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NATE BAUER WEBSITE EDITOR Nobody would actually argue for free agency in college athletics, but Penn State could really, really use it this season. That, or a time machine. Blessed with a gifted quarterback, breakout wide receivers and a defense that has lived up to every expectation and more this season, the Nittany Lions have enough positive pieces to make every game a potential win. That's the good news. Positive pieces alone, however, do not make an outstanding football team. Penn State's offensive line has serious problems that cannot be fixed this sea- son. To get by with something resem- bling competency, the unit needs seven or eight serviceable players. Penn State has six. Two of them were defensive tackles less than a year ago. At least three of them have played through sig- nificant injuries this season. Any and every expectation for the group should include those caveats. It's impossible to grade the line fairly given the limited- scholarship circumstances, and those personnel shortcomings, coupled with the subsequent health issues, have cre- ated a problem for which there is no ex- peditious solution. Penn State has responded with an of- fensive philosophy of throwing, let's call it spaghetti, against a wall to see what sticks. With no rushing game to speak of through the first half of the season – a development that stems not just from the line's problems but from some lack- luster play at running back and tight end – the Lions' 4-0 start is that much more impressive. Said Franklin, "We had been playing a certain way for four weeks and had been able to kind of get by with it by just being gutsy and persevering and finding a way at the end of games. You can only do that for so long." With a defensive blueprint established to make Hackenberg squirm, no amount of imagination can hide all of the of- fense's deficiencies at this point. The key to victory is simply a matter of the defense maintaining its first-half per- formance and, on a week-by-week ba- sis, hoping the offense and special teams can cobble together enough points to keep pace. PHIL GROSZ PUBLISHER Despite the fact that Penn State struggled against Northwestern on Sept. 27 and again two weeks later at Michigan, I'm convinced it will qualify for a bowl game at the conclusion of this season. For that to take place, however, James Franklin and his coaching staff need to address the lack of consistency on the offensive line, and the team must stay healthy at the areas where depth is lacking. The offensive line is one of those areas, and so is the linebacker corps. In the first half of the season, Penn State's defense surpassed preseason ex- pectations. Coming off of its 18-13 loss to the Wolverines, PSU was allowing a league-low 15.2 points and 283.3 yards per game. I believe Penn State's defensive line is the deepest in the Big Ten, and its starting foursome – Deion Barnes and C.J. Olaniyan at end, Anthony Zettel and Austin Johnson at tackle – is the conference's second-best unit. Mike Hull, Brandon Bell and Nyeem Wartman must stay healthy at linebacker, and the secondary must keep playing at the same level it did in September if Penn State is to pull out of its current losing streak and finish the regular season strong. On offense, Penn State must find a way to become somewhat balanced. The Nit- tany Lions were averaging 283.2 passing yards per game through six games, sec- ond-best in the Big Ten, but were 10th in the league in total offense at 375.5 yards per game. Their rushing average of 93.2 yards through six games was the worst that I can remember, possibly the worst since before Joe Paterno became head coach in 1966. That number has to rise if Penn State hopes to win seven or eight games this season. I think it can be accomplished, but not without some significant im- provements. MATT HERB CONTRIBUTING EDITOR When James Franklin was at Vanderbilt from 2011 to '13, his teams tend- ed to get better as the sea- son went on. The Commodores went a combined 10-2 in November during those three seasons and went on to win two of their three bowl games. Will Penn State do the same? It's tough to feel optimistic with two bad losses in the books and Ohio State looming on the immediate horizon. Still, this doesn't look to me like a bad team. It looks like a pretty good team with a glaring flaw – an offensive line that simply lacks the experience to hold its own against Big Ten-level competition. The receiver corps has answered all the off-season questions about its capacity to rebound following the loss of Allen Robinson. The defense has thrived under new co- ordinator Bob Shoop. Christian Hacken- berg has looked pretty good when he's had time to throw. But the line has been as big a problem as had been anticipated coming into the season. And as Franklin has acknowledged, it's a problem that "you're not going to get fixed overnight." The Nittany Lions are essentially using a six-man rotation, so it's not as if they have the depth or flexibility to make major personnel moves. Guard Miles Dieffen- bach may be able to help out come No- vember, but the fact that he's being eyed as a potential impact player, seven months removed from knee surgery, is in itself a measure of the severity of the problems. Dieffenbach may indeed play, and he may help the Big Ten's least-pro- ductive running game get its numbers The Takeaway What does it all mean for the rest of PSU's football season?

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