Penn State Football: Who is the Defensive MVP so Far in 2015?
With no game this week, the Penn State Nittany Lions get a chance to regroup and prepare for the remaining tough, two-game stretch against Michigan and Michigan State. This week is a perfect time to reflect back on the past 10 games and take a look at who has really excelled thus far.
Just like we did previously with the offense, it’s time to check out who the VBR staff has pegged as Penn State’s defensive MVP so far in 2015.
Lead Editor Barry Leonard Jr.
The easy pick here is definitely defensive end Carl Nassib. While Nassib has been unbelievable, leading the nation in sacks and tackles for loss, I’m going off the radar a bit. My pick for defensive MVP so far is linebacker Jason Cabinda.
Cabinda was already expected to be a big contributor this season, but his role as a leader on the defense increased right at the start of the season when Nyeem Wartman-White suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1 at Temple.
Starting every game this year, Cabinda leads the team with 71 total tackles. He’s also recorded an interception and two-and-a-half sacks. Cabinda’s name may not be the first name listed when thinking of Penn State’s MVP, but he’s got to get serious consideration for his efforts so far in 2015.
Staff Writer Shane Lunnen
Carl Nassib has been a force this season so I will give him the nod for MVP so far. He leads the nation in sacks and in tackles for loss. For the sack total, it’s not even close and he has at least one sack in every game. He’s an absolute monster along the defensive front and has caused havoc in opposing backfields all season.
Because offenses have to game plan for him, it opens up the door for the other lineman too. Let’s hope Nassib finishes his college career strong in the final three games before playing on Sundays next fall.
Staff Writer Ryan Lance
There are a handful of players that could be looked at as MVP’s on the defensive side of the ball, but I’m going to have to go with defensive end Carl Nassib. Nassib leads not only the team in sacks but also the country, as he’s registered 15.5 sacks on the season.
Nassib has been a pleasant surprise this season as he’s helped anchor a defense that ranks No. 16 overall in total defense. He’s had his best season to date this year as he’s registered 46 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks and six forced fumbles.
Staff Writer Marty Leap
My Penn State defensive MVP so far is Carl Nassib. This was a tough call because while Nassib has the stats, one can argue that Anthony Zettel and Austin Johnson are the two most important players on Penn State’s defense. However, it is just too difficult to look past Nassib’s stats. Nassib’s 15.5 sacks this season not only lead the FBS, but the number is also a new Penn State single season sack record. Nassib also leads the FBS in tackles for a loss with 19.5 and forced fumbles with six, he also has an interception this season.
Penn State’s rush defense is very fierce, but it is on a totally different level when Nassib is on the field. Look at Northwestern’s game winning drive on Saturday. Carl Nassib was not on the field, and a big play was Northwestern converting a third and 15 from inside its own 50 yard line. On that play Bob Shoop brought a safety blitz which helped contribute to Northwestern’s wide receiver being wide open. If Nassib was on the field, there’s a good chance Shoop would not have felt the need to bring additional pressure to get to the quarterback. Plus, for all we know, Nassib may have made a play elsewhere on the drive to help the Nittany Lions close out a win instead of suffering a gut-wrenching loss.
The emergence of Nassib has also helped Penn State’s pass rush in a less obvious way. Prior to the season it appeared if an offensive line double teamed Anthony Zettel and contained Austin Johnson they would be able to slow down the Nittany Lion pass rush, but, thanks in large part to Nassib, this is not the case. An offense can not double team all three of these players, heck it’s hard enough to double team two players on one play. And this helped put some great defensive linemen in very favorable one-on-one match ups.
Staff Writer Nick Lemon
Two very deserving defensive MVP candidates jump to the forefront. Carl Nassib, the FBS current sack leader has exploded onto the scene and NFL-talent Austin Johnson has been equally as dominant as a physical force in the middle.
However, I am going to go with an unconventional choice based not on value added on the field, but the potential impact losing this player to injury may have had on the season.
Penn State was shutting out Temple 10-0 in the second quarter when middle linebacker Nyeem Wartman-White injured his knee and was lost for the season. Temple went on to score 27 unanswered points with him on the sideline. Wartman-White was the team’s second-leading tackler in 2014 and the leader and “quarterback” of the defense. The Lions’ linebackers have stepped up admirably in Wartman-White’s absence. However, the unit’s dynamic changes if its team leader is pursuing J.T. Barrett at the Shoe and Penn State almost certainly escapes Northwestern with a victory with Wartman-White anchoring the middle of the defense.
There are several worthy MVP candidates on Penn State’s talented defense, but one could argue that Wartman-White’s injury may have cost the Lions at least one or two victories before the season is complete.