[Lefty Noob]

Penn State coach Joe Paterno kicks off his 41st season as Nittany Lions head coach today against the Akron Zips. Lots of question marks for PSU this year, including at QB, where Anthony Morelli needs to take over for Michael Robinson. Lots of talent, though, too, with Levi Brown, Derrick Williams and Paul Posluszny all likely All-Americans in 2006. Akron should be a nice warm up game for JoePa's crew, right? Thoughts on this match-up?

[bmwaz59]

Heavy rains are expected in "Happy Valley" today. This will slow down the passing game that Akron runs. Penn State has an established ground game with Tony Hunt and Austin Scott that gives them the edge offensively. The Nittany Lions should win in what most likely will be a fairly close game because of the inclimate weather. If they stumble today, it's because they were thinking of next week's game against Notre Dame. Go Lions!

[Lefty Noob]

Welcome to GoTeamsGo, bmwaz59, and thanks for joining us to talk some Nittany Lions football! I, too, think the Lions have the edge, particularly in bad weather. The PSU defense should be pretty darn good. All I can say is they need to win this one, because the next two are the Irish and then the Buckeyes.

Who do you see as the key offensive and defensive players? Morelli, obviously, is a big X-factor on offense, and I'm definitely interested to see whether or not CB Justin King can live up to the hype. Street & Smith says he may be the best corner in the country by his junior season!

[EmpireWF]

Great point bmwaz about the weather factor. If it turns into a mush and run game, Penn State should dominate. Austin Scott is one back to watch in 06.

[bmwaz59]

I think Levi Brown needs to provide leadership for the rest of the inexperienced offensive line in order for the Lions to be successful. The talent and ability is there. The attitude, desire and confidence need to be established successfully. The receiveing corps are in very good shape. Tight end is a question mark. It will be interesting to see if true freshman phenom Chris Bell gets any action since they say he potentially has more ability than Derrick Williams. Justin King is going to outstanding. I think the secondary is going to be fine. The Lions need to come out of this game with a win naturally but they also need to come away confident, not cocky, going into the showdown next week.

[rmjvol]

And what a showdown it should be! I think ND takes care of business today:
Notre Dame vs Georgia Tech

but it won't be easy. Georgia Tech is a good team and it won't be a cakewalk. But does a win over GT mean a big advantage for the Irish as opposed to a PSU win over Akron?

[Lefty Noob]

Not necessarily. The Jackets are a tougher club than the Zips, but I'm not sure that will mean anything come next Saturday.

[Lefty Noob]

The Nittany Lions won the game, 34-16. Good debut for QB Anthony Morelli, who threw for 208 yards and three touchdowns. Jordan Norwood had seven catches and a touchdown, and Derrick Williams and Deon Butler also had TD receptions. So, is this team ready for Notre Dame and OSU in the weeks to come?