While Tamba Hali, Jay Alford and Matt Rice were helping to lead Penn State to its best season in years, defensive tackle Ed Johnson was standing on the sidelines.

Not at Beaver Stadium, but at his high school alma mater, Crockett Technical High School in Detroit. There, he helped coach the varsity football team to a 10-2 season and the junior varsity squad to a city championship.

But as satisfying as Johnson said it was to see his teams succeed, he said he was always eager to return to the playing field.

After Johnson was expelled for the summer and fall semesters in June 2005 for an alleged violation of the university's sexual misconduct code (no charges were ever filed against Johnson), he spent the fall staying close to football by coaching and working out in a local gym. But he always had an eye on returning to Penn State.

"It was the second hardest thing I ever experienced in my life next to losing my mom," Johnson said of missing out on a year of football. "It was like breaking up with your first love. It was hard, unexpected. You never thought it would come."

This year, Johnson has been given a second chance, and he's making the most of it.

In four games, Johnson has been a force in the middle of the defensive line alongside Alford, registering 15 total tackles, five tackles for a loss, and three sacks, steadying a defensive line that has been forced to use freshmen Jared Odrick and Maurice Evans at times.

That steadying influence was perhaps seen most against Ohio State last week. Even though he didn't sack Buckeye quarterback Troy Smith, Johnson consistently broke through blockers, often forcing Smith to throw on the run.

"I guess you can say it was my best game," Johnson said. "I don't really think so. I just think more things were in the light that game. I feel like I am getting better every week. The best is yet to come."

Coming back to the team, Johnson faced the challenge of catching up to his teammates. He came into camp overweight, but has since dropped down to about 295 pounds and would like to shed 10 more.

Sitting out a year also slowed Johnson down. As much as he worked out at home, nothing could simulate the speed of the game for Johnson -- especially when the most time he saw on the field came when he simulated the scout team quarterback for Crockett Tech.

But teammates say he won't let anything slow him down.

"He's tough. He's got everything you want from a defensive tackle," linebacker Sean Lee said. "He's got swagger, too. He's got heart."

Defensive end Josh Gaines has noticed Johnson's mindset, too.

"He goes hard everyday and he knows the game," Gaines said. "I know [last year] hurt him. He's coming back, and he's living this year up."

While Johnson called last year's situation "unfortunate," he said it taught him some important life lessons.

"I've learned sometimes it's not about what you do, it's about what you don't do," he said. "I've learned that you have to accountable for those things too."

One thing it didn't teach him though was an appreciation of the game of football. In his mind, that was a lesson he had learned long before last year.

"I didn't gain more of an appreciation, because I never took the game for granted in the first place," he said.

That's why Johnson wasn't content to sit on the sidelines in Detroit even if he was enjoying coaching After football had given him so many opportunities, he wasn't too proud to take another.

"I like to finish things that I start," Johnson said.