Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503568
5 4 A U G U S T 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / 2 0 2 3 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern STARTERS ★★★★ Penn State got a huge lift last December when left tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu announced that he would be coming back for his junior season. Even with just nine starts to his credit at the col- lege level, Fashanu was being hailed as a likely first-round draft pick, so his return had hardly been assured. Having an elite player — ESPN's Todd McShay recently picked Fashanu to go ninth overall in next year's draft — at one of the game's most important positions gives Penn State a strong starting point. The Nittany Lions also return five other linemen who started at least five games last year. Redshirt senior Sal Wormley is back after starting all 13 games at right guard, redshirt sophomore left guard Landon Tengwall has returned to action af- ter suffering what would turn out to be a season- ending injury last October in warmups before the Michigan game, and super senior Hunter Nourzad is moving to center after filling in for Tengwall in the final eight games of the 2022 season. At right tackle, redshirt senior Caedan Wallace appeared to come out of spring practice with an edge over sophomore Drew Shelton. The Lions may have one unsettled position battle, with redshirt junior JB Nelson expected to challenge Tengwall at left guard in preseason camp. Lindy's ranked Penn State's offensive line ninth in the nation, while Athlon had it eighth. The Li- ons' aspirations this season will depend to a large degree on the accuracy of those evaluations. EXPERIENCE ★★★★ Penn State's offensive line faced big questions heading into the 2022 season due to its lack of experience. Fashanu had just one start to his credit, and that was one more than Tengwall, Wormley and Shelton put together. Nourzad, too, was an unknown commodity, at least at the Power Five level, having played his entire career to that point at Cornell. In the end, all those players acclimated nicely. If this year's starting five consists of Fashanu and Wallace at tackle, Wormley and Tengwall at guard and Nourzad at center, the group will boast 63 games of collective starting experience at the Power Five level. The loss of Juice Scruggs at center will be nota- ble, but Nourzad looks to be a good fit. In addition to starting eight games last year at PSU, he made 20 starts during his tenure in the Ivy League. DEPTH ★★★ Following the Blue-White Game in April, Franklin hailed the depth that Penn State had built up along its offensive front, noting that the Lions were es- sentially two-deep at all five spots. "We've never had two offensive lines like that, at least since I've been here," he said. In the interior, Penn State will rely on redshirt junior Nick Dawkins to back up Nourzad, with red- shirt freshman Olaivavega Ioane likely to fill a key supporting role at guard and possibly center. Ioane was a candidate to play late last year after injuries began piling up, but the staff opted to preserve his freshman eligibility. PSU would prefer to be a bit deeper at tackle. Whichever player finishes second in the battle for the right tackle spot — Wallace or Shelton — could end up being the backup at both positions. It's pos- sible that a true freshman such as J'ven Williams could give the Lions a lift here. OVERALL GRADE ★★★★ This unit should be one of the best in the Big Ten. It boasts sufficient experience and depth to allow sophomore running backs Nicholas Single- ton and Kaytron Allen to surpass their combined total of 1,928 rushing yards last season, while also helping largely untested sophomore quarter- back Drew Allar get acclimated in his first season as starter. The real test, of course, will be whether it can hold up against Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois and Iowa, which are expected to field some of the country's stingiest defenses in 2023. BY THE NUMBERS 4 Number of games in which Penn State didn't allow a sack last year. That was the team's most sack-free performances in a season since 2011. 28 Rushing touchdowns by Penn State in 2022. That total ranked fourth in the Big Ten, trailing only Michigan (41), Minnesota (33) and Ohio State (29). The year before, the Lions rushed for only 11 scores, which was second-to-last in the conference. 8th Penn State's spot in the national unit rankings compiled by Athlon. It's the highest of the pre- season ratings by the major national magazines. Lindy's has the Lions' offensive line ninth, while Phil Steele places it 14th in his rankings. Drew Shelton stepped into a starting role at left tackle last year and helped PSU protect quarterback Sean Clifford. The Lions allowed 1.62 sacks per game, a figure tied for 40th in the FBS. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER