Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1512721
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4 3 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M At every level, units and individuals shined. Here is a look at how Penn State's defense performed during the regular season. Defensive Line Penn State's nation-leading total of 48 sacks through 12 games was not solely attributable to the defensive line. Yes, redshirt senior Adisa Isaac led the team with 7.5, but directly below him on the list were sophomore linebacker Abdul Carter and senior cornerback Johnny Dixon with 4.5 apiece. And yet, the consistency and excel- lence of the Nittany Lions' front four had everything to do with the production throughout the defense. Isaac's big cam- paign was paired closely by junior Chop Robinson and sophomore Dani Dennis- Sutton at end. Not to be discounted, ju- niors Amin Vanover and Zuriah Fisher also provided crucial support. And on the interior, an area of concern enter- ing the season, the team's top four de- fensive tackles — junior Coziah Izzard, sophomore Zane Durant, and redshirt seniors Hakeem Beamon and Dvon Ellies — combined for a more-than-sufficient performance. The Lions' formula for effective de- fense begins with stopping the run on first and second down, forcing oppo- nents into long down-and-distance sit- uations, and then teeing off with havoc plays on third down. With that as the template, Penn State's defensive success this season can be traced directly to the performance of its front four. Linebacker While Carter grabbed the spotlight at linebacker for the Nittany Lions last year, the unit's overall performance was a mixed bag. Its fluctuating play at the Mike spot, rotating through Tyler Elsdon and Kobe King, proved to be a big part of those ups and downs in 2022. This season, the Nittany Lions recti- fied their issues. King grabbed the starting job during a strong offseason and ran with it, provid- ing stability to a group that improved from one month to the next during the campaign. The redshirt sophomore to- taled 54 tackles in the regular season to lead the team, but the true mark of the unit's overall success could be found more clearly in junior Curtis Jacobs' 47 stops, including 8 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, and Carter's 46 stops, with 5.5 for loss and 4.5 sacks. That no individual player took statisti- cal precedence over others was by design and was one of the more vexing aspects of Penn State's defense as far as oppo- nents were concerned. Secondary No one would argue that junior cor- nerback Kalen King enjoyed the type of season that many expected in 2023. He finished with 29 tackles and a couple of pass breakups. Combined with a less- than-stellar effort at Ohio State, in which Marvin Harrison Jr. caught 11 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown, the fan senti- ment toward him has dampened, at least somewhat, during the past year. The reality, of course, is that King's presence was crucial to Penn State's de- fensive success in two important ways. First, he handled the most challeng- ing assignments in the passing game each week and was targeted only 41 times in 12 games. He also lived up to his established reputation as a physical cornerback, with 10 of his stops coming on running plays. With opponents frequently trying to avoid King, the Nittany Lions' other cor- nerbacks and safeties had opportunities to make plays. Which they did, repeatedly. Junior safety Jaylen Reed and redshirt senior nickel cornerback Daequan Hardy finished with 2 interceptions each, and Hardy had a team-high 7 pass breakups. Sophomore safety Kevin Winston Jr. fin- ished the regular season ranked second on the team in tackles with 51 and nabbed his first career interception in Penn State's victory over Rutgers in November. Also, senior cornerback Johnny Dixon, an un- der-the-radar presence to some head- ing into the season, repeatedly produced standout performances. Complemented by promising efforts from a host of young defensive backs, the back end of Penn State's defense appears stable, even with several players mull- ing whether to leave for the NFL or stick around in 2024. ■ Defense Highlights TOP PERFORMER: Junior defensive end Chop Robinson very much deserves this title, but even he would likely be amenable to sharing the space with his bookend partners at the position. Robinson, redshirt senior Adisa Isaac and sophomore Dani Dennis-Sutton were a three-man wrecking ball during the regular season, combining for 15 sacks, 28.5 tackles for loss, 82 quarterback pressures, 5 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries. TOP NEWCOMER: Technically, 2023 was Year 2 for safety Kevin Winston Jr. For our purposes though, he's an unavoidable choice, deserving of recognition for his performance in his first season as a significant player in the Nittany Lions' defense. He was a run-stopping maven, credited with 51 tackles for the year. But it was the versatility of his contributions, adding an interception, 2 pass breakups, and a pair of fumble recoveries, that demonstrated his repeated ability to be involved in seemingly every play. UNSUNG HERO: Redshirt sophomore middle linebacker Kobe King didn't put up eye-opening numbers. He had a few splash plays, sure, notching a couple of sacks and grabbing a fumble recov- ery. But, more important than any individual performance, he just did his job and fit the right gaps from down to down. ONE TO WATCH: True freshman linebacker Tony Rojas finished with only 102 defensive snaps for the regular season, topping out at 20 apiece in wins over Illinois and Massachusetts in the first half of the slate. But while limited in nature, the flashes offered a tantalizing preview of what he's likely to bring to the unit in the coming years. Combined with his special teams stops, he finished with 16 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in his debut. SEASON HIGHLIGHT: Against an Iowa team that would go on to finish 10-2 and win the Big Ten West Division, the Nittany Lions were absolutely dominant. Among the highlights, Penn State lim- ited the Hawkeyes to 76 yards of total offense, 4 first downs and just 33 plays. It was as impressive as any Penn State defensive performance in recent memory. — Nate Bauer