Penn State offense might be full of things to be critical of but the Nittany Lions’ defense was among the best in the nation for a reason last year. 2024 might mean a lot of new faces on this side of the ball but that doesn’t mean we can’t look back at one of the best defenses the program has put out on the field. Today it’s time to grade the linebackers.
The Grade: B+
The Good: Pound-for-pound the combination of Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac is as good of a defensive end combo as the Nittany Lions have put on the field. Add in the likes of Dani Denis-Sutton and Zuriah Fisher and you’ve got plenty of talent waiting in the wings as well. Penn State led the nation in sacks, rushing defense and was third in scoring defense. That sort of thing ends up being a group effort defensively, but Penn State’s defensive front had as much to do with that as anything.
An extra credit here too for the defensive front getting better in the interior as the year went along after some early warning signs that running the ball between the tackles might do the Nittany Lions in. A nod here to Dvon Ellies and Coziah Izzard on that front. Michigan was one of three teams (Ole Miss and West Virginia were the others) to get over 100 yards on the ground (227) but the Wolverines did that to everyone all year long and won a national title in the process. Penn State didn’t post any super impressive individual numbers along the defensive front this year but this group was pretty rock solid all season long. Michigan hurts this grade but otherwise this group ate – 111 tackles for a loss was the second best mark in the nation.
The Not So Good: For all of the butt kicking this unit did it’s hard to ignore that against Michigan it simply couldn’t slow the Wolverines down. That’s not a sign of a bad defensive line, but Penn State has long been at the point where beating up on the majority of the (old) Big Ten schedule isn’t anything more than the expectation. In a world where Mike Yurcich got fired for underperforming in two games, it’s worth at least nodding to the fact Penn State’s defensive front (and defense at large to some degree) also struggled in the season’s biggest moment. That said, you can only blame a group for so much when it comes to losing a close game to the eventual national title winner.
Overall: The eye-popping stats may have not been there but this group was rock solid all year long. There were some gap issues earlier in the season but credit due for becoming plenty stout on the interior.
See all of the Positional Grades HERE.
