Penn State’s offensive line has been a troubling concern for much of the season, so news out of practice on Wednesday evening should come as some encouragement for Penn State fans. Left tackle Donovan Smith is reportedly back at practice at his normal spot on the line. It looks optimistic Smith will be available this weekend when Penn State hosts Temple in non-conference play.
Smith had missed Penn State’s last two games due to an unspecified injury that took place during Penn State’s home loss to Ohio State. Smith did not make the trip with the team to Bloomington, Indiana for last weekend’s game against the Hoosiers. Head coach James Franklin has not discussed the injury publicly.
Last week Penn State’s young offensive line welcome back Miles Dieffenbach, who had not played all season. Dieffenbach played in a limited capacity in his season debut. If Penn State can somehow get Dieffenbach and Smith back on the same line, then the entire offensive line should show some improvement.
The winner of Saturday’s Penn State-Temple game will become eligible to play in a postseason bowl game. Penn State’s defense should be fine against the Owls offense. If Penn State cannot plug some holes on the offensive line, then Temple’s defense is fully capable of doing what most teams have been able to do in bringing pressure on Christian Hackenberg and taking away the Penn State running game.