This season, the Penn State offense unveils its very own version of Notre Dame's feared Four Horsemen, but the Lions' revival looks a little different.

One player was moved from tailback to fullback then back to tailback. Another was moved from offense to defense and then back to offense. One player is just looking to make an impact when he gets on the field. And last, but certainly not least, the other player is known more for his brother who is now playing in the NFL.

Not exactly the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In other words, they don't exactly strike fear into their opponents' hearts, yet.

But who are these guys?

Well, none of their names begins or ends with Blair or Thomas. And they certainly don't have anything to do with guys named Dozier or Warner.

They are the new candidates for the sacred tailback spot in the Penn State backfield.

Two guys have been around for a while and are looking to make their last season a memorable one. They are Leroy Thompson and Gary Brown. The other two talents are Richie Anderson and Gerry Collins, two younger backs that could be looking at this year to build for next year.

Regardless of whom the starting tailback is, he will have a big hole to fill with the graduation of Blair Thomas to the New York Jets of the National Football League. Thomas rushed for 1,341 yards last season, accounting for almost 60 percent of the Lions' total rushing offense. He also had eight 100-yard games and finished in the top 10 in balloting for the Heisman Trophy.

These are big shoes to fill, but these running backs think they have the feet for the job.

"I think our tailback situation is in good shape. I think when you lose a guy like Blair Thomas, you're not so sure how good you are going to be, but both of these kids have done well," Coach Joe Paterno said.

But anybody who thinks that one of these players can duplicate Thomas's performance of last season need only to talk to Paterno.

"We may not have a Blair Thomas back there but we're going to be pretty good," he added.

That may be the understatement of the preseason, with the talent the Lions have in the backfield. But the key to the success of the tailbacks will be their ability to translate that "potential" into on-the-field performance. In fact, Paterno feels the word potential can sum up the entire team this year, not just the running backs.

"Even though losing Blair is definitely hard to overcome, I think that we are really solid there (in the backfield)," quarterback Tom Bill said.

"I think we have good running backs; Blair was a great running back. But we are all trying to achieve that goal," Brown said. "I think what he (Paterno) meant was that we don't have a Blair back now, but if all the tailbacks work hard, we could."

Paterno said that Thompson will be the No. 1 tailback for now but Brown is a close second. There was a shadow of a doubt as to whether Brown was going to play this season. He could have opted to redshirt. But Paterno said on Tuesday that Brown will be No. 2 behind Thompson for now.

"Leroy Thompson will start, Leroy has had a very good preseason," Paterno said.

Thompson, moved from fullback to tailback this season, is looking to make this season, his last, a memorable one.

"This is my last year and I hope that this would be the year. I'm excited about it and more confident than ever," he said. "And I'm really looking forward to the season.

"There is uncertainty. I see Coach up there saying, 'Yeah, he has the potential to be a great back, but we have to find out where he fits in.' You see, I'm not an 'A-back,' which is a tailback and I'm not a 'B-back,' which is a fullback. I call myself a 'C-back,' which I define just as a back who's full of confidence and can go in and do a good job."

Thompson rushed for just 184 yards last year, but had an impressive Holiday Bowl, scoring on runs of 14 and 16 yards, while rushing for 68 yards on 14 carries. Thompson began to show some of the talent that made him one of the most sought-after high school prospects in the 1987 Citrus Bowl where he had 201 yards in total offense.

He furthered his position during the Blue-White game, rushing for 75 yards, including a 30-yard scamper. He has remained No. 1 on the depth chart since that game.

The 5'10" 207-pounder from Knoxville, Tenn. was elected one of tri-captains for this season (along with Willie Thomas and Matt McCartin) and will be looked upon to provide leadership on the field.

"He has had a great preseason. He has been a great leader off the field as well as on the field. I think he is really doing a great job," Bill said.

Thompson said that he has set personal goals for himself this season but wouldn't reveal what they are because he didn't want unaccomplished goals coming back to haunt him.

But Thompson was not shy about announcing the team's goal for the year: the National Championship.

"The national championship, that is the goal. Our schedule is definitely geared for one if we get by Texas and USC."

Even though Thompson is constantly bombarded with questions about the post-Blair era, he takes a rather relaxed attitude to following in his footsteps.

"Hopefully that will be for you guys (the media) to say. Hopefully, I will be successful enough this year that somebody will remember my senior season," he said.

Thompson also is hesitant to discuss the possibility of playing in the NFL.

"I have thought about it, but I don't think about it a lot," he said. "I let other people think about that."

Like Thompson, Brown would like to make this season a memorable one.

With the spectre of Brown redshirting now out of the way, Brown can concentrate on just one thing: football.

"I want to have a big year A LOT. Leroy feels the same way and Richie and Gerry Collins, they all feel the same way, they all want to have a big year," he said. "We don't practice all the time not to have a big year. But only one guy can have a big year and I am mature enough to realize that it happens to only one guy.

