Blue White Illustrated

N O V E M B E R   7 ,   2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 15 It matters little how oAen his players have been on the field recently, or if their total number of snaps is greater than anyone else in the league. It matters little if they're not feeling fresh and 100 percent in the final month of the season. It matters little that they just gave up as many touchdowns as they had all year last week at Michigan. With the Big Ten's No. 1-ranked rushing offense on deck this weekend, Pry is urging them to get ready to do it all over again. "He said, 'Look, we're going to watch the film and we've got to move on to Wiscon- sin, because Wisconsin doesn't care that we just lost,' " defensive tackle Antonio Shelton said. "We just have to move on quickly and get over it." Entering Beaver Stadium as the most productive running back in the Football Bowl Subdivision, sophomore Jonathan Taylor has consistently proven capable of forcing teams to pay the price if they're not ready. He leads the nation in rushing at- tempts (208) and yards (1,363), and the en- tire Badger offense is centered around the New Jersey native, as they run the ball on nearly 65 percent of their snaps. Taylor is what makes the offense go, but it's all operated behind an offensive line that meets the traditional standard that's been set over the years in Madison. It's ba- sically the same line as last season, and four of the five starters are at least in their fourth year with the program. Only one start has been missed among the entire group this year, with leA tackle Jon Deitzen missing his week two start. Otherwise, it's been status quo the rest of the way. Despite some back and forth the past couple of games at quarterback, they've been protecting well, allowing just over one sack per game since October. But the great- est strength for a unit that averages 316 pounds across the board is in the rushing attack. "They look like trees up front," Shelton said. "They come out of their stance up front very low, very physical, and they're going to play to the whistle. They're a group that should be respected, definitely." One point of encouragement for the week, however, is that they're not unbeat- able. Like the Nittany Lions, Wisconsin is striving to avoid its fourth loss. In the Badgers' previous losses, the run game was held in check for their three lowest rushing totals of the year. During their most recent defeat, at Northwestern two weeks ago, Wisconsin ran for only 165 yards, a season- low. Last week in Ann Arbor, Michigan ran 52 times for 259 yards and three touchdowns. It was the worst game of the year for Penn State's rushing defense. The Nittany Lions are looking to avoid a repeat performance against a similar style of attack. More than half of the Wolverines' total came in the second half of the game, how- ever, when fatigue had started to become a factor. Penn State's defenders have been on the field more than any other team in the conference in terms of both snaps and time of possession, and there's little doubting that the accumulation of playing time is starting to add up. If the offense can lighten their load and sustain a few more drives, they might stand a better chance. As part of Pry's message this week, either way, they've got to able to battle through that adversity against an- other difficult opponent. "Later in the season, guys are getting bumps and bruises, a little bit more tired, but we've got enough vets in the defensive room to know that, hey, this part of the season is just what it is," Shelton said. "It's kind of like the dog days of [summer] camp. Camp gets a little bit more hot, then when classes start, you get a little more tired, but if we keep on trucking and keep a positive attitude, like Coach Franklin always says, I think we'll be OK." T I M   O W E N | O W E N . T I M . B W I @ G M A I L . C O M Defense braces for another big challenge in Badgers Penn State announced earlier this week that historic wet conditions on the University Park campus have re- sulted in significant damage to drive aisles and grass parking lots. For the safety of fans, to prevent further dam- age to intramural fields and Ag fields, as well as fans' personal vehicles, the majority of the grass parking lots will be unavailable for Saturday's noon contest with Wisconsin. The ORV, Pink lots and a portion of the reserved Stadium North (Green) lot are the only grass lots that will be available for the Wisconsin game. Six free shuttle routes, in addition to CATA from Lot Red A, will be available from off-campus lots to Beaver Sta- dium starting at 8 a.m. Saturday until 60 minutes after the conclusion of the game. The shuttles will drop off and pick up fans on University Drive. A color and route number have been established for each shuttle route and fans will receive a wristband that cor- responds with their shuttle. More shuttle information and an interactive parking map will be announced by Wednesday and posted at GoPSU-sports.com. Fans who normally park a car or RV in paved lots will be unaffected. Per- mit holders with a white stripe through their permit have a paved parking space, which are not impacted by this Saturday's lot closures. Fans who have a gameday (Yellow) parking permit will not be permitted to park in the lots near Beaver Stadium or in any campus parking lots. Fans who still need gameday parking should park in a downtown parking lot/deck or park at Grange Park and take a shuttle. Fans are being asked to avoid bring- ing an RV for the Wisconsin game, un- less the RV parking is on pavement or in the ORV lot, and are urged to car- pool or use the CATA, Fullington and Penn State shuttle services. Those fans who can walk to the stadium – particularly students – are encour- aged do so. Patrons who park in the Stadium North (Green) lot who have permits numbered 1-399 will need to use alternative parking options. Wet weather forces parking lot closures

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