The Quakers' 2006 defense couldn't be any more different from the 2005 defense - not in terms of the 11 men on the field, but in terms of the expectations at each position.
Last year, a young, inexperienced front seven joined a secondary stacked with seniors, but that didn't seem to matter much. It was the young guys who shone the brightest as the Quakers had one of the nation's best run defenses.
This year, the roles are reversed.
1. Will the young secondary step up like the young front seven did last year?
If they do, it will be much more of a surprise than last year's run-stopping, which was anchored by standout linebackers Ric San Doval and Kory Gedin.
Half of the 2006 secondary hasn't seen time beyond one blowout last season. Starting cornerback Tyson Maugle is a sophomore who didn't play a snap last year, while starting safety Jordan Manning played only in Penn's romp of Bucknell.
Greg Ambrogi solidifies his starting spot at corner, as does Scotty Williams at safety. But they'll have a lot of work to do in order to improve a unit that finished second-to-last in the Ivies in pass defense.
2. Will kicker Derek Zoch win Penn a game or cost Penn a game?
Last year, he didn't do the former, but may have done the latter with a miss from 32 yards out in the Villanova game that the Wildcats won by four. Penn was forced to go for a touchdown on the game's last play inside Villanova's five yard line and failed.
With the way the league looks this year, an important conference game could come down to the right foot of No. 89.
Zoch had his moments in his first season as a full-time starter last year, including a school-record four field goals against Dartmouth.
But he and his line had problems with blocked kicks during his 11-for-17 stint.
3. Can the Quakers get to the quarterback?
This should be one of the biggest strengths for a Penn team that came up one short of the Ivy League lead in sacks last season.
Jim Malizia returns at one defensive end position, bringing with him his team-leading six sacks from 2005. But at the other end spot will be senior Mark Herman, who has appeared in just four career games.
Brian Fairbanks, Naheem Harris and J.J. Stanton are all returning as starters, which likely leaves the unit with the fewest question marks on the entire team.
4. Can the returners break loose?
Sam Shepherd already had one moment of greatness at Franklin Field, anchoring the 4x400-meter team that won the Heptagonals relay at Penn Relays last year.
Now just a sophomore, Shepherd looks for a second one as he will return kicks for the Quakers this season. The speedster returned the opening kickoff of the scrimmage against Widener for a touchdown.
Joining him deep on kickoffs will be Ambrogi, who got plenty of experience on special teams last season, returning nine kicks for an average of 25.6 yards.
With the loss of top return men Nick Okoro and Adam Francks to graduation, there will be plenty of running to do for the duo.
5. Can the Quakers stop Clifton Dawson?
If the first eight weeks go as planned for Al Bagnoli and Co., the Ivy League title could come down to the Week 9 match-up with Harvard and one of the best players in conference history.
Dawson, a senior running back from Scarborough, Ont., is on pace to break Cornell alum Ed Marinaro's 35-year-old career rushing record.
That considered, the Quakers held him relatively in check last season, allowing "only" 105 yards, which is short of his career average of 125.1.
Linebackers Joe Anastacio and Gedin could have a lot to do with whether the Quakers can keep him down or if Dawson celebrates his record on the Franklin Field turf.
