For the Penn State Nittany Lions, especially in the Matt Campbell era, there may be no more important position in the offense than that of the tight end. Not only do tight ends in the Campbell/Mouser scheme have to able to make difficult catches, they also have to be accountable in the run game, doing the dirty work to create lanes for the multiple running backs that Penn State like to rotate. One pivotal piece of the room may be a guy who does not get much attention, but he just gets the job done.
Gabe Burkle may not have come to Happy Valley to be an explosive playmaker, but he knows that he doesn't need to be. The fact of the matter is Burkle only has six catches for 65 yards this season. Add that to his total from his lone season at Iowa
State and he only has 672. Still, it is his sheer presence on the field that make Burkle so unique in his implementation in this offense. Without him, Penn State may not have looked as good on the ground last week as they did.
At 6-6 an 247 pounds, Burkle is one of the most physically imposing tight ends in Penn State's entire room. Unlike several other tight ends such as Benjamin Brahmer and Andrew Rappleyea, who are seen as primary targets in this offense, Burkle is part of the heavy packages that OC Taylor Mouser sometimes sends out and most importantly, is someone who can fix protection. Still, his sheer size also keeps defenses honest, so if you do lose track of him, he may break out for a nice gain in short yardage situations.
While Burkle's role against Washington this week may not look all that impactful, you will soon come to appreciate what he does should the run game continue its success.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State TE willing to do the dirty work for the offense
