Sean Lee, who sat out all of last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, both back, Paterno has one less worry in a preseason full of concerns.

In an interview last week on gopsf.com, Paterno said the Nittany Lions, especially on the offensive side of the football, were "not anywhere near where I hoped we would be at this stage." He mentioned the line, with only two returning starters, and wide receiver as two troublesome areas.

"You can't get better unless you're aggressive, particularly when you're playing on the offensive line," he said. "So we've got guys who are scared to death to make a mistake, who are not sure of themselves, don't follow through with some things. So we haven't made anywhere near as much progress as I had hoped we would make."

That's a big problem when one considers the Lions have only one experienced quarterback, albeit an excellent one, in senior Daryll Clark, and are trying to keep him in one piece. Clark is working with young and inexperienced backups and a new cast of wide receivers.

"If it's third down and 8, they go 7," the coach said of the wideouts. "If it's third down and 10, they go 9. The timing isn't there. The [freshmen] weren't here in the spring, and there's just so much you can do in the summertime. Clark is trying to coach and bring them around. But we're way off."

At least Paterno is secure in knowing he has one of the Big Ten's best running backs in junior Evan Royster, who rushed for 1,236 yards last season. Paterno has hinted that Royster will be more involved in the passing game, leaving more carries for speedy sophomore Stephfon Green.

The coach is a bit more satisfied with his defense. Senior tackle Jared Odrick and sophomore end Jack Crawford have played well. The secondary has been a mixed bag, with good performances by safeties Nick Sukay and Drew Astorino but uncertainty at the corners, Paterno said.

The Nittany Lions must find a consistent kicker to replace Kevin Kelly, the former Neshaminy High star who graduated as Penn State's all-time leading scorer. Junior Collin Wagner and freshman Anthony Fera were competing in the preseason.

The Lions' schedule has been widely criticized for its lack of quality non-conference opposition, with Temple (3-34-1 against Penn State in the series) considered the toughest game. This means they would have to run the table in the Big Ten to contend for the national championship or qualify for a BCS bowl.

Despite Paterno's lack of optimism, at least outwardly, the Lions have plenty of talent on their roster.

The 6-foot-1, 232-pound Bowman, of District Heights, Md., wants to build on a 2008 season in which he led Penn State in tackles and made the all-Big Ten first team even though he didn't start until the fourth game of the season. He said he wanted to "be more of a student of the game."

In addition, with the difficulties and stumbles over the last year, Bowman may show an extra ingredient - new maturity.

"Well, I wouldn't say it was a new mark," he said. "It's still the same Navorro, but there were things that I had to change about myself in order to have a better life, be a better person. It's still Navorro Bowman but Navorro Bowman with a bigger brain and realizing what's important.

"It's been an up and down year, but I'm glad to be back out here playing the game that I love and doing what I know how to do best. So I'm blessed to be back and ready to get this season started."