Penn State vs. Rutgers Grades

Sep 19, 2015; University Park, PA, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights quarterback Chris Laviano (5) is pressured by Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Carl Nassib (95) in the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Line:

Once again the front four was the strength of the defense.  Austin Johnson and Carl Nassib terrorized the Rutgers backfield all night.  If they weren’t chasing down Rutgers quarterback Chris Laviano, they were pushing the offensive line around and smothering the Scarlet Knight rushing attack.

Johnson finished the night with six tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.  Carl Nassib continued the great start to his season, tallying four tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.  Redshirt sophomore Parker Cothren even got on the score sheet, two tackles and a sack.  Anthony Zettel and Garrett Sickels finished with only a combined three tackles, but they contributed to the massive disruption to Rutgers game plan.

I’m going to start running out of great things to say about this unit as a whole.  Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop and defensive line coach Sean Spencer must be enjoying the efforts of these guys through three games.

Grade: A

Next: Linebackers