Aug 11, 2002 3 min read

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – The confidence is back, the team is ranked – could Happy Valley live up to its name this year? Penn State is ranked No. 24 in the preseason poll – the first ranking since the Nittany Lions lost their 2000 season opener to Southern Cal in the Kickoff Classic. And with eight starters back on offense and seven on defense, even the usually staid Joe Paterno sounds, well, as optimistic as Paterno can sound.

“I’m more comfortable with this squad than maybe I was last year at this time,” Paterno said Saturday at Penn State’s media day.

Paterno, who emphasizes day-by-day improvement rather than anticipating a particular win-loss record, has always been cautious about projecting his team’s performance. Two years ago, he predicted a tough season in what turned out to be Penn State’s first losing record in more than a decade. Last year, he again emphasized his team’s inexperience and lack of depth.

Both times, he was right. The 2000 team – which lost All-Americans Courtney Brown and LaVar Arrington early to the NFL – never really gelled behind Rashard Casey at quarterback.

Last year, crushing early losses to Miami, Wisconsin and Michigan combined with injuries to Derek Wake and Sean McHugh slowed the team’s development. The offense was forced to adapt to the constant rotation of two quarterbacks and as many as four running backs. The young defense played timid.

“Last year, I don’t think we really found the rhythm,” said defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy. “We played Miami, the national champion, and they were great from Day One. Then we had a bye week, and the next week was Sept. 11. We never really got our groove early.”

But defensive coordinator Tom Bradley said he didn’t expect any of that timidity this year. Players already are well grounded in their roles – in part because of their experiences on the field last year, and in part because of continuity off the field.

“We didn’t have to change coaches in the off-season,” Bradley said. “This will be the first time that I’ve been here – since the old days – where there’s no confusion on terminology. We’re all on the same page because we’ve worked together for the whole year.”

On offense, the ever-present quarterback question was answered last January, when Matt Senneca announced he would not return for his senior season. That left the team in the hands of Zack Mills, a cool-under-fire sophomore who helped Penn State to five wins in their last seven games last year.

“I think as an offense, I think we’re much more comfortable as well,” Mills said. “I think toward the end of the year you saw that when we started to make plays, and I think that will carry over into this fall.”