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Penn State Football: Connor McGovern on Rimington Watchlist

By Collin Wieder

COLLEGE PARK, MD - NOVEMBER 25: Offensive lineman Connor McGovern #66 of the Penn State Nittany Lions signals from the line against the Maryland Terrapins defense in the second quarter at Capital One Field on November 25, 2017 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - NOVEMBER 25: Offensive lineman Connor McGovern #66 of the Penn State Nittany Lions signals from the line against the Maryland Terrapins defense in the second quarter at Capital One Field on November 25, 2017 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Penn State football Junior offensive lineman Connor McGovern was named to the preseason Rimington Trophy watchlist Wednesday.

Penn State football center Connor McGovern joined the Rimington watch list Wednesday. The award goes to the nation’s best center after a solid 2017. McGovern became a reliable player on the program’s offensive line.

In his first two years, McGovern has started 22 games and appeared in 26 of 27 possible games. The junior, two-year starter helped spark an offensive revival over the last two years. He has cleared the way for Saquon Barkley and protected dual threat quarterback Trace McSorley. The line’s performance aided an offense averaging 39.2 points per game in the last two seasons.

Barkley rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of those seasons, and McSorley passed for more 3,500 yards as well. The offense has taken well to its spread-it-out, aggressive system. McGovern was a key cog in that, boosting the offense even more in 2017, averaging 41.1 points per game this past season.

The last few seasons have featured some tough times for the O-Line. Despite the offense’s explosion in the last two years, the line still hasn’t found the perfect combination. Even with the struggles, McGovern started pushing the unit in a better direction.

Down the stretch of the season, the offensive line showed better play. Against Washington in the Fiesta Bowl, McSorley had plenty of time to throw the football, completing 32-of-41 passes for 342 yards. The line picked up blitzes and kept him upright while opening up holes for Barkley and McSorley to run.

For redshirt junior McGovern and the rest of the line, they look to build off a solid ending to the season. The news of his Rimington selection should boost the line’s confidence a bit as well, knowing they have a national spotlight on them.

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For an offensive line looking to improve, McGovern’s preseason selection shows promise, but it now needs to be proved on the field.

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