While he has been the subject of numerous on-air debates on sports talk radio across the country and subject of numerous stories in print, Paterno has shown no wavering in his position as the Nittany Lions' head man.

Paterno does not want to go out on a losing note. He would like to enjoy the spoils of victory at least one more time before turning over the reins of his program to some unnamed successor.

Could 2005 be the season that Penn State becomes a winner once again? Many Big Ten observers believe that talent is not the issue and the Nittany Lions could be good enough to get their heads above water, but Paterno is taking no chances. He was very critical of his team after spring practice and urged them not to cut corners or play soft.

That's what Paterno called his linebackers - perhaps the best single group on the team - at the end of one of the final spring practices.

"He just came over and told us flat-out that we were too soft to play here," junior Paul Posluszny told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. "When a head coach calls you soft, that hits home."

Paterno will push every button in order to avoid a fifth losing season in six seasons.

-- RB Austin Scott has been very slow to recover from an ankle injury. His lack of progress does not sit well with head coach Joe Paterno.

-- Don't believe for a second that the Nittany Lions don't have a great defensive team coming back this year. Penn State ranked fifth nationally in points allowed per game last year (15.3 ppg). The Nittany Lions were 10th in total yardage allowed (291.6 ypg).

2006 DRAFT PROSPECT: CB Alan Zemaitis -- He could have been drafted had he opted for the draft this spring, but he decided to return to Happy Valley because he believes Penn State could have a special team this year.

DE Tamba Hali -- Big, strong and powerful, Hali can jump in the gaps and make plays. He had 51 tackles and 12 more behind the line of scrimmage.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We've got to be careful we don't overestimate them. We've got to get better. I've got an old saying that I preach all of the time -- you either get better or you get worse. If we get better, I think we'll be a pretty good defensive football team, instead of listening to all this junk about how good we are. If we get worse, then we get the crap beat out of us." - Head coach Joe Paterno as he tries to keep a low profile regarding his team's defense. Penn State ranked fifth in scoring defense last year and should be strong, but Paterno does not want any of his players to believe the hype.

Robinson is finally starting at the position he came to Penn State to play more than four years ago. He has seen plenty of actions -- primarily as a slash-type player -- but this is the first time he takes over as the team's starting quarterback.

It's hard to know what to expect. While Robinson has flashed his talent on occasion, he has never bowled anyone over with his passing ability. If he can't get the job done for Joe Paterno, sophomore Anthony Morelli will likely get the call behind center.

The Nittany Lions need to give Robinson a running game. Austin Scott ran for 321 yards and averaged 5.7 yards per carry last year, but he has been slowed by an ankle injury and his lack of progress in the spring has annoyed Paterno.

Tony Hunt ran for 777 yards last year and is a likely starter. He's not a fancy, big-play kind of back, but he runs with determination at 6-2 and 218 pounds.

The WR crew is completely unproven. This area lacked production and two freshmen could play key roles in 2005. Justin King and Derrick Williams looked good in working with the first team during the spring and both delivered explosive plays from the slot position.

TE Isaac Smolko did a nice job last year of providing a legitimate target on third downs. Smolko wasn't great by any stretch, but he did catch 21 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns. He has the strength -- 6-5 and 257 pounds -- to become a legitimate red zone target for Robinson.

The offensive line had to endure much of the blame for Penn State's poor offensive showing last year. All five starters from that group return, but only two -- left tackle Levi Brown and left guard Charles Rush -- have retained their positions. This group has to improve or another poor offensive season will be the result.

DEFENSE: The numbers say Penn State played sensationally on the defensive end last year. The Nittany Lions did not have any kind of offensive team last year, but Penn State played remarkably well even though they knew that the offense was almost always going to give the ball back three plays later.

Playing great defense is an achievement any time a team can do it consistently, but to play that well when the offense is incapable of providing any kind of support makes it even that much more notable.

As a result, defensive coach Tom Bradley deserves a ton of credit. Not only is he an excellent technician, he is clearly one of the best motivators in the game as well.

But Bradley wouldn't be able to motivate his players into performing if they didn't have the talent. On the defensive line, DE Tamba Hali is a special player who can shut down the run and knife into the backfield. Last year he had 51 tackles, 12 behind the line and two sacks.

The strength of the Penn State defense is found in its linebackers. LB Paul Posluszny has tremendous range and is a very hard hitter. He had 104 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 3 sacks a year ago. His tackle total led the Nittany Lions and he seems likely to have a good chance at leading them again in 2005.

Tim Shaw will line up at one of the other LB spots and he is coming off a 50-tackle season. He also can defend the pass and was credited with five breakups last year.

The secondary is the domain of CB Alan Zemaitis. He will almost certainly play in the NFL next year because he has all the physical tools but also studies the game and works hard. Big Ten quarterbacks generally don't try to throw his way because he has great hands and instincts.

One notable change from last year: LB BranDon Snow has moved back to offense and will play fullback. He started his career on offense before moving to linebacker and now will try to open some holes for RBs Tony Hunt and Austin Scott.