Writer looks like a snot-nosed kid (article from Fansided-Victory Bell Rings)... regardless, still reasons to be optimistic.
Penn State Football: Defensive line returns bevy of players
by Collin Wieder
Penn State football’s defensive line contains a loaded depth chart. At all spots, the Nittany Lions contain an abundance of playmakers.
Big Ten quarterbacks beware, Penn State football’s pass rush is on the hunt. Between all its defensive linemen, the Nittany Lions return nine playmakers that saw significant time last year. The production proves substantial as well with 21.5 sacks returning from those nine key players. The best part for the Nittany Lions, all these guys can do different things.
From speedy edge rushers to run-stuffing defensive tackles, this front could be top 25 in the nation. Last year alone they helped hold opponents to just 16.5 points per game. With that experience and another offseason under their belts, they could overwhelm offenses across the Big Ten.
The scary part about this defensive line is that they can be so multiple. PSU defensive line coach Sean Spencer and defensive coordinator Brent Pry like to rotate players in constantly to keep the pressure on.
Defensive Ends, edge rushers
Speed kills and it’s all over the place for Penn State. This position group begins with an out-of-this-world talent in Shareef Miller. The speedy edge rusher shows unreal potential and is due for a big season. Miller recorded 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks his freshman year and followed that up with a huge boost in production as a sophomore.
He came up with 38 stops and 5.5 sacks with 11.5 tackles for loss. Miller takes the charge here and should see his numbers increase into double-digits.
The speed Miller brings off the edge is only amplified by a just as athletic Shaka Toney. Both bring the pain once they get to the quarterback with blinding speed. Toney recorded 3.5 sacks in his redshirt freshman season, giving Penn State multiple smaller speedsters on the edge. Miller has the prototype physique at 6-foot-5, 255 pounds while Toney plays like a linebacker at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds.
Torrence Brown, Daniel Joseph Yetur Gross-Matos round out the speedy group. After suffering a season-ending injury against Georgia State, Brown missed the final 10 games of the year. However, he has solid production returning with 52 career tackles and 12.5 tackles for loss. If he can recover, that’ll add more rotational players to the lineup.
Matos pile up 17 tackles as a true freshman and showed real promise as an athletic pass rusher. Joseph didn’t get the same in-game reps like Matos did, but he made the most of his snaps. He recorded 11 tackles and three sacks waxing offensive lines with his jetliner speed. His similar body type and blistering speed makes him a breakout candidate for the next few years.
Edge Setters
Obviously Penn State football’s D-Line speed is paramount as noted by the first group. Still, it carries a few prototypical defense ends as well. Shane Simmons and Ryan Buchholz headline this list. They flat out bully offensive lineman. Simmons has the strength and size to move offensive lineman.
Simmons is actually similar in size to a lot of the team’s defensive ends, but he pushes blockers around with elite strength. He recorded 15 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss in his freshman year. When he came out of high school as a four-star recruit, he was just 221 pounds. He sat out the 2016 season as a redshirt, putting on almost 30 pounds to beef up his 6-foot-3 frame.
Before the start of the season, I wrote that once he gets his lanky reach on an offensive lineman, it’s over. His range makes him a perfect edge setter because he can move offensive tackles around – that makes him a problem in the run game.
Buchholz is built to stop the run but in a different way. It’s all about the size and strength here. His 6-foot-6, 273-pound body is a rock on the line. He can’t be moved and that’s what makes a nuisance to pickup in run blocking.
In two years he’s put up 33 tackles, six tackles for loss and four sacks. With two years of eligibility left and paired up with another youngster this part of the line can only get better.
Defensive Tackles
The one spot that might falter the Penn State football defensive line early on this year it’s the interior. Lost in the shuffle of seven returning defensive ends is just two returners in the middle. Curtis Cothran and Parker Cothren graduated leaving Penn State thin at defensive tackle.
Still, they have two proven guys back in juniors Kevin Givens and Robert Windsor. Both play with a similar 1-2 style to Simmons and Buchholz. One plays with speed and the other attacks with prototypical size.
Givens is the sawed-off inside tackle at 6-1, 281-pounds. He can get to the quarterback in a hurry, flashing tons of speed for an interior defensive lineman. In two years he’s built up some nice numbers, recording 50 tackles and 8.5 sacks.
