Blue White Illustrated

Garry Gilliam totaled 82 receptions for 1,090 yards, with 10 touchdowns and an average of 13.2 yards per catch. The addition of Breneman and Gesicki seemed to assure that this trend would continue, as they were two of the top three tight ends in the country in the past four recruiting classes. But Penn State's tight ends were surprisingly un- productive in 2015. Carter, Gesicki and Brent Wilkerson totaled just 33 catches for 299 yards, averaging 9.1 yards per catch, and were held without a single touchdown reception. If Penn State hopes to improve its of- fensive output this fall, Moorhead must 6nd a way to get Gesicki, Wilkerson, redshirt freshmen Nick Bowers and Jonathan Holland, and maybe even Jan- uary enrollee Danny Dalton involved in the passing game. At Fordham last sea- son, Moorhead had six receivers with 30 or more catches, and two of them were tight ends. OFFENSIVE LINE Although the Nit- tany Lions returned 6ve o8ensive line- men with game experience from the 2014 season, this unit didn't make any dramatic strides. A9er surrendering a dreadful 44 sacks in 2014, Penn State gave up 39 this past fall. The running backs must shoulder some of the blame for those numbers, but the opponents' sack totals de6nitely re7ect poorly on the development of the line. In addition to the pass-protection is- sues, Penn State didn't run the ball con- sistently last season, 6nishing 12th in the Big Ten with an average of only 133.9 yards per game. In 2016, the Nittany Lions will once again return four starters on the o8en- sive line and six players with starting ex- perience: tackles Andrew Nelson and Paris Palmer, guards Brian Gaia, Derek Dowrey and Brendan Mahon and center Wendy Laurent. There is, however, a big difference between the upcoming season and the one that just concluded. This past sea- son, plagued by injuries and inexperi- ence, the Lions had only eight offen- sive linemen who could be relied upon at any point. As a result, they featured an astounding eight different starting lineups through the course of a 13- game schedule. Reinforcements are on the way in the form of better depth this season. Red- shirt sophomores Noah Beh and Chance Sorrell, plus redshirt freshmen Ryan Bates, Steven Gonzalez and Sterling Jenkins, all appear poised to make a real impact, and one or two of those players may even challenge for a starting posi- tion. That is particularly true of Bates and Gonzalez. I think Bates will push for a starting spot at center or guard, and Gonzalez has the talent to make the two-deep at right guard. In fact, I be- lieve that if those two players continue to impress in spring practice, there's a chance that the o8ensive line will be substantially improved in the fall. Franklin is very high on Bates and Gon- zalez, as he revealed during a news con- ference prior to the TaxSlayer Bowl. "There was a time there when we were thinking about burning [Bates'] red- shirt," he said. "He's done some really nice things in competitive periods against Austin Johnson and Anthony Zettel [during bowl preparations]. Right now we have him at center, but I think he's a more natural guard. "Gonzalez is a guy we're excited about. He's about 330 pounds right now, but if you look at his body fat percentages, they've really changed. He's a powerful guy." Undoubtedly, there are plenty of ar- eas that will still need major improve- ment this coming season, but the Nit- tany Lions appear to have assembled some of the pieces they need in order to get the job done. Having set such a low bar the past two seasons, even sub- tle improvements would raise hopes for the future. And I can envision Penn State doing even better than that as its many young players continue to gain experience. What excites me most are the many skill-position players who appear to fit perfectly into Moorhead's spread offense. ■

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