Like most linemen, Penn State OL Vega Ioane is quietly having a great season. That’s usually the way it works for an offensive lineman. It’s usually a bad thing when an offensive lineman’s name is coming up frequently.
But when you see a man that’s listed at 6-4, 348 pounds on Penn State football’s official roster go in motion, that’s going to raise some eyebrows.
Ioane got what some may call a lineman’s dream last weekend when he went in motion and leveled UCLA defensive end Luke Schuermann on a run play by Kaytron Allen. And when he crushed Schuermann the first time to put him on his back, Ioane pushed him back down one more time for good measure.
It’s just what PSU coach James Franklin is looking for when it comes to aggressiveness.
“I think we’re more physical as an offense right now,” Franklin said. “That starts up front. Always will.
“Obviously Vega got everybody excited with some of the things that he was doing. It wasn’t just the motion stuff. He did some other things as well.”
Ioane has gained a lot of confidence over the years in his time with the Nittany Lions, which has become a difference maker for the redshirt sophomore.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“Every time I go in, I don’t let the guys around me down,” Ioane said. “I know going out there that I have their back and I let them know I am going to have their backs.”
Franklin has made it a point in the past couple years to get bigger on both the offensive and defensive lines. Franklin feels that it’s been a positive overall.
“You look at Vega, being 350 pounds is unusual,” Franklin said. “But size is a weapon just like length and speed and quickness are weapons. That’s one of them.”
One of the best indicators of a physical team is the rushing stats. The Nittany Lions right now are third in the Big Ten in average rushing yards per game.
“I think we are more physical than we’ve been in the past,” Franklin said. “It’s something we’ve worked really hard at promoting. I think the guys are having fun with it right now.
“I think we’re starting to build a reputation of being a physical team, which is something we take a lot of pride in.”
