Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1539550
4 2 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Raiola as the Cornhuskers look to build on last season's Pinstripe Bowl victory over Boston College, the team's first postsea- son appearance since 2016. Raiola opened the 2025 season by completing 33 of 42 passes for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns against Cincinnati. His completions were the fourth-most in a single game in pro- gram history, but the Huskers barely got past the Bearcats, coming up with a late interception in the end zone to preserve a 20-17 win. Nebraska had no such problems against Akron and Houston Christian the next two weeks, but a much bigger challenge looms with the Big Ten season set to begin Sept. 20 when Michigan visits Memorial Stadium. 10. Iowa It'll be a dark day for the rest of the Big Ten if Iowa ever gets its perpetual offen- sive issues sorted. The Hawkeyes almost always find themselves leaning heavily on a stout defense, and it appears that will again be the case in 2025. Building on a 34-7 romp over UAlbany on opening day, Iowa held archrival Iowa State to just 238 yards and 14 first downs in Week 2, but it was stymied by an in- effective passing attack and came away with a 16-13 loss. Through three games, South Da- kota State transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski was averaging only 102 pass- ing yards per outing. Gronowski put to- gether a tremendous resume at the FCS level, finishing his tenure with the Jack- rabbits ranked second in program history in total offense (12,075 yards) and passing yards (10,308). But the Hawkeyes are go- ing to be in a lot of trouble if they don't drastically improve in this area. 11. Maryland Maryland sent mixed signals in the early going, which is probably to be ex- pected given that it's starting a true fresh- man at quarterback. Malik Washington, a four-star signee from Archbishop Spalding in Severn, Md., got off to a marvelous start, hitting 27 of 43 passes for 258 yards and 3 touch- downs in a 39-7 rout of Florida Atlantic on opening day. Then he and the rest of the offense struggled in a 20-9 win over Top 10 Defensive Players 1. Caleb Downs | S | Ohio State Downs is the quarterback of an Ohio State defense that shut down No. 1 Texas on opening day, prompting Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian to note afterward, "I thought their ability to disguise coverages in the first half was at an elite level. … And I think it starts with [the fact that] they've got Caleb Downs." A consensus first-team All- American as a sophomore in 2024, Downs would be a Heisman Trophy contender if defensive players were given their due for college football's top individual award. 2. Dani Dennis-Sutton | DE | Penn State Dennis-Sutton picked up where he left off against Notre Dame in last season's Col- lege Football Playoff semifinals, totaling 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, 2 forced fumbles and a pass breakup against Nevada. He's played sparingly through three games, but now it's showtime. 3. Matayo Uiagalelei | OLB | Oregon Uiagalelei is coming off a breakthrough sophomore season in which he led Oregon with 9.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. He had 3 sacks in the Ducks' first three games this year. 4. Eric Gentry | LB | USC At 6-foot-6, 225 pounds, Gentry is built more like an edge rusher than a middle linebacker, but he's been a force for the Trojans. The red- shirt senior from Philadelphia had 5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks in USC's first three games. 5. Mikail Kamara | DE | Indiana Kamara followed Curt Cignetti from James Madison to Indiana last year and was as big a success as his head coach. He led the FBS in total pressures with 73 while amassing 10 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. Kamara had a sack and 2 TFLs in the Hoosiers' first three games. 6. D'Angelo Ponds | CB | Indiana Another James Madison transfer, Ponds totaled 3 interceptions and 12 passes defended last year. He got his junior season off to a strong start with a pick on opening day against Old Dominion. 7. Aiden Fisher | LB | Indiana A first-team All-American last year — the first Indiana linebacker ever to earn that distinction — Fisher went into his senior season ranked 13th among active FBS players with 236 career tackles. He added 15 more stops in Indiana's nonconference campaign. 8. Koi Perich | S | Minnesota Perich is a triple threat for the Gophers, contributing on offense, defense and special teams. He's best known for his performance on defense, having totaled 5 interceptions in winning first-team All- Big Ten notice as a freshman last fall. 9. Zane Durant | DT | Penn State Getting Durant to come back for his senior season was a coup for Penn State's defensive front. Being an interior lineman, he's not going to bowl you over with his stats, but he's a powerful run- stuffer who can also get to the quarterback. 10. Bryce Boettcher | LB | Oregon A two-sport walk-on for the Ducks (football and baseball), Boettcher is one of the more remark- able success stories in the country. Through three games, the senior inside linebacker was leading Oregon with 17 tackles. Safety Caleb Downs had 13 tackles and an interception in Ohio State's first three games. PHOTO COURTESY OHIO STATE ATHLETICS