Tag: Adisa Isaac

Drew Allar tosses 4 TDs as Penn State shuts out Iowa, 31-0

Penn State was in full control of Iowa in all areas in a 31-0 victory.

Rain and blustery winds could not dampen the mood for the second-largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history on Saturday night. Not when the defense was dominant in pitching a shutout and [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] passed for four touchdowns in a 31-0 victory over Iowa. Penn State’s dominant victory was a performance that put on display Penn State’s championship-caliber defense and a strong efficient and steady offensive performance against a program that typically plays some of the best defense in the Big Ten.

How good was the Penn State defense? The Nittany Lions not only didn’t allow Iowa to score, but the Hawkeyes were held to just 76 yards of total offense, including 20 rushing yards as a team.

Penn State’s offense got off to a bit of a slow start against a stingy Iowa defense, but the running game continued to chew up yardage on the Hawkeyes. [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] carried the football 21 times for 72 hard-earned yards and [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] rushed for 49 yards on 17 carries. The ground game was especially solid in the second half as Penn State continued to wear down the Iowa defenders.

Penn State may still be on the lookout for a second receiver to really step up into a reliable role, but Allar was in sync with his tight ends. Tyler Warren was on the receiving end of two of Allar’s four touchdown passes. [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Khalil Dinkins[/autotag] each added another. Lambert-Smith led the Nittany Lions with 8 receptions and 66 receiving yards.

Allar’s night came to an end in the fourth quarter with Penn State up 31-0. As he left the game, making way for [autotag]Beau Pribula[/autotag] to get some time running the offense, Allar completed 25-of-37 passes for 166 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. He has still not thrown an interception in his young college football career. Allar also rushed for 22 yards on eight attempts.

Penn State’s defense was all over the Iowa offense, which was playing without three of its top players due to injury. Penn State’s defense only sacked Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara twice in the game, but they made for a long evening for the former Michigan passer (who won with Michigan in his last trip to Beaver Stadium in 2021). [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] was all over the action with 2 fumble recoveries and a tackle for loss in the game. [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] also landed on a loose football after [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] knocked the ball out of the hands of McNamara on a sack.

Penn State will continue Big Ten play next week with a road trip to Northwestern.

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Defensive keys for victory against West Virginia

Penn State’s defense will be all over West Virginia’s offense in the season opener.

The time has come to see if the hype surrounding this Penn State defense is real.

They were one of the top defenses in the country last season and are looking to build upon their success this year. In [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag]’s second season as Penn State’s defensive coordinator, the expectations are that they’ll be even better than what they did a year ago.

So, what are defensive keys to victory against an upset minded West Virginia team?

The first is to stop the run.

Attacking on the ground is something that West Virginia wants to do. They’re returning three of their top four running backs from last season and all five of their offensive lineman. With quarterback questions of their own, they’ll look to grind out the game on the ground. It will be up to the interior defensive line to make sure that doesn’t happen.

After getting pushed around against Michigan and Ohio State last year, there has been rumblings the group this season is upgraded. This will be a good test to see if that has come to fruition.

The second key to victory is getting after the passer.

If Penn State takes an early lead, the Mountaineers will have to start throwing the ball at some point to get themselves back into the game. That’s when the edge rushers have to get after the quarterback and make his life miserable. With three legitimate threats on the edge in [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag], [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] and [autotag]Dani Dennis-Sutton[/autotag], they should be able to accomplish this.

The third key is limiting explosive plays.

West Virginia will need some of their plays to pop if they want to pull off the upset. That can’t happen to this defense that has goals of being the best in the country. The secondary will have to limit the damage done through the air and the defensive line will have to win their battles against their offensive line.

If all three of these are accomplished defensively, then Penn State will start the season 1-0.

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West Virginia head coach lauds NFL draft talent on Penn State defense

West Virginia head coach Neal Brown knows his offense is going up a Penn State defense with lots of star power.

Penn State is preparing to open the 2023 season with a home opener this Saturday night against former regional rival West Virginia. In the first meeting between the two schools since 1992, West Virginia head coach Neal Brown is fully aware of just how much talent Penn State has to offer that his team will have to prepare for.

