Penn State has fallen to Arkansas in the Outback Bowl by a final score of 24-10.
Penn State had several defensive players opt-out to prep for the draft, but the veteran presence of guys like Ji’Ayir Brown and Jesse Luketa helped the Nittany Lions substantially in this game.
As many people hoped for, in the absence of Jahan Dotson, that didn’t seem to be too much of a problem for Penn State early in this game. Parker Washington how do you solve an impressive game and a monster first half, including a highlight-reel one-handed catch in the second quarter.
Much of the second half was all Arkansas. Penn State’s defense struggled to stop the run for much of the game, whether it big plays from Razorbacks running back Raheim Sanders or even quarterback KJ Jefferson, who has shown how dangerous he can be with his feet this season.
Along with the opt-outs, this was also a good opportunity for the underclassmen, and we got a brief glimpse of what the 2022 Penn State defense could look like.
Co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter was calling plays this afternoon for the defense. However, newly hired defensive coordinator Manny Diaz was in attendance for today’s game.
It was certainly an interesting season for Penn State, to say the least. From starting out 5-0 and even finding their way in the top four in the first half of the season, the team fell short in a good amount of games the second half of the season. That trend continued in the Outback Bowl.
Despite the up-and-down 2021 season by Penn State, they have a promising group of recruits coming in the next couple of years along with some key veteran talent returning in 2022.
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