Penn State's Defense

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Behind enemy lines: A look at Penn State's Defense

Zac Blackerby

3-4 minutes

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Auburn will face a strong defense with the help of a loud crowd Saturday night when they battle Penn State in Happy Valley.

There has been a lot of talk about how Bo Nix will do against the Nittany Lion defense and what the offensive line will look like when they face a stronger defensive front.

The Penn State secondary will be an important aspect of the Nittany Lion defense when defending Auburn’s passing attack.

Here is a breakdown of Penn State’s defense from Nittany Lions Wire Managing Editor Kevin McGuire.

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Penn State returned just one starter from last year with PJ Mustiopher, but the addition of transfer Arnold Ebiketie from Temple has been a success so far. Ebiketie has certainly had an impact on the end of the line, a position Penn State needed to create havoc. Nick Tarburton has had some good moments too on the other side, but Penn State has also dabbled in having linebacker Jesse Luketa get some lays on the end as well. Expect to see that continue to be the case this week.

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Ellis Brooks has been off to a fiery start this season, which has been fun to watch. He did get ejected in the second half of the Wisconsin game for targeting, but he was brilliant before that and he will help provide energy to the defense this week. And having him on the field allows Penn State to move Luketa around a bit as previously mentioned.

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Brandon Smith is the big name to watch, as he leads the team in tackles coming into the week. Smith brings a physical approach similar to Micah Parsons in some fashion, and Penn State will need that this season. Curtis Jacobs has been getting the most looks on the other side, so count on seeing him out there for the majority of the time unless Penn State is moving Luketa around.

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This is Penn State’s biggest strength on defense. Safety Jaquan Brisker is a baller and may be among the best at his position in the nation. Brisker is joined by Tariq Castro-Fields at cornerback. Castro-Fields decided to return for another season along with Brisker and is one of Penn State’s top guys in coverage. Joey Porter Jr. (the son of former Steeler Joey Porter) has also continued to establish himself as one of Penn State’s most physical players. Ji’Ayir Brown has also come up big, including a game-0winning INT against Wisconsin in Week 1.

We have yet to see Keaton Ellis at safety this season for an undisclosed reason, and the future looks bright with talented freshman Kalen King getting on the field a bit. I’m not sure we’ll see a ton of King in this game as he has been targeted by opposing quarterbacks the past couple of weeks, but James Franklin is certainly very optimistic about his future.