Blue White Illustrated

O c T O B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 12 T I M O W E N | O W E N . T I M . B W I @ G M A I L . c O M They had heard enough about it. Michigan's defense, ranked No. 1 over- all in the country entering Beaver Sta- dium Saturday night, was supposed to be a world-beater. Its aggressive scheme – creative pass-rush combinations on the inside, press man coverage on the outside – was supposed to make things so com- plicated, so confusing, that opposing of- fenses would inevitably wilt under the pressure. At least that's what the perception seemed to be. Against Penn State, that perception didn't matter. With a bye week to prepare, players and coaches had the Wolverines scouted well enough that they were able to nearly forecast what Michigan would run on defense. Then they had a game plan on offense to counter it. "You have to be able and willing to hit the [deep passes], and typically people can't hit them enough to make them pay for playing that style of defense," head coach James Franklin explained in the postgame news conference. "Tonight we were able to do that. In my opinion that was the biggest difference in the game." By the time the victory bell sounded, the Nittany Lions had amassed 506 yards of total offense – nearly twice the average that Michigan's defense had surrendered in its six preceding games. Quarterback Trace McSorley and run- ning back Saquon Barkley combined for 184 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground, while seven receivers caught passes for a total of 282 yards. Those completions went for an average of 16.6 yards. While the stat lines for the skill posi- tions were saturated, the production began with the offensive line. "I thought our O-line, obviously, played really good," said Franklin. "That's a defense that hasn't given up any yards and any points really to anybody, so very proud of them." ABer underperforming before the bye week, the offensive line was determined to reverse the narrative that had shad- owed it during the first half of the season – one that suggested that, although PSU boasted a Heisman-caliber running back, the linemen were hindering his production. "As a senior and a leader of this offen- sive line, it's my job to pick the guys up when things aren't always going right and keep them moving and keep the pos- itivity in that room," guard Brendan Mahon said. And that's exactly what he did. Mahon and his fellow linemen heard repeatedly about the stifling Michigan defense, and about two players in partic- ular: defensive tackle Maurice Hurst and end Rashan Gary. On the final stat sheet, Hurst and Gary combined for only three stops. In other words, they were held in check, and now the conversation is starting to shiB. "We were preparing for those two very hard, and obviously we prepared a little harder and came out and played better," Mahon explained. "I'm not going to dis- credit those two. Those two are great football players and they're a great de- fensive front, but we outplayed them today." What aided the offensive line's cohe- sion was that for the first time all season, the same right tackle played the entire game. In the six previous contests, reps had been split between a couple of play- ers. Moved to the top of the depth chart at right tackle aBer the off-week, Will Fries earned the nod and built on strong per- formances from earlier in the season. Playing every snap, he had no easy as- signment, either. Tasked with blocking Gary, a fellow New Jersey native, Fries mostly neutral- ized the physical phenom and former five-star recruit. Gary finished the game with only one solo tackle and an assist on a tackle for loss. Otherwise, he didn't make one play the entire second half. Franklin said he thought that Fries "played a really good game," and Mahon echoed his coach's evaluation. "Will Fries came out to play today," Mahon said. "He really stepped up knowing he was going to be facing Gary and guys like that. He handled his own, and I'm so proud how he played, and col- lectively how we all played." It's an accomplishment, no doubt. They had heard all week, longer even, about how complicated Michigan's scheme was, how imposing Hurst and Gary were and how subpar they as an of- fensive line had been playing. They had enough of it. As Mahon said, though, this game was meant to serve as only a stepping stone toward an even stronger second half of the season. "We just prepared," Mahon said. "We took these two weeks and we ran with it and we knew what we were going to do, and it obviously showed tonight against a top defense that this offensive line is a Big Ten powerhouse and we're going to continue that and come out and work harder and learn from this and take it into next week and the week aBer that, be- cause we're never satisfied. "That's something great with this en- tire team. We're never satisfied. We can be up two touchdowns and still not be happy. That's not enough. I think that's really the driving factor. We really push each other to be the best and really work hard to finish. We're never satisfied. That's what's going to keep us moving forward and being successful." SOMETHING TO PROVE Nittany Lions' offensive front makes a dramatic impact in victory over Michigan

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