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Breaking down the Penn State depth chart for the Michigan State game

By Shane Lunnen

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Mark Dantonio of the Michigan State Spartans shakes hands with head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions after the game on November 26, 2016 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Penn State defeats Michigan State 45-12 clinching Big Ten East Division Champions. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Mark Dantonio of the Michigan State Spartans shakes hands with head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions after the game on November 26, 2016 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Penn State defeats Michigan State 45-12 clinching Big Ten East Division Champions. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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Penn State released the depth chart for their clash against Michigan State.

The Penn State Nittany Lions hope to rebound this Saturday after a tough one point loss against Ohio State. The Michigan State Spartans present a new set of problems for Penn State to deal with and the Spartans will be looking for a little revenge of their own after last year’s 45-12 drubbing in Happy Valley.

Head coach James Franklin released the depth chart on Tuesday and it is exactly the same as last week’s. This should be no surprise, however the Lions suffered two significant injuries that contributed to the loss against the Buckeyes. Defensive end Ryan Buchholz went down early in the game, came back for one series, but left the game for good. His absence was felt in a decreased pass rush throughout the game, allowing JT Barrett to pick apart the Lion secondary.

The second injury occurred later in the game to left tackle Ryan Bates. Once he left, Will Fries slid from the right tackle spot to the left and Chasz Wright handled the right. Or should I say mishandled? The weakness of the offensive line as a whole once the Bates injury occurred cannot be understated.

It will be a thing to keep an eye on this Saturday if either Buchholz or Bates dresses for the game against the Spartans.

OFFENSE

Quarterback
9 Trace McSorley (6-0, 195, Sr./Jr.)
2 Tommy Stevens (6-5, 228, Jr./So.)
14 Sean Clifford (6-2, 210, Fr./Fr.)

Running Back
26 Saquon Barkley (5-11, 230, Jr./Jr.)
6 Andre Robinson (5-9, 223, Fr./So.) OR
4 Miles Sanders (5-11, 215, So./So.) OR
8 Mark Allen (5-6, 180, Sr./Jr.)

Wide Receiver (X)
84 Juwan Johnson (6-4, 226, Jr./So.)
11 Irvin Charles (6-4, 217, Jr./So.)
87 Dae’Lun Darien (6-4, 210, So./Fr.)

Wide Receiver (H)
5 DaeSean Hamilton (6-1, 206, Gr./Sr.)
10 Brandon Polk (5-9, 175, Jr./So.)
1 KJ Hamler (5-9, 172, Fr./Fr.)

Wide Receiver (Z)
3 DeAndre Thompkins (5-11, 187, Sr./Jr.)
13 Saeed Blacknall (6-3, 217, Sr./Sr.)
12 Mac Hippenhammer (5-11, 178, Fr./Fr.)

Tight End
88 Mike Gesicki (6-6, 250, Sr./Sr.)
18 Jonathan Holland (6-4, 248, Jr./So.)
89 Tom Pancoast (6-3, 242, 5th/Sr.)

Left Tackle
52 Ryan Bates (6-4, 312, Jr./So.)
71 Will Fries (6-6, 305, So./Fr.)
51 Alex Gellerstedt (6-6, 304, So./Fr.)

Left Guard
74 Steven Gonzalez (6-4, 341, Jr./So.)
73 Mike Miranda (6-3, 303, Fr./Fr.)
61 C.J. Thorpe (6-3, 329, Fr./Fr.)

Center
66 Connor McGovern (6-5, 312, So./So.)
64 Zach Simpson (6-3, 301, Jr./So.)
73 Mike Miranda (6-3, 303, Fr./Fr.)

Right Guard
70 Brendan Mahon (6-4, 318, 5th/Sr.)
62 Michal Menet (6-4, 301, So./Fr.)
79 Charlie Shuman (6-8, 316, Sr./Jr.)

Right Tackle
71 Will Fries (6-6, 305, So./Fr.) OR
77 Chasz Wright (6-7, 358, Sr./Jr.)
59 Andrew Nelson (6-6, 305, Gr./Sr.)

