Blue White Illustrated

[Sean Clifford's] turnovers hurt. As did those by Levis. But, just as costly for the Nittany Lions in 2020, was the turnover in the defensive starting lineup. Penn State's defense has righted itself, and should be back to being great in 2021. Pry is still The Guy. The offense? That's another story; 26 points per conference game is merely good, hardly great and definitely not elite. (Which may explain the Ohio State dominating-the-state signings of PA high school superstars Julian Fleming, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Kyle McCord the past two Decembers.) And, given Penn State's 5-7 record over its past dozen Big Ten Conference games, the point(s) is that good is hardly good enough. MIKE POORMAN STATECOLLEGE.COM Levis took over outright as starter once this season against Iowa, but quickly lost that job when he was benched in favor of Clifford in the second half. In short, Penn State may not have a quarterback it can repeatedly lean on throughout its 60-minute games. But that's okay. The one-two punch of Clifford and Levis has worked as of late, and there's no reason to abandon that play style in the remain- ing game or games. ANDREW PORTERFIELD THE DAILY COLLEGIAN T H E M O N T H I N . . . O P I N I O N S JOE KRENTZMAN & SON, INC. • Buyers and Brokers of Steel, Iron and Nonferrous Metals • Industrial Scrap Buyers • Container Service Available • Large Service Territory Since 1903 Lewistown, PA • Hollidaysburg, PA • DuBois, PA (800) 543-2000 • www.krentzman.net F irst i n S cra p A W A R D W A T C H Despite seeing his season cut short by an injury, Pat Freiermuth was named the winner of the Big Ten's Kwalick- Clark Tight End of the Year award. The Penn State junior caught 23 passes for 310 yards and a touchdown in four games before undergoing season-ending surgery. He also received first-team All- Big Ten honors from the league's coaches and a second-team nod from the media. In addition, Penn State's of- fensive line earned plaudits from both the coaches and the media. Guard Mike Miranda received second-team honors from both the coaches and media, while guard/tackle Will Fries earned second- team notice from the coaches and an honorable mention nod from the media. Center Michal Menet was a third-team choice by both the coaches and media, and tackle Rasheed Walker received honorable mention recognition from the coaches. The other Penn State offensive player to be saluted was wideout Jahan Dotson, who earned third-team honors from the coaches. On the opposite side of the ball, the coaches recognized both of Penn State's starting defensive ends as the best in the conference. Shaka Toney and Jayson Oweh were paired on the 2020 All-Big Ten first team for their performances during the Nittany Lions' regular sea- son. Additionally, safety Jaquan Brisker was a third-team selection by the coaches. Oweh and Toney went into Penn State's Champions Week matchup against Illinois tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with 6.5 apiece. Toney was leading the team with four sacks to go along with his two quarterback hur- ries and a forced fumble. Brisker, mean- while, ranked third on the team in tackles with 50. In addition to his offensive recogni- tion, Dotson was also honored for his performance on special teams, picking up a third-team nod as a return special- ist. Fries picked up an additional honor as well, as he was named the winner of Penn State's sportsmanship award. ■

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