Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1509432
1 4 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Running Back Trey Po s Has Solidified Penn State's Backfield GREG PICKEL: From the moment Potts announced that he was returning to his home state to play for the Nittany Lions, you heard praise for his qualities both as a teammate and as a backfield contributor. The Williamsport, Pa., native had rushed for 1,147 yards and 10 touchdowns in three seasons at Minnesota, proving to be a fine complement to Mohamed Ibrahim. All of those traits have seemingly carried over to his time in State College. He's the elder statesman in a running backs room that is brimming with talent. What surprised me in September was just how much he con- tributed. Given how well-established Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen were heading into their respective sophomore seasons, I expected Potts to see action almost exclusively as a late-game replacement. Instead, he was on the field in the third quarter at Illinois in Week 3, and he threw a touchdown pass to junior tight end Tyler Warren on a gadget play, helping PSU pull away from the Illini. At Northwestern two weeks later, he was pressed into a big- ger role with Allen sidelined by an injury. Potts ran for a 13-yard touchdown to tie the score in the second quarter, and he caught a 30-yard TD pass from backup quarterback Beau Pribula to finish the scoring in Penn State's 41-13 victory. Through five games, Potts had totaled 105 rushing yards, and his average of 5.5 yards per carry was best among the team's three primary ball carriers. He's also been a mentor off the field, and he protects the ball once the Nittany Lions' top two running backs have done the hard work of building a lead. His role going forward will hinge to some degree on whether Allen is completely healthy, but no matter how it plays out, the newcomer has truly been a quality addition to Penn State's stable of running backs. Kobe King Has Impressed At The Middle Linebacker Spot RYAN SNYDER: My pick would have to be redshirt sopho- more linebacker Kobe King. If you go back to last season, the Mike linebacker spot was one of the few positions on defense that had fans feeling concerned. Tyler Elsdon held his own at times during his sophomore year, but it had long been clear that King had the higher ceiling. The player who occupies this position is essentially the quarterback of the defense, so it's not just about how he per- forms on the field, but how well he is able to read the offense pre-snap. Through the first five games of this season, we saw King take his game to a different level. Statistically, he ranked third on the team with 14 tackles. He was also tied for third with 3 tackles for loss while adding a sack and a fumble recovery. When compared to other linebackers around the Big Ten, King stacks up well. According to Pro Football Focus, 40 Big Ten linebackers had played 100 snaps or more in the first five weeks of the season. King ranked No. 1 among that group with a defensive grade of 77.6. For some perspective, sophomore Abdul Carter's grade of 66.1 ranked 18th in the conference. If you had asked me in August, I would not have expected that would be the case. Of course, the challenge is about to get much bigger. Penn State will face Ohio State and Maryland on the road in the coming weeks, and it will take on Michigan at home. King and Penn State's entire defense will have to show that they can hold up against some very formidable offenses. For now, how- ever, King's performance has been the most pleasant surprise of the season in my eyes. I thought he would be good, but he's surpassed my expectations. Which Player Has Been The Most Pleasant Surprise For Penn State At The Season's Halfway Point? Point – Counterpoint Potts was fourth on the team in rushing with 105 yards through the season's first five games. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL King was the Lions' third-leading tackler with 14 stops heading into the Massachusetts game. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE