Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/763662
its starting five had first-year eligibility, and one other was a sophomore. Without their efforts in the face of un- expected circumstances, Franklin said the Nittany Lions likely wouldn't have found themselves in Indianapolis in the first place. "[Bates'] play at left tackle as well as [sophomore] Chasz Wright's, who is playing at right tackle, has really helped us," Franklin said. "[True freshman] Con- nor McGovern having experience, playing tackle all spring, helps us as well. I think Matt Limegrover and our offensive line and the perseverance and the flexibility and the next-man-up mentality is prob- ably one of the bigger stories of our team this year." The story wouldn't be written, however, without the guidance of Penn State's fifth-year senior leaders. First, Brian Gaia, a Baltimore native, has been the only offensive lineman to start and play all 13 games at the same position. An elected team captain who had seen ac- tion in 37 games before his senior year, in- cluding 12 at defensive tackle as a freshman, Gaia has received praise throughout the season for his grit and consistency, attributes that have allowed him to spearhead the line's resurgence. "We proved the doubters wrong," Gaia said after Penn State beat Michigan State, 45-12. "We just had to kind of roll with the punches" in order to do it. Of all those players, none have dis- played more resilience and selflessness than Gaia's classmate Derek Dowrey. The Winchester, Va., native has con- ceded some of his playing time to those rising stars, and one might think he would look back at the past five years with a sense of frustration. But that's not the case. "I wouldn't trade it for any- thing," Dowrey said. "It's been the best time of my life." Gaia and Dowrey were recruited by Penn State as defensive linemen in 2012, their enrollment coincided with the im- position of major NCAA sanctions. When players were transferring out, Dowrey was anxiously coming in. "The reason why I [committed], that reason was still OUTTA THE WAY Bates leads Saquon Barkley upfield in Penn State's 62-24 vic- tory at Purdue. Barkley scored on the 81-yard run. Photo by Steve Manuel V S . S O U T H E R N C A L I F O R N I A