Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1476228
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 2 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M titudes have been exceptional and their effort has been tremendous," he said. "Those are the things that we can con- trol. We like where we're headed. They're coming off the ball extremely well. Coach Trautwein has done a helluva job getting those guys ready. From that standpoint, where we're at right now, we love it." An Imperfect Storm Franklin has maintained all along that the recent problems with the Nittany Li- ons' ground game can't be laid entirely at the feet of a single unit, whether it's the offensive line or the running backs. It's been an imperfect storm that will re- quire improvements from the linemen, the running backs and the play callers. "It's scheme, it's fundamentals, it's coaching, it's recruiting — it's all of it," he said. Franklin prefers to let the team's per- formance speak for itself, but he added that the Nittany Lions worked relent- lessly on their ground game throughout the offseason and are hopeful that the attention will produce results. "It's been emphasized," he said. "I've felt like that in the past as well, but it's been emphasized enough that we have a chance to take a step in the right direction this year." Even if the Nittany Lions do make the strides they're looking to make this fall, the odds of a Florida-sized turnaround are long. In 2006, Trautwein's first season as a full-time starter, the Gators averaged just under 30 points per game with an offense that featured standout quarter- backs Chris Leak and Tim Tebow and first-team All-America receiver Percy Harvin. Those players lifted Florida to an unexpected championship, claiming the crown with a 41-14 thrashing of top- ranked Ohio State in the BCS title game. Trautwein isn't looking at the Lions' future in those terms, though. For now, he's primarily interested in figuring out which of his offensive line combina- tions will give Penn State the best chance to win its rapidly approaching season opener. "That's all that matters," he said, "hav- ing the best five out there for Purdue." ■ PSU Has Lacked 1,000-Yard Rushers In Recent Years Preparing for his fourth NFL season, Miles Sanders is part of a running back rotation that has helped make the Philadelphia Eagles' ground attack one of the most potent in the league. He's also the most recent 1,000-yard rusher at Penn State. Sanders gained 1,274 yards and scored 9 touchdowns in 2018, his junior season with the Nittany Lions and also his last. Sanders opted to leave early and was selected by the Eagles in the second round of the 2019 draft. In the three seasons since, the Lions haven't seen any running back reach the 1,000-yard plateau. Journey Brown came the closest with 890 yards in 2019, but a heart condition ended his career the following year, and the Lions have rotated their running backs ever since, with no single player firmly establishing himself as the team's go-to ball carrier. Lenny Moore was Penn State's first 1,000-yard rusher, doing so in 1954. It took 17 years for an- other PSU player to reach that plateau again, with Lydell Mitchell gaining 1,567 yards in 1971. John Cappelletti nearly equaled that total two years later with 1,522 yards in his Heisman Trophy- winning season, but between Cappy in 1973 and Curt Warner in 1981, there were seven seasons in which no one topped 1,000 yards. Since Warner's 1,044-yard showing in '81, Penn State has produced a 1,000-yard rusher more sea- sons than not, including eight in a row from 2005 to 2012. The current three-year gap between 1,000-yard seasons is the team's longest since 1998-2001, when Eric McCoo gained 822, 739 and 692 yards in his three years as the team's starting tailback and Larry Johnson emerged as the leader of the Lions' 2001 rotation with 337 yards. Johnson ended that drought with a vengeance in 2002, rushing for a school-record 2,087 yards. It wouldn't be fair or reasonable to expect a similar rebound this fall, but the Lions are hopeful that someone will pick up where Sanders left off. — Matt Herb Miles Sanders is the most recent Penn State running back to top 1,000 yards rushing in a season, having gained 1,274 yards in 2018. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL