Penn State vs. Georgia Position Grades

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Jan 2, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Sony Michel (1) carries the ball in the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at EverBank Field.The Georgia Bulldogs defeated Penn State Nittany Lions 24-17 to win the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive Line:

The defensive line played decent but did allow Georgia’s Sony Michel to rush for 100 yards and a touchdown. Overall they allowed 166 yards rushing.

For individual performances, this was a great last showing for defensive tackle Austin Johnson, as he declared for the NFL draft after the game. He finished the day with eight tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss. Late in the game with Georgia trying to run out the clock, there was a questionable but costly personal foul called against him. He followed that up with blowing up the next play in the backfield.

Garrett Sickels had five tackles, one for a loss. Anthony Zettel had four tackles, a sack and a pass breakup. In his first full game back, Carl Nassib didn’t even register on the score sheet which was unfortunate in his last game.

Overall, the defensive line kept Georgia in check for chunks of the game that kept Penn State in it till the end.

Grade: B-

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