Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1439730
1 2 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Senior Jordan Stout was named the Big Ten's Punter of the Year in November, headlining Penn State's latest contingent of all-conference hon- orees. The Nittany Lions' do-it-all special teams standout excelled throughout the season, punting 62 times for an average of 46.5 yards. He improved consider- ably from last season — his first as Penn State's punter — when he averaged 41.5 yards per at- tempt. The Lions ranked second in the nation in Football Outsiders' punt efficiency metric this sea- son, trailing only Cincinnati. Stout also was named a third- team All-American by the Associ- ated Press, and his excellence in the punt game certainly was a factor in Penn State's elite defensive showing in the regular season. The Nittany Lions ranked 36th in the country in total defense but 17th in scoring defense. Fifteen other Penn State players received all-con- ference nods. The top offensive honoree was se- nior receiver Jahan Dotson, who earned first-team honors from the media and second-team notice from the league's coaches. Dotson, who elected not to play in the Outback Bowl, finished with 91 catches for 1,182 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was later named a third-team AP All-American and was a third-team All-Big Ten punt returner. Elsewhere on offense, redshirt junior left tackle Rasheed Walker received third-team recognition, while senior quarterback Sean Clifford, redshirt junior lineman Juice Scruggs and redshirt sopho- more tight end Brenton Strange were honorable mention choices. The dearth of all-conference honorees reflected Penn State's middling performance on offense throughout the year. The Nittany Lions averaged just 26.2 points per game in the regular season and ranked 82nd in the FBS in total yards per game (382.0), 118th in rushing yards per game (107.6) and 71st in team passing efficiency (136.54 rating). The Lions enjoyed more success in 2021 on the defensive side of the ball, and that, too, was re- flected in the all-conference selections, with 10 Penn State defensive players earning honors. The Lions had two players on the first-team All- Big Ten defensive squad: senior end Arnold Ebik- etie and senior safety Jaquan Brisker. Both were unanimous selections. Ebiketie injected some much-needed pass rush- ing dynamism after transferring to Penn State from Temple. He led the Big Ten during the regular sea- son with 17 tackles for loss and finished third in the conference with 9.5 sacks. He also blocked a pair of kicks. Pro Football Focus graded Ebiketie as the No. 10 edge rusher in the nation with at least 100 snaps, and the No. 2 edge rusher in the Big Ten behind only Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson, who notched 13 regular-season sacks. Brisker, a second-team AP All-American, spent another season as Penn State's field gen- eral in the secondary and also proved to be a crucial presence defending the run, registering 47 total tackles. Opposing of- fenses targeted him 22 times in coverage this season, and Brisker surrendered only 12 receptions for 105 yards. In addition to Ebiketie and Brisker, senior defen- sive tackle PJ Mustipher earned a second-team All-Big Ten nod from the coaches, despite miss- ing more than half the season with an injury. Mustipher finished the year with 21 tackles, in- cluding three TFLs, to go with one sack. He was an honorable mention choice by the media. Joining Mustipher on the coaches' second team was middle linebacker Ellis Brooks, who turned heads with an excellent showing in his senior sea- son. An honorable mention choice by the media panel, Brooks finished the regular season with 100 tackles to lead the team, including 3.5 TFLs and a sack. A pair of Penn State defensive backs were named third-team All-Big Ten. Senior safety Ji'Ayir Brown was rewarded by the coaches for his break- out season, in which he came down with four in- terceptions. Redshirt sophomore cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was also saluted by the coaches after finishing with 48 tackles and an interception. Both were honorable mention choices by the media. Junior outside linebacker Brandon Smith was named to the All-Big Ten third team by the coaches and was an honorable mention choice by the me- dia. He finished the season with 81 tackles, nine tackles for loss and two sacks. The coaches named senior linebacker/defensive end Jesse Luketa to the third team as well. Earning honorable mention nods were senior cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields and sophomore outside linebacker Curtis Jacobs. — David Eckert with coordinator Mike Yurcich for an- other year. "One of the most appealing factors that played into it was having an offen- sive coordinator for two years, back-to- back. I have yet to have that as a starter. And to be honest with you, it has been difficult at times," Clifford said. "You can't go back to the last season and look at the tape. Having that stability and having that opportunity to play with Coach Yurcich again and run the same playbook, but be able to add and take out, talk throughout the offseason about the whole season before, there's a lot of value in that, which is underap- preciated." Yurcich echoed the sentiment. The Lions' offensive coordinator rec- ognized the persistence that Clifford had displayed throughout his career and knew what that could mean for the program in 2022 and even beyond. The Lions are welcoming two true freshmen in January in Beau Pribula and Drew Al- lar, plus they return a redshirt freshman quarterback in Christian Veilleux. With such an abundance of youth, the ben- efits of having a veteran on hand were undeniable. "I told Sean that I wanted him back, obviously, for a lot of different reasons," Yurcich said. "I think he's a great young man, and I enjoyed coaching him. "He had to want to come back for this next season. So, I think that's impor- tant. He had to try to figure it out, and [we were] not overly pushy and trying to recruit and influence him. We kind of just laid it out there, and he talked with his close friends and parents and people that he confides in, and came to the conclusion that coming back would be beneficial towards his career and what he wants to do, which we're ecstatic about." Sharing in that excitement, Clifford says he is ready for what's ahead. "Being able to communicate … with Coach Yurcich for another year, it's go- ing to be outstanding and it's going to benefit a lot of people," Clifford said. "I'm excited just to be that old guy for everybody to learn, to grow, and to make strides for this team." ■ Stout was named the Big Ten Punter of the Year after averaging 46.5 yards per attempt during the regular season. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Punter Jordan Stout Headlines PSU's List Of All-Big Ten Honorees