Penn State Football: Position Grades versus Georgia State
Linebackers
Similar to the defensive line, this unit did a nice job of shutting down the Panthers’ offense when it mattered most. Manny Bowen led the entire linebacking corp with six tackles, but no one else played out of this world. Their effort improved from last week where Pitt grinded them down.
This week the linebacking corp didn’t allow anything beyond short to intermediate in the passing game. In the run game, the defense held its own up the middle. Pitt made its living diving right into the heart of the front seven, and Penn State football cleaned it up. Their success against the pass and run in week two needs to carry over into the game against Iowa.
The Hawkeyes feature a multiple offense that the Nittany Lions haven’t seen yet. Between the use of tight ends and a loaded backfield, the group of Bowen, Koa Farmer, Brandon Smith and Jason Cabinda need to step up in a big way.