Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503568
W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M A U G U S T 2 0 2 3 10 9 TOP FIVE INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES 1. Micah Parsons vs. Memphis, 2019 Parsons concluded his sophomore season with one of the most impressive and dominating efforts by a Nittany Lion defender in school history. In Penn State's 53-39 Cotton Bowl victory over Memphis, he made a career-high 14 tackles including 3 for loss, registered 2 sacks and also forced a pair of fumbles. Unbeknownst to anyone at the time — including probably Parsons himself — it was his last appearance in a Penn State uniform. With the 2020 season in doubt due to COVID, he declared the following August that he was going to give up his remaining eligibility to prepare for the draft. 2. Jahan Dotson vs. Maryland, 2021 The Terrapins deployed a risky man-to-man coverage scheme against Penn State two years ago, and Dotson made them pay. His 38-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Sean Clifford in the first quarter was just a teaser. The junior wideout finished with 11 catches for a school-record 242 yards and 3 scores. "When you're one-on-one, you've got to win," Dotson said afterward. "That's what you do as a wide receiver. You've got to separate." 3. Pat Freiermuth vs. Michigan State, 2019 Penn State blew out the Spartans in East Lansing, 28-7, and Freiermuth was an enormous reason why. Of the 5 catches he pulled in, 3 were for touchdowns. Freiermuth found the end zone from 16, 19 and 6 yards out, a performance that made him the first tight end in school history to have 3 scoring receptions in a single game and only the ninth player to do so regard- less of position. 4. PJ Mustipher vs. Iowa, 2019 The big man in the middle of the Penn State defense played a major role in helping the Nittany Lions secure a hard-fought 17-12 road triumph over the Hawkeyes. His forced fumble in the third quarter set up a PSU field goal that gave the team its first points since midway through the first half and thwarted the Hawkeyes on what could have been a go-ahead drive. He finished with 7 stops in the victory. 5. Odafe "Jayson" Oweh vs. Maryland, 2020 Penn State did not have its best day against the Terrapins in 2020, falling 35-19 at Beaver Stadium. But even though the team struggled badly, Oweh had one of his best outings as a Nittany Lion. He registered a career-high 10 tackles, which made him the first PSU de- fensive lineman to reach double figures in a game since defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos did so in 2018. Parsons was dominant in h i s f i n a l g a m e f o r P e n n State, totaling a career- high 14 tackles and forcing a p a i r o f f u m b l e s i n t h e Lions' Cotton Bowl victory over Memphis to cap the 2019 season. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL