
PSU: Offensive line provides stability when things could have gotten ugly vs. Illini
They are the reason Penn State carries a 4-0 record into next Saturday’s showdown with Ohio State, that much became clear Friday night in Champaign, Illinois.
Nittany Lions fans, your offensive line:
- 52 LT Ryan Bates, RS junior
- 74 LG Steven Gonzalez, RS junior
- 62 C Michal Menet, RS sophomore
- 66 RG Connor McGovern, junior
- 71 RT Will Fries, RS sophomore
Not a senior among them, the guys up front provided the stabilizing force that allowed Penn State (4-0, 1-0) to turn a nail-biter of a B1G opener into a blowout 63-24 victory over Illinois (2-2, 0-1).
Take nothing away from Miles Sanders; he displayed power, speed and decisiveness in racking up 200 of Penn State’s 387 rushing yards. He finished runs with authority. Thanks to the line, he started a lot of runs bursting through large openings and rarely if ever took first contact behind the line of scrimmage.
Quarterback Trace McSorley and Ricky Slade both topped 90 yards on the ground, as the Lions turned run-heavy to rally from a 24-21 third-quarter deficit.
By the time it was all said and done, PSU had racked up 591 total yards and scored nine touchdowns for the second straight week. Like last week against Kent State, 6 of the TDs came on running plays. PSU’s rushing total has improved each week, from 205 yards to 211 to 297 to 387. McSorley has been sacked only three times, once in each of the first three games.
The steadiness of the line allowed Sanders to run five straight times for 65 yards, every play of the go-ahead drive. It allowed McSorley to weather a passing game lull (only 38 yards over the middle two quarters) and hit Juwan Johnson with a 16-yard TD strike to start the fourth quarter. It allowed Penn State to score the game’s final 42 points and rest Sanders, McSorley and other starters late.
And, because of the offensive line, Brent Pry’s defense escaped vilification, at least for a week.
But for Cam Brown’s drive-extending roughing-the-passer penalty, Penn State might have posted a third straight second-half shutout. That’s little comfort for Lions fans after watching the Fighting Illini, led by a backup true freshman quarterback, post 26 first downs and 411 total yards. The Lions had no sacks and only 2 tackles for loss in another difficult-to-watch first half. Nobody could get off a block.
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Things got better in the second half, with the Lions sacking M.J. Rivers II twice and intercepting 2 passes.
DT Robert Windsor keyed a critical stand, getting a sack and then chasing down Rivers from the back side to limit the next play to 6 yards. The defense got off the field up 28-24, McSorley led an 11-play, 60-yard drive that ate up 6 minutes, and the snow ball had finally started rolling.
Illinois ran out of gas; Ohio State won’t. It’s hard to imagine there’s enough smoke, mirrors or halftime speeches in Pry’s arsenal to hold the Buckeyes remotely in check.
Next Saturday night at Beaver Stadium, the offensive line will need to pave the way for the Lions to outscore the No. 4 team in the country.
Do that, and we’ll know they’ve truly arrived.