Akeel Lynch probably doesn’t think about it much.
Or maybe it comes back to him without warning. The way your mind wanders across your memories as you fall asleep like fingers across a bookshelf. The good and the bad, the old and the new.
This particular memory comes from the final play of the Ohio State game last season. Specifically, Lynch getting blocked almost violently into the back of Christian Hackenberg by All-American talent Joey Bosa to end the upset bid.
To be fair a lot went wrong during that play. Lynch has never been an outstanding pass blocker, the offensive line in turn did little to help their cause that play. The loss was a team effort as much as it was a team effort to get things to double overtime.
At the end of the day Lynch knows, even if simply from a factual standpoint, that he couldn’t stop Bosa. And in turn the game ended. Even if it wasn’t his fault, he had a small part to play in the loss. Anyone who has ever done anything competitive knows the dangers of the “what if.” It’s only natural.
Even so, Lynch has continued to hone his craft away from the “basics” of carrying the ball. His blocking, his ability to read coverages and see blitzes. All the little things that make him more than just a player who carries the ball.
“I’ve picked it up a lot this year,” Lynch said of his role outside carrying the ball. “I understand my role in the defense now, read the safeties, read the fronts, and I think I stepped up there tremendously now.”
And that’s good news for Penn State. Without a doubt Lynch has the tools to be the kind of back Penn State needs him to be. A combination of speed and power with veteran savoy and a passion for the game. It was just the little things that could bring his game to the next level. It’s one thing to be able to gain six yards a carry, it’s another to be able to gain five and also be an excellent pass blocker.
That’s something Lynch has been able to work on, and a perk gf now getting lots more first team reps.
“it definitely helps,” Lynch said of being able to get physical reps in practice. “The thing is that I always takes mental reps when I’m not in. I ask for the play and go through it on the sidelines. But that’s the only way you’re gonna get better in the game of football is by getting in and playing so those reps help a lot.”
In the end nothing might be able to slow down the likes of Joey Bosa.
But next time it’s Lynch’s turn to try, he’ll be even more prepared to give it a go.
And who knows, there is a first for everything.