Windsor is the productive, run-stuffing big boy inside. At 6-foot-4, 295 pounds, he adds the size to a lightning-quick defense, piling up 42 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks. With almost 100 combined tackles between both players in two years, offenses should be running for their lives.
https://victorybellrings.com/2018/05/25/penn-state-football-line-returns/
Penn State Football: Defensive line returns bevy of players
by Collin Wieder
Penn State football’s defensive line contains a loaded depth chart. At all spots, the Nittany Lions contain an abundance of playmakers.
Big Ten quarterbacks beware, Penn State football’s pass rush is on the hunt. Between all its defensive linemen, the Nittany Lions return nine playmakers that saw significant time last year. The production proves substantial as well with 21.5 sacks returning from those nine key players. The best part for the Nittany Lions, all these guys can do different things.
From speedy edge rushers to run-stuffing defensive tackles, this front could be top 25 in the nation. Last year alone they helped hold opponents to just 16.5 points per game. With that experience and another offseason under their belts, they could overwhelm offenses across the Big Ten.
The scary part about this defensive line is that they can be so multiple. PSU defensive line coach Sean Spencer and defensive coordinator Brent Pry like to rotate players in constantly to keep the pressure on.
Defensive Ends, edge rushers
Speed kills and it’s all over the place for Penn State. This position group begins with an out-of-this-world talent in Shareef Miller. The speedy edge rusher shows unreal potential and is due for a big season. Miller recorded 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks his freshman year and followed that up with a huge boost in production as a sophomore.
He came up with 38 stops and 5.5 sacks with 11.5 tackles for loss. Miller takes the charge here and should see his numbers increase into double-digits.
The speed Miller brings off the edge is only amplified by a just as athletic Shaka Toney. Both bring the pain once they get to the quarterback with blinding speed. Toney recorded 3.5 sacks in his redshirt freshman season, giving Penn State multiple smaller speedsters on the edge. Miller has the prototype physique at 6-foot-5, 255 pounds while Toney plays like a linebacker at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds.
Torrence Brown, Daniel Joseph Yetur Gross-Matos round out the speedy group. After suffering a season-ending injury against Georgia State, Brown missed the final 10 games of the year. However, he has solid production returning with 52 career tackles and 12.5 tackles for loss. If he can recover, that’ll add more rotational players to the lineup.
Matos pile up 17 tackles as a true freshman and showed real promise as an athletic pass rusher. Joseph didn’t get the same in-game reps like Matos did, but he made the most of his snaps. He recorded 11 tackles and three sacks waxing offensive lines with his jetliner speed. His similar body type and blistering speed makes him a breakout candidate for the next few years.
Edge Setters
Obviously Penn State football’s D-Line speed is paramount as noted by the first group. Still, it carries a few prototypical defense ends as well. Shane Simmons and Ryan Buchholz headline this list. They flat out bully offensive lineman. Simmons has the strength and size to move offensive lineman.
Simmons is actually similar in size to a lot of the team’s defensive ends, but he pushes blockers around with elite strength. He recorded 15 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss in his freshman year. When he came out of high school as a four-star recruit, he was just 221 pounds. He sat out the 2016 season as a redshirt, putting on almost 30 pounds to beef up his 6-foot-3 frame.
Before the start of the season, I wrote that once he gets his lanky reach on an offensive lineman, it’s over. His range makes him a perfect edge setter because he can move offensive tackles around – that makes him a problem in the run game.
Buchholz is built to stop the run but in a different way. It’s all about the size and strength here. His 6-foot-6, 273-pound body is a rock on the line. He can’t be moved and that’s what makes a nuisance to pickup in run blocking.
In two years he’s put up 33 tackles, six tackles for loss and four sacks. With two years of eligibility left and paired up with another youngster this part of the line can only get better.
Defensive Tackles
The one spot that might falter the Penn State football defensive line early on this year it’s the interior. Lost in the shuffle of seven returning defensive ends is just two returners in the middle. Curtis Cothran and Parker Cothren graduated leaving Penn State thin at defensive tackle.
Still, they have two proven guys back in juniors Kevin Givens and Robert Windsor. Both play with a similar 1-2 style to Simmons and Buchholz. One plays with speed and the other attacks with prototypical size.
Givens is the sawed-off inside tackle at 6-1, 281-pounds. He can get to the quarterback in a hurry, flashing tons of speed for an interior defensive lineman. In two years he’s built up some nice numbers, recording 50 tackles and 8.5 sacks.
Windsor is the productive, run-stuffing big boy inside. At 6-foot-4, 295 pounds, he adds the size to a lightning-quick defense, piling up 42 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks. With almost 100 combined tackles between both players in two years, offenses should be running for their lives.
https://victorybellrings.com/2018/05/25/penn-state-football-line-returns/
