The O-line is terrible

David Jones, the oft-critical but oft-correct columnist for the Harrisburg Patriot-News, sums up the problem with Penn State's offense in today's paper.

Says Jones: The line can't block, and the schemes don't work.

He writes: "This program hasn't really had a good O-line since the mid-'90s. The 2002 group was passable, effective against bad teams, decent against decent ones, impotent against the best defenses.

With even that group, this team could go 9-3 this season. But, based on the USF game, this OL is a long way removed from that one. If they couldn't get a push on USF's relatively tiny D-line, they won't be moving anyone of any worth in the Big Ten.

That means it should be up to the offensive strategists to go with a scheme that takes the line out of the game as much as possible. Lots of first-down passes. Quick one- and three-step drops. Lots of one-back or even no-back sets.

Get the ball onto the edges or the flanks to State's new speedster wideouts or the short middle zone between the hashes to the backs as quickly as possible. Spread the defense with threat rather than try to hammer it with brute force. Then maybe the Lions will find some room to run the ball.

Joe Tiller did it in 1997 at Purdue when he had a lousy line and went 6-2 in the Big Ten his first season in the league. Randy Walker did it in 2000 at Northwestern when he couldn't even field a tight end and went 6-2 in the Big Ten. You can't tell me those teams had better athletes than Penn State does now. It's just not true."

Penn State does have better athletes, Dave. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure they have better coaches (on offense).

And so we're gonna be stuck with 6-5.

Oh well.