Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 9 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M It's probably for the best that Penn State, with its mostly youth- ful offensive tackle corps, isn't set to face Minnesota until deep into the season. If they do nothing else this year, the Golden Gophers will be able to get after opposing pass- ers. Minnesota's biggest star head- ing into the season is fifth-year senior defensive end Anthony Smith. As a junior, the 6-foot-6, 285-pounder totaled 12.5 sacks to lead the Big Ten. Opposite Smith, Karter Menz returns after fin- ishing with 6.5 sacks during his redshirt sophomore campaign. As a team, Minnesota ranked ninth in the FBS with 39 sacks, and it should be even better equipped this year to make plays in the backfield, having landed senior defen- sive end T.J. Bush Jr., who amassed 27 tackles for loss and 13 sacks in his previ- ous stops at Liberty and Cal. The Gophers have some holes to fill in the middle after bidding farewell to the top four players in last year's defen- sive tackle rotation. They also suffered a big loss via the transfer portal when safety Koi Perich left for Oregon. Last year, Perich was third on the team with 82 tackles. Still, Minnesota's defense has play- makers at all three levels. Senior line- backer Maverick Baranowski was tied for sixth in the Big Ten with 103 tackles, while junior safety Kerry Brown made 56 stops, including 4 for loss, and had a pair of interceptions. Also, senior cornerback John Nestor is coming off a season in which he tied for second na- tionally with 6 interceptions. After ranking 50th in the FBS in scoring defense at 22.9 points per game last fall, the Gophers should again be solid, provided they're able to fill their vacancies in the middle of the defensive front. The offense is led by a rising star in redshirt sophomore quar- terback Drake Lindsey. Standing 6-5, 230 pounds, Lindsey is start- ing to get some NFL buzz, with CBS Sports listing him as the No. 3 quarterback in the 2027 draft, be- hind only Arch Manning of Texas and Dante Moore of Oregon. In his first season as a starter, Lindsey completed 63.2 percent of his attempts for 2,382 yards, with 18 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. The former three-star prospect from Fay- etteville, Ark., got better as the year went on, tossing 8 touchdown passes and no interceptions in Minnesota's final six games. The receiver corps brings back two productive players in fifth-year senior Javon Tracy and junior Jalen Smith, who combined to make 65 catches for 873 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. A third option — senior Noah Jennings — arrived via the transfer portal. Jennings had 23 catches for 323 yards at Cincinnati last season. The key to improving an offense that ranked 127th in the FBS at 293.2 yards per game will be to get more out of the rush- ing attack. Three starters return on the offensive line, and senior running back Darius Taylor will once again anchor the backfield. He totaled 670 yards during a junior season in which he was slowed by a recurring hamstring injury. As a team, Minnesota ranked 126th in the FBS with an average of 103.2 rush- ing yards per game. If the Gophers are going to take the leap from annual bowl participant to playoff contender, they'll need those numbers to improve. — Matt Herb N O V . 1 4 | T I M E T B D | T V T B D | B E A V E R S T A D I U M | S T A T E C O L L E G E , P A . Defensive end Anthony Smith led the Big Ten with 12.5 sacks last season. PHOTO BY BRAD REMPEL/MINNESOTA ATHLETICS GAME 10 MINNESOTA RISING STAR KARTER MENZ | DE Menz doesn't get as much atten- tion as fellow edge rusher Anthony Smith, but he's a handful. The 6-foot- 5, 240-pound redshirt junior had 6.5 sacks and 9 tackles for loss as a junior, and coach P.J. Fleck said this spring that he was "taking it up to a different level." QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Penn State leads, 11-6 Head Coach: P.J. Fleck (66-44 in nine seasons at Minnesota; career coaching record: 96-66) 2025 Record: 8-5, 5-4 Big Ten Returning Starters: 12 (7 offense, 5 de- fense) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Darius Taylor (670 yards, 4 TD) Passing: QB Drake Lindsey (2,382 yards, 18 TD) Receiving: WR Javon Tracy (454 yards, 6 TD) Tackles: LB Maverick Baranowski (103) Sacks: DE Anthony Smith (12.5) Interceptions: CB Josh Nestor (6) 2026 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2025 Result Sept. 3 Eastern Illinois — Sept. 12 Mississippi State — Sept. 19 Akron — Sept. 26 at Washington — Oct. 3 Michigan — Oct. 10 at Purdue W, 27-20 Oct. 24 Iowa L, 41-3 Oct. 31 at Indiana — Nov. 7 UCLA — Nov. 14 at Penn State — Nov. 21 Northwestern L, 38-35 Nov. 27 at Wisconsin W, 17-7