Penn State staying vigilant on keeping bodies healthy

Penn State has enough experience on its extended coaching staff androster to feel confident regarding preparation.

Yet there’s no denying that, as they prepare to face Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals, the Nittany Lions are swimming in uncharted waters.

Players are staying vigilant as an already-long football season continues, with Thursday’s Orange Bowl representing Penn State’s 16th game of the season.

Few players escape endof- year bumps and bruises during a normal 12-game campaign.

Add in a league championship game plus two rounds of the CFP, with more football on deck, and the unavoidable bodily wear and tear is destined to continue.

“Just in terms of the longevity of the season and keeping your body healthy, this is the longest anybody’s ever experienced,” Penn State senior defensive lineman Dvon J-Thomas said. “I think it’s important for us to look at the recovery portion of it all and make sure everybody’s on their P’s and Q’s, because the season could go in a lot of different directions. … It’s a lot of games, so staying healthy is pivotal.”

Not that Penn State is alone in managing a season that is approaching the NFL in terms of games played.

The remaining CFP contenders, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas, are fighting the same battle.

Regardless, in State College, players do their best to stay in peak form with both their bodies and minds.

“Physically, you’re playing 16 games,” junior tailback Nick Singleton said. “Everybody’s banged up, everybody’s sore and all that, but it comes to being in the treatment room all the time, holding yourself accountable and trying to take care of your body so you’ll be ready for game day.

“Mentally, it’s draining. It’s a long season, so just trying to keep your mind locked in, try to (watch) your film and just try to get better each day.”

On coach James Franklin’s staff, overseeing the health of the team falls largely in assistant athletic director for performance enhancement Chuck Losey’s wheelhouse.

While Losey and his trainers take the lead, players understand they must be accountable themselves, as well.

“Coach Losey and the strength staff do a good job of making sure we do that, but it’s on us as players to individually, take care of your body,” sophomore linebacker Tony Rojas said. “It’s a long season. You’ve got to do what’s best for you, which is coming in the morning or after practice, cold tub, hot tub — whatever you have to do — going into treatment after games and whatnot. Just getting your body feeling right is important.”

Some positions have it easier than others when it comes to mitigating stress to the body, particularly by labor distribution with snap counts.

In the trenches, doing so is arguably most necessary, with Penn State aiming to keep a fresh rotation on the offensive and defensive lines.

For Thomas and his fellow defensive linemen, having a deep rotation has been key.

Being able to sub in younger players for reps, such as freshman Max Granville, who stepped up in the quarterfinals vs. Boise State after Abdul Carter went down with an injury, also helps.

“Of course you want to stay out there every single snap, every single play — it’s the biggest games of the year,” J-Thomas said. “But realistically speaking, you have to get some rotation in, and you have to get some rest.

“The younger guys, we’ve been doing it all season — bringing the younger guys along, trying to develop them to the point where they can go into big situations. I think