How will Penn State replace 2 linemen who are out with long-term injuries? What to expect
Penn State will be without two key linemen for an extended period of time after they suffered injuries in the team’s 26-25 win over Minnesota.
Head coach James Franklin said Monday at his weekly press conference that starting right tackle Anthony Donkoh and reserve defensive tackle Alonzo Ford both have long-term injuries.
Here’s how Penn State will look to replace both players the rest of the season.
Rucci takes over at right tackle
Donkoh’s replacement should be fairly straightforward with redshirt junior Nolan Rucci stepping in as the starter. He came in against Minnesota when Donkoh went down and has done so when the starter dealt with injuries at other points in the season, too. Rucci and Donkoh competed for the starting job during the spring and fall with the latter ultimately winning the job. The only question now is how much of a drop-off there will be with Rucci in the spot.
There will certainly be some, with Donkoh quickly establishing himself as a high-level tackle when healthy. He’s a strong and nimble lineman who can excel in the running game as much as he does as a pass protector, providing quarterback Drew Allar with a level of comfort knowing the right edge of the line is in good hands. While Rucci has all of the tools to succeed — and did at times on Saturday — there are still rough edges to smooth out in his game.
“We think Rucci played well,” Franklin said. “I think our offensive line, as well as Rucci, I think you could watch 20 plays and be very impressed. And then you could watch a couple plays and be frustrated. And that’s not just coming from me, that’s coming from the line coaches. That’s coming from the players, themselves. ... But yeah I think that we were pleased with Rucci, and we sure are glad he’s on our team. We felt like that all yearlong. And we’re gonna need him to have a really good week this week in preparation as well as on Saturday. And I have a lot of confidence that he will.”
He won’t be taking reps without competition, though. Reserve lineman JB Nelson, who has dealt with injuries of his own, should see an increase in reps at tackle, and Franklin mentioned Cooper Cousins, Eagan Boyer and J’ven Williams as players who could see an increase as well. Cousins has primarily played inside at guard, but has shown the versatility to play all five spots on the offensive line. Boyer has not contributed much — as you’d expect for a true freshman — but has received praise from Franklin in the past for how much he’s grown in his first year on campus. Williams is another player who has played inside at guard and tackle and could be a viable rotation piece if need be.
Replacing Ford’s snaps
The situation at defensive tackle is much less straight forward. Ford saw an uptick in snaps this year and was thriving as a backup, especially with Hakeem Beamon’s departure from the team earlier in November. With him gone, there is a significant void that will need to be filled, even though Ford was a backup.
Starting tackles D’von J-Thomas and Zane Durant should continue to take on the most reps, but increasing snaps for either may do more harm than good. While they’re the two best defensive tackles on the team, they’ve been great in part because they’re able to play with a full gas tank because of the way the team rotates players. Coziah Izzard should see a few more reps, as he did against Minnesota as the primary backup. But beyond that, there will be questions about who steps in.
There are young players on the roster like Ty Blanding and Xavier Gilliam who could step in and soak up some of the snaps Ford leaves behind, but it’s unlikely they’ll be able to match his production as a run stopper and pass rusher. While his departure may seem less consequential because he’s a backup, that is not the case. How Ford is replaced will be one of the more interesting situations to monitor this weekend against Maryland, largely because there is no Nolan Rucci behind him that can immediately step up and take on his role.
This will be an opportunity for some of those younger players, like Blanding and Gilliam, to step in and establish themselves as a rotation player, not only heading into a likely appearance in the College Football Playoff, but also as the team heads into next season with J-Thomas and Izzard exhausting their eligibility after this year.
