Blue White Illustrated

Everything came together for Penn State's offensive line last Saturday against Temple. The Nittany Lions fi- nally fielded the line they had expected to have all along, and the result was a 254- yard rushing performance, the team's best of the season. The question heading into this week- end's road trip to Illinois is whether they can sustain that improvement. The run- ning game usually becomes more impor- tant in late November when cold weather and precipitation – both of which are in Saturday's forecast for Champaign – make throwing the ball more challeng- ing. Center Angelo Mangiro said Penn State's performance against the Owls bodes well for the immediate future. "We wanted to sustain the run to help the team's success," he said. "I don't know how it is catching the ball in the cold. I've never really done it before, but I'm sure it's not too fun. I know that if we have a good running game, our offense will be a success." The Lions had their moments a week earlier at Indiana, but of their 162 rushing yards, nearly two-thirds came on a single play – Bill Belton's stunning 92-yard touchdown gallop in the second quarter. Even aDer its performances against In- diana and Temple, Penn State ranks last in the Big Ten in rushing, averaging 103.3 yards per game. It has also surrendered 37 sacks, by far the most of any confer- ence team. But things do appear headed in the right direction. Against Temple, the Lions got injured leD tackle Donovan Smith back aDer a two-game absence, and they also got nearly a full game out of leD guard Miles Dieffenbach. Dieffen- bach had played sparingly against the Hoosiers a week earlier, returning from a knee injury that had forced him to miss the Lions' first nine games. But he saw extensive action against the Owls and is listed on this week's depth chart as a possi- ble starter. Smith's return has allowed Mangiro to shiD back to center, where he had been starting all season. ADer Smith went down late in the Ohio State game, Man- giro moved out to right tackle, and right tackle Andrew Nelson moved to leD tackle, with Wendy Laurent filling in at center. Now, everyone's back where they belong. Mangiro couldn't be happier. "It's great having Donovan and Miles back," he said. "Obviously Donovan has been an anchor for us at leD tackle the last couple of years and is a dominant force for us. And Miles, he's a character and jokester. So having him in the hud- dle, keeping things light while also [hav- ing] veteran savvy, I would say has been huge for us. ... Last week, that was great having them for that, and I can't wait to have them for this week, too." N O V E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 11 Keiser released from hospital Injured safety Ryan Keiser is out of the hospital, James Franklin an- nounced Tuesday at his weekly news conference. Franklin said the Nittany Lion sen- ior was en route from the Hershey Medical Center back to State Col- lege. Keiser had spent the past three weeks in the hospital due to compli- cations arising from a broken rib he suffered in practice in late October. He will now be able to rejoin the team, although he has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. "We got great news that Keiser is on his way back to State College," Franklin said. "I know our players and everybody are going to be fired up about that. I know his family is excited, so it's great to have him back home with us." – NATE BAUER M A T T   H E R B | M A T T @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M POSITION SHIFT Mangiro is back at center after filling in at tackle following Smith's injury. Photo by Steve Manuel READY TO ROLL With two key players back in action, PSU's offensive line is making strides

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