2001: 5-6, 4-4 in the Big Ten (tie for 4th)
Coach: Joe Paterno, 327-96-3 in 36 years at the school
Returning starters: 16 (7 offense, 7 defense, 2 specialists)
Top returnees: QB Zack Mills (127 com., 230 att., 55.2 pct.,
1,669 yd., 9 TD, 12 int.); TB Larry Johnson (337 yd., 71 att., 4.7
avg., 2 TD); WR Bryant Johnson (51 rec., 866 yd., 17.0 avg., 3 TD);
FS Shawn Mayer (97 tackles)
Outlook: The Lions ranked last in the Big Ten in time of
possession and in turnover margin (minus-13) last season. But after
an 0-4 start, they finished 5-2 and averaged 30 points in that span,
sparked by Mills. This team has tremendous upside, but road games
at Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin in a four-week span could
kill Penn State’s title hopes.
Soundbite: “We were 0-4 and you get up in the morning
and say, ‘God, are we that bad?’ I said, ‘Hey, we’re
a better football team than that. Let’s see if we can win a
couple of games.’ We recovered and we had some kids who had
some pride who responded to the fact that we were better than an
0-4 team.” — Joe Paterno
