Going into the third game of last season, the starters at outside linebacker were guys named Dave Benfatti and Tom Williams.
Benfatti, the younger brother of former All-American defensive tackle Lou Benfatti, and Williams, a transfer from Div. 1-AA Lafayette who had overcome several injuries and also had a little brother on the team, were both seniors. Their stories were heartwarming and encouraging.
Good linebackers they were not.
Tomorrow, when Penn State faces a Louisiana Tech team that features, surprisingly, the most balanced attack the Lions have seen thus far, outside linebackers, with LaMar Stewart starting on the right and Derek Wake on the left, will be the most improved position on the field, by far.
It also may be the most important in stopping a variable offense with quick-strike capability.
LaMar Stewart, a true sophomore from Reading, is a Butkus Award candidate. Many were shocked when they heard his name was on the 67-player list.
His performance thus far has validated the nomination. A running back in high school, he uses his speed and vision to find runners better than any Penn State linebacker since LaVar Arrington.
The only thing is, Arrington was a monster at 6-foot-3. Stewart is a bit smaller, at 6-foot-1. So by nature, he is a different kind of backer, relying on instincts and solid tackling form.
Stewart made his impression last year by sacking Michigan State quarterback Jeff Smoker and pressuring him on the next play in the fourth quarter of Penn State's 42-37 win.
Making his first-ever start as a true sophomore last season, Wake attempted to leap over a Miami blocker in the first quarter. What resulted was a fairly spectacular flip, a left knee torn to shreds and a medical redshirt for Wake.
Like Stewart, Wake made his impression as a true freshman in clutch situations, rushing Purdue punter Travis Dorsch and causing two turnovers that led to touchdowns in the Lions' 22-20 victory at Beaver Stadium in 2000.
Against Nebraska, Stewart had a team-high eight solo tackles.
"It was really good actually," he said. "I caught myself looking at them after I laid a couple of them out. It was like a dream come true."
You've got to like that attitude out of your linebacker: His dream was to lay some 'Huskers out, and then stare at them.
Both Wake and Stewart are timid off the field and ferocious on it. They're probably the two biggest mouths on the Penn State defense.
"We like to let 'em know we're there," Stewart said a few weeks back.
The two have made defensive coordinator Tom Bradley's job much easier, too.
Because both are quick enough to play pass coverage, the Nittany Lions have not had to strictly rely on the nickel package.
"We are fortunate that we have two kids that play the pass well," head coach Joe Paterno said. "We don't get into a lot of nickels and dimes against people like Louisiana Tech because both Stewart and Wake are excellent athletes and darn near good enough athletes to be safeties."
Still, Paterno needs more consistency and intensity out of the two. They are still young and have not seen many different offenses. The Bulldogs will try to confuse them tomorrow.
Stewart says he is learning to work within Penn State's system.
"I learned a lot more of the terminology that they couldn't use around me when I was a freshman because I couldn't understand it," Stewart said. "The spring really helped me a lot, I dropped a lot better and I'm making faster reads. I can read the play before it starts by reading what the offensive line is doing."
Right now, it's a matter of the two learning to play every down with the same amount of focus and passion.
"I thought [Stewart] and Derek Wake turned it up a notch," Paterno said. "They have to be a little bit more aware of some things that are happening to them and maybe make a play or two that they didn't make against Nebraska."
With both less than halfway through their eligibility, there should be plenty of time for them to make those plays and possibly even bring some of the glory back to Linebacker U.
