No offense, but defense has been Penn State's strength

IN PAST YEARS, a Penn State team that had won five of its first six games could reasonably expect a Top 25 ranking in the polls, and maybe even a Top 10 slot if the early victories were impressive enough.

But a penchant for low-scoring escapes against unrated opponents have national opinion-makers leery as to how high - or low - the actual ceiling is for the 2011 Nittany Lions.

Even after Penn State's excellent defensive performance in last week's 13-3 home victory over Iowa, a program which had produced eight winning efforts in the previous nine meetings in the series, the Lions checked in only at No. 25 in the USA Today coaches' poll. They're unranked in the Associated Press media poll, fifth in the "also receiving votes" category, sandwiched between Georgia and Southern California, two other traditional powerhouses that have fallen upon comparatively hard times.

In the Oct. 10 issue of The Sporting News, college football writer Matt Hayes had this to say about a Penn State squad that more than a few pundits believe, because of offensive deficiencies, is not nearly as good as its record:

"Something to chew on: Is it possible Penn State could win nine or 10 games and still be one of JoePa's worst teams in decades?"

OK, so the two-quarterback rotation is something less than a resounding success, the offensive line remains a work-in-progress, the highly touted wide receivers have sometimes treated thrown footballs as if they were slathered with butter, and there have been too many drive-snuffing penalties. But isn't that exceptional defense enough to offset much of that? Isn't half-a-football team better than none at all, if the better half is really good?

With Purdue (3-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten Conference) serving as the homecoming opponent for the Lions (5-1, 2-0) at noon Saturday in Beaver Stadium, Penn State coach Joe Paterno was asked to assess the first half of the season, the more difficult portion of which has yet to be played.

Paterno isn't the sort to give letter grades or numbers on a scale of 1-to-10, but his response suggested the Lions are inching ahead, if not exactly advancing in leaps and bounds.

"We're getting a little better, which is always encouraging," Paterno said during his weekly news conference. "Obviously, there are a couple of things we still have to do better. But overall, I think we've made progress.

"I was pleased with some areas [against Iowa]. We picked up in special teams. We ran the ball a little better. The offensive line is playing better, getting more confidence in themselves."

That sounds like a "C," or maybe a C-minus, for the offense. But what about that defense, which ranks fourth nationally with a per-game average of only 250.83 yards per game?

"We've played defense well most of the year, so that's not been a big concern. But it is always going to be a concern with the kind of people we have to play against. This is a big week for us because there was so much pressure to win last week. I hope we don't have a letdown because we can't afford that."

Third-year Purdue coach Danny Hope doesn't need a complimentary critique by Paterno to recognize that scoring points on these Lions is no easy task. He gives the Penn State defense an unqualified "A."

"Their defensive line is exceptional, particularly their defensive tackles," Hope said. "Their star defensive tackle [Devon Still] is as good a player at his position as there is in the country.

"They're always good at linebacker, and they are again this year. They have fast, physical defensive backs that don't make many mistakes."

Under Hope's predecessor, the retired Joe Tiller, Purdue maintained its reputation for turning out more NFL-quality quarterbacks than any school in the Big Ten, or just about anywhere. How's this for Who's Who of QBs, dating to the 1950s: Len Dawson, Bob Griese, Mike Phipps, Gary Danielson, Jim Everett, Drew Brees and Kyle Orton.

It would be a stretch to see the names of Purdue's current quarterbacks, Caleb TerBush and Robert Marve, joining that pantheon any time soon. Then again, a rash of injuries at the position have obliged Hope and offensive coordinator Gary Nord to start five quarterbacks over the past two seasons, a grab-bag situation that makes Penn State's alternating of Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin seem fairly reasonable.

Paterno has problems of his own to solve, and quickly, but what he's seen of the Boilermakers reminds him of his own team.

"They're very similar to us in a lot of ways," JoePa noted. "Some days they look real good. They do everything well. Other days, they have lapses. [But] they have a lot of talent and they can hurt you in a lot of different ways."

Joe Paterno, 84, was asked if he still planned to coach 4 or 5 more years, as he had said over the summer. "Who knows, maybe I'll go 10 years."