Blue White Illustrated

BACK ON TRACK Give the defensive line an A. That was a tremendous effort. They put PSU's defense rebounds with a suffocating effort vs. Michigan LORI  SHONTZ | blue white contRibutoR When defensive end Anthony Zettel found out Thursday evening that he'd get his first career start against Michigan, he thought about what it would mean: More plays. Better chance to get into a rhythm. Another opportunity to gain trust from his coaches. He was not thinking this: interception. Yet that's just where he found himself in the second quarter when he dropped back into coverage and Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner had no idea where he'd be. "I just sat in the spot, got the quarterback, looked in his eyes a little bit, Zettel said. "He threw it to me, so I " jumped up and made a catch." It's not often that defensive linemen find themselves jumping to snag an interception. And although he hadn't specifically prepared for such a scenario – or the terrific coincidence that No. 98 intercepted a pass from No. 98 – Zettel was ready. "I played a little ball, he " said, laughing. "A little basketball. And I don't think I [jumped] that high. A couple of inches. " That was all it took for Penn State's defense against the Wolverines, which forced three turnovers and played with aggression a week after what defensive tackle Kyle Baublitz called a "soft" performance against Indiana. "Overall, coach Bill O'Brien said, "they " played a whale of a game." Among the standouts were Zettel, whose interception set up Christian Hackenberg's 20-yard touchdown pass to Jesse James; defensive end C.J. Olaniyan, who made a career-high eight tackles, including 2.5 sacks, and forced a fumble; defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, who tied his career high of nine tackles and recovered the second fumble of his career; and linebacker Mike Hull, who made 10 tackles for the second consecutive game and said he is getting closer to 100 percent and closer to playing with less padding. "We knew they were going to come downhill and try to play smashmouth o c t o b e R pressure on the QB, stuffed the run and played 83 plays. Realistically we have a seven-man rotation. I thought they were the key to winning tonight. kurth Really couldn't have scripted it any better for recruiting. Gotta imagine that we will see some commitments out of this. If FROM THE WEB online Reaction to Psu's latest Game not immediately, then soon. DamonEagles Paterno was with us tonight! Somebody had to push the last missed Michigan kick wide. psubowhunter Bill Anderson SURPRISE, SURPRISE Zettel, a defensive end, intercepted a pass in the second quarter. football," he said. "We practice power all the time. And they're a power team. So we just went downhill and smashed the run game. " The defensive line, the focal point of a 5-3 formation, took its job to pressure Gardner seriously. "We just knew that as a D-line, our job is to get pressure on the QB, to make the job easier for the DBs and linebackers," said Olaniyan. "No matter what, we have to get to him. No matter what. " The idea, Hull said, was to force Michigan to put the game in quarterback Devin Gardner's hands. At times, Gardner was practically a one-man show, passing for 240 yards and three touchdowns, and running for an additional 121 yards, but the Lions forced him into making mistakes. Which is just what Zettel wanted. "Everything worked," he said. "I don't think you can get a better win than this. … It was at home with the most people I've ever seen in this town backing us up. " 1 2 , 2 0 1 3 11 Nice to see C.J. Olaniyan have a nice game tonight. I have been waiting to see his talent surface. Joepa1111 Unsung hero of the game? Alex Butterworth. He averaged 45 yards per punt. freckles3 Best comeback since Illinois in 1994. Anyone disagree? DandyDonII Screw a bowl game. I don't need a bowl game this year because I just watched something even better. Man I loved seeing the heart and passion that the team played with today. b l u e w h i t e o n l i n e . c o m happyvalleyishome

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