Blue White Illustrated

C an Penn State produce an 8-4 or 9-3 record this fall? I don't think it's an unrealistic expectation, but for that to happen, a number of variables will have to go the Nittany Lions' way from now through the end of November. The coaching sta> needs to =nd re- placements for playmaking wideout Allen Robinson and four members of the starting o>ensive line. The Nittany Li- ons lost three starting linemen to gradu- ation in center Ty Howle, guard John Urschel and tackle Adam Gress, and this past spring, they lost senior le? guard Miles Die>enbach to a serious knee in- jury. Even if Die>enbach is able to make it back from ACL surgery – and that's his stated goal – it likely won't be until November. The defensive starting lineup should look a bit more familiar, with only =ve of last year's starters gone (linemen DaQuan Jones and Kyle Baublitz, middle linebacker Glenn Carson, free safety Malcolm Willis and part-time starting safety Stephen Obeng-Agyapong). But here, too, there are signi=cant concerns. The linebacker unit is thin, and it got even thinner in June when outside line- backer Ben Kline went down with an Achilles tendon injury. In order to overcome those handicaps, James Franklin and his sta> will have to =nd =ve or six key players who are capa- ble of having breakout seasons this fall. If the sta> is able to =nd those players, Penn State will have a legitimate shot at improving on last year's 7-5 =nish. Here's a look at =ve areas at which the Lions will need someone to step up: 1. An adequate replacement for Robinson must be found. Because they are going to have an inexperienced line, the Lions cannot a>ord to be one- dimensional on o>ense. Robinson accounted for a little over 46 percent of Penn State's passing yardage last season, =nishing with 97 catches for 1,432 yards and six TDs. He was Chris- tian Hackenberg's go-to receiver in al- most every critical passing situation. It's unrealistic to expect redshirt soph- omore Eugene Lewis to completely =ll Robinson's big shoes and dominate Penn State's pass o>ense the way his predeces- sor did. A year ago, Lewis was the Lions' fourth-leading receiver with 18 catches for 234 yards and three touchdowns. The good news for Penn State is that Lewis had a breakout game in the season =nale against Wisconsin, catching three passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns. His big reception was a 59-yard TD catch early in the fourth quarter that gave the Lions a 31-14 lead. But Lewis is not simply going to pick up where Robinson le? o>. For Penn State's passing game to be successful this fall, it must be much more balanced than it was a year ago, incorporating several wide receivers, an impressive set of tight ends, plus running backs Bill Belton, Zach Zwinak and Akeel Lynch into the mix. That's the only way Penn State's passing game will be as e>ective in 2014 as it was last year. In order to accomplish that goal, either redshirt freshman DaeSean Hamilton or one or two of the incoming freshman wide receivers – Saeed Blacknall, Chris Godwin, De'Andre Thompkins and Troy Apke – will need to be ready to make an impact right at the start of the season against UCF. The real "X" factor here is Hamilton. He missed all of the 2013 season and half of spring practice because of an injury to his le? wrist. A healthy Hamilton could go a long way toward making it possible for Penn State to have balance at the wide receiver position. A wide receiver corps consisting of Lewis, Hamilton, redshirt junior Matt Zanellato, plus freshmen Apke, Black- nall, Godwin and Thompkins has the potential to =ll Robinson's role and bring balance to the passing game at the wide receiver position. 2. The Nittany Lions need Andrew Nelson to establish himself quickly at the right tackle spot. Penn State is going to be desperately thin across its entire o>ensive line, with redshirt junior le? tackle Donovan Smith the only re- turning starter. Priority No. 1 for assistant coach Herb Hand will be to =nd a replacement for Gress at the right tackle spot opposite Smith. No one on the roster has any real game experience at the position. The Lions need someone to step up, and Nelson is poised to do just that, even though he didn't take part in any con- tact work this spring because of a knee injury. At 6-5, 305 pounds, Nelson has all the physical tools to do what's needed at the right tackle position. The only thing he lacks is game experience. Last fall, Bill O'Brien nearly decided not to redshirt Nelson. If he is healthy, he has the po- tential to give Penn State's o>ensive line a big boost this coming season. That's not to diminish the importance of Brian Gaia and Derek Dowrey, both of whom moved from defensive tackle to guard in spring practice. The two red- shirt sophomores will need to fully ad- just to their new roles, and junior Angelo Mangiro will have to emerge as a force at the center position in order for Hand to feel comfortable with the state of his =rst-team o>ensive line. These factors will determine whether the Lions surpass expectations PHIL'S CORNER

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