Blue White Illustrated

LAST WORD TIM OWEN | OWEN.TIM.BWI@ G M A I L . C O M T Something's missing hink of Bill O'Brien's offense as an engine. Maybe the engine needs some oil or the timing is slightly off or it's not as tried and true as your more established prod- ucts – see a Hemi, or Alabama's of- fense. But, so far, the engine is per- forming how you want it, even if it took some time to warm up. And when it gets rolling on all cylinders, watch out. The potential of this engine, or O'Brien's offense, is through the roof, even if the mechan- ic has yet to make his final tune-ups. Heading into the bye week, O'Brien had all but optimized the ability of the current Nittany Lion offense, which suffered the departure of its two biggest playmakers from last sea- son. Take a peek at the comparisons. O'Brien has former walk-on Matt McGloin, the engine's flywheel, play- ing as the Big Ten's best passer. His 1,499 passing yards are more than what USC's Matt Barkley, Georgia's Aaron Murray, Oklahoma's Landry Jones, Ohio State's Braxton Miller and Alabama's A.J. McCarron tallied through the season's first half. (That's 21 recruiting stars from Ri- vals.com compared to McGloin's zero, for those counting.) And only McCar- ron and Heisman frontrunner Geno Smith have tossed as many or more touchdowns (12) while throwing few- er interceptions (two). The offensive line has been the fuel making this offense run, and as a unit, it, too, has been performing in a way it hasn't in years – maybe even in a decade or more. It has allowed fewer sacks than Wisconsin, Ala- bama, Nebraska, LSU and Ohio State, and it's also helped outrush the Badgers' storied offensive line on a per-game basis. Then there's Allen Robinson who was supposed to be a replacement part for Justin Brown. Now he's the Big Ten's leading receiver. How's this for a comparison: There are only three pass catchers in the Football Bowl Subdivision who have caught more touchdowns than Robinson. But two of them are Smith's top tar- gets at pass-happy West Virginia. You're hearing it here first: Robinson, if he remains healthy, will capture Penn State's single-season reception record (63) by the time Indiana comes to town Nov. 17, or perhaps earlier. "You can't say enough about these kids," O'Brien said. "With what they've been through, they're smart, they're tough, and they're committed to Penn State. They come to practice every single week. The practices aren't always pretty, but there's a lot of ef- fort. There's great chemistry in that locker room. We're 4-2. Who knows where it's going to end up? These guys are playing hard, and it's really fun to see the smiles on their faces." Without a doubt, O'Brien is enjoy- ing success in his first year in Happy Valley, and the offense's recent surge plays into that. But there's a missing element to O'Brien's offensive engine, and he knows it. The Nittany Lions have their run- ning backs. Zach Zwinak pounds the ball. Derek Day grinds out yards. Michael Zordich epitomizes the team's attitude. It's still unclear what to ex- pect of Bill Belton, who has been hampered by injuries, but neither his nor the other three's running style fits that of the missing part. To find a model of it, look as far as Foxborough, Mass., to this offense's older cousin. As offensive coordinator for the AFC champion New England Patriots, O'Brien had Wes Welker to tur- bocharge his engine. Welker hauled in 122 catches in 2011, which tied him for fourth in NFL history, and nine touchdowns. He also averaged 7.5 yards per rush. He only carried four times, but that's immaterial. The point is that Welker is a go-to player who has the ability to hurt defenses any time he touches the ball. That's what has been missing from Penn State's offense through the first six weeks. No one has emerged as that sparkplug, a speedy do-it-all back who can break a game open no matter where he's lined up on the field. And unless such a player walked on during tryouts, which is an obvious moon shot, it appears as if the missing piece is not on the cur- rent roster. So what's O'Brien to do? He has al- ready told Bishop McDevitt's Brian Lemelle, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound slot receiver, that he would fit "the Wes Welker role" at Penn State, and he has used the same line on other prospects. So far no one has jumped on board, but the staff has made sure to keep the position a top re- cruiting priority. Stan Hixon and Mac McWhorter were at Lemelle's game at Hershey (Pa.) Oct. 5, and the staff is trying to persuade Richie Anderson, a 5-11, 180-pound running back/receiver from Frederick, Md., to switch his commitment from Maryland to the Li- ons. Then there's Wesley Bullock of Tampa, Fla. He's a 5-7, 153-pound all-purpose back who reportedly bench presses 290 pounds and squats 500. He might be one of the most im- portant offensive recruits remaining, a fact made evident by Ted Roof's visit to Plant High School Oct. 11. "He can do it all," Plant head coach Robert Weiner said of Bullock. "He's an incredible player." Whether it's Lemelle, Anderson, Bullock, someone buried on the depth chart or an unknown, that's what Penn State needs: a do-it-all player. It could be the final tune-up that makes this offensive engine purr.

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