DEFENSE

Defensive End
48/19 Shareef Miller (6-5, 257, Jr./So.)
34 Shane Simmons (6-3, 250, So./Fr.) OR
46 Colin Castagna (6-4, 257, Jr./Jr.)

Defensive Tackle
52 Curtis Cothran (6-5, 301, Gr./Sr.)
30 Kevin Givens (6-1, 287, Jr./So.)
42 Ellison Jordan (6-0, 293, So./Fr.) OR
55 Antonio Shelton (6-2, 302, So./Fr.)

Defensive Tackle
41 Parker Cothren (6-4, 304, Gr./Sr.)
54 Robert Windsor (6-4, 303, Jr./So.) OR
56 Tyrell Chavis (6-3, 308, Sr./Sr.)

Defensive End
97 Ryan Buchholz (6-6, 275, Jr./So.)
18 Shaka Toney (6-3, 233, So./Fr.)
99 Yetur Gross-Matos (6-5, 248, Fr./Fr.)

Will Linebacker
43 Manny Bowen (6-1, 226, Jr./Jr.)
6 Cam Brown (6-5, 227, So./So.)

Middle Linebacker 
40 Jason Cabinda (6-1, 234, Sr./Sr.)
47 Brandon Smith (6-0, 231, Gr./Sr.)

Sam Linebacker
7 Koa Farmer (6-1, 237, Sr./Jr.)
9 Jarvis Miller (6-2, 222, Jr./So.)

Boundary Cornerback
1 Christian Campbell (6-1, 194, Sr./Sr.)
5 Tariq Castro-Fields (6-0, 185, Fr./Fr.)
38 Lamont Wade (5-9, 196, Fr./Fr.)

Free Safety
2 Marcus Allen (6-2, 207, Sr./Sr.)
4 Nick Scott (5-11, 199, Sr./Jr.)

Strong Safety
28 Troy Apke (6-1, 198, Sr./Sr.)
23 Ayron Monroe (5-11, 207, Jr./So.)
17 Garrett Taylor (6-0, 197, Jr./So.)

Field Cornerback
15 Grant Haley (5-9, 190, Sr./Sr.)
21 Amani Oruwariye (6-1, 209, Sr./Jr.)
14 Zech McPhearson (5-11, 182, So./Fr.)

SPECIAL TEAMS

Punter
93 Blake Gillikin (6-2, 195, So./So.)
92 Daniel Pasquariello (6-1, 201, Sr./Sr.)
97 Carson Landis (6-2, 198, Fr./Fr.)

Kicker
95 Tyler Davis (5-11, 183, 5th/Sr.)
90 Alex Barbir (5-9, 193, So./Fr.)
97 Carson Landis (6-2, 198, Fr./Fr.)

Holder
16 Billy Fessler (5-11, 181, Sr./Jr.)
92 Daniel Pasquariello (6-1, 201, Sr./Sr.)
93 Blake Gillikin (6-2, 195, So./So.)

Long Snapper
96 Kyle Vasey (6-2, 234, Sr./Jr.)
36 Jan Johnson (6-2, 234, Jr./So.)
94 Joe Calcagno (6-0, 253, Fr./Fr.)

Kickoff Returners
26 Saquon Barkley (5-11, 230, Jr./Jr.)
24 Miles Sanders (5-11, 215, So./So.)
10 Brandon Polk (5-9, 175, Jr./So.)

Punt Returners
3 DeAndre Thompkins (5-11, 187, Sr./Jr.)
8 Mark Allen (5-6, 180, Sr./Jr.)
28 Troy Apke (6-1, 198, Sr./Sr.)

Next: Penn State vs. Michigan State preview

Coaching Staff
James Franklin – Head Coach
Brent Pry – Associate HC/DC/LB
Joe Moorhead – OC/QB
Charles Huff – STC/RB
Terry Smith – Assistant HC/CB
Tim Banks – Co-DC/S (Booth)
Josh Gattis – Assistant STC/WR
Matt Limegrover – OL
Ricky Rahne – TE (Booth)
Sean Spencer – DL

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