Blue White Illustrated

T H E 2 0 1 7 S E A S O N W hen he's on the recruiting trail searching for future Penn State de- fensive linemen, Sean Spencer looks for prospects who check the usual boxes, players who possess the traits that any defensive line coach would want. They need to demonstrate an ability to rush the quarterback while also having the disci- pline to play strong against the run. But there are other qualities he seeks, attributes that don't fall into the category of "measureables" but that he and head coach James Franklin know are important at the college level. "The unique thing about recruiting is not so much that you always get the best player – clearly you want the top talent in the country – but [that you ask], does that guy fit into my room?" Spencer said. "Is that guy going to make the room bet- ter, or is he going to make it worse? You've got to evaluate that every time you're making the decision. Clearly there are some spectacular guys out there that you have to really evaluate [and ask whether] they're going to fit your room properly. I think that's a unique trait that Coach Franklin has, and he puts it into our staff's mind: Does the kid fit what we're trying to do?" With Penn State entering the final weeks of its regular season, Spencer said he believes his position group has the cohesiveness that he wants. The tag he's given his defensive line since ar- riving in University Park with Franklin in 2014 is "Wild Dogs." He calls them that because, he said, he wants them to develop a pack mentality. "We're going to recruit guys [to be a part of] a family and be a pack," he said. "We're going to hunt for each other and we're going to play for the guys next to us. If you don't have that, it doesn't matter what type of talent you bring in. We're not going to have the same success that we've had if you don't believe in each other." For much of this season, Penn State's performance has validated Spencer's strength-in-numbers ap- proach. Heading into the Ohio State game, Penn State was leading the Big Ten and was fourth in the Football Bowl Subdivision with an average of 3.43 sacks per game. Ten defen- sive linemen had been in- volved in at least one sack and 17 had been credited with at least one tackle. The game against the Buckeyes was costly, how- ever. It eroded some of the depth that Spencer had been working to build, as starting end Ryan Buchholz was injured on the afternoon's first play from scrim- mage. And the Buckeyes went on to total 529 yards of offense in a come-from-be- hind victory. Even so, heading into its home finale against Nebraska on Nov. 18, Penn State was fourth in the Big Ten in sacks with 29 and was sixth in rushing defense at 123.9 yards per game. Those numbers are the byproduct of a time-tested gameday routine. Every Sat- urday morning, hours before kickoff, Spencer meets with Franklin and defen- sive line coach Brent Pry to determine the defensive line rotation. They usually set- tle on a magic number of eight or nine players, but they're always hopeful they will have an opportunity to play an even greater number. PSU's defensive line relies on versatility, depth | AGAINST THE WALL Givens (30) and Toney try to break through Ohio State's offensive line. With Buchholz injured, the Lions struggled to put pressure on Buckeyes quarter- back J.T. Barrett. Photo by Steve Manuel

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