In a weekly press conference, Brown praised the star power on Penn State’s defense ahead of the Week 1 matchup. Brown said Penn State has nine draft picks on the defensive side of the football, according to WV Sports Now and reporter Mike Asti via X, formerly known as Twitter.

Nine players with NFL draft potential on one defense? Yeah, that’s pretty good. So who are those nine players Brown is referring to?

The three obvious ones are cornerback [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag], defensive end [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag], and linebacker [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag]. King is being viewed as one of the top cornerbacks in the 2024 NFL draft pool, so long as he declares for the draft after this season. Robinson has been called a possible first-round draft pick as well. Carter is still just a sophomore, but you have to imagine he is on the radar of the draft scouts already.

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Linebacker [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] and defensive end [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] are probably the next two to come to mind, bringing our total to five players. Other starters developing their NFL draft stock may be defensive tackles [autotag]Hakeem Beamon[/autotag] and [autotag]Dvon Ellies[/autotag]. And safety [autotag]Keaton Ellis[/autotag] and cornerback [autotag]Johnny Dixon[/autotag] are likely players to be on the big board for some teams, even if later in the draft process.

Penn State’s defense should be locked in from the start this week and season. After a strong showing in the spring Blue-White Game, Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has a unit that will be able to create opportunities for the offense to do its thing.

Penn State hosts West Virginia on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

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2024 NFL draft: Preseason EDGE watch list and early rankings

2024 NFL draft: Preseason EDGE watch list and early rankings from Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon

The EDGE moniker is a relatively recent name, but EDGE players have been around for a long time. It’s essentially a mix of outside linebackers and defensive ends who have the primary task of rushing the passer. Sometimes they’re stand-up OLB types (think Von Miller), while others are hand-in-dirt ends (think Myles Garrett).

It’s a position where collegiate production is important but athletic upside matters quite a bit, perhaps more than any other spot. The early evaluation of this EDGE class shows a couple of high-end prospects and then a group that is variable based on team/scheme preferences; the No. 3 here might not be in the top 8 for a team that doesn’t run the particular type of scheme that he best fits.

These are very fluid rankings. In general, these are early impressions about the NFL potential of players who still have a considerable amount of football to play before they’re drafted. Some underclassmen are included here strictly as mentions; it is not meant to advocate for a player to leave early.

After watching enough to get a baseline feel for the players, here is an early listing and my preliminary ranking for the EDGEs in the NFL draft class of 2024.

2024 NFL draft: Preseason OT watch list and early rankings

2024 NFL draft: Preseason CB watch list and early rankings

2024 NFL draft: Preseason QB watch list and early rankings

2024 NFL draft: Preseason RB watch list and early rankings

2024 NFL draft: Preseason WR watch list and early rankings

Penn State football team captains for 2023 announced

Penn State announced the six team captains for the Nittany Lions this college football season.

Penn State football’s return to the gridiron is approaching quickly. As the team prepares for the season opener against West Virginia, the team captains for this year’s rosters have been officially unveiled. In a social media post on the team’s official account on X, formerly known as Twitter, confirmed the six names that have been chosen to be the team’s leaders for the upcoming season.

Three of the names were previously confirmed; safety [autotag]Keaton Elli[/autotag]s, offensive tackle [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag], and linebacker [autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag]. The three additions to the list of team captains included tight end [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag], defensive end [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag], and wide receiver [autotag]Malick Meiga[/autotag].

Here is a look at this year’s team captains for the Nittnay Lions.

Best Penn State photos from Big Ten football media day

Check out the photo gallery of Penn State’s representatives from Big Ten football media day.

Indianapolis was the scene for Big Ten football media day, and Penn State is hoping to make a return trip at the end of the season for the Big Ten championship game. The media day festivities showcasing the Big Ten and half of the conference’s coaches and players got underway on Wednesday, July 26, with Penn State’s representatives taking time to talk about the team, conference, and more as we look deeper into the start of the 2023 college football season.

