|
A
s if there weren't enough anticipation about
what Joe Moorhead and Matt Limegrover
are installing at Penn State, the starters
went ahead and put together this: a four-touch-
down, 411-yard outing in the Blue-White Game
behind what appeared to be an improved per-
formance from the once-beleaguered offensive
line.
Caveats about how its success came against a
thinned-out second-string defense were drowned
out by the excitement of the new system, with
which Moorhead has found national success at
each of his previous three stops and is imple-
menting at Penn State in 2016. Adding to it all is
the vernacular that pairs with the system. Buzz-
words and catch phrases abound: "up-tempo,"
"no-huddle" and, perhaps most appealing to a
team that surrendered more sacks than any in
the Big Ten the past two years, "offensive-
lineman friendly." That kind of talk has only
fueled the rising enthusiasm concerning the two
hires.
The terms used to describe their philosophy
sure do sound good, but for the big guys up
front, what exactly do they mean? For a unit
that has taken much of the heat for PSU's recent
inconsistent play, how can a faster tempo be
more favorable to O-linemen who often use that
TEAM EFFORT
Trace McSorley (9)
and Mark Allen (8)
take the field during
the spring game
with linemen (left
to right) Ryan
Bates, Derek
Dowrey, Andrew
Nelson and Noah
Beh. The linemen
have emphasized
conditioning as
Penn State transi-
tions to its new of-
fense. Photo by
Steve Manuel