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ond-team three-technique defensive tackle. Heading into the bowl game, he has totaled 14 tackles, including one tackle for loss. But his statistics don't tell the entire story. At 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, Mustipher has been able to de- mand double-team blocks, freeing up other players to make tackles. Brooks ended the regular season as Jan Johnson's No. 1 backup at middle line- backer, totaling 27 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and an assisted sack. He also had an interception against Illinois that he re- turned 27 yards. Maybe the most overlooked perform- ance by a freshman defensive player has been Sutherland's. In addition to start- ing the game against Illinois at the strong safety spot, he has been a special teams demon on the punt- and kicko;- coverage units. He's played in all 12 games so far and has made 35 tackles, including two tackles for loss. He also forced a fumble that Penn State recov- ered on a punt return by Kent State. I believe Sutherland will have an excel- lent chance to win Nick Scott's starting strong safety position for the 2019 sea- son. In many respects, his aggressive style of play, especially against the run, reminds me of former Penn State free safety Marcus Allen, who is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers. One other freshman who has played a major role on o;ense, particularly during the second half of the season, is Dotson at both the slot and Z wide receiver posi- tions. Dotson has played in seven games, but it wasn't until the sixth game of the season against Michigan State that he started to see substantial action. He goes into Penn State's matchup with Kentucky having caught 12 passes for 179 yards, helping :ll the void when Juwan Johnson was forced to miss all but a handful of plays during a four-game stretch toward the end of the season. It was during John- son's absence that Dotson received the opportunity to show that he was ready to play as a freshman and become an inte- gral part of Penn State's passing game. Dotson's breakout game was against Rutgers in the Lions' Big Ten road :nale. Starting at the Z position, and also split- ting time with Hamler at the slot re- ceiver spot, he :nished second on the team that a

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