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Penn State Football: Position grades versus Indiana

By Dylan Burd

BLOOMINGTON, IN - OCTOBER 20: Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs the ball against the Indiana Hoosiers in the fourth quarter of the game at Memorial Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. Penn State won 33-28. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - OCTOBER 20: Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs the ball against the Indiana Hoosiers in the fourth quarter of the game at Memorial Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. Penn State won 33-28. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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BLOOMINGTON, IN – OCTOBER 20: Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Indiana Hoosiers looks to pass while under pressure from Shareef Miller #48 of the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second quarter of the game at Memorial Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. Penn State won 33-28. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN – OCTOBER 20: Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Indiana Hoosiers looks to pass while under pressure from Shareef Miller #48 of the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second quarter of the game at Memorial Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. Penn State won 33-28. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Defensive Line

As a whole, the defense was abysmal in this game, but the best defensive unit was the defensive line. The defensive line had six sacks, and one additional tackle for a loss. However, while the defensive line was able to  get pressure on the quarterback, they also played a role in allowing 224 rushing yards, which is pretty horrendous.

Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos played the best game of his career, as he had ten tackles, including two sacks. Gross-Matos’s ability to get to the quarterback has been solid this year, as he now has four sacks on the season.

Defensive end Shaka Toney was the MVP of this game for Penn State, as he had four sacks on six tackles for the day. This tied a Penn State record for sacks in a single game. The last Penn State player to have four sacks in a game was Tamba Hali in 2005.

Defensive tackle Robert Windsor also chipped into the effort, having two tackles, including a tackle for loss, and defensive tackle P.J Mustipher forced a fumble.

While there were players who went off on the defensive line in this game, the overall unit needs to perform better. Allowing 220+ rushing yards to a top-20 ranked team any of the next three weeks would be a big problem.

Grade: B-

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