In the huddle, tailback Larry Johnson is silent. He'll usually stand with his hands on his hips, listening to quarterback Zack Mills relay the play. Johnson barely says a word.

"I'm pretty quiet," he said yesterday. "I'm pretty focused out there. I just keep my mouth shut."

Before the game, free safety Shawn Mayer gets so emotional that his eyes begin to water. He turns a deep shade of red as he yells to his teammates about commitment, about wanting it more, about getting the job done.

"He's a hell of a player," said corner Bryan Scott. "He's the heart of the defenses. In most defenses, the heart of the defense is the middle linebacker. Ours is the strong safety. He comes into the box, he's always around the ball. He's always fired up."

While Johnson is churlish and Mayer fiery, they are the most intense leaders on a Penn State team that starts 12 seniors.

Those 12 seniors have been seen the down years. They watched or participated in one of the worst stretches in Penn State football history during the two seasons prior to this.

Most of them know what went wrong but will not say it outright. Many have hinted, though, most notably defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy: the cause of Penn State's epic fall, as it has been made out to be, was the lack of dedication and leadership from the seniors.

It took a while for this year's seniors to finally grab the reigns. Sure, Kennedy talked a good game about leadership back in July, but it was not until he publicly questioned his team's passion after the Iowa game that the role of this senior class solidified.

The chemistry of how leadership works on this Penn State team is tough to decipher.

The two senior starters at defensive tackle, Kennedy and Anthony Adams, can be light-hearted.

"Obviously, [Kennedy] is a fifth-year guy and he sacrificed a lot to come back to this football team," Mills said. "But he's a guy that will joke around with you and make you laugh. You need that when you have the grind of practice all the time."

Johnson, who has not carried but instead ferociously hauled the offense as of late, is a completely different influence. Prior to the season, he said he wanted the Penn State offense to be compared to "some of the nasty defenses they talk about." He didn't want his offense taking anything lightly.

Has Johnson's message reached its intended audience?

"I think so," he said. "You see Matt Schmitt ready to knock some kid out for taking down Zack. You have Jefferson talking to people after every play, sticking up for guys. You can look at it on the field. You see it out there."

Penn State coach Joe Paterno, never one to come right out with anything, has, through an undercurrent of quotes throughout the year, made it clear that he sees increased passion in this group.

He challenged two seniors on the defense, end Michael Haynes and Scott, to play up to their potential during the off-season.

So far, Haynes, who was recently named a finalist for the Ted Hendricks defensive end award, has exceeded all expectations.

"Nothing amazes me about Mike Haynes," said corner Richard Gardner. "He's capable of anything."

Gardner doesn't get to seen Haynes make a play all that often, since he's usually deep in coverage. But he notices what his fellow corner, Scott, is doing.

"He's stepped up his game as far as aggression and playing tough on a wide-out," Gardner said. "Wide receivers are having second thoughts now."

Haynes said that the attitude on this Penn State team has changed, but it appears as though it has merely returned to what it used to be. Instead of dissent in the ranks, there is talk again of "playing the Penn State way."

Those who have done that and moved on to the NFL are taking notice. Gardner talks to former Lions cornerbacks Bruce Branch (Jacksonville) and Bhawoh Jue (Green Bay) almost every night, and also speaks with David Macklin (Indianapolis.)

Former players like Ki-Jana Carter, O.J. McDuffie and LaVar Arrington (Washington) have been seen on the sidelines more than once this season.

The seniors, it seem, have taken the idea of the Penn State family to heart.

Johnson invokes the names of those that ran before him almost every chance he gets. Haynes talks about watching and learning from Courtney Brown.

And they are also making sure they set an example for the young players that are watching them.

"That's something I'm going to miss," Haynes said of being around the group and working with younger player. "I've grown so close to this team."