STATE COLLEGE - Derrick Williams was just an infant when Penn State won the 1986 national championship, the school's last title. Justin King wasn't even born.

Williams, 19, and King, 18, could play key roles in helping to open up Penn State's offense and getting the Nittany Lions back to a winning record after last year's 4-7 campaign.

Head coach Joe Paterno, in typical Paterno-speak, calls the two gems of Penn State's recruiting class "special kids." King and Williams both graduated from high school early and enrolled at Penn State this past January, which allowed them to start practicing.

"They are way ahead of the game," said Paterno, entering his 40th season as head coach.

Paterno doesn't often give freshmen much playing time. But he also knows the speed and potential of Williams and King could help revive an offense that finished 110th out of 117 Division I-A teams in scoring last year.

"Offensively, we have to be better. There are no two ways about it. We have to make more big plays," Paterno said.

Lately, injuries and non-football incidents have weighed on Paterno, too.

Nine starters return on a defense that surrendered only 15.3 points-per-game last year. But linebacker Dan Connor, the team's second-leading tackler (85) as a freshman last year, has been suspended indefinitely for allegedly placing harassing phone calls.

Depth at defensive line could be a problem after reserve Lavar Chisley was ruled academically ineligible this week.

Another reserve lineman, Ed Johnson, has been temporarily expelled for an alleged violation of the university's code of conduct. A third reserve, Amani Purcell, left the team for personal reasons.

Scott Paxson, a senior who started every game at tackle last year, is still with the squad but is in Paterno's doghouse due to an on-campus incident earlier this year.

"Until they prove to me that they are mature enough and can handle some of the things that have to go on in the football team, off-the-field activities and all that stuff, they have to show me they belong," Paterno said in response to a question about Paxson during media day two weeks ago.

Sophomore Mark Rubin, who was expected to start at wideout, suffered a dislocated ankle in practice and is out for the year.

That could mean even more time for Williams and King, who showed promise during spring practice as the Nittany Lions experimented with multiple wideout sets.

Performing in the rough-and-tumble Big Ten might be another story.

"I'm anxious to see what our young receivers can do, man-on-man coverage, because I know teams aren't going to respect us at first," said senior Michael Robinson, the likely starter at quarterback.

Robinson should know - he started more games at wideout (five) than quarterback (three) last year and has also seen time at running back. He has lost 15 pounds and stepped up workouts with roommate and standout cornerback Alan Zemaitis to gain more speed.

"I tell them all the time, you have to make plays first before we'll get any respect from a secondary," said Robinson, a captain along with Zemaitis.

King is listed as a cornerback, though Paterno said the Pittsburgh native could play more offense initially. King rushed for 1,795 yards and scored 30 touchdowns as a senior last year at Gateway High School in Pittsburgh.

Williams is a six-foot, 191-pound wide receiver who can run the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds.

A clue to their significance came during Paterno's summer caravan of the state, when he allowed Williams and King to appear at separate stops. Paterno rarely allows a freshman to talk to the media, and then only late in their first year.

"This is great right here," Williams said as he greeted Penn State boosters during a Paterno stop in York. "It's like a dream."

Rubin (16 catches in 2004) would have been Penn State's most experienced returning receiver. Terrell Golden (three catches) and Deon Butler, a redshirt freshman, might also be possibilities.

There are question marks on offensive line, too.

Last year's starting center, E.Z. Smith, isn't allowed back on campus until the fall semester because he and a former player took responsibility for shooting arrows through a dormitory wall in January - the same incident that got Paxson in trouble.

University police said the arrows caused no injuries but did about $700 in damage. Two other offensive linemen were also involved: Tyler Reed, who started every game at guard last season, and Andrew Richardson, who lost his starting job. Reed and Richadson also have plummeted down the Penn State depth charts.