Penn State offensive lineman Landon Tengwall is happy. It’s hard to blame him. The weather is nice, he’s healthy after missing time last season due to injury, and spring practice is about to dive headfirst into this weekend’s Blue-White game. There’s plenty to be happy about.
But there’s also the bigger picture: For the first time in forever Penn State’s offensive line is fixing to be quite good. After a decade of “maybe this year” and an inflated sense of optimism, there’s an argument to be made that Penn State’s best offensive unit aside from its running back group is the offensive line that will be blocking for them.
“I’d say you kind of feel that from the team too,” Tengwall said of the offensive line being a strength. “When the team sees a position group or whatever it may be. We’re around each other and you can kind of get that feel you’re like wow, this group or a certain room is making a big stride. I think obviously the offensive line room has made some great strides and we’ve got to keep improving, but I think we’re in a great place right now.”
For Penn State’s offensive line, you could be forgiven for wanting to see it before believing it. But in 2022 the Nittany Lions made undeniable strides up front, which were only magnified by the running success of backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. With a new quarterback at the helm of the offense now in 2023, it stands to reason the Nittany Lions will once again lean on the ground game to help ease the burden off a young signal-caller’s shoulders.
Fortunately for Penn State, the Nittany Lions have both the line to do that and the running backs to make the most of it. Maybe it has been a long time coming, but that time arrived all the same.
“It’s cool to put on the film and see that a guy got a pancake here that you didn’t see or drove them off the screen. We love that stuff. But it’s definitely a feel [out on the field],” Tengwall said of the line. “I’d say really it comes when running the ball if you went out there and dominated a team on the ground. Everybody can kind of feel that energy as an offensive line. You’re helping the team out, that’s what we love to do. We’re selfless individuals, the offensive line position – you don’t get a ton of glory there. But I would say it’s definitely a feel thing and I would say mainly it’s running the ball and then protecting the quarterback. If we’re imposing our will on the ground, and we’re keeping our quarterback off the ground, you’re gonna see smiles on the offensive line.”
Around Tengwall, the once highly touted prospect will have the likes of Hunter Nourzad, Drew Shelton, Caedan Wallace and Olu Fashanu at his side. All four bring different skillsets to the table, let alone a host of other younger players waiting in the wings, but it’s hard to deny the importance of Fashanu – a once Top 10 projected NFL Draft pick – opting to return to Penn State.
“[He’s impressive.],” Tengwall said of Fashanu. “I mean really everything about him. How he plays in the run game, pass game, everything. Everything’s really just impressive about him. You’re talking about a guy that could have easily been a Top 10 pick this past year and decided to come back. And that’s that’s awesome for the team and he’s a great leader.”
So yeah, Tengwall is happy, and it’s hard to blame him.
