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had the Lions feeling good about their progress in O'Brien's first season on the job. The toughest part of the schedule awaits, but the team's work so far merits a B and gives fans much to look forward to in the second half of the season and beyond. QUARTERBACK Who would have thought that Matt McGloin would be the Big Ten's premier passer at the season's midpoint? Through six games, he was leading the conference in completions (136), passing yards (1,499), passing touchdowns (12) and yards per game (249.8). And the most surprising sta- tistic of all? McGloin's 12-2 touch- down-to-interception ratio was one of the two best among Big Ten QBs. He added six rushing touchdowns, which were more than dual-threat quarter- backs Denard Robinson of Michigan (four) and Taylor Martinez of Nebraska (five) had achieved in the first half of the season. McGloin credits his senior season success – basically a 180-degree turn- around from his sophomore and jun- ior seasons – to O'Brien and his flexi- ble game plans. O'Brien, in turn, has praised McGloin quite a bit for the team's recent success. So which is it? O'Brien has certainly invested more confidence in McGloin than the previ- ous coaching staff showed – as evi- denced by the 48 pass attempts in the season opener – but McGloin de- serves much of the credit, too. He's battled through a bothersome elbow bruise, completed his last seven passes during the Navy victory, threw for a career-high 318 yards against Temple while avoiding a pesky blitz, and though he got off to a slow start against Northwestern, he came roar- ing back to finish with two passing touchdowns and the winning touch- down run. Now, if McGloin can sim- ply avoid giving up more of those drive-killing 10-plus-yard sacks, he'll be in pretty decent shape. GRADE B+ RUNNING BACK With the departure of Silas Redd just before preseason camp, the running back group was one of the biggest question marks on the team entering the season. Then expected replacement Bill Belton sprained an ankle in the season opener against Ohio, and backup Derek Day separated his shoulder in week two, amplifying the concerns. Curtis Dukes filled in at Virginia af- ter Day went down, and then Michael Zordich came on strong in the next two games, including a gutsy 75-yard rushing performance against Temple. Zach Zwinak also contributed 94 yards against the Owls, and the fol- lowing week – even with Belton re- turning from injury – Zwinak emerged as Penn State's workhorse back. He put up 100 rushing yards against the Illini and 121 vs. North- western. He had totaled 317 pound- ing yards and three touchdowns through the first six games. If Belton returns to form in the sec- ond half of the season, he and Zwinak could become an effective tandem, bringing speed and power to Penn State's crowded backfield. GRADE B RECEIVER The emergence of Allen Robinson as Penn State's go-to re- ceiver and one of the best pass-catch- ers in the NCAA earns this position unit bonus points. The sophomore leads the conference in receiving touchdowns (seven), receiving yards (524), receptions (41) and receptions per game (6.8). Through six games, Robinson needed only three more re- ceptions to tie Penn State's sopho- more record, and he was only 22 catches away from surpassing O.J. McDuffie's single-season record of 63. After Robinson, tight ends Kyle Carter and Matt Lehman are Penn State's second- and third-leading re- ceivers. Carter, only a two-star recruit two years ago, has burst onto the scene as a redshirt freshman, catch- ing 23 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown. Lehman, a former walk- on, has caught 12 passes, including two touchdowns. His diving touch- down catch against Ohio was a thing of beauty, and his score against Illi- nois put the game out of reach. Alex Kenney and Brandon Moseby- Felder are the only other receivers to have made much of an impact for the Lions. Moseby-Felder is having the best season of his career, even if one of McGloin's two interceptions can be blamed on one of his dropped passes. Kenney averages 10.8 yards per catch, and it feels like he's going to break out even more during the second half. Shawney Kersey might also have thrived, but he left the team for per- sonal reasons. GRADE B+ OFFENSIVE LINE Sure, there's room for improvement here. Penn State strug- gled against the blitz packages that Virginia and Temple used, and it started slowly against Illinois and Northwestern. But it's been a long time since a Penn State offensive line has shown more cohesiveness, more physical dominance and more depth than the current starting unit. The line started strong against Ohio, as the rushing game averaged 4.2 yards per attempt, and it has shown similar signs of control in each game since. It's noticeable, however, when Donovan Smith is out. The red- shirt freshman left tackle has been hampered by leg and hand injuries so far this season. He's a physical speci- men, and there's no better pass pro- tector on the team – maybe not in the conference, either. When he's not in the game, the line takes a step back- ward. The backups simply haven't been as effective as Smith. Still, Penn State has developed some depth up front, and that may be the most impressive aspect of the offensive line this season. Mac McWhorter uses a rotation that in- cludes Angelo Mangiro, Ty Howle, Eric Shrive and Gress in addition to the starters, and they've seemed to hold their own. After this season, the Lions will lose only Farrell and Matt Stankiewitch to graduation, so if they can avoid any free agency defections, the future looks bright. DEFENSIVE LINE Beau Blankenship and the Ohio offensive line worked Penn State for 109 yards in the season opener, but since then, Larry John- son's crew has been on top of its game. It redeemed itself against Vir- ginia, an effort highlighted by Jordan Hill's athletic second-quarter inter- GRADE B+

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