The Penn State football team will enter a new era later this month when the Nittany Lions face Southern Cal in the Kickoff Classic.

Longtime defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky has handed over the playbook and the frustration to 22-year Penn State assistant Tom Bradley. Bradley will have his hands full trying to field a defense worthy of protecting the coveted North and South goallines from opposing teams.

With LaVar Arrington, Courtney Brown, Brandon Short and other Lions all playing on Sundays this season, Bradley is left with a "hole" lot of patching up to do before August 27.

Can Bradley, his assistants and the players pull it off?

Sure they can.

With USC giving Penn State a mini-test before cream puffs Toledo and Louisiana Tech stroll into Beaver Stadium, the Lions have three weeks of solid preparation before the Pittsburgh matchup September 16.

And no matter how good, or bad, both programs are at that juncture of the season, everyone knows that game is always a heated rivalry.

But after the first four weeks, the talking must stop and the action must start.

Penn State travels to Ohio State, then has Heisman trophy candidate Drew Brees and Purdue in Happy Valley, and then travels to the Twin Cities for an early October showdown with Minnesota.

Brees must be salivating in West Lafayette right now, marking down the date when the Boilermakers travel to Penn State. With the arm and accuracy of Brees, the receiving core Purdue coach Joe Tiller always brings in and an inexperienced Lions secondary, Brees will have the chance to put up numbers we can only imagine.

If Brees spots a weakness, he will expose it. He will go after it until points are put up on the scoreboard and the student section sits in stunned silence.

The rest of the Big Ten schedule will be the same way. Minnesota already got revenge by ruining Penn State's national championship hopes last season on Homecoming.

Now, Illinois, Iowa and others know it is their chance to shine in Happy Valley.

But Penn State can spoil everyone's party by not tucking their tails and hiding. If Bradley, the Lions' defense and a potent offensive attack make a statement early in the season and continue playing traditional Penn State football throughout the Big Ten schedule, this upcoming year will not be an embarrassment.

Playing in one of the best football conferences in the country, the Lions better not crawl into a corner. Because once intimidation is shown by any of the inexperienced Penn State players, the opponent will attack.

Penn State football coach Joe Paterno knows this.

Bradley and his assistants know this.

And so do the Lions who will be putting on their blue and white jerseys and strapping on their helmets later this month.

Everyone inside the Penn State locker room knows they shouldn't worry about how to stop the rest of the Big Ten on Saturdays this fall. They should worry about who will stop it.