UCLA Football Preview: Penn State's Defense is One of the Best in the Nation

Even without one of their best players, the Nittany Lion defense will be very formidable on Saturday.

Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton deserves to flex considering how well he’s played this season. (Photo Credit: Mark Selders/GoPSUSports.com)

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Alright, let’s get serious about Saturday. The big question surrounding Saturday’s game is not “Can the Bruins pull off an upset?”. Instead, it is “Will the Penn State defense outscore the Bruin offense?”

The good news is that Penn State will be without starting linebacker Tony Rojas. Rojas has the second-most tackles on the team. The bad news is that it looks like he’s the only starter they will be missing.

When it comes to the Nittany Lions defensive scheme, Jim Knowles will run a 4-2-5 nickel base defense.

Let’s look at Penn State’s defensive personnel.

Defensive Line

Any conversation about the Nittany Lion defensive line should probably start with senior defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton. While Dennis-Sutton has only fourth on the team in tackles with 16, it’s his other stats which show the kind of disrupter he is. He is tied with Rojas for the team lead in both TFLs and sacks with 4.5 TFLs and two sacks. Even though he plays on the defensive line, he leads the team in pass breakups with two, and he leads in quarterback hurries with six and forced fumbles with two as well.

Redshirt super senior Zuriah Fisher will start at the other edge spot. After missing the entire 2024 season as well as this year’s season opener due to an injury suffered in spring practice, Fisher has started the last three games. Since returning, he’s made four tackles and broken up a pass.

The starting defensive tackles will be senior Zane Durant and redshirt super senior Alonzo Ford Jr. Durant will line up next to Dennis-Sutton while Ford will be next to Fisher. Durant has made six tackles including half a TFL. He has also intercepted a pass and broken up another. Ford has made five tackles and intercepted a pass.

Linebackers

With Rojas out, it could put more pressure on Amare Campbell do even more than he already is. Campbell leads the team in tackles with 37 including three TFLs and a sack. He also has a quarterback hurry.

In Rojas’ place, expect Penn State to use a committee of three guys. The next man up is likely to be redshirt senior Dom DeLuca. DeLuca is tied for sixth on the team in tackles with 12 including 1.5 TFLs and a sack. The other guys who could see more playing time are true freshmen Alex Tatsch and Cam Smith. Tatsch’s only action this season came against Villanova. He made three tackles including one TFL in that game. Smith has yet to play this season.

Secondary

Redshirt safety Zakee Wheatley is third on the team in tackles with 18. He also has one pass breakup and a fumble recovery. The other starting safety will likely by junior King Mack. Mack has started the last two games, replacing redshirt freshman Antoine Belgrave-Shorter in the starting lineup. Mack has earned the starting role with his performance on the field. He’s made 15 tackles and broken up a pass wile Belgrave-Shorter has only made six tackles. Both players have seen action in all four games.

Junior AJ Harris and redshirt junior Audavion Collins will be the starting corners. Harris transferred to Penn State after playing at Georgia in 2023 while Collins spent 2022 at Mississippi State before transferring.

Between the two, Collins has a slightly better stat line. He’s made 12 tackles this season and broken up one pass while Harris has made 10 tackles and recovered a fumble.

After missing the season opener against Nevada with an injury, junior Zion Tracy returned the next week and has been the starting nickel since. In those three games, Tracy has made seven tackles including two TFLs. He’s also broken up one pass.

Analysis

Overall, Penn State’s defense is excellent. Their rushing defense is ranked 46th in the nation and they are ranked 17th in passing yards allowed. They are tied for 19th in total defense. They are tied for 8th in turnover margin with a +5.

There is no indication that the UCLA offense will do much of anything against the Nittany Lion defense.

When I started writing this, I wrote that the big question is “Will the Penn State difference outscore the Bruin offense?” But after considering the Nittany Lion defense, I think there’s another important question: Will the Bruins even be able to score on Penn State?

While I certainly wish Jerry Neuheisel well as he takes over the offensive playcalling, I don’t think I’ve seen anything from the Bruins this season which has me at all confident that the answer to my first question is no and the one for the second question is yes.


Go Bruins.

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