"Of course you always wanna keep the ball as long as possible," starting right tackle John Wilson said. "It will definitely be a great thing if we can do that."
But this season, the quick strike has been the personality of this revamped Lions offense. After four games, the offense hasn't manufactured a scoring drive longer than three minutes.
A year ago, the Lions defense was screaming for points. This year, they're pleased that the points have arrived, only the pace is more rapid than expected.
Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson knows that when an opportunity presents itself, it's hard to pass it up.
"We definitely have to make the most of our chances," Robinson said. "And try to put points on the board and try to stop them from putting points on the board."
The Gophers have little remorse about feeding Maroney the ball as much as possible. Maroney rushed for 217 yards on 46 carries in their victory against Purdue last week.
"Yeah, they have a good running back," Lions right guard Tyler Reed said. "We are going to go out there and play our game plan. If we think we can score on them, we're not going to throw the ball down and not score, we're going to go out there and do what we can do."
Robinson said that the win against Northwestern was no Rose Bowl victory for the Lions and that they have to get better at all facets each week.
"We have some big tests we have to overcome," Robinson said. "And these next few weeks will tell what kind of offense and what kind of team we have."
One kind of team the Lions can't be called as of yet is a power running team. This season, they've rarely lined up against an opponent and run the ball directly at it. But running the ball is something most offensive linemen, historically, have taken a lot of pride in.
Reed hopes the Lions can take the next step toward proving they can line up and have a power run game, too.
"Any offensive lineman will tell you they like to show they can run the ball at people," Reed said. "I think we might have a chance to prove it this week."
PHOTO: Jeremy Drey
Penn State running back Tony Hunt (26) may play a significant role vs. Minnesota.
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