STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- - It's been just over seven months since Penn State center Nick Dawkins and his teammates last played a football game. They feel like they've been waiting much longer.
Coming one game away from playing for a national championship seems to have that effect. The No. 2 Nittany Lions are eager to get back at it following one of the most successful seasons in the program's 139 years. Although Saturday's season-opener against Nevada won't draw the attention of a College Football Playoff matchup, everyone has to start somewhere.
"It is no longer and it is not the idea of proving other people wrong," Dawkins said. "It is the idea of proving ourselves right."
The Nittany Lions have all the pieces to make another deep run, including 15 starters who helped them win the most