Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/394762
As protective as James Franklin is of in- jury news, without naming names, the Nittany Lions' head coach cited rest and recovery as a priority for his team during the recent bye week. Though none of his players had been sidelined by any overly serious or poten- tially season-ending injuries since pre- season camp, the point was far from subtle. His Nittany Lions were banged up and in desperate need of the perfectly timed idle date on the schedule. They took Wednesday, Thursday, Fri- day and Saturday off completely, and then returned for a normal light work- load Sunday aDernoon. They were again off Monday, and according to some of the Nittany Lions, the break's importance cannot be overstated. "It helps a lot," said defensive tackle Anthony Zettel. "It makes a big differ- ence when you're pounding for five weeks and then you get a break, a little week off. It's not a whole week off, but it's basically the coaches understand that your body needs rest. So from a physical standpoint, you get a big break, which helps coming aDer the bye week. "I know last week was big for me. My body is all rested up and I'm ready to get back aDer it and so is the rest of the team." Though Franklin noted during his news conference Tuesday the reality of bumps and bruises being indiscriminate to po- sitions on the field, two of the most in- terest-worthy spots seemed to be particularly aided by the rest. At quarterback, Christian Hackenberg spent the weekend at home in Virginia, able to unload from a weekly dose of pounding from defensive lines. He has been one of the most sacked quarterbacks in college football. Frequently praised for his maturity in handling the little things beyond the field, Hacken- berg was again commended for using his bye week the right way. "I think he handled it ex- tremely well," Franklin said. "He got in and watched film. He was able to take care of his body and get in the hot tubs and the cold tubs and all the different things that we do with our guys… to get them back as healthy and fresh as possible." The unit charged with keeping Hack- enberg that way through the rest of the season also benefited from the week off. With just six offensive linemen who have seen significant action this season – including two who missed time through the preseason due to injury precaution – the toll taken on Penn State's offensive line has been plain to see. Speaking for himself only, center An- gelo Mangiro went so far as to say that the regeneration work of strength and conditioning coordinator Dwight Galt during the bye week gave him a little extra boost when practice resumed Tuesday aDernoon. Said Mangiro, "I think the bye week helps a lot. I know my body feels great. My legs felt great yesterday. I had a hop in my step, and I give a lot of credit to Coach Galt. We liDed hard, but we also did a lot of flexibility and re-gen stuff to help us get our bodies right." Returning to action Saturday night in Ann Arbor, Mich., to take on the Wolver- ines, Penn State will enjoy another bye next week before resuming the schedule for a brutal six-game stretch that lasts through the end of November. N A T E B A U E R | N BAUER @BLUEWHIT EON LIN E.COM O C T O B E R 8 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 11 Coming back strong During a needed bye week, Penn State takes time to recover Tim Owen TAKING THE BENCH During the bye week, Zettel and the Nit- tany Lions spent extra time in the weight room in order to regenerate strength and let their bodies heal.