Blue White Illustrated

S P R I N G P R A C T I C E R E P O R T can beat anyone. Penn State has beaten the Buckeyes under Franklin's watch, but even in that game, the Lions couldn't run the ball consistently. Their 24-21 upset of sec- ond-ranked Ohio State in 2016 was a testament to the importance of all the factors that most people assume only affect games at the margins: field posi- tion, special teams and home-field ad- vantage. It was not the result of a dominant ef- fort up front. Ohio State outgained the Lions 413 yards to 276. Most of the time, if you manage fewer than 300 yards of total offense, you're going to lose. As serendipitous and joyful as Penn State's victory was, and as impor- tant as it may have been in transform- ing the program from an others-receiving-votes afterthought into a nationally relevant force, it was not a template for future success. It's entirely understandable that the offensive line would take longer to come around than the other aspects of Franklin's team. At this time four years ago, there were only eight scholarship linemen on the roster, and that was after two defensive linemen – Brian Gaia and Derek Dowrey – hastily moved to of- fense just before the start of spring practice. While Franklin began stocking up im- mediately, signing four offensive line recruits in his first class, it's a fact of life in college football that those players need time in the weight room to de- velop physically and on the practice field to build cohesion with their team- mates. It wasn't all that surprising that the Lions finished last in the Big Ten in rushing that season at 101.9 yards per game, or that Christian Hackenberg absorbed a career's worth of punish- ment in the form of 44 sacks. Nor was it surprising that the 2015 season was only slightly better, with the Lions av- eraging 133.9 yards on the ground to finish 12th while surrendering a league- worst 39 sacks. Except for Chasz Wright, a late addi- tion to the Class of 2014, all of the offen- sive linemen on Franklin's first team have cycled out of the program. The linemen on Penn State's 2018 team are all Franklin recruits. Since 2015, he has signed 16 linemen, and nine of those players have received four stars from Ri- vals.com. Those totals include four linemen in Penn State's most recent class: Nana Asiedu, Bryce Effner, Juice Scruggs and Rasheed Walker. Effner has received three stars from Rivals.com, while Asiedu, Scruggs and Walker are all four- star signees. One facet of this year's offensive line signees that Franklin likes is their versa- tility. He wants guards who can play tackle if required, as Ryan Bates has been doing since a series of injuries late in the 2016 season forced him to switch positions. He also wants centers who can play guard, and vice versa. Case in point: Connor McGovern, who started nine games at guard during the 2016 season before moving to the middle of the line last year and starting 13 games at center. "I'm a big believer in recruiting guys who create position flexibility across the offensive line," Franklin said. "If you're going to recruit a guard, we would prefer the guard to be a guy who has the ability to be what we call a 'swing guy.' [He's] a guy who may not have exact offensive tackle measurables but has the athleti- cism and feel for the position. "I think Bates is a really good example of that. Bates isn't your typical 6-6 of- fensive tackle, but he's got the athleti- cism and feel for the position. I think we've done a good job of recruiting tack- les and [also] guards who have tackle at- tributes. And then you also have a variety of swing guys inside. So a cen- ter/guard combination, a center who could play guard and a guard who could play center, that type of deal. "So I'm pleased with the length and I'm pleased with the athleticism and I'm pleased with the mentality of the posi- tion." He's also undoubtedly pleased that he shouldn't have to rely on the newcomers for a couple of years. The Nittany Lions have lost only one player from last year's primary starting five – guard Brendan Mahon – and thanks to the team's im- proved depth, there are a number of ap- pealing options as offensive line coach Matt Limegrover looks to fill that va- cancy this spring. The Lions could move Bates back to guard, where he started 10 games as a redshirt freshman, and rely on Wright and Will Fries at tackle. Or they could keep Bates where he is and let Wright and Fries battle it out at the op- posite tackle spot, with one of their up- and-coming younger players – Michal Menet, Mike Miranda or C.J. Thorpe – taking over at guard opposite returnee Steven Gonzalez. No matter which option they chose, the Lions look to have the makings of a solid offensive front, the kind that will provide McSorley with enough time to locate receivers downfield while giving Barkley's successor a chance to find some open space. The progress that Penn State's offen- sive front has made in the past four years was most evident in the Fiesta Bowl against Washington. The Huskies boasted the nation's top-ranked run defense, with Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Vita Vea anchoring the front seven. But the Lions managed 203 rushing yards and gave up only one sack, as McSorley completed 32 of 41 passes for 342 yards. Vea wasn't a deci- sive factor in the game, in large part be- cause of Gonzalez's strong performance. Was the game a turning point for a Penn State offensive front that wasn't always able to create openings last year against a succession of defenses that were set up specifically to stop Barkley? Are the Nittany Lions ready to match up physically against the best teams in the country? Will Miles Sanders and his fel- low running backs be the ultimate bene- ficiaries now that the team has assembled a deep and experienced of- fensive front? With spring practice just now getting under way, the answers to those questions are still a long way off. But not too long. The Lions' Big Ten home opener this coming season is against Ohio State. ■

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