James Franklin was joined by three of his top upperclassmen and leaders for the 2023 season; offensive lineman Olu Fashanu, defensive lineman Adisa Isaac and safety Keaton Ellis.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s representatives and more from Big Ten football media day.

Phil Steele’s preseason All-Americans and All-Big Ten rosters feature multiple Nittany Lions

Phil Steele includes a number of Penn State players on his preseason All-America and All-Big Ten rosters for 2023.

You know the dogs days of summer are essentially upon us not because schools are letting out for the summer and grills are firing up for some evening cookouts and pools are being splashed in, but because the college football preview content is beginning to overflow with information for the upcoming 2023 college football season. Among the highlights of the summer preview season is when the iconic Phil Steele begins sharing his preseason All-America and all-conference teams, and this week saw the unveiling of his All-Big Ten roster. Needless to say, it includes a good number of Penn State players for the 2023 season.

Offensive lineman [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag] and defensive back Kalen King headline the preseason accolades by appearing on the preseason All-America roster from Steele. The two standouts are projected to be potential first-round draft picks in the 2024 NFL draft, with Fashanu surprising many with his decision to return to Penn State for one more season after being projected as a possible first-round pick in the 2023 draft.

Linebacker Abdul Carter, entering his sophomore season in Happy Valley after a brilliant freshman debut, appeared on Phil Steele’s third-team preseason All-America list. Sophomore running back Nick Singleton also makes the preseason-All-America cut for Steele, although he does so on the fourth team. Not bad for two of Penn State’s top freshmen from a season ago.

All four of the players mentioned are locked in to Steele’s preseason All-Big Ten team, as you would expect. Fashanu, King, and Carter all appear on the first-team preseason All-Big Ten roster from Steele, and Singleton makes the second-team All-Big Ten cut.

Joining Singleton on the preseason All-Big Ten second team are linebacker Curtis Jacobs and defensive end [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag]. Wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, center [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag], defensive end Adisa Isaac, and long snapper [autotag]Tyler Duzansky[/autotag] all received third-team All-Big Ten honors from Steele. Cornerback Johnny Dixon, who is expected to be a leading candidate to lock down a starting job this fall, was included on Steele’s fourth-team preseason All-Big Ten roster.

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2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 20 Adisa Isaac

A snapshot look at Penn State edge rusher Adisa Isaac heading into the 2023 season.

Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag].

Continuing this effort is a look at one of Penn State’s projected starters for the upcoming season, redshirt senior [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag]. There is a ton of hype surrounding the Penn State edge rushers this season and Isaac is one of the main reasons why. He’ll be looking to finish his career in style during the 2023 season.

Athlon Sports: Penn State football has 13 on preseason All-Big Ten for 2023

Penn State had the third-most players appearing on the preseason All-Big Ten list from Athlon Sports.

It’s that time of the year again when the preseason college football previews start making the rounds. Athlon Sports has not sent its annual preseason publication to the magazine racks just yet, but it has shared its preseason all-conference teams for the upcoming 2023 college football season.

The preseason All-Big Ten list from Athlon Sports was published earlier this week, and it included 13 players from Penn State’s roster scattered throughout its four-deep all-conference team. Yes, four-deep, because it is likely the best way to spread the word with school press releases and social media impressions. Only Michigan and Ohio State had more players listed than the Nittany Lions among Big Ten teams, which may be something that has come to be expected.

Here are all of the Penn State football players to make the Athlon Sports preseason All-Big Ten team.

5 questions to answer during Penn State spring Football

Penn State continues spring football practices looking to address these key questions about the team.

Penn State is coming off its best season under [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and now expectations are higher than ever.

Penn State has as many new faces on the team as returning faces. They are rotating out several playmakers on both sides of the ball while priming others to take the next step by replacing them. It is a cycle that James Franklin and his staff are accustomed to and for the most part, have mastered.

One benefit of his staff is that nearly all of it has returned including key coordinators in [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Yurcich[/autotag]. Both had chances to leave for head coaching jobs before ultimately deciding to stay. Now they have to help Franklin solve some questions that are lingering heading into Spring practice.