Blue White Illustrated

KEY PERSONNEL C/G: Nick Dawkins, Mike Miranda*; G: Des Holmes, Golden Israel-Achumba, Juice Scruggs, Anthony Whigan, Eric Wilson, Sal Wormley; T: Jimmy Christ, Bryce E)ner, Olu Fashanu, Landon Tengwall, Ibrahim Tra- ore, Rasheed Walker*, Caedan Wallace* LOSSES C: Michal Menet*; G: C.J. Thorpe*; G/T: Will Fries* RISING STAR Last fall, Scruggs was just happy to be practicing again a2er recovering from a serious back injury he su)ered in a car accident in the spring of 2019. He had no idea how much he was going to play dur- ing the 2020 season but was determined to make the most of whatever opportunities he got. "This year, my goal is that whenever my number gets called, I'm going to be ready," he said a few weeks before the start of the season. "Right now, I've been playing both center and guard, and I've just been trying to get better, take mental reps, and get both po- sitions down to a T, so that when my number is called I'm ready to go." As it turned out, he was ready to go. Scruggs played in the team's last seven games and was particularly e)ective late in the sea- son. Having gotten his career back on track, he now appears well-positioned to earn a starting role at right guard. BIGGEST LOSS Tough call. Menet started 34 games at center over the past three seasons and was a two-team All- Big Ten honoree and a team captain his junior and senior seasons. Fries started 36 games at tackle, then made a smooth midseason transition to the right guard spot last year, starting the last six games of his Penn State career at a new posi- tion and winning All-Conference notice for the second consecutive season. Menet and Fries were both were crucial components of Penn State's recent of- fensive lines and are equally worthy of commendation here. And making it even more diAcult to choose between them, they were selected right next to each other in the seventh round of the NFL Dra2, Menet going to Arizona with the 247th overall pick and Fries to Indi- anapolis in the 248th spot. NUMBERS GAME Penn State's three re- turnees up front – Walker, Wallace and Miranda – combined to start 25 games last season and have made a collective 47 starts in their Penn State careers. The only other lineman on the roster with any starting experience as a collegiate player is Wilson. The All-Conference guard had made 20 consecutive starts before the Ivy League canceled its 2020 season. OUTLOOK Ever since James Franklin took over Penn State's program, the of- fensive line has been an area of intense focus – Grst because of the alarming manpower shortage that greeted the new coach's arrival in 2014, and later because of a perception that the unit wasn't performing up to its full poten- tial, even as the Nittany Lions regained their footing as one of the Big Ten's elite programs. It was that latter concern that Franklin hoped to address when he hired Phil Trautwein away from Boston Col- lege last year. The o)ensive front went on to have an up-and-down 2020 sea- son, as the Nittany Lions surrendered a Big Ten-worst 28 sacks and Gnished G2h in the league in rushing at 174.3 yards per game. But of course last season was an inopportune time for a new position coach to take over, as Trautwein wasn't able to do any hands-on work with play- ers until preseason camp. A year later, they've had that opportu- nity, and the hope is that the unit's per- formance this fall will reHect Trautwein's inHuence. "I just feel like the spring practices are very key for an o)ensive line," he said. "Being in pads, going out and having individual [sessions]… and just being able to get momentum into the summer, to be able to get these prac- tices… is key to an o)ensive line. "Every day, we're going against the best defensive line in the Big Ten. So our line is able to go against the best D-line in the Big Ten and do it in pads, do it sometimes backed up in bad situations – situations where we have to be great, where the technique is always going to bring you home. Doing two-minute [drills] at the end of practice when you're tired – that's key to mental toughness." There's no shortage of talent on hand, even with two full-season starters gone. As Franklin noted this spring, "I think they have a chance to take a step from last year and start to develop into one of the strengths of our team." * Starting experience at PSU in 2020 Experience, depth inspire optimism SCRUGGS LEFT TACKLE NO NAME HT WT YEAR 53 Rasheed Walker 6-6 320 Sr./Jr. 72 Bryce E+ner 6-5 302 Sr./Jr. 74 Olu Fashanu 6-6 313 So./Fr. LEFT GUARD 75 Des Holmes 6-5 314 Sr./Sr. 55 Anthony Whigan 6-4 319 Sr./Sr. – Eric Wilson 6-4 320 Sr./Sr. 77 Sal Wormley 6-3 301 Jr./So. CENTER 73 Mike Miranda 6-3 308 Sr./Sr. 66 Nick Dawkins 6-4 312 So./Fr. RIGHT GUARD 70 Juice Scruggs 6-3 315 Sr./Jr. 77 Sal Wormley 6-3 301 Jr./So. 66 Nick Dawkins 6-4 312 So./Fr. RIGHT TACKLE 79 Caedan Wallace 6-5 318 Jr./So. 51 Jimmy Christ 6-7 300 So./Fr. 58 Landon Tengwall 6-6 321 Fr./Fr. P O S I T I O N B R E A K D O W N O F F E N S I V E L I N E OR OR OR

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