Blue White Illustrated

with him. So it kind of seemed like throughout the summer and throughout the season, it just has been a whole bunch of learning. "I just feel like week by week, the offen- sive line has been able to demonstrate that we've been getting better with our techniques and mechanics on film. I wouldn't say it's really a huge difference, but the little bit of difference is a big dif- ference with the technique." Those improvements haven't happened at the rate that Trautwein and his offen- sive linemen might have hoped for or imagined, but they have happened. Reel- ing off wins at Michigan and Rutgers be- fore finishing the regular season with a victory against Michigan State at Beaver Stadium, the Lions only allowed a com- bined three sacks and 11 tackles for loss, slashing their averages in both categories. Just as important, opponent quarterback hurries were also cut in half, all helping to create the conditions in which Sean Clif- ford lifted his completion percentage from 48.0 to 63.3 percent and threw only one interception against the eight that had blighted his previous five perform- ances. In combination with a running game that ripped off performances of 254, 248 and 119 yards, respectively, the step-by-step improvements from the of- fensive line were clearly evident and were critical to the team's success. Excited by their progress, the Lions' of- fensive linemen reveled in the team's late- >> C aedan Wallace makes it sound so matter-of-fact. The decision to in- sert him into the starting lineup at right tackle and slide longtime starter Will Fries over to guard – a decision made prior to Penn State's visit to Nebraska in November – was a big one for the team, which had just lost its third game in a row and was desperate to pump some vitality into a struggling offense. But Wallace tells the story of his pro- motion with a nonchalance that makes it seem like just another day in the Penn State football program. "I was just called in and told that I was going to be given an opportunity to start at right tackle that week and that Will was going to be at right guard," the redshirt freshman ex- plained. "I definitely wanted to [work with] Will at right guard, knowing that he had played right tackle, and I just tried to fill that role as best I could for the week. I feel like that's what we did." The Nittany Lions didn't get a win in Lincoln, as they fell behind early and never caught up in a 30-23 loss to the Cornhuskers. But the new-look offen- sive front helped Penn State amass 245 rushing yards and 30 first downs, and the coaches saw enough good things to stick with it. Penn State didn't get a win against Iowa the following week, either. But against Michigan on the final weekend of November, everything began to click. On their opening drive, the Nittany Lions pounded away at the Wolverines, marching 75 yards on 10 plays and tak- ing an early lead on a 6-yard touch- down run by Keyvone Lee. They finished the game with 254 rushing yards and got their first win of the sea- son, 27-17. Wallace said that first drive was a big moment for the Lions, who hadn't won in Ann Arbor since 2009. "It was up- lifting," he said. "When you go out and have a really good drive, it kind of sets the tone for the game. I feel like that first drive, we put everything together. We came back to some of the stuff we did on that drive later in the game, and everything started to work out." A former four-star prospect from Robbinsville, N.J., the 6-foot-5, 313- pound Wallace had been seen as a po- tential impact player for the Nittany Lions this season, and those suspicions were seemingly confirmed on opening day at Indiana when he started at right tackle, with Fries lining up as a tight end. But that was just a bit of schematic trickery, not something to be used on every snap. The Lions soon went back to their customary align- ment, with Fries at right tackle and C.J. Thorpe at right guard. They continued to use their familiar starting five – Fries and Rasheed Walker at tackle, Thorpe and Mike Miranda at guard, Michal Menet at center – in their next two games against Ohio State and Mary- land. But after Penn State managed just 94 rushing yards against a Maryland de- fense that had been giving up nearly 300 yards per game on the ground, the staff decided to promote Wallace to the starting lineup. By that point, they had seen enough of his performances in practice to think that he could make a difference on Saturdays. "He's big and strong and powerful and light on his feet," coach James Franklin said. "I also think having Will Fries at guard helps Caedan, because he's got an older, experienced guy right next to him who has played a lot of football for us." As the regular season went on, the Nittany Lions got better on the offen- Wallace makes impression as starting OT |

• Cover