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young man is back and is going to be able to play, and play at a high level." The magnitude of the moment notwithstanding, his performance quickly overshadowed it. Appearing at right guard against the Terrapins for 26 snaps, 23 of which were passing downs, Scruggs graded out as Pro Football Focus's top pass protector of the game with a mark of 83.6. And although his reps decreased in Penn State's next two outings against Nebraska and Iowa, Scruggs gradually demonstrated himself to be an indispensable contributor on the interior of the Nittany Lions' offensive line as the team finished on a four-game winning streak. A tough matchup for defensive linemen before even arriving at Penn State, Scruggs made a gradual recovery from the accident, steadily redeveloping the qual- ities that set him apart from the start. De- scribed by teammate and friend Jayson Oweh as being tremendously strong and fast with his hands, Scruggs showed an ability to fend off hand-fighting by oppo- nents, a skill that proved invaluable through the 2020 season. "He replaces his hands really fast, so you can knock it down, you could beat it, but he's just going to get under your pads fast," Oweh said. "Juice is good at that, and he was good at moving laterally. I was really impressed with him as a freshman. And then when he went down, obviously he had to rehab for a little bit, but you're starting to see a little bit more of that. It's all going to come in time. … He's going to be a great player." To get to this point – he's poised to compete this spring for a starting job at right guard – Scruggs has relied heavily on the encouragement of teammates, coaches and support staff within the pro- gram. He admits there were moments of doubt during his long recovery, but Scruggs found motivation in their influ- ence. "They just kept me levelheaded through it all," he said. "Whenever I felt like it was too much or I wanted to quit, I just thought about what everybody has been going through. I see my brothers out there working, just giving it all, and it just moti- vated me to get back on the field." That influence proved reciprocal, as the persistence Scruggs showed throughout his rehabilitation became important for the entire team. Praised for having one of the team's best personalities and work ethics, that he showed up and put in the effort without complaint helped to lift the efforts of his teammates on both sides of the ball. "Juice has probably faced more adver- sity than anyone on the team," left tackle Rasheed Walker said. "When he was hurt, he was just so determined to come back stronger. He didn't miss a beat. He was at every type of treatment. Every opportu- nity we had for a lift, he was there, always trying to get extra work, doing every type of treatment. "With Juice, only time will tell. He's got- ten some opportunities to play and he's done very well, so as he develops and gets back that time he lost, he's going to be a very, very good football player and he's going to be able to positively impact our football team a lot." Pronouncing himself 90 to 95 percent healthy in the weeks leading up to the 2020 season, Scruggs now claims to be "completely fine" and free from discomfort in his back. Deter- mined to improve his punch and footwork, elements that are essential to the style that Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein wants to see from his players, Scruggs acknowledged that his work isn't finished. "I'm still not where I want to be. Nowhere near it. I have a long, long road to go," Scruggs said. "There are just a lot of things I need to work on and focus on, and I'm going to continue to work at it. I'm going to get better as we go along." Should he be successful in doing so, Franklin has great optimism regarding the potential Scruggs holds as his next op- portunity grows near. "We think he's got a very bright future," Franklin said. "We were very excited about him when we got him, and when he showed up on campus, and to see him back is cool. It's special for the kid, and it's special for our program." ■ OUTTA THE WAY Scruggs throws a block during Penn State's season-end- ing victory over Illi- nois. The redshirt sophomore played in seven games last season. Photo by Steve Manuel

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