Defense
Grade: B
Curtis Jacobs led the team with 10 tackles in the season opener and he recorded one of the three sacks Penn State tallied against a strong West Virginia offensive line. The Penn State defensive line had some trouble in a number of situations with the size difference in the trenches. That led to a quiet night for Chop Robinson (2 tackles, 1 TFL) and linebacker Abdul Carter (1 tackle, 1 sack). But Carter was regularly in pursuit and involved in plays with pressure. He did get beat by West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene on a nice run for an apparent first down, but Carter doesn’t get fooled often like that.
Penn State’s defense didn’t force any turnovers, which may have been a bit of a surprise given how much focus is placed on creating opportunities by defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. But the Nittany Lions defense held for a couple of turnovers on downs, so that should count for something.