Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541276
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 5 3 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Penn State lost a 5-point fourth-quar- ter lead at Iowa when Mark Gronowski sprinted 67 yards in the game's final minutes to set up a 25-24 win. At Ohio State, Sayin found vacant areas from which to unleash his two 57-yard pass completions. And in the Indiana game, Mendoza scurried 18 yards through the heart of Penn State's defense for a touch- down late in the first quarter. Smith has acknowledged that PSU is still struggling to make up for the loss of its best linebacker. "When Tony Rojas went down, that's a big gap that we haven't really replaced yet," he said. "We're just searching for some answers to be able to help the de- fensive line to stop the run game, which is critical." Against the Hoosiers, the first hints of help from the Nittany Lions' line- backer depth appeared in the form of an increased role for true freshman Alex Tatsch. He played 22 snaps versus In- diana, the second consecutive week in which he saw substantial action on de- fense. Secondary The Nittany Lions' secondary entered the Ohio State game as one of the nation's best in terms of yards allowed. However, the Lions had benefitted from a schedule that served up three games against over- matched nonconference foes and Big Ten games versus the likes of Northwestern, UCLA and Iowa. The Buckeyes obliterated that storyline, and Indiana followed suit a week later. At Ohio Stadium, chunk plays were the biggest issue. Sayin had 6 completions of at least 15 yards, doing exactly what Smith said the Nittany Lions couldn't allow if they were going to have a shot at an upset. Penn State fared better against Men- doza, but he still completed a 53-yarder to Becker, and the last Indiana possession alone produced 3 pass plays of at least 17 yards. The Lions' secondary was supposed to be elite this season, and for much of the year it has looked that way. However, against the very best competition, serious cracks have appeared needing resolution in the season's homestretch. ■ OFFENSE QUARTERBACK No. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. 17 Ethan Grunkemeyer R-Fr. 6-2 207 16 Bekkem Kritza Fr. 6-5 198 2 or Liam Clifford R-Sr. 6-1 205 RUNNING BACK 13 Kaytron Allen Sr. 5-11 219 10 Nicholas Singleton Sr. 6-0 224 WIDE RECEIVER 1 Kyron Hudson R-Sr. 6-1 213 3 Koby Howard Fr. 5-11 196 WIDE RECEIVER 5 Devonte Ross Sr. 5-10 170 2 Liam Clifford R-Sr. 6-1 205 WIDE RECEIVER (Slot) 8 Trebor Peña R-Sr.+ 5-10 187 4 Tyseer Denmark R-Fr. 5-10 190 TIGHT END 16 Khalil Dinkins R-Sr. 6-4 250 85 Luke Reynolds So. 6-4 250 87 or Andrew Rappleyea R-So. 6-4 251 LEFT TACKLE 66 Drew Shelton Sr. 6-5 306 64 Eagan Boyer R-Fr. 6-8 302 LEFT GUARD 71 Olaivavega Ioane R-Jr. 6-4 328 54 TJ Shanahan Jr. R-So. 6-4 316 CENTER 53 Nick Dawkins R-Sr.+ 6-4 299 71 Olaivavega Ioane R-Jr. 6-4 328 RIGHT GUARD 68 Anthony Donkoh R-So. 6-5 323 54 TJ Shanahan Jr. R-So. 6-4 316 RIGHT TACKLE 72 Nolan Rucci R-Sr. 6-8 304 68 Anthony Donkoh R-So. 6-5 323 DEFENSE DEFENSIVE END No. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. 33 Dani Dennis-Sutton Sr. 6-5 265 19 Chaz Coleman Fr. 6-4 246 99 Yvan Kemajou Fr. 6-3 251 DEFENSIVE TACKLE 50 Alonzo Ford Jr. R-Sr.+ 6-2 304 54 Xavier Gilliam R-Fr. 6-2 300 DEFENSIVE TACKLE 28 Zane Durant Sr. 6-1 287 39 Ty Blanding R-So. 6-1 295 DEFENSIVE END 36 Zuriah Fisher R-Sr.+ 6-3 259 44 Jaylen Harvey R-Fr. 6-2 246 20 Mylachi Williams R-Fr. 6-3 246 MIKE LINEBACKER 24 Amare Campbell Jr. 6-0 230 0 Dominic DeLuca R-Sr. 6-1 224 40 Anthony Speca R-Fr. 6-1 223 WILL LINEBACKER 0 Dominic DeLuca R-Sr. 6-1 224 32 Keon Wylie R-Jr. 6-2 225 25 Alex Tatsch Fr. 6-2 231 CORNERBACK 2 Audavion Collins R-Jr. 5-11 180 5 Daryus Dixson Fr. 6-0 195 CORNERBACK 4 A.J. Harris Jr. 6-1 186 9 Elliot Washington II Jr. 5-11 201 BOUNDARY SAFETY 16 King Mack Jr. 5-10 189 10 or Dejuan Lane So. 6-2 206 3 or Antoine Belgrave-Shorter R-Fr. 6-0 198 FIELD SAFETY 6 Zakee Wheatley R-Sr. 6-2 202 10 Dejuan Lane So. 6-2 206 NICKEL 7 Zion Tracy Jr. 5-11 180 17 Kenny Woseley Jr. R-Fr. 5-10 180 SPECIAL TEAMS PUNTER No. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. 99 Gabriel Nwosu R-Sr. 6-6 297 14 Riley Thompson Sr. 6-1 224 PLACEKICKER (FG) 94 Ryan Barker R-So. 6-2 200 98 Matthew Parker Fr. 6-0 220 PLACEKICKER (KO) 99 Gabriel Nwosu R-Sr. 6-6 297 94 Ryan Barker R-So. 6-2 200 LONG SNAPPER 48 Tyler Duzansky R-Sr. 6-4 225 HOLDER 14 Riley Thompson Sr. 6-1 224 PUNT RETURNER 8 Trebor Peña R-Sr.+ 5-10 187 5 Devonte Ross Sr. 5-10 170 KICKOFF RETURNER 10 Nicholas Singleton Sr. 6-0 224 24 Corey Smith R-Fr. 5-10 189 BWI'S UNOFFICIAL PENN STATE DEPTH CHART