Blue White Illustrated

vidual: senior defensive end Carl Nas- sib. Nassib is without question one of the biggest stories in all of college foot- ball this fall. Considering that he had never started a game at the high school or college levels prior to Penn State's 2015 season opener, one has to wonder how he could lead the country in sacks and tackles for loss. Through 10 games this fall, Nassib to- taled 19.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks. In addition to leading the country in both categories, he was topping the Big Ten with six forced fumbles, and he also had intercepted a pass. It amazes me that so few BTN com- mentators consider Nassib to be among the ;ve best defensive players in the conference. I have to think he is one of the leading contenders for Big Ten De- fensive Player of the Year honors, and I can't help but think he will be a ;rst- team All-Big Ten selection and quite possibly a ;rst-team All-American. Nassib has been named a semi;nalist for the Bednarik Award, which is given to the nation's best defensive player, and he made the midseason All-America teams posted by CBS Sports, ESPN.com and SI.com. When you look at Penn State's incon- sistent performance against the run, it might seem counterintuitive to argue that one of its linemen ranks as the best defensive tackle in the Big Ten. But that may well be the case with redshirt junior Austin Johnson. You would be hard- pressed to name a Big Ten defensive tackle who has performed better than Johnson so far this season. Through 10 games, he was leading the FBS in tackles by a defensive tackle (64), and he was second on Penn State's defense in total stops. He also had 12 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. I can't image that Johnson will not be named ;rst-team All-Big Ten, and it wouldn't surprise me if he were to re- ceive second- or third-team All-Ameri- ca recognition, or at the very least an honorable mention nod. At 6-foot-4, 323 pounds, Johnson is one of the biggest, quickest and most productive defensive tackles to ever play at Penn State. ESPN dra= analyst Mel Kiper projects him as a ;rst-round se- lection, probably around the 20th pick or later. Johnson's fellow Penn State defensive tackle Anthony Zettel probably de- scribed him best. "Usually you see 320- pound guys and they are hole ;llers," said Zettel, speaking to BWI this past summer. "He's that, but in a way he's like Ndamukong Suh. He has the ability to run laterally across the ;eld, make a tackle, or just bowl over [and run] right through people. "It's very rare to see a person like that, and I think everybody else realizes it." James Franklin has a more succinct description of Johnson, calling him "a big ol' dancing bear" who can run you down from behind or blow you up phys- ically. One last defensive player whose per- formance has come as somewhat of a surprise is freshman cornerback John Reid. Appearing in every game and starting two of them at the beginning of the season, Reid totaled 21 tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery through 10 games and was Penn State's leading true freshman tackler. There might be a better ;rst-year cornerback in the Big Ten, but I can't imagine Reid failing to earn a spot on the league's All- Freshman team. Heading into the Michigan game, there were more than a few disappointing team and individual performances for Penn State this year. It was not looking very likely that the Nittany Lions would achieve my preseason prediction of a 9- 3 regular-season record, nor does it seem as though I'll be spending the holi- days in Florida watching them play in a bowl game. This season may not be everything Penn State football fans had hoped for, but the performances of Godwin and Barkley on o

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