Blue White Illustrated

Inarguably, Penn State's defensive line has been every bit the dominating, disrup- tive force Nittany Lion head coach James Franklin and his sta9 projected it to be through the 7rst half of the 2015 season. While stats like rushing defense check in at 117 yards per game allowed and total defense at No. 10 in the country and 275.7 yards per game represent the line's in8u- ence, team sacks (No. 2) and team tackles for loss (No. 6) are a direct re8ection of its impact. All of which make this weekend's matchup between the Nittany Lions and Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, that much more interesting. Boasting an o9ensive line that cur- rently is giving up the second-fewest sacks and tackles for loss in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes represent the most accom- plished group Penn State will face to this point this season. Nittany Lion defensive end Garrett Sickels, who joined reporters Wednesday morning for a teleconference, said that presents both a challenge and an oppor- tunity. "It's de7nitely a challenge this week, but we're con7dent in our ability up front. Not to go o9 last week, but [Indi- ana's o9ensive line] only gave up three," Sickels said. "But, it's de7nitely a chal- lenge, and they're arguably the best O- line we've faced. We're just looking forward to getting better this week and being ready for Saturday." Tuesday a:ernoon at his weekly press conference, Franklin noted the variety of challenges Ohio State's o9ense will pres- ent on Saturday night at Ohio Stadium. "They are fast," said Franklin. "They are fast at wideout. They are fast at running back. They are big and physical on the o9ensive line." Up front, that speci7cally shows up in the form of 300-plus pounders across the board, even along the second team. The group of Taylor Decker, Billy Price, Jacoby Boren, Pat Elfein and Chase Farris has started each game this season, and in fact, the line has not been any di9erent dating back to the Buckeyes' game against Kent State in week three of the 2014 season. Asked what makes that o9ensive line so e9ective, Sickels pointed to that longevity of the Buckeyes. "I'd say the experience up front. All of those guys have played in a lot of games. Decker has like 30-something starts at le: tackle," Sickels said. "They're big up front and they've played in big games, so they're con7dent in their ability to do what they do." What they have done lately is win foot- ball games. Having reached a streak of 19-consec- utive wins, the Buckeyes rank No. 17 in the country in rushing o9ense with 230 yards per game on the ground, and No. 27 in scoring o9ense at 36.8 points per game. Behind the e9orts of junior tail- back Ezekiel Elliott's 139.2 rushing yards per game, the consistency of both teams' strengths will be put to the test Saturday. "Elliott is, probably, if not the best, one of the best backs in the country," said Sickels. "Like I said before, the O-line is very experienced. They're constant and Ezekiel, he's constant. It's de7nitely a good challenge for us." | Strength vs. strength PSU's defensive line gears up for its strongest test of the season PILING ON Sickels and PSU's defen- sive line rank No. 10 in the country, allow- ing 275.7 yards per game. 13

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