Prior to spring practice, Penn State football coach Joe Paterno stated the obvious about the 2003 season.

"Our wide outs were horrible," he said.

In a word, yes. And the problems that made them "horrible" were certainly no secret.

Dropped passes, muddled routes and miscommunication combined to give Penn State a Big Ten-worst 50 percent pass completion rate and less than 200 yards of pass offense per game.

The merry-go-round rotation of receivers persisted all season, with 17 players pulling in passes during 12 games.

And, perhaps most importantly, there was the lack of a go-to man who would make the game-saving circus catch. So, after the 3-9 season from which so much needed to be changed, the wide out situation topped Paterno's list.

"To get some wide outs that know where the ball is going to be, and the quarterbacks know where they are going to be, and we make some catches," Paterno said. "If I were to list the things that we have to do this spring, No. 1 is that we have to tackle better, and we have to catch the ball."

The list of receivers is still long and without definite standouts. It took a hit with the loss of Maurice Humphrey as a result of legal issues and Ernie Terrell to the track team.

But the current group is what the team has, and it is well-aware that it was dismal last year and that there is no choice but to improve.

"If you're in a company and the boss is like, 'We're gonna improve in this area,' he's making you step up to the challenge, and that's what Joe wants us to do," senior receiver Gerald Smith said.

Citing a lack of concentration as the biggest problem of the corps last year, Smith said the only way to combat that is by hard work -- which Paterno has made a huge deal about this spring. But according to Smith, the biggest change to come thus far is simply the conversion to a system NFL teams have used for years, one in which the quarterbacks and the wide receivers meet together to ease communication.

"We're all in the same room; we meet together," Smith said. "We don't have two coaches telling us two different things, and that was the biggest thing. Quarterbacks sit on the left, receivers on the right. It's one of the biggest differences since I've been here."

To aid in the quarterback-receiver communication, the new wide receivers coach, hired after the loss of Kenny Carter, is a former quarterback himself -- Penn State alumnus Mike McQueary. In addition to providing what the receivers say is a more laid-back and open atmosphere, McQueary also brings a valuable in-the-pocket vision.

"I know he's been there," Smith said. "He's played in big games, with big receivers; Joe Jurevicius was one. So I ask, 'What was Joe like?' and I take it from there."

Jurevicius is indeed a good model for Smith, as he was a go-to guy, just like Smith himself wants to be. While the depth chart at this point is still uncertain, Smith is certainly in the running to have a starting role. At last Saturday's open scrimmage he practiced with the first team along with junior Terrance Phillips. Gio Vendemia was also on the first team when Penn State ran three-wide receiver sets. But there are plenty of others in the mix.

"[Scott has] stepped up and made a lot of catches and blocks downfield," Phillips said. "I think he's more hungry this year; he wants to play. Myself, Ryan Scott, Gerald Smith. And Terrell Golden has been tremendous this spring, working hard and making a lot of plays."

While the receivers envision three or four guys emerging as the frontrunners, for now, the focus is on the unit as a whole. It's back to the basics, it's practicing routes, it's trying to instill some sense of confidence and it's trying to be something other than "horrible."

"We're pushing each other every day, hard," Phillips said. "I definitely feel like I'm a frontrunner, but right now we're focusing on a group first, and then as individuals later."

All of the issues from last year may not yet have been worked out. There is certainly still the inexperience question, as the top wide outs from last season, Tony Johnson and Humphrey, have since departed.

"I don't think the connection is there if we had to play a game tomorrow," quarterback Zack Mills said. "But I wouldn't expect it to be. It's gonna come. I feel a ton more comfortable already than I did last year at this time."

Whether or not the connection will come is yet to be seen. But there is, without a doubt, a new personnel, a new approach and a new attitude, and it's hard to imagine change not being able to help.

And, perhaps most importantly, is the simple realization that Phillips slipped into conversation, but that seemed to evade the receiving corps of 2003.

"If the ball is there, and you can touch it, you should catch it," Phillips said.