Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1509432
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 3 41 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M TOP FIVE PLAYERS 1. Chop Robinson | DE | Jr. Penn State's defensive line had its way with opponents through the season's first five games. That was very much a group effort, but Robin- son's performance during the three-week span encompassing the Illinois, Iowa and Northwestern games was particularly noteworthy. The junior defensive end was simply unblockable against the Hawkeyes in Week 4. Because Penn State's defense was on the field for only 33 plays, no one came away from the matchup with big numbers, but Robinson still collected a sack, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and 2 quarterback hurries. He received a 95.1 overall defensive grade from Pro Football Focus. 2. Drew Allar | QB | So. Allar had an uneven day against Northwestern, completing 18 of 33 passes (54.5 percent) for 189 yards and a touchdown. But it wasn't as if there were receivers loping uncovered through the Wildcats' secondary all afternoon. As James Franklin noted after the game, "There are some things that we've got to do in terms of separating at the top of our routes or being able to run past people." Even with the Northwestern game factored in, the Nittany Lions' sophomore quarterback had completed 64.6 per- cent of his passes for 1,092 yards and 9 touchdowns, ranking third in the Big Ten in total passing yards. It's also worth noting that 15 games into his college career, Allar had yet to throw an interception. 3. Johnny Dixon | CB | Sr. In addition to its ferocious pass rush, Penn State has fielded a terrific secondary this season, and Dixon has been one of its stars. Through five games, the veteran cornerback had an interception and a couple of pass breakups, and his pass-defense grade of 79.8 from PFF led Penn State's secondary. 4. Olumuyiwa Fashanu | OT | Jr. Heading into the Massachusetts game, Fashanu had the third-most snaps of any Penn State offensive player with 307. Only Allar (338) and super senior center Hunter Nourzad (321) had more. Of that total, 155 were pass-blocking snaps, on which Fashanu had a team-best grade of 92.9 from PFF, helping solidify his credentials as a high-first-round NFL Draft pick next April. 5. Alex Felkins | PK | Sr. Coaches can create distractions during practice, but it's impossible to simulate the pressure of kicking in front of 110,000 people. Felkins didn't win the starting job in preseason camp, but when redshirt sophomore Sander Sahaydak missed 2 field goal attempts from makeable distances in the season opener against West Virginia, Penn State turned to Felkins. He was ready for his mo- ment. The Columbia transfer had made 7 of 9 attempts heading into the Massachusetts game, with a long kick of 47 yards. In displaying both ac- curacy and range, he helped alleviate one of the team's bigger early-season worries. KEY MOMENT Penn State had just failed to convert on third- and-8 and was about to give the ball back to Iowa early in the second quarter. But on the Lions' sub- sequent punt, the ball grazed the back of an Iowa blocker, and junior linebacker Curtis Jacobs alertly pounced on it, giving PSU possession at the Hawkeyes' 39-yard line. The fumble recovery — one of two by Jacobs that night — set up a touch- down and a 10-0 lead. Given the somnambulant state of Iowa's offense, that was pretty much an insurmountable lead. In addition to setting the stage for a 31-0 win, the play served as an example of just how oppor- tunistic the Lions have been this season. Through five games, their plus-11 turnover margin was the best in the nation. BEST HIGHLIGHT There weren't a lot of offensive thunderclaps in Penn State's wins over Illinois, Iowa and North- western. Mostly, the Lions just took what oppos- ing defenses were giving them, content to chip away with 4-, 5- and 6-yard gains. The defense, though, has been producing big plays with regularity. The best? How about Robinson blowing past Iowa right tackle Mason Richman and swatting the ball out of the hands of quarterback Cade McNamara. Senior defensive end Adisa Isaac fell on the loose pig- skin at the Iowa 19, setting up Penn State's final touchdown of the night. BOLD PREDICTION Penn State's remarkable run of good luck on the turnover front won't continue all season. At least not at its current pace. Yes, we know: It's not all luck. But there is an element of chance that plays into giveaways and takeaways, and when you're plus-11 through five games, the likelihood is that you're eventually going to revert to the mean. Penn State's per-game margin was plus-2.2 heading into its matchup against Massachusetts. At that rate, the Nittany Lions would finish plus-26 by the end of the regular season. For comparison, USC led the country last year with a plus-22 turnover margin (1.57 per game). The next-closest team was Duke at plus-16 (1.23 per game). In 2021, the national leader was Nevada at plus-17 (1.31). So far, the ball has bounced Penn State's way, including on several fumbles by Nittany Lion players that they were able to recover themselves. There's no reason to think that is go- ing to continue indefinitely. — Matt Herb Defensive end Chop Robinson was credited with 3 tackles for loss, 3 quarterback hurries, a sack and a forced fumble in Penn State's first five games. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL PENN STATE FOOTBALL SUPERLATIVES G A M E 3 – G A M E 5