Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Kent State Golden Flashes Position Grades

Penn State vs. Kent State Position Grades

Sep 3, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin congratulates defensive end Shareef Miller (48) following a sack against Kent State Golden Flashes quarterback Justin Agner (not pictured) during the third quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Kent State 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O /

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Sep 3, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive tackle Antoine White (93) reacts after sacking Kent State Golden Flashes quarterback Mylik Mitchell (17) during the fourth quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Kent State 33-13. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive Line:

The defense as a whole struggled in this one. The Nittany Lions did not have a good answer for the running quarterbacks used by Kent State. There were some issues on the new defensive line, but six of the seven team sacks came from the line.

There were problems with staying in lanes when the play broke down, but for the most part the young line did a decent job.

Garrett Sickels, the de facto leader of the unit this year, played a strong game, making six total tackles and a sack. Fellow senior defensive end Evan Schwan made four tackles before leaving with an injury.

Perhaps the biggest bright spot for the line was the play of Shareef Miller and Antoine White. They accounted together for three sacks and 10 total tackles.

The amount of times that Kent State was able to break a big play through the line is a bit concerning, but this group’s grade is helped by all of the sacks.

Grade: B-

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