Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/541265
Last season, Penn State played with only 10 o?ensive linemen on its scholar- ship roster. It was a crazy situation, and the o?ense was in survival mode throughout the season because of the insu@cient depth on the line. The situation is somewhat different going into the upcoming season. In An- gelo Mangiro, Andrew Nelson, Brian Gaia and Brendan Mahon, Penn State has four linemen with seven or more career starts to their credit. Franklin has said that the Lions "are in much better shape" up front, and that is sure- ly true when it comes to depth and ex- perience. But they're not completely out of the woods. The concerns at left tackle, where juco transfer Paris Palmer is being asked to step into a starting role in his first season at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, highlight the fact that much remains to be accom- plished here. 2 Austin Johnson and Anthony Zettel need to stay healthy the en- tire season. Johnson and Zettel are the heart and soul of Penn State's de- fense. I believe they are the Big Ten's best defensive tackle tandem. Franklin believes the team might be two- or even three-deep at defensive tackle going into the season. Behind Johnson and Zettel are Tarow Barney, Parker Cothren and redshirt freshman Antione White. The defensive tackles have the opportunity to be dominant. But that doesn't mean Penn State would want to be without Zettel or Johnson for any length of time. 3 Akeel Lynch must become Penn State's go-to running back this fall. Lynch was the team's leading rusher in 2014, totaling 678 yards on 147 carries for an average of 4.6 yards per carry and 52.2 per game. Penn State's of- fense lacked balance, averaging a con- ference-low 101.9 yards per game rushing. If Penn State is to win nine games this fall, that has to change. But Lynch can't do it alone. One of the redshirt freshman running backs – Mark Allen, Nick Scott or Johnathan Thomas – needs to emerge. I think Thomas is the best candidate for that backup spot, but don't overlook in- coming freshmen Saquon Barkley and Andre Robinson. Even though it lost two experienced players to graduation in Bill Belton and Zach Zwinak, Penn State is in much bet- ter shape at running back than it was a year ago. 4 Trace McSorley needs to develop into a solid backup quarterback. This situation isn't hard to under- stand. In both of his two seasons as Penn State's starting QB, Christian Hacken- berg has been backed up by a player with little or no FBS experience. Last year's de facto backup was walk-on D.J. Crook, but because Hackenberg stayed healthy, the constant churn at this position hasn't had an impact on the =eld. The situation hasn't drastically changed this year. McSorley is a redshirt freshman without any game experience. But he's now in his second year in the program, and it would be a tremendous bonus for Penn State if he were able to receive some playing time in September. Having a trustworthy backup would give the coaching sta? more >exibility on of- fense. 5 Joey Julius needs to adequately replace Sam Ficken at place-kick- er. Ficken played a vital role in =ve of Penn State's seven victories in 2014, converting 24 of 29 =eld goal attempts. VETERAN LEADER Lynch will be the only experienced running back in Penn State's backfield this fall. Of the five players behind him on the depth chart, all will have freshman eligibility in 2015. Pho- to by Steve Manuel