Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1305106
THE NEW NORMAL A veteran PSU offensive front adapts to Phil Trautwein's approach to OL play sked what would be different about Penn State's offensive line under new position coach Phil Trautwein, Rasheed Walker had a suc- cinct response. "There's gonna be a lot of bodies on the ground," he said. To hear Walker describe it, simple ag- gression will be the foundation of what Penn State's offensive line tries to do this season, and there will be practical changes made to help the Nittany Lions play that way. Most notably, Penn State's offensive linemen will start in a three- point stance at the line of scrimmage more often, rather than the two-point stance they were accustomed to using under former offensive line coach Matt Limegrover. "[Trautwein] changed us to three-point stances to allow us to just be more nasty and explosive off the ball and just really get at guys," Walker said. Walker said he didn't like the three-point stance at first, simply because he found it more difficult to get into. A three-point stance requires the lineman to position himself with one hand in the ground; in a two- point stance, the lineman is more upright, with his hands resting on his thighs. But once Walker got comfort- able with the three-point stance, its benefits became clear. "I realized it helps a lot," he said. "It helped me play with my legs more. You're more explosive off the ball. I'll just speak for my- self, I'm more explosive off the ball, and I'm more powerful and | A LOW MAN WINS Mike Miranda (73) joins tight end Pat Freier- muth (87) in a blocking drill during Penn State's presea- son camp in mid-October. Photo courtesy of Penn State Athletics