Penn State Football: Position Grades versus Appalachian State

By Dylan Burd | Sep 4, 2018

STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 01: Miles Sanders #24 of the Penn State Nittany Lions rushes for a 4 yard touchdown in overtime against the Appalachian State Mountaineers on September 1, 2018 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

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STATE COLLEGE, PA – SEPTEMBER 01: Koa Farmer #7 of the Penn State Nittany Lions tackles Jalin Moore #25 of the Appalachian State Mountaineers on September 1, 2018 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Linebackers

There wasn’t a single Penn State defensive unit that played well in this game, but if there was one that was a bright spot, it was the linebackers. Jan Johnson, who started at inside linebacker, led the Nittany Lions in tackles with 11.

Cam Brown had a sack, and Koa Farmer had a tackle for a loss. Micah Parsons, a five-star recruit in the 2018 class, had four tackles in his Nittany Lion debut despite seeing limited time on the field on defense.

While each player in the linebacker unit did make some plays, they need to be better defending the run. Allowing 159 yards on the ground is not ideal against a team like App State, and that’s why their grade isn’t very high.

Grade: C+

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