Penn State Sports Magazine
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2 6 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 fully ended the marathon game with a two-point completion in the end zone. While the season didn't go the way Penn State had hoped, there were some genuinely thrilling moments and stellar individual performances to reflect on. Here's a sampling: OFFENSIVE MVP It's hard to separate senior wide receiver Jahan Dotson from Clifford since their performances were intertwined. Indeed, they set a school record for a quarterback- receiver combo with their 23 career touch- down connections, breaking the mark that Todd Blackledge and Kenny Jackson es- tablished from 1980-82. You could make a strong case for Clif- ford; his composure in and out of the pocket was often the only thing the Nit- tany Lions' offense had going for it. He finished the regular season with a 62.4 percent completion rate, 2,912 passing yards and a 20-6 touchdown-to-inter- ception ratio. What's more, he played a portion of the season hurt and another portion with the flu. Even those fans who have lukewarm feelings about Clifford's three-year tenure as the starting QB would surely admit the guy is a baller. But, forced to choose, we'll go with Dotson. The Nittany Lions have produced some outstanding receivers during the James Franklin era, from Chris Godwin to DaeSean Hamilton to K.J. Hamler. Dotson stands shoulder-to-shoulder with any of them. A second-team All-Big Ten selection, he finished the regular season with 91 catches for 1,182 yards and 12 touchdowns. His receptions are the third-most in a sin- gle season in school history, and his yard- age and touchdowns are second-most. DEFENSIVE MVP There are several contenders for this distinction. Transfer defensive end Ar- nold Ebiketie was a huge addition, lead- ing the Big Ten in tackles for loss with 17, while linebackers Ellis Brooks and Bran- don Smith shined throughout the season, ranking one-two on the team with 100 and 81 tackles, respectively. Still, senior safety Jaquan Brisker gets the nod here. Brisker was a force at ev- ery level of the defense, intercepting two passes and breaking up five more, while also finishing the regular season with six tackles for loss, only the third time in school history that a defensive back had that many negative-yardage stops. Brisker was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten pick after the season, and he has since been named a first-team All- American by On3, CBS/247 and Pro Foot- ball Focus. He'll be playing in the Senior Bowl on Feb. 5. After that game, the next time you see him, he'll be wearing an NFL uniform. INDIVIDUAL OFFENSIVE PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR Dotson made history against Maryland, catching 11 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-14 Penn State win. His yardage total set a Penn State single-game record, and it included an 86-yard touch- down catch early in the fourth quarter. Dotson was facing a Maryland defense that opted to use man-to-man coverage throughout the game, an approach that he took to be vaguely insulting. "We knew the coverages they were go- ing to give us," Dotson said. "Last year, they played us man the entire game, so we took that personal and took that on as wide receivers. That's a wide receiver's dream, man coverage." It may have been a receiver's dream, but it was an opposing head coach's night- mare. To say that Maryland coach Mi- chael Locksley was disappointed to see his defense carved up so thoroughly would be an understatement. Dotson, he said, "ran slant routes for 242 yards against man coverage. We want to deny inside leverage. He's a big-time player, and he made the plays available to him." INDIVIDUAL DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR On his very first play as a Nittany Lion, Ebiketie announced his presence with authority. The Temple transfer crashed into Wisconsin's backfield and dragged down tailback Chez Mellusi for a four-yard loss, setting the tone for a season opener in which the Lions' de- fense was instrumental in securing a 16-10 victory. Ebiketie finished the afternoon with seven solo tackles, including two tack- les for loss and a sack. The sack forced an intentional grounding penalty with the Badgers sitting at the Penn State 25-yard line, and he also blocked a field goal attempt to scuttle a Wiscon- sin drive that had reached the Lions' 7-yard line. TOP THREE OFFENSIVE PLAYS OF THE YEAR 1. Dotson's Touchdown Catch At Wisconsin The Nittany Lions had done nothing on offense in the first half against Wis- consin, managing only one first down before heading into the locker room to regroup. They were locked in a score- less battle with the Badgers when Dot- son changed everything with a 49-yard touchdown catch early in the third quar- ter. Later, Dotson and Clifford teamed up for a 42-yard completion to set up an- other touchdown. Those scores, coupled with a 24-yard Jordan Stout field goal, were all the Lions would need to escape Madison with an upset victory.