Blue White Illustrated

STRONG START The offensive line helped PSU post its highest point total of the season. Photo by Bill Anderson O c T O B E R 3 1 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 15 R Y A N   J O N E S | B L U E W H I T E c O N T R I B U T O R Nine weeks into a season that started with a historically awful outing, the Penn State offensive line seems to have figured things out. By a few measures, Saturday's 39-0 win over Illinois might have been its best day yet. The numbers tell much of the story: 400 yards of total offense, most of them coming not thanks to big plays but on sustained drives that required consistent control of the line of scrimmage. Time for Christian Hackenberg to put together one of his most efficient outings of the season. Holes for Saquon Barkley to run through. And in general, a sense that de- spite the lineup changes and lack of depth, this unit is miles ahead of the group that was shredded by Temple just eight short weeks ago. Opening his postgame press conference with his usual scroll through the game's highlights, James Franklin joked that he didn't "know whether this is a highlight or not" before noting the Lions had used their seventh O-line combination in nine games. Against what had been a fairly stout Illinois defense this season, and de- spite the relative unfamiliarity, the lineup of Paris Palmer, Angelo Mangiro, Wendy Laurent, Brain Gaia and Brendan Mahon did all that was asked of it. ACerward, Gaia said the secret to the unit's success was anything but. "It's just communication," said the red- shirt junior guard, the only Lion to start every game on the O-line this fall. On Saturday, he lined up at right guard next to tackle Brendan Mahon, who was filling in at right tackle for Andrew Nelson, who went down against Maryland. "Me and Nelly are used to talking to each other, so we're on the same page. By the end of practice this week, me and Brendan had to be on the same page, too." For all that injuries have cheated them out of the chance to build a cohesive and consistent starting five, the Penn State offensive linemen seem to have benefit- ted from the constant change in at least one way: They've all learned how to adapt. Their teammates see it, too: "One guy goes down, another guy is able to come in and just basically fill in that same role," said wideout DaeSean Hamilton. "It's a testament to them because they know their stuff, they know what they're supposed to be doing, they communicate well. They're smart guys, and they really have the offense down." Added tight end Mike Gesicki, "For them to overcome all that adversity, it's really like our team in general, and it speaks volumes for what kind of guys they are." Progress, of course, is relative to the quality of the opposition, and over the final three games the Lions figure to face three of the toughest defenses they'll meet all year. The same effort that paved the way for seven scoring drives against the Illini might not count for much against Northwestern, Michigan or Michigan State. "I think we played but well," said Gaia, "but there's always room to improve." If that's the mindset that has carried them from a 10-sack, open- ing day nightmare, there's no reason to change it now. A FINE LINE Although shorthanded again, PSU's offensive front fuels a scoring binge

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