The pageantry of college football is set to make its return to Beaver Stadium.

After a 2002 campaign that saw the Lions go 9-4 along with a trip to the Capital One Bowl, the Penn State football team kicks off the 2003 season at 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 30 against the Temple Owls at Beaver Stadium.

Entering his 37th season as head
coach of the Lions, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno has not put
emphasis on looking too far ahead in the schedule.

"I'm not one of those guys who really spends a lot of time looking at what is going to be, what might be, or what could be, I really don't know," he said. "I think [the schedule] is going to be tough from top to bottom. I just have to get my football team ready to play as well as we can play and see what can happen and not worry about what the other guys are going to do because I know they are all going to be good."

Aside from tough road games
against Nebraska and Purdue this season, the Lions schedule works to their advantage including home contests against last year's national champions Ohio State.

In addition, Minnesota and Wisconsin will visit Beaver Stadium.

So how good does Paterno think this year's squad will be?

"I think we are working hard and
trying to improve. I think it is a good possibility we could be adequate," Paterno said. "Beyond adequate could be a stretch."

The Lions were hit hard in practically every position after losing six starters to the first and second rounds of the NFL draft alone.

Probably the most talked about area to rebuild is at running back.

Penn State lost the services of 2000-yard rusher Larry Johnson, who now plays in the backfield for the Kansas City Chiefs. As the team progressed through spring practice, the coaching staff hoped to have a solidified candidate to be the primary ball carrier. However, a frontrunner did not emerge.

With summer practices underway, the coaching staff continues to look for a starter among a pool of talent including likely starter Mike Gasparato, redshirt freshman Donnie Johnson, sophomore Tim Shaw, redshirt senior Ricky Upton and freshman Austin Scott. Until the position is set, the Lions are ready to air the ball out, according to wide receiver Tony Johnson.

"We're going to throw the ball until we get the running game going," he said. "I don't think that's a secret."

Johnson, who enters his fourth season as a starter at wide receiver assumes the role of the "go-to" player in the air. He returns from a successful 2002 campaign with 549 yards and three touchdowns as he leads the Lions' wide receiver squad which looks find players to fill the No. 2 and No. 3 holes on the depth chart. Fighting for a starting job includes Gerald Smith, Ernie Terrell, Josh Hannum, Terrance Phillips and the early favorite to take the No. 2 spot, Kinta Palmer.

"I think fans are going to see a lot more of the receivers making big plays," Johnson said. "Times have changed; you can't just run the ball 24 - 7."

Connecting passes with the wideouts is the job of returning starter Zack Mills. The redshirt junior enters his second full season as the Lions' starting quarterback and is poised to break the Penn State all time passing record with 1783 yards this season. The Maryland native is backed up by redshirt sophomore Michael Robinson, who also is Penn State's leading rusher from the 2002 season with 263 yards.

"[Mills and Robinson] are opposite in the way they throw the football," Johnson said. "[Robinson] can throw a bullet and put a hole through your chest. [Mills] is the type of guy who can lay it out there, and put the ball in a place where nobody else can get it. Regardless, whether Zack is the starter or not, they're both going to play."

Protecting the play-callers is the Nittany Lion offensive line. After suffering heavy losses to graduation, Penn State returns only one of four starters, that being Chris McKelvy. Senior David Costlow has been given the nod as starting center, who was also named one of college football's five smartest college football players by Sports Illustrated. Looking to fill in the rest of the line included Charles Rush, Tyler Reed, Damone Jones and Mark Farris.

Another area that the Lions suffered losses from graduation is the defensive line. Three out of the four starters need to be replaced in the absence of current NFL rookies Anthony Adams, Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Haynes. Early projections have sophomore Tamba Hali and redshirt freshman taking over the defensive tackle positions. While John Bronson returns as one of the starting defensive ends, Sam Ruhe and Lavon Chisley are fighting for the remaining spot.

"We lost a lot of good football players on defense," Paterno said.

In hopes of returning the name of "Linebacker U" to Happy Valley, the Lion linebackers have Gino Capone, Derek Wake and LaMar Stewart coming back as starters.

"[The linebackers] have been together for four years, we're all seniors," Capone said. "I think that's huge. You talk about the chemistry of the unit: we know
each other; we hang out; we're good buddies. On the field, we know what we can do."

The secondary was also untarnished by graduation, as senior Richard Gardner will lead the cornerbacks into action. One of the most heralded athletes coming out of spring practice, redshirt freshman Maurice Humphrey, takes over for the graduated Bryan Scott. Yacoov Yisrael returns after sitting out last season with a torn ACL, and will add depth to the safety position along with Calvin Lowry and Chris Harrell.