Blue White Illustrated

T H E 2 0 1 8 S E A S O N It's not any one person; everybody owns it, including myself. That's why you see guys out here right now getting extra reps. I know it's not for a lack of effort. We need to be more consistent and fo- cused. We need to make sure that our techniques and fundamentals are so second nature that we don't even think about them. I do think we've improved dramatically in the run game with our perimeter blocking, but we have to be more consistent [catching the ball], no doubt." SUMMARY Penn State's struggles at this position group have come as a bit of a surprise, as the receivers had been billed as a team strength going into the season. The good news for the Lions is that Johnson and Thompkins have both shown that they can be big-time play- makers. Polk, too, is an experienced vet- eran. Those three combined to make 92 catches for 1,274 last year, so if they can be more consistent in the second half of the season, there's every reason to be- lieve that Penn State's passing game has the potential to be more effective than it's been so far...................... GRADE C- OFFENSIVE LINE THE GOOD One of the best pieces of news for the Nittany Lions is that they've finally developed some stability at this position group. Through the team's first six games, the only change to the starting lineup occurred in week two, when Will Fries replaced Chasz Wright at right tackle. Fries has held the position ever since, so if the Lions are able to stay healthy, it looks like they've found the combination they've been looking for since the early days of Franklin's tenure. Better yet, all five players in the current starting lineup will still have eligibility next year, so un- less someone leaves early for the NFL, Penn State will be able to keep this combo together for a while. THE BAD When it counted most – on fourth-and-5 against Ohio State late in the fourth quarter – Penn State a spent Penn State defense fell apart a

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