Penn State had its most successful rushing effort of the season against Iowa. The Nittany Lions used tailbacks Rodney Kinlaw and Evan Royster to slice through the stout Hawkeyes defense.
The running backs were able to hold onto the football, for the most part, and Royster added a yet unseen dimension to the offense. But, in large part, both had success because of a tremendous effort from the Penn State offensive line, which is now taking shape.
If the rushing game is going to have success tomorrow, Penn State's offensive line might need another Herculean effort
"They're an experienced front seven," center A.Q. Shipley said of Wisconsin's defense. "They've been around. They know what it takes to get it done."
The Badgers' 301-pound senior Nick Hayden is a standout at defensive tackle. Matt Shaughnessy is a 6-foot-6 defensive end who creates havoc in Big Ten backfields. In short, Wisconsin's defensive line is full of talent.
That's not unlike Iowa, which has an all-conference-type performer in Mitch King, a 6-foot-3 defensive tackle with a never-ending motor.
Despite the Hawkeyes' solid unit, the Penn State offensive line had one of its best performances of the season. In an important switch to combat King, left guard Rich Ohrnberger was moved to the right side. Right guard Mike Lucian was moved left.
It was a successful scheme because the Lions' offensive line looked as good as it had all season.
Joe Paterno hinted this week that Ohrnberger would return to the left and Lucian would go back to the right side.
Shipley said he was under the impression Ohrnberger and Lucian would line up the same as they did against Iowa -- flip-flopped.
"It all depends," Paterno said. "One plays left, one plays right; they are so similar. I think you might see Lucian at right and Ohrnberger back at left."
For most games this season, it's taken Penn State time to heat up offensively. The rushing game, in particular, has been slow at the outset.
But with the position switch on against Iowa, the Lions were able to pound their ground game and even fall into sync early into the game. At one point early in the second quarter, Royster ran seven consecutive times, driving about 25 yards to set up a Kevin Kelly field goal. Later the Lions rushed the ball eight times during an 11-play drive.
Was the newfound success because of the switch? It's possible. The combination, clearly, worked against Iowa.
"Rich played right guard all last year, and in the spring I played left guard and at the end of the spring they switched me to right guard," Lucian after the Iowa game.
"I feel more comfortable on the left."
Lucian is compact at 6-foot-2, 284 pounds, but he's made up for his relative lack of size with the right combination of technique and grit. Ohrnberger still makes "a lot of mistakes in the clutch," Paterno said, citing some offside and holding penalties.
Regardless, the line is starting to flush out. Halfway through the season, the unit is finding a combination that fits and has experienced some different defensive packages that include varying blitzes and stunts.
"I think we are getting better," Paterno said. "But we're a long way off from being where we've got to be."
