The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 137 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Last season was a whirlwind for Penn State. The Nittany Lions be‑ gan the year by losing to Indiana in overtime, and wound up falling in each of their first five games. They then turned things around, starting against Michigan in Ann Arbor, beating the Wolverines, 27‑17, to kick off a four‑game win streak that closed the campaign. PSU will look to carry that mo‑ mentum into 2021. The Nittany Lions' offense was adequate last season. The unit gen‑ erated 29.8 points and 430.3 yards per game, which ranked second and third in the Big Ten, respectively. Redshirt junior quarterback Sean Clifford was the primary man under center, but he platooned with Will Levis, who transferred to Kentucky this offseason. It'll be Clifford's show now that Levis is gone, after an up‑ and‑down campaign in 2020. He completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 1,883 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine picks. The experience is there with Clifford, who has started 18 career games. The offense showed big‑play ability last season, producing 146 plays of 10‑plus yards and 43 gains of at least 20, with both of those marks checking in second in the conference. Among the most explosive players was junior wide receiver Jahan Dotson, who was respon‑ sible for registering 34 plays that gained dou‑ ble‑digit yards, including 15 of 20 or more. He also led the Big Ten in receiving yards (884) and receiving touchdowns (eight), and ranked third in catches (52). He's joined in the wide receiving corps by freshmen Parker Washington, who tallied 36 receptions for 489 yards and six touchdowns, and KeAndre Lambert‑Smith, who posted 15 catches for 138 yards last season. Penn State lost running back Noah Cain to a knee injury after he notched just three carries in the opener. He should be back this fall, though, adding a boost to a group that operated by committee last season. Cain has averaged 5.2 yards per carry for his career, and he ran for eight touchdowns as a true freshman in 2019. Three starters return on the offensive front, providing some continuity at the line of scrimmage. The group is highlighted by redshirt sophomore left tackle Rasheed Walker, who was a third‑team All‑Big Ten honoree last season and landed on Athlon's preseason all‑conference first team. The Nittany Lions' defense was solid a year ago, allowing just 328.9 yards per con‑ test (17th nationally). The struggles came in the red zone, where Penn State allowed opponents to score on 88.3 percent of their trips inside the 20‑yard line (104th in the land). Meanwhile, the strength of the unit was on the back end, with the club yielding 198.6 passing yards per game, which checked in second in the Big Ten and 24th in the country. Leading the charge in the secondary is fifth‑year senior safety Jaquan Brisker, a third‑team All‑Big Ten selection who also earned first‑team All‑America honors from Pro Football Focus. He made 57 tackles (three for loss), with one interception and a team‑high six passes broken up last season. The team's starting cornerbacks from 2020 — fifth‑year senior Tariq Castro‑Fields and redshirt freshman Joey Porter Jr. — are also set to return and add stability. The front seven was sufficient, ranking 26th in the country in rushing yards allowed per game (130.2) and 49th in tackles for loss per contest (6.6). But there are question marks up front heading into 2021, with only one starter on the defensive line — junior tackle PJ Mustipher — set to return. He is a big piece, having made 35 tackles and earning an All‑ Big Ten honorable mention nod last season. There is a lot that is unknown surrounding the defensive line, with head coach James Franklin and Co. having brought in two trans‑ fers — tackle Derrick Tangelo (Duke) and Arnold Ebiketie (Temple). The former racked up 38 tackles and two sacks last season, while the latter notched 42 stops and four sacks. Sophomore linebacker Brandon Smith an‑ chors his position group and was very active last season. He registered 37 tackles, which ranked fifth on the team, and led the squad in stops behind the line of scrimmage with eight. He also made one interception. Notes Penn State returns its top three rushers from last season in freshman Keyvone Lee (438 yards), redshirt sophomore quarterback Sean Clifford (335 yards) and sophomore running back Devyn Ford (274 yards) … The Nittany Lions' offensive line ranked 109th nationally last season in sacks allowed per game (3.1). ❏ PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Jahan Dotson, Jr., WR He landed on Athlon's preseason All-Big Ten first team … His average of 17 yards per reception ranked fourth in the league last season. Defense: Jaquan Brisker, 5th-Sr., S He notched two interceptions and three passes bro- ken up as a junior in 2019 … Played at Lackawanna Community College from 2017-18, before transferring to Penn State. Can The Nittany Lions Ride Late-Season Momentum Into 2021? 2021 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2020 Result Sept. 4 at Wisconsin — Sept. 11 Ball State — Sept. 18 Auburn — Sept. 25 Villanova — Oct. 2 Indiana L, 36-35 (OT) Oct. 9 at Iowa L, 41-21 Oct. 23 Illinois W, 56-21 Oct. 30 at Ohio State L, 38-25 Nov. 6 at Maryland L, 35-19 Nov. 13 Michigan W, 27-17 Nov. 20 Rutgers W, 23-7 Nov. 27 at Michigan State W, 39-24 Fifth-year senior cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields is a pre- season third-team All-Big Ten pick by Athlon. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS GAME 10 • PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS • NOV. 13 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Michigan leads 14-10 First Meeting: U-M 21, Penn State 13 (Oct. 16, 1993 at State College, Pa.) Last Meeting: Penn State 27, U-M 17 (Nov. 28, 2020 at Ann Arbor) Head Coach: James Franklin, 60-28 at Penn State (8th year) and 84-43 overall (11th year) 2020 In Review: 4-5 overall, 4-5 Big Ten (3rd East) Final 2020 Ranking: Unranked Returning Starters: 16 (7 offense, 7 defense, 2 spe - cialists) Last Bowl Appearance: 2019 (Goodyear Cotton Bowl vs. Memphis, W 53-39) Returning Leaders Passing: Sean Clifford (1,883 yards, 16 TD) Rushing: Keyvone Lee (438 yards, 4 TD) Receiving: Jahan Dotson (884 yards, 8 TD) Tackles: Ellis Brooks (60) Sacks: Brandon Smith (2) Interceptions: Brandon Smith, Jaquan Brisker, Keaton Ellis (1)