Franklin praises Penn State's offensive line
It's something that Penn State coach James Franklin has said repeatedly: The key to his team's success on either side of the football starts with the guys in the trenches.
It's something that Penn State coach James Franklin has said repeatedly: The key to his team's success on either side of the football starts with the guys in the trenches.
The defensive line has been excellent all season, but Franklin gave a special shout-out Tuesday to his offensive line for one of its best performances of 2014 that resulted in a season-high 254 yards rushing and a 30-13 win over Temple on Saturday.
At his weekly news conference, Franklin credited the return of the Nittany Lions' two most experienced offensive linemen - redshirt junior tackle Donovan Smith and fifth-year senior guard Miles Dieffenbach - with a major assist to the running game, which ranks last in the Big Ten Conference.
With Smith reentering the lineup after a two-game absence because of an undisclosed injury, the Lions had all their linemen at their accustomed positions.
"I actually think Donovan's impact was bigger than just him playing left tackle and being physical and having an experienced player," Franklin said. "It allows us to get some guys back to maybe their more natural position.
"It also allows us hopefully now to get five guys and leave them at those positions and try to work with some consistency in building that chemistry and communication with each other."
When Smith sat out, the Lions needed to make three moves. Redshirt freshman tackle Andrew Nelson switched from right tackle to Smith's left-tackle spot. Center Angelo Mangiro moved over to right tackle, and backup center Wendy Laurent took over for Mangiro.
Dieffenbach, who saw his most extensive action since he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in March, also was a welcome sight. He and Smith combined to open the hole on Akeel Lynch's 38-yard touchdown run, and Dieffenbach cleared out the middle for Bill Belton on his 8-yard bolt into the end zone.
"Miles is very game-savvy," Mangiro said. "You can write up and talk about things throughout the week but teams are going to bring something different, show you something different. Miles is very good at picking those things up and getting calls out."
Lynch rushed for 130 yards and Belton added 92. But when asked specifically about Lynch, Franklin made sure he put the offensive line first.
"We didn't go from Bill almost having 100 yards and Akeel having over 100 yards in a game because they're doing something different," the coach said. "It's the development and the confidence of the offensive line in getting some of those veteran guys back."
Welcome back, Keiser. Franklin disclosed that safety Ryan Keiser has been released from Hershey Medical Center and is heading back to the university. Keiser suffered a broken rib in practice on Oct. 23 and was rushed to the hospital the next day because of an issue with his bowel that put him in intensive care for about a week. "I know our players and everybody are going to be fired up about that," Franklin said. "It's great to have him back home with us."
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