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Student Profile

A former walk-on, linebacker Josh Hull is entering his first season as a starter and is one of Penn State's top students in the classroom. An Environmental Systems Engineering major, He earned a 3.92 grade-point average last fall and received Dean's List and academic All-Big Ten recognition. He is a potential academic All-American candidate, having compiled a 3.47 grade-point average through the spring semester.

"It's been difficult balancing football and schoolwork. I really struggled my freshman year -- I was still living at home and I had a lot of friends in the area -- but I got through it. Penn State does a great job of instituting mandatory study hall -- it is 2 1/2 hours a day. Ever since my freshman year, I got into a routine of going to the football building every day to meet with the tutors. I've followed the same routine for as long as I can remember. Now that I'm going to be starting this year, it's definitely going to be more difficult. I've always tried to go 50-50 with football and the books. But now, it may be like 75-25 in order to spend more time in the film room preparing for a game or a particular matchup. Well, maybe it won't quite be to that extreme. It just may require me to stay up later, or to give up some of the other extracurricular activities I enjoy, in order to get my schoolwork done. Sleep might be at a premium this fall."

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Another season opener, another non-conference cream puff comes to Happy Valley. A year ago, Penn State pounded Florida International, 59-0. Coastal Carolina is a Division I-AA school.

Sept. 6,

Oregon State, 3:30 p.m.:

The Beavers are the only Pac-10 Conference team that the Nittany Lions have never faced and will be their only legitimate non-conference home opponent the first month of the season.

Sept. 13,

at Syracuse,

3:30 p.m.:

Penn State owns a 40-23-5 all-time record against Syracuse, but the two teams have not met since 1990, when the Lions escaped with a 27-21 home victory.

Sept. 20,

Temple, Noon:

The Owls won four games last season, the same total they won in the four previous years combined. But the Lions own the series, going 32-3-1 since the initial meeting 77 years ago.

Sept. 27, Illinois, 8 p.m.:

A win against No. 1 Ohio State and a Rose Bowl berth vaulted the Illini into the national limelight last year. The Lions are 5-0 at home against Illinois.

Oct. 4, at Purdue, TBA:

Purdue would love to send coach Joe Tiller out with a victory in his final year. But Tiller is 0-7 against Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin the past three years.

Oct. 11,

at Wisconsin, 8 p.m.:

Penn State has lost three of its past four games in Madison and is 2-5 overall there. The Badgers are 21-5 in two years under coach Bret Bielema, but have not won a Big Ten title since 1999.

Oct. 18,

Michigan,

4:30 p.m.:

Rich Rodriguez left West Virginia to replace Lloyd Carr as the Wolverines' coach. That may or may not help Penn State, which has dropped nine consecutive decisions to Michigan.

Oct. 25,

at Ohio State,

8 p.m.:

The Lions are 0-7 at the Horseshoe in Columbus since joining the Big Ten in 1993. That's not good news, since the Buckeyes are favored to cruise to their fourth consecutive conference title.

Nov. 8, at Iowa, TBA:

Penn State snapped a five-game losing streak with a win against the Hawkeyes a year ago at home. Iowa is 11-13 in the Big Ten the past three seasons.

Nov. 15, Indiana, TBA:

The Lions have never lost to the Hoosiers, winning all 11 meetings. But optimism is high at Indiana, which ended a 13-year bowl drought last season.

Nov. 22,

Michigan State, TBA:

The Spartans upset Penn State to end last season to clinch their first bowl berth since 2003. But Michigan State is winless in seven trips to Beaver Stadium since 1994.