Victory Bell Rings
Fansided

Penn State Football: four bold predictions for the defense in 2022

By Nick Kreiser

First-year Penn State football defensive coordinator Manny Diaz walks onto the turf with other members of the team during football media day at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, August 6, 2022, in State College.Hes Dr 080622 Psumedia
First-year Penn State football defensive coordinator Manny Diaz walks onto the turf with other members of the team during football media day at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, August 6, 2022, in State College.Hes Dr 080622 Psumedia /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
STATE COLLEGE, PA – NOVEMBER 16: Adisa Isaac #20 of the Penn State Nittany Lions lines up against the Indiana Hoosiers during the second half at Beaver Stadium on November 16, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA – NOVEMBER 16: Adisa Isaac #20 of the Penn State Nittany Lions lines up against the Indiana Hoosiers during the second half at Beaver Stadium on November 16, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Bold prediction #3 – Penn State Football accumulates at least 40 sacks as a team

In 2021, Penn State Football managed to sack opposing quarterbacks just 27 times throughout 13 games, which was below average nationally. That’s an area that desperately needs to improve in 2022 for this team to be successful, and I’m predicting that it will.

An improvement of 13 total sacks from a year ago, 40 sacks would be an improvement of one per game if you figure a 13-game season.

That may not seem like a lot, but to put it into perspective, only 15 FBS teams accumulated 40 or more sacks in the 2021 season.

This prediction is certainly quite bold, and one that, if it comes true, would likely mean big things for not only the defense, but the team as a whole.

With the aggressive style of defense that we expect Manny Diaz to call which includes a lot of disguised and exotic blitz packages, they should be able to get a ton of pressure on opposing quarterbacks and give this prediction a good chance to come to fruition.

Home/Penn State Nittany Lions