Can Penn State get to Illinois' QB? And protect Hackenberg?
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The Penn State pass rush has played a significant role in helping the team become eligible for a bowl game already, with defensive end Carl Nassib on track to break the school record for most sacks in a season.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The Penn State pass rush has played a significant role in helping the team become eligible for a bowl game already, with defensive end Carl Nassib on track to break the school record for most sacks in a season.
But Illinois possesses an offensive line that has done a terrific job of keeping its quarterback clean this season, which will present a challenge Saturday for the Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium.
The Nittany Lions (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten) lead the nation in sacks with 31, an average of 3.88 per game. Nassib, the 6-foot-7, 272-pound fifth-year senior from West Chester, has accounted for 13.5 and is closing in on the program record of 15 sacks shared by Larry Kubin and Michael Haynes.
The Fighting Illini (4-3, 1-2) have made sure their quarterback, Wes Lunt, has stayed out of danger, allowing only eight sacks, which is first in the Big Ten.
"Their line is pretty big, they have guys that weigh about 300, 320 on the inside," said Austin Johnson, Penn State's 6-4, 323-pound defensive tackle. "So it's going to be a man's game up front and we're going to need to take it to them if we want to win the game."
Illinois head coach, and Delaware County native, Bill Cubit knows it's important for his line to keep the Lions off his quarterback.
"They're really good," he said. "We've got to make sure we protect the quarterback going into this game. They've got some high-level kids on the front."
There is also an example of extremes when the Nittany Lions go on offense. They've yielded 28 sacks - tied for 124th out of 127 FBS teams - with Christian Hackenberg absorbing all but one of them. Meanwhile, the Fighting Illini have sacked opponents just nine times.
"That's really interesting when you look at the sacks," Cubit said. "That's probably the first time I've seen that, where one team is No. 1 and the other team last in both categories."
Don't let the Fighting Illini sack numbers fool you, however. They have recorded 56 tackles for loss, second in the Big Ten behind Penn State's 74. Dawuane Smoot, a 265-pound defensive end, tops his team with 11.5 while Nassib leads the nation with 17.5.
The Illinois defense also features a native of Philadelphia, 6-foot-6, 295-pound defensive end Jihad Ward, who has rebounded from a training camp injury and is fourth on the team in tackles.
After two weeks of going against a pair of strong running quarterbacks in Ohio State's J.T. Barrett and Maryland's Perry Hills, the Nittany Lions will face a sophisticated passing game headed by Lunt, a junior who is fourth in the Big Ten with an average of 243 passing yards per game.
"He's not a runner," Penn State coach James Franklin said, "but he does a nice job extending plays and buying time, throwing the ball away and things like that. He's got a real good feel for it. It will be a real challenge."
Lunt may have to do it all on offense, however. Top running back Josh Ferguson is expected to miss his third straight game with a shoulder injury.
Nittany Notes. Former coach Johnny Majors, who led Pittsburgh to the 1976 national championship, will attend the game as Franklin's guest. Franklin said while at Vanderbilt, he met Majors and the two developed a friendship. "He's got great energy," he said. "He's a very unique personality, which I love. When he says he's coming to a game, you say 'Yes.' " . . . Beaver Stadium will sport a new grass surface for Saturday's game that was laid after the team's most recent home game on Oct. 10.
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