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C ORNER P ART 2 The Nittany Lions' offensive line should be a strength in 2013 Steve Manuel BIG MAN ON CAMPUS After starting nine games at left tackle in 2012, Smith, a sophomore-to-be, will be one of the anchors of Penn State's offensive line in 2013. J A N U A R Y For at least the past five years, the most maligned aspect of Penn State's offense might have been the performance of the line. And the fans' most common and legitimate gripe? That the Nittany Lions' offensive line wasn't physically competitive enough at the line of scrimmage. With the hiring of Craig Fitzgerald as Penn State's strength and conditioning coach, that argument went by the wayside for the 2012 football season. Penn State entered the year with a more physically mature offensive line than it had in more than a decade. The starting unit weighed an average of 306 pounds per man. But it wasn't just the physical conditioning that contributed to the offensive line's improved performance. Bill O'Brien's hiring of Mac McWhorter as the offensive line coach also played a major role. "Coach McWhorter was able to communicate with us exactly what he wanted to accomplish," center Matt Stankiewitch said. "He was more than a coach. He was our teacher, and he knew how to demonstrate and explain in detail what we needed to accomplish and improve upon." In turn, the line provided its best performance of the past four or five years, and it helped establish what should be a solid base for the 2013 season. In fact, the offensive line should enter the 2013 season as one of the major strengths of the offense. Both Stankiewitch and guard John Urschel were named first-team All-Big Ten first-team, but Stankiewitch's eligibility has expired. That leaves Urschel as the most experienced returning offensive lineman. Can he be the bedrock of the line that the Lions will need next season? Penn State will have four individuals returning on the offensive line who started at least three games during the 2012 season. Urschel started all 12 games at right guard. Miles Dieffenbach 1 6 , 2 0 1 3 5 started the first 11 games of the season before senior-to-be Ty Howle started the final game. Despite suffering a broken bone in his right hand before Penn State's third game of the season, Donovan Smith managed to start at left tackle in nine of the Nittany Lions' games. The fourth returning player who started at least three games this past fall was senior-to-be Adam Gress. Gress started at right tackle on the offensive line in games against Navy, Temple and Illinois – when senior Mike Farrell moved over to left tackle to replace an injured Smith. So Gress has legitimate playing experience, too. The two positions that need new starters this fall are center and right tackle. The battle to replace Stankiewitch at center appears to be between redshirt sophomore Angelo Mangiro, Howle, and redshirt freshman Wendy Laurent. Both Mangiro and Howle saw extensive playing time backing up Dieffenbach at left guard. Mangiro and Howle appear to be the leading candidates to start at center this spring. Whoever doesn't win that competition, though, will also be a candidate to back up Dieffenbach at left guard. The two leading candidates to replace Farrell at right tackle are Gress and fifthyear senior Eric Shrive. The good news here is Shrive saw extensive playing time in backup roles at both right guard and right tackle throughout the season. That is another reason Penn State's offensive line should prove to be a major strength during the 2013 season: Nine offensive linemen saw solid playing time throughout the entire 2012 season, when you include, to a lesser extent, fifth-year-senior-to-be Nate Cadogan at left tackle. Added depth along the offensive line will come from redshirt sophomore Anthony Alosi, who can compete at both guard positions, and redshirt freshman Anthony Stanko. Plus, three incoming freshmen – Brendan Mahon, Andrew Nelson and Tanner Hartman – will be in the mix. This appears to be the first time in the past four or five years that Penn State is going into spring practice with what is essentially a set starting offensive line. It will be a major strength for Penn State's 2013 season and, I believe, Urschel and Smith will enter the 2013 season as All-Big Ten candidates. When was the last time you heard that about a Penn State offensive line heading into spring practice? B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

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