Penn State Football: what should be the offensive line combination?

Throughout the game against Purdue, Penn State Football was routinely mixing and matching their offensive line to try to find the best combination; and they may have figured it out.

The starting offensive line was as follows:

• LT – Olu Fashanu
• LG – Landon Tengwall
• C – Juice Scruggs
• RG – Sal Wormley
• RT – Caedan Wallace

While left tackle, center, and right guard remained a constant throughout (with the exception of a few plays), it was the left guard and right tackle spots that were being changed around.

Cornell transfer Hunter Nourzad got reps at left guard in his first game with the Nittany Lions, and Bryce Effner saw some action at right tackle.

Both Nourzad and Effner were on the field for that final, game-winning drive; and things seemed to go pretty well with that combination out there. Shoutout to Whiteout Weekly for these stats from Thursday night.

After seeing that tweet, it sparked my interest, and I went back to see what the combinations along the offensive front were at certain points throughout the game.

After the starters remained out there for a little more than a quarter, Nourzad came in to replace Tengwall in the middle of the second quarter. A few possessions later, Effner took over for Wallace at right tackle in the final drive of the first half: which went for a touchdown.

To begin the second half, the starting lineup was back out there.

That combination once again remained out there for the entire third quarter, when no points were scored by the Nittany Lions (just like in the first quarter). The lone sack allowed on the night came on the first play of the fourth quarter, where Wallace got beat on the edge and Clifford had no room to step up in the pocket because Tengwall was driven back into Clifford’s face by his defender.

On the following drive, Hunter Nourzad once again replaced Tengwall, but Wallace remained in at right tackle.

Then, on the drive that began with just under nine minutes remaining in the game, Bryce Effner was once again in the game at right tackle in relief of Caedan Wallace. On the first play of that drive, Keyvone Lee ripped off a 12-yard run. The next play was Clifford’s interception, which had nothing to do with the offensive line as Clifford was well-protected on that play.

The combination of Fashanu, Nourzad, Scruggs, Wormely, and Effner was out there for the remainder of the game, including (as mentioned previously) the game winning drive which felt like the best offensive drive we’ve seen out of Penn State in a few years.

Moral of the story: I think that should be the combination along the offensive front for Penn State Football for the time being.

While there are certainly other factors, scoring zero points in the first and third quarter with Tengwall and Wallace out there raises eyebrows.

Both Hunter Nourzad and Bryce Effner were in the game for four of the Nittany Lions’ five touchdowns on the night–though on Sean Clifford’s QB sneak, Effner was technically lined up as a tight end in a three-point stance to the left of Fashanu.

It would be nice to see the coaching staff roll with Nourzad and Effner in the starting lineup against Ohio, and let them gel with the rest of the offense and offensive line. Then, when the Nittany Lions have a comfortable second half lead (which they should), get Tengwall and Wallace back out there to work on some things, along with some other linemen not in the starting lineup.

If the combination of Olu Fashanu, Hunter Nourzad, Juice Scruggs, Sal Wormley, and Bryce Effner remains the go-to offensive front for Penn State Football, I think this offensive line can finally take that step forward that us fans have been waiting desperately for; and in turn, can help Sean Clifford and the offense be a good, balanced attack that can win a lot of football games.