Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald brought up a good point when asked who he'd rather replace, his skill players or his linemen.

He said his skill players because everyone throws, catches and runs. Not everyone blocks. At Penn State this year, Joe Paterno needs to revamp his line after losing starters Gerald Cadogan, Rich Ohrnberger and A.Q. Shipley.

Plus, one of his returning starters, guard Stefen Wisniewski, is moving to center.

"It's a big concern of mine, and I think until we go through a good, tough preseason practice with some of them, there's a little pressure on them," Paterno said. "A lot of them we've seen practice, and they've played some, but they haven't been anywhere where the success of a game rests on their shoulders, and they can't make dumb mistakes, can't jump offsides, can't lose hold of a guy, all those kinds of things.

"I'm not quite sure where we are up front, but I think it is a question mark for us."

Considering Penn State will also break in new wide receivers, early cohesiveness in the line - led by Wisniewski and senior tackle Dennis Landolt - will be critical in protecting quarterback Daryll Clark and opening holes for running back Evan Royster.

How Clark and Royster perform and if they remain healthy will end up being the keys to Penn State's season. Much of that has to do with the line.

"We have a couple of kids back who are good football players," Paterno said. "But after that we're going to have to have some kids come along in a hurry."

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for annarbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558 or by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com.