Nittany Lions ready to roll vs. Indiana State

A VERY WISE person once said that things are never quite as bright as they sometimes appear to be, nor as bleak.

That philosophy - life rarely is lived at either extreme, but usually somewhere in between - is likely to be certified by the Penn State Nittany Lions, whose first two games of the 2011 season represent perhaps the greatest distance any team must travel, in terms of quality-testing, of any team in the country, even though both will be played in the friendly confines of Beaver Stadium.

This Saturday, 100,000-plus spectators will be on hand for the launch of Penn State's 125th season. They are apt to see the ritualistic massacre of a Football Championship Subdivision opponent that is short on talent, or at least enough of it to pose a threat to a credible Football Bowl Subdivision team like the Lions.

Indiana State is 0-8 all-time against Big Ten Conference schools and there's little chance of that streak ending this weekend. Despite going 6-5 in 2010, their first winning season since 1996, and scoring a school-record 351 points, the Sycamores are overmatched. Their only game against a FBS team in 2010 resulted in a 40-7 thrashing by Cincinnati, and they closed that campaign with a 49-21 loss to Southern Illinois.

In several ways, this game is reminiscent of the Lions' 59-0 blasting of Florida International in 2007 and the 66-10 slaughter of Coastal Carolina in 2008. Coach Joe Paterno could be clearing his bench by early in the fourth quarter, if not sooner, and members of Nittany Nation will be disappointed if the home team doesn't put up a stats-padding, 50-points-or-better drubbing on the visitors.

A cold slap of reality, however, awaits the following weekend when second-ranked Alabama, which might have the best defensive unit in the nation, drops by to see if it can replicate, or even improve upon, 2010's 24-3 manhandling of Paterno's crew in Tuscaloosa.

No matter the margin against Indiana State, it won't cause much of a ripple on a national scale for the Lions, who are No. 25 in the USA Today coaches' poll and unranked in the Associated Press poll. But an upset of mighty Alabama, or even a reasonably close game, would send a signal to the so-called experts that Paterno's 46th edition as head man in Happy Valley could be more formidable than some have been led to believe.

Ah, but can JoePa keep his team focused on the low hurdle just ahead, instead of the treacherous mountain that must be scaled on Sept. 10? Remember, in their 2010 opener, the Lions found themselves trailing Youngstown State after one quarter, 7-3, before snapping out of their funk and rolling to a 44-14 victory. Paterno now admits that his young squad might have been looking forward to the Alabama game instead of focusing on the Penguins.

It is not a mistake he thinks his more-experienced players will make this time around. Good teams, teams with championship aspirations, show up every week to take care of business.

"It's all a question of being mature enough to understand anybody can beat anybody," Paterno said, dredging up Appalachian State's shocker over Michigan in 2007 as proof that the have-nots can occasionally rise up against the haves.

"We've had our troubles early. We talk all the time about not being able to afford not being as good as we can be. [You need] good practice, paying attention to detail, being ready to expect anything from teams that have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

"We're not home free. We've got some problems yet. But we're optimistic that we've made great progress. We think we're a better football team right now than we were at this time last year."

Being better than in 2010 would not mark a significant step forward; that young, injury-wracked bunch finished 7-6, Penn State's worst since it went 4-7 in 2004.

"We were not happy with our season last year," Paterno admitted. "But I think we're in much better shape right now getting ready to start the season than we were at this time a year ago."

The dueling-quarterbacks aspect of co-No. 1 passers Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin will bear weekly monitoring, but at least they'll have a quality group of wide receivers to target, most notably Derek Moye, and a potential 1,000-yard rusher to hand the ball to in tailback Silas Redd. The primary area of concern on offense is a line that seemingly has been under construction for several years.

Defensively, the return to good health of pass-rushing ends Jack Crawford and Eric Latimore, as well as safety Nick Sukay, should make Penn State more formidable than it was in 2010. And the linebacking corps of Michael Mauti, Glenn Carson, Gerald Hodges, Nate Stupar and Khairi Fortt won't lower the standards of a school that churns out stars at the position with assembly-line regularity.

But the schedule is a meat grinder with tough home games against Alabama, Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska as well as stern road tests at Ohio State and Wisconsin, and an improved Temple.

PENN STATE AT A GLANCE

School: Penn State

Coach: Joe Paterno, 46th season, 401-135-3

Last year: 7-6 overall, 4-4 Big Ten

On the web: www.GoPSUSports.com

Ticket info: GoPSUSports.com/tickets or call 814-865-5555. The Alabama and Nebraska games are already sold out.

Worth watching: Wide receivers Derek Moye, Shawney Kersey, Justin Brown, Devon Smith, Brandon Moseby-Felder and, if his twice-fractured left leg holds up, Curtis Drake could be the best group at the position in the Big Ten.

Great unknown: Can quarterbacks Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin peacefully coexist sharing snaps? Bolden, in a snit, threatened to transfer after he returned from injury (concussion) and couldn't get his starting job back from McGloin last midseason. Of Bolden, one rival Big Ten coach, who asked not to be identified, said, "I just hope the kid doesn't mope and become a cancer on the team" if he deems his share of the playing time to be insufficient.

It all comes down to: Whether an already thin and shaky offensive line, minus All-America guard Stefen Wisniewski (now a rookie with the Oakland Raiders), can adequately protect Bolden and McGloin, and open holes for exciting tailback Silas Redd.

Circle the dates: Sept. 24 against Eastern Michigan. Hey, just kidding. Seriously, though, the gantlet begins with Alabama (Sept. 10) and continues vs. nemesis Iowa (Oct. 8), Big Ten newcomer Nebraska (Nov. 12) and at Ohio State (Nov. 19) and at Wisconsin (Nov. 26).

Numbers crunching: The Lions' normally staunch defense was gouged for 165.6 yards rushing a game in 2010, and registered only 16 sacks. So what's the top priority? Stuff the run and force opponents to throw the ball, which should boost the sack total. It's the Penn State way and always has been.