DaQuan Jones remembers the chaos. The uncertainty. The sanctions. The aftermath.
How could he not? He and the rest of his Penn State teammates — those that stuck around anyway — lived through it.
Jones was a sophomore defensive lineman in the fall of 2011 when the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal brought one of college football's blue bloods to its knees and sent revered coach Joe Paterno into exile.
It felt like a tipping point.
"The program could have done a whole tanking and kind of completely went under," said Jones.
Only, it didn't. While some transferred out in search of a fresh start, Jones was among those who stuck around. Bill O'Brien took on the impossible task of replacing an icon. Walk-ons filled the void left by the scholarship reductions levied by the NCAA as part of the fallout that shook the state's flagship institution to its foundation.
Things were very fragile. Yet in those uncertain times, the Nittany Lions began the methodical process of building themselves anew, well aware of what was at stake.
The memories remain fresh for Jones, now an 11-year NFL veteran in his third season as a starter for the Buffalo Bills. He's kept close tabs on his alma mater since graduating in 2014, and can draw a direct line from the rubble the program sifted through in the wake of Sandusky to the opportunity that awaits Penn State on Saturday when the sixth-seeded Nittany Lions (11-2) host 11th-seeded SMU (11-2) in the opening round of the College Football Playoff.
"I think it all just starts with that firm foundation of the guys that stayed there in 2012," he said. "I'm just so happy to see the program do so well."
Penn State's first invitation to the playoff will serve as another referendum on current coach
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