UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State had seven chances to push the ball in from the 3-yard line in last week’s nine-overtime loss to Illinois, and the Nittany Lions converted just once during the 2-point conversion shootout.

Penn State attempted a number of different ways to reach the end zone — handoffs, passes, even a trick play with tight end Tyler Warren throwing to quarterback Sean Clifford — but the raw result was the Nittany Lions couldn’t ground out 3 yards they desperately needed.

That starts with the offensive line, and this week, the message from coach James Franklin and players in that position group is Penn State needs to play with increased physicality in the trenches to impose their will, especially in short-yardage situations on the ground.

“I think the first thing to your point is fundamentals and technique,” Franklin said this week. “It’s also size and mass and strength, and it’s also making sure our runners are running with the right type of mentality down there. It’s all of it. I don’t think there’s any question about that. So it’s something we’re going to continue to emphasize and continue to work on, but it starts with that. We got to get more push, and we got to get more physical at the point of attack. That’s with our offensive line and tight ends.”

The Penn State running game has struggled this season with the top four running backs averaging 3.9 yards per carry. And when it’s come to tough yards in tough situations, the Nittany Lions have struggled.

There have been some rotating pieces on the offensive line, with redshirt junior Bryce Effner rotating in for graduate transfer Eric Wilson at left guard at times and redshirt senior Mike Miranda moving from center to right guard with redshirt junior Juice Scruggs moving from right guard to center against Illinois.

On Wednesday, Scruggs offered a simple explanation on where his unit needed to improve.

“I would just say us up front, we just got to be more physical. We just got to come off the ball and move people. That’s it,” Scruggs said.

“Just coming out every day, working on it, hitting the sled. Just staying in our legs and driving.”

At this point in the season — No. 20 Penn State faces No. 5 Ohio State on Saturday night in the eighth game of the year — it can be difficult to implement an increase in intensity. Practices are structured to prevent players from getting hurt. Plus, there’s been a build-up of reps during the season, and players need to be fresh for Saturdays.

The physical mentality of a team is established during the offseason and training camp.

“I think more than anything, it’s pad level, it’s footwork, it’s fundamentals that we were working today in practice,” Franklin said.

“It’s just pretty much going out there and just attacking the same drills and just keep repping them, keep repping them, keep repping them until you get great at them,” Scruggs said.

The offensive line and the running game were expected to be two of the more solid aspects of Penn State in 2021. The running back room is deep and seasoned, and junior Noah Cain’s return from injury was supposed to bolster the group. Instead, there’s been little consistency from Cain, sophomore Keyvone Lee, fifth-year senior John Lovett or junior Devyn Ford.

Up front, redshirt junior Rasheed Walker and redshirt sophomore Caedan Wallace were back at left tackle and right tackle respectively, and Miranda moved from left guard to center after earning second-team All-Big Ten honors a year ago.

Neither the running backs nor the offensive line have been able to get much established this season, and it was a resurgent Clifford who primarily served as the engine to the offense in the early part of the season.

“There’s nothing I can put my finger on,” Miranda said Wednesday. “I just know that right now we need to do better at it, and that’s what we’re focused on in practice.”

The Ohio State defense is a talented group, even if there were some early-season struggles. The Penn State offense will need to be on its game to give itself a chance, and that will start up front in the trenches.

“You always got to try to improve on your technique, always got to work on your technique because it’s something that just doesn’t come,” Scruggs said. “It’s something you have to work on and always improve on, and just physicality is just a mindset, to be honest. You just got to put the two together.”

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