In some ways, the Penn State football team is where it was this time last year -- it has a 1-1 record and is trying to rebound after an unexpected and disappointing loss to Boston College.

But to the players on the team, this year's Lions bear no resemblance to last year's squad. There's a difference, they say. Just wait and see.

"The mindset of the team is we're not the same team as last year," senior wide receiver Ryan Scott said. "So the mindset is there shouldn't even be a possibility of it being like last year."

The next step in proving that notion to be true is this week's game against the University of Central Florida (0-2), which will kick off at 12:10 p.m. tomorrow at Beaver Stadium. The game will be televised regionally on ESPN Plus.

While the Lions may have temporarily gotten off the track of their road to redemption by losing at BC, they have made it abundantly clear that last weekend isn't how the rest of the season will be. In their eyes, a different team means a different season, and, right now, it's just a matter of getting back on course.

"There's gonna be ups, and there's gonna be downs," fullback Paul Jefferson said.

Based on practices earlier this week, the team is making its best attempt to answer that question affirmatively. The team reportedly came back to practice motivated -- not dejected -- something different from the previous fall.

"The urgency of getting back on the field and working is like I've never seen," cornerback Alan Zemaitis said.

Though UCF is winless, opening the season with a 34-6 loss at Wisconsin, Penn State can prove a lot against the Golden Knights. Foremost on the Lions' agenda will be containing UCF's run offense, namely its power back, Alex Haynes, who averages 96.5 yards a game.

Offensively, Penn State will also look to revive its running game after its struggles last week, while quarterback Zack Mills and his receiving corps will have a chance to steady themselves after a rough fourth quarter last Saturday in which he threw three interceptions.

"[UCF has] a lot of speed, and we gotta protect the football," Mills said. "We have to do a better job of throwing the football -- I can't make interceptions. ... So a lot of it's on me. I gotta put the ball where they're not so the wide receivers can make plays."

As the offensive captain and the signal caller, Mills always shoulders a lot of the team's responsibility, both in making plays and keeping the squad on its desired course.

But this time around, he has other guys who back him up in the huddle -- like fellow seniors Jefferson and Gerald Smith -- giving more reason to believe that this group of guys might, in fact, have a little something different.

"There's a difference this year," utility player Michael Robinson said. "There are leaders on the team this year. I mean, we had people last year who we called leaders, but when they talked, sometimes the younger guys didn't listen or didn't see them as leaders."