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Penn State Football: biggest surprises from the first five games of the 2022 season

By Nick Kreiser

AUBURN, ALABAMA - SEPTEMBER 17: Running back Nicholas Singleton #10 of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs the ball past of safety Zion Puckett #10 of the Auburn Tigers for a touchdown during the second half of play at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 17, 2022 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
AUBURN, ALABAMA - SEPTEMBER 17: Running back Nicholas Singleton #10 of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs the ball past of safety Zion Puckett #10 of the Auburn Tigers for a touchdown during the second half of play at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 17, 2022 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /
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Although Purdue and Auburn don’t look as good as what they were expected to in the preseason, some Penn State Football fans may still be surprised to see their Nittany Lions sitting at 5-0 heading into the bye week.

Regardless of a team’s record, there will always be some surprises and key takeaways from the first handful of games of the season–and this squad is no exception.

Here are six of the biggest surprises (in no particular order) through the unofficial first half of the 2022 Penn State Football season.

First half surprise #1 – the offensive line has finally improved

STATE COLLEGE, PA – SEPTEMBER 24: Offensive lineman Olumuyiwa Fashanu #74 of the Penn State Nittany Lions lines up against the Central Michigan Chippewas during the first half at Beaver Stadium on September 24, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA – SEPTEMBER 24: Offensive lineman Olumuyiwa Fashanu #74 of the Penn State Nittany Lions lines up against the Central Michigan Chippewas during the first half at Beaver Stadium on September 24, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

We’ve waited long enough.

There is certainly a long way to go before the Penn State offensive line is considered great, but this feels like the first time in a long time that they’ve been noticeably better and haven’t been a weakness of the team.

Coming into the season, we thought it could be improved, but since we’ve thought that basically every year prior, only to be disappointed, this comes as a surprise.

Pass protection hasn’t been up to snuff, but it’s been better than a year ago.

The biggest difference is their run blocking. Sure, it helps to have some outstanding running backs in the backfield, but improved run blocking has certainly played a role in this team being able to turn things around with the rushing attack.

Last season, they couldn’t even move Villanova defenders off the line of scrimmage, but this year has been a different story.

As a first-year starter, Olu Fashanu has been excellent at left tackle; and as expected, Juice Scruggs has done a great job anchoring the interior of the offensive front at center. Landon Tengwall also seems to be settling in at left guard, and it will be interesting to see how this line performs down the stretch as they continue to grow, but also face stiffer competition.

One thing is for sure, Penn State Football fans ought to feel better about the offensive line than they have in a while, even if they still have their flaws.

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