Three Factors to Make or Break Penn State: Factor 2

Offensive Line Must Finally Become a Consistent Strength

Other than corny catchphrases and good defenses, The James Franklin era has been defined by one thing: inconsistent offensive lines. Granted, when he arrived, he often fell back on the “sanction excuse.” The Sandusky scandal resulted in harsh punishments on the Penn State football program, one of them being scholarship sanctions.

From 2013-2017, Penn State was only allowed 65 scholarship players per year, ultimately totalling in 40 scholarship losses in that timespan. Coaches claim this massive scholarship loss was felt hardest in the offensive line unit. Although this excuse is valid, one thing is certain: in order to have success in 2019, Penn State must protect their new starting QB well.

By the Numbers:

As mentioned in the first piece of this series, it could be argued Penn State’s offensive line took a step back last year — primarily in the pass-blocking. In 2017, Penn State’s o-line at least looked respectable against the likes of Michigan and OSU, but in 2018, that completely changed. In the blowout win of 2017, Penn State allowed only 2 Michigan sacks, last year, that tripled to 6 in a blowout loss.

During the Buckeyes matchup of 2017, the Lions allowed only 2 sacks, but OSU doubled that in the 2018 rematch. Ultimately, PSU allowed 5 more total sacks from ’17 to ’18. Five sacks may seem minimal, but it resulted in being sacked in a whopping 12.8% of passing-down plays, ranking 116th in the nation, according to FootballOutsiders. Simply put, PSU will just not succeed against elite opponents with that bad of pass-blocking. Let’s take a look at who I believe will lineup as starters in Happy Valley, August 31st against Idaho.

The Position-by-Position Breakdown:

Left Tackle:

Following the semi-surprising departure of Ryan Bates to the NFL, the Nittany Lions will have a new face protecting Clifford’s blindside in 2019. So far, from all indications in camp, that face will belong to redshirt frosh, Rasheed Walker. The Maryland product arrived on campus last year as a 4-star prospect, who ranked as a top 5 OT nationally, according to 247Sports. When you have that type of recruiting profile, coaches and fans alike expect big contributions in a rather immediate fashion.

‘Sheed has always had the quick & lengthy 6’6″ frame required to play tackle, but he arrived on campus last year carrying a slim 290lbs. Since then, he’s now beefed up to a sturdy 324lbs and has been running with the 1’s since Spring ‘Ball. Due to the NCAA’s new redshirt rule, Walker was able to play in 4 games last year (Kent State, Rutgers, Maryland, and Kentucky) without burning his redshirt eligibility. This experience will be pivotal, as Rasheed looks to combine talent and potential in 2019.

Left Guard:

Penn State’s offensive line is relatively young, but the elder statesman of the group will be fifth-year senior, Steven Gonzalez. The Union City native opted to forego the NFL Draft and return for one final run with the Nittany Lions. Coaches will expect big things from Gonzo’ in 2019, including finally finding consistency, and demonstrating leadership of a young unit. At times, Steven has proven to be the dominant force that made him a top 10 OG during his recruitment, but those instances are sprinkled with head-scratching mistakes — especially during, you guessed it, pass-blocking. Gonzalez will need to prove he can carry his 341 lbs well enough to finally put together a consistent season, and earn himself a nice NFL paycheck.

Center:

If you follow me on Twitter, you know I am not a fan of PSU’s OL coach Matt Limegrover:

I truly think if the offensive line underperforms (yet again) in 2019, James Franklin should look in a different direction to lead his offensive trenches. One of the primary reasons I believe that, is the development of Michal Menet. The dude was an absolute stud recruit: 5 stars, top recruit in his state, top 30 overall, the works. Under Limegrover, he’s managed to be a very average offensive lineman. That’s unacceptable. Unfortunately, the lack of blue-chip development has been a pattern of coach Limegrover’s, and it’s time he – and the recruits themselves – step up. If the Lions could get 5-star production from the center position, it’d mean a lot to all of Nittany Nation, but especially the program’s new starting QB.

Right Guard:

The Dallas Cowboys owned the 90th pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. With said pick, America’s Team selected Connor McGovern — now an ex-Nittany Lion. Connor’s (again, semi-surprising) departure left a right guard-sized hole to fill in an already average unit. The candidate most likely to fill that hole? The offensive guard – turned defensive tackle – turned offensive guard, CJ Thorpe. Yup. After switching trenches last year, CJ is back to making blocks and opening running lanes. The Glenshaw, PA native is tabbed as the favorite to win the job over classmate Michael Miranda, seeing as he’s gotten most reps with the 1’s since the second week of spring camp. My opinion? I trust CJ. His pass-blocking could use some work (go figure lol), but when you violate opposing d-linemen like this, you’ll always have a place on my team:

One thing to note: I fully expect Michael Miranda to see the field during every game Penn State plays this fall. He’s impressed from the moment he arrived on campus and will be a quality sixth man.

Right Tackle:

For the past few years, right tackle has been a bit of a question mark for Happy Valley’s squad. Will Fries did not do much to answer those questions in 2018. So reader, what has the theme been with Penn State offensive linemen? Say it with me: lack of consistency. Unlike his fellow linemen, Will was not a blue-chip recruit, the Jersey kid was a 3-star lineman with 4-star potential. But fans and coaches are anxious to see Fries take that pivotal “next step” forward, and protect Clifford’s throwing side. If not, you can be sure that James Franklin will not hesitate to use another 2-man rotation at the position.

As always, be sure to stay connected to OvertimeHeroics, for the last instalment of this three-part series!