Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547107
2 4 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Penn State had little time to regroup before a Friday night game at North- western to open the new Ryan Field. The Wildcats took control early, scoring 10 points in the first 10 minutes and adding 2 second-quarter touchdowns for a 24-7 halftime lead. Northwestern finished with 413 rush- ing yards, led by Caleb Komolafe's 188 yards and 1 touchdown on 25 carries and Joseph Himon II's 162 yards and 2 scores on just 10 attempts. The Wildcats gained 506 total yards and averaged 7.3 yards per play in a 34-13 victory. Injuries along the defensive line con- tributed to Penn State's problems, but the performance raised broader ques- tions about Lynn's defense. Lynn moved from the press box to the sideline at half- time to try to settle his players. "I think it was the first time we've re- ally been through adversity, and when you have a group of guys coming from different places, you just don't know how they're going to go through it," the first-year Nittany Lion defensive coor- dinator said. "I felt like the guys handled it well, but again, I just felt better being down there, and just making sure [we were prepared] regardless of what the circumstances were, regardless of what's going on on defense, regardless of what's going on on offense. "When we go out there, we have to have the same mentality. We have to have the same edge. We can't let the score- board change that. We can't let our play- ing change that. We can't let something happening on the opposite side of the ball affect that. We have to have the same attitude every single time." Penn State played better in the White Out against USC, but the result was another loss, 31-23. Trojans quarter- back Jayden Maiava completed 21 of 33 passes for 301 yards and 3 touchdowns. Through three Big Ten games, the Nit- tany Lions had allowed an average of 29.7 points and 430.3 yards per game. Lynn now has to find ways to cover for an ineffective pass rush from the defensive ends, missed tackles and thin depth at linebacker, as well as the safe- ties' struggles in pass coverage. Here's a look at how the defensive Yvan Kemajou had 13 tackles, including 2.5 for loss and 1 sack, at midseason. Penn State is seeking more production from its defensive ends. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Midseason Defensive Accolades STRONGEST POSITION GROUP Cornerback USC quarterback Jayden Maiava and his talented receiver corps challenged Penn State's pass defense, but overall, the cornerbacks have been the unit's strength through six games. MOST IMPORTANT PLAYER Tony Rojas Rojas led Penn State in tackles, tackles for loss, sacks and interceptions at midseason. His versatility has helped hold an uneven defense together. MOST IMPROVED PLAYER Audavion Collins Collins identified several areas he wanted to improve during the offseason and has be- come a dependable part of the defense. His missed tackle on Wisconsin's winning touch- down was a costly exception. IMPACT NEWCOMER Josiah Zayas Zayas' 51-yard interception return for a touchdown against Wisconsin highlighted a promising start for the freshman. He is still finding consistency, but he has given Penn State much-needed help in the secondary. NEEDS IMPROVEMENT The Defensive Ends Penn State needs its edge rushers to generate a more reliable pass rush, even without injured redshirt sophomore Max Granville in the mix. Forcing quarterbacks to hurry would ease the burden on the rest of the defense. — Nate Bauer