The situation in the backfield brings back memories of Brown's sophomore year, when he had to share time with two other tailbacks.

"I wouldn't want to be in a situation like it was my sophomore year, switching tailbacks and not one ever getting a feel for the game. You are always in and out and you never really get a feel. I know that I don't want to go through that again."

But Paterno doesn't see Brown as the backup.

"I don't think that Gary thinks he is No. 2 and I don't think we think of him as No. 2. I think you feel that you have to have two tailbacks."

Brown, who played hero last year, is looking to rekindle his 1988 form that made him the Lions leading rusher with 682 yards. Brown also added seven touchdowns.

"For me it's going okay, the readjustment (back to the offense) wasn't that bad. I had to learn some things that were going on."

Brown said one of his goals, if he plays, will be to lead the team in rushing. Whatever Brown decides, his career has certainly been like no other collegiate player. From offense to defense and then back to offense, Brown has enjoyed success on both sides of the ball.

"I feel I have accomplished a lot that not a lot of college players have," he said. "I'm happy about that and I have no regrets about what I have done in my career."

But even with his success at hero last year, Brown desperately wants a chance to shine at tailback.

He said, "I don't want to be a second-teamer my whole career. I want to be a first-stringer at least once in my career at running back."

Paterno said that the Brown-Thompson combination that will take the field today are much different than they were when they were a similar situation two years ago.

"They are obviously much more mature. They are stronger and better blockers, they both have been very careful with the football. And they have a feel for the way a certain play should be run," he said. "They both have more patience and they don't jump at the first thing they see. They realize that they can't get by on sheer speed alone, so I think that they are much better tailbacks than they were two years ago."

Any team would be happy to just have the problem of deciding the starter between Thompson or Brown but the Lions also have Anderson and Collins.

However, since Collins injured his knee in practice last week, he will miss the Texas game but should be able to play against USC next week.

The 5'8" 191-pound senior still has one year of eligibility left after this year. Last year, Collins saw extensive time in the backfield, rushing for 293 yards and scoring one touchdown. With his 104-yard performance against Syracuse, Collins was one of only two Penn State running backs to crack the century mark in rushing last season. Collins finished the season as the team's No. 2 rusher. In the Blue-White game, Collins led the White squad with 52 yards on 16 carries.

"We do have a lot of them (tailbacks) but there's nothing you can really do about it," he said. "Because Joe is going to make the decision (about) who is going to start."

Collins has had an interesting collegiate career to date. He played at Colorado State, the only school that offered him a scholarship, for one year before transferring to Penn State to join his now graduated brother and current Washington Redskin, Andre. Gerry's other brother, Phil, will join the team this year as a freshman wide receiver.

Collins will look for some substantial playing time this year, to build toward his 1991 campaign.

"Probably, next year, I'll see a lot more playing time but I do expect to see a lot of playing time this year. Everybody really thinks about that, getting the starting job, but it's a childhood dream playing major college football," he said.

Anderson is another player that could be using this season to build for bigger and better things for the years to come.

But the issue of redshirting that haunted Brown in the preseason might now apply to Anderson.

"Richie is one guy that is tough to get in the groove because of injuries," Paterno said. "He had the bad back last spring and then he came back and he had a bad ankle and lost a week of practice, so he has fallen behind."

Paterno added that if the team can't use Anderson this year he might redshirt.

The sophomore from Silver Springs, Md., was among a handful of freshmen to see significant playing time last year, gaining 77 yards on 16 carries. His best game was against Syracuse when he rushed for 44 yards on five carries, including a 35-yard jaunt. During the year, he also scored one touchdown and had a 22.3 yard kick return average.

"I am looking to give the best I can. When I get the chance, I have to take advantage of it," he said.

Anderson said he is working on his pass protection and reading the defense.

"Everyday I go out and practice and try to get better, I try to improve on this spot and that spot," he said. "You know I am working pretty hard, I don't have that thought (about starting) in mind. I'm taking it one year at a time. I just want to come on real powerful this year."

Anderson said his goal this year is to make things happen whether it is at the tailback spot or on the kickoff team.

With Bobby Samuels being declared academically ineligible, Anderson has along with Brown, has become the leading candidate to return kickoffs for the Lions.

With these four talented players in the backfield the competition in practice has been very high, with the return of Brown only adding to this competition. But all the players have kept this in proper perspective.

"With someone ahead of me, we really do help each other out, there is no type of bitterness. We leave the football on the football field. We are all good friends," Anderson said.

Collins added that the situation is very competitive but the four have still remained friends.

And Brown summed it up for all the players.

"That's true, we're all competitors," he said. "We wouldn't go out and practice if we weren't competitors. You want to compete when you go out there but you never want to let that competition interfere with the friendships. Over the long haul friendship is more important.