Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1472993
A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 6 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M DEFENSIVE LINEMEN BY THE NUMBERS 26 The number of sacks that Penn State's defensive line totaled in 2021. Of that to- tal, 9.5 were by Arnold Ebiketie, who has since departed for the NFL. The next-highest total for a defensive lineman was 3 by redshirt junior Smith Vilbert, all of which came in a single game, Penn State's loss to Arkansas in the Outback Bowl. 152.7 The average number of yards Penn State allowed rushing last season. The Nittany Lions ranked 10th in the Big Ten and 67th nationally. 268 The number of first downs Penn State's defense allowed in 2021. The Nittany Lions ranked 79th in the nation in that category. ing defensive lineman, totaling 30 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack. • Graduated in the fall with a degree in labor and human resources. DAVON TOWNLEY R-Fr. | 6-6 | 268 • Was redshirted in 2021 • Totaled 42 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 10 pass breakups as a senior at North Community High School in Minneapolis. AMIN VANOVER R-So. | 6-4 | 266 • Appeared in six games in 2021. • Totaled 3 stops, including a tackle for loss against Arkansas in the Outback Bowl. SMITH VILBERT R-Jr. | 6-6 | 260 • Appeared in 12 games last season • Totaled 3 sacks in the Outback Bowl vs. Arkansas, the most sacks by a Penn State player in a single game since Shaka Toney had 3 against Pur- due in 2019. NEWCOMERS DEFENSIVE TACKLE KALEB ARTIS Fr. | 6-4 | 310 • Was a three-star prospect in the On3 Consensus • Finished with 2.5 sacks in an injury- shortened senior season at St. Francis (N.Y.) Prep. Smith Vilbert was the only defensive end to total more than 100 snaps last season. Isaac, too, has played sparingly in his career to date, with only about 300 snaps to his credit. That makes edge rusher an interesting position to watch in Septem- ber. Someone needs to emerge immediately. DEPTH ★★ There's no shortage of bodies, but aside from incoming five-star freshman edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton, how many are bona fide stars just waiting for their chance on the defensive front? At tackle, redshirt junior Hakeem Beamon showed flashes of potential in 2020, but then he missed all of last season for undisclosed reasons. Redshirt freshman Jordan van den Berg made some positive plays in the Outback Bowl, while redshirt sophomore Fatorma Mulbah is yet to make much of an impact. The one player who did generate some buzz this spring was true freshman Zane Durant. The Florida native enrolled in January and is already being talked about as a contributor. Off the edge, redshirt sophomore Zuriah Fisher will miss the 2022 season with an undisclosed injury. Sopho- more Amin Vanover and redshirt freshmen Davon Townley and Rodney McGraw will be expected to take the next step this season, but no one has shown signs yet of becoming the team's next high-impact edge rusher. OVERALL GRADE ★★ Penn State has some nice pieces in Mustipher and Robinson, but the defensive line was a con- cern at times last season. The Nittany Lions fin- ished 10th in the Big Ten in rushing defense. With less experience at linebacker this year compared to last, that's a worrisome stat. Isaac is a player to be excited about, but how he returns from a seri- ous injury is anyone's guess. Having lost a major talent in Ebiketie, the Lions will need a few play- ers to take major steps forward. True freshman Zane Durant earned praise from the coaching staff this past spring and appears to be a con- tender for playing time at defensive tackle. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL ZANE DURANT Fr. | 6-1 | 265 • Enrolled in January and took part in spring practice. • Was a four-year letterman and two-time team captain at Lake Nona (Fla.) High. DEFENSIVE END DANI DENNIS-SUTTON Fr. | 6-5 | 255 • Received a five-star rating in the On3 Consensus. • Had 7 sacks in seven games as a senior at the McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Md. DEMEIOUN ROBINSON So. | 6-3 | 242 • Transferred to Penn State after a true freshman season at Maryland in which he played in 13 games and finished with 19 tackles and 2 sacks. • Was On3's fourth-ranked edge rusher na- tionally and No. 1 prospect in Maryland in the class of 2021. KEN TALLEY Fr. | 6-2 | 238 • Received four stars in the On3 Consensus. • Finished with 95 tackles, including 20 tackles for loss and 12 sacks, as a senior at Northeast High in Philadelphia.