TAMPA, Fla. -- In the fall of 2003, Tony Hunt seemed destined to be an inconsequential player at Penn State. He had a mere 34 carries for 110 yards and played behind another true freshman running back, Austin Scott, who led the team in rushing.

	Outback Bowl Who: Penn State (8-4) vs. Tennessee (9-3). When: 11 a.m., Monday. Where: Tampa, Fla. TV: ESPN. Related article Penn State sends Scott home early

Scott, from Allentown, was Penn State's premier recruit, a home-state player that fans were eager to watch. Hunt, a well-regarded but lesser-known player from Virginia, was viewed as an insurance plan in case something happened to Scott.

Like, say, not playing up to his potential.

Whether Scott failed to live up to his lofty expectations or Hunt simply was the better player may never be known, but Hunt won the starting tailback job the next season and never looked back. In his three years as a starter, Hunt has established himself as one of Penn State's most accomplished backs in school history.

In another twist to the tale, Scott was sent back to Pennsylvania Sunday by coach Joe Paterno because of an unspecified violation of team rules amid preparations for the Outback Bowl Monday against Tennessee.

Hunt was asked recently about Scott and whether he will be the starter next season after sitting out this season as a redshirt. It was a seemingly innocuous question geared more toward Scott than himself. Hunt took the opportunity to remind reporters of his situation more three years ago.

"Are you saying he's starting next year?" Hunt asked reporters. "That was the problem years ago that led to all of the controversy with me and him in the backfield. I think you might want to take into consideration that there are other backs. I don't see why there wouldn't be competition. I don't think they're going to lie down and let him have it. There's going to be competition."

It wasn't so much a shot at Scott -- although the two seem to have a cool relationship -- as it was to reporters for neglecting to consider that other players will be vying for playing time as well. That snapshot of Hunt is a glimpse inside Penn State's most brooding -- and best -- back since Larry Johnson played for the Nittany Lions. Johnson and Hunt have a lot in common, in their conduct on and off the field.

Hunt and Johnson seem to go through life angry and use that emotion to their advantage. Johnson, Penn State fans will remember, did not get to play full-time until his senior season, a happenstance Johnson used as motivation to set a school record for rushing yards in a season in 2002.

Hunt uses his freshman season slight as motivation to this day. And that seems to be just fine with Penn State coaches, who are not shy about praising him as one of the school's best.

"I think Tony is one of the best backs I have ever been around," Penn State offensive coordinator Galen Hall said. "He is probably the best pass-protecting back I have ever been around. I think that comes from being a Penn State back.

"I think he is a very good, hard-nosed back that can catch the football out of the backfield and make people miss, and I think he has a bright future in the pros. He is one of the top-notch backs I have been around."

Hunt's statistics back it up. He is No. 5 on Penn State's all-time rushing list entering the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl and can climb to No. 3 if he gains 95 yards against the Volunteers. Hunt has rushed for 1,228 yards this season -- the eighth-best single-season total at Penn State -- an impressive feat considering he is running behind an offensive line that has struggled all season. Other than last season, Hunt has not had great lines to block for him, which makes his fifth-place ranking on Penn State's rushing list amazing.

Hunt has 3,162 career rushing yards. Only D.J. Dozier (3,227), Curtis Enis (3,256), Blair Thomas (3,301) and Curt Warner (3,398) have rushed for more yards in a Penn State uniform.

He is the sixth Penn State back to have consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons, joining Warner, Thomas, Enis, John Cappelletti and Ki-Jana Carter.

"It means a lot to be up there with those big-name guys," Hunt said.

That's about the most you'll get out of Hunt when it comes to his place in Penn State history.

"He is certainly one of the better backs we have had," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "And I don't like to compare people. You know I try not to do that. But I think Tony Hunt is a big-league back. He's a complete back.

"He's a really good receiver and he's an excellent blocker. He's a big-time football player."

Hunt, who will play in the Senior Bowl next month, is destined to follow in the footsteps of Johnson and other great Penn State backs and play in the NFL. He is considered one of the top 10 running backs in the draft and is expected to be drafted somewhere between the second and fourth rounds.