When the running game is dominant you have to give credit to the oline. And we all know that even with Barkley the oline wasn't super, but instead Barkley got lots of yards on his own.
For the oline to get recognition the team also needs excellent RB's.
When think back to when I remember a DOMINANT running game. And dominant is really key. PSU has had lots of running back that have excelled, put up numbers. But for example, even some of the very best PSU teams didn't have dominant running games. The 1986 national champions ran well and passed when they needed to, but Dozier didn't dominate.
So I look at teams like when LJ Jr ran at will. Sure he was a dominant RB. But he was afforded consistent running lanes. When Enis dominated teams his last year. When he had the lanes to embarass USC in the early season game.
So for me to believe the 2024 oline is one of the elite PSU olines I want to see them dominate against a very good team. Against a top 10 team. Maybe the only opportunity to do that is against oh-high-ya during this regular season. If PSU would get to the B10 championship game against Oregon or UM that might be another opportunity. And then if PSU would make the playoff.
Although the USC game will be an opportunity to shine for the oline, it doesn't seem that the USC defense is really good enough that if PSU runs very well against it that that would be a premier accomplishment. And I'm putting Illinois into that category as well.
Obviously pass protection is another part of it. Allar didn't really have time to sit back there and pick apart Illinois. Allar was under pressure when he under threw the deep ball, throwing off his back foot as he sort of pulled back from the rush. So the pass protection really needs to get shored up somewhat. But most coaches would love to just line up and run the ball down an opponents throat if they could do it, so to me being dominant even in today's wide open offenses is still about a dominant running game that can take a team to dominant running attacks against the best defenses. Like what Michigan did last season, but without knowing what plays and calls the other team was making by cheating.
JMO
