Tag: Dominic Deluca

Penn State names team captains for 2024

Penn State will have these six players serve as team captains for this season.

As the days inch closer to the start of a brand new Penn State football season, team captains for the 2024 season have been officially annoucned. Penn State will have six team captains for the upcoming college football season with two offensive players, three defensive players, and a special teams player.

Penn State head coach James Franklin annoucned his team captains for 2024 will be quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Nick Dawkins[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag] and [autotag]Kobe King[/autotag], safety [autotag]Kevin Winston Jr.[/autotag], and punter [autotag]Riley Thompson[/autotag].

Of the six team captains, DeLuca is the only player who served as a team captain in 2023. DeLuca is a former walk-on player who has worked his way up the ranks within the program from special teams contributor to starting linebacker.

Penn State will open the 2024 season with a road game at West Virginia on Saturday, Aug. 31. You can see the full Penn State schedule here and download a schedule wallpaper for your smartphone.

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Penn State defense forces 5 turnovers in 30-13 win at Illinois

Penn State 30, Illinois 13: Penn State defense carries Nittany Lions to Big Ten-opening win at Illinois

Taking the road for the first time this season proved to be a bit of a challenge for the Penn State offense. Fortunately, the offense didn’t make the trip to Illinois alone this weekend. The Penn State defense was dominant in a 30-13 victory over the Illini with five forced turnovers in the game. Although Penn State struggled to gain control on offense, the Nittany Lions scored 20 points off the five Illini turnovers.

[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] had a rough outing in his first road start for Penn State, but he had some big moments to help lead the team to a win. The biggest moment of the game came late in the first half for Allar as he ran for a first down, hurried to the line, and delivered a dime down the field to [autotag]Liam Clifford[/autotag] for a big gain to set up a late field goal just before halftime. That gave Penn State a 16-7 lead but the offense could not carry over any momentum at the start of the second half.

Penn State’s quarterback ended his afternoon completing 16 of 33 pass attempts for 208 yards without a touchdown, but he also did not turn the football over despite being under consistent pressure by an aggressive and well-schemed Illinois defense.

Allar also did not get some help from his wide receivers. Allar made some good throws that simply were dropped by his intended targets, including a pair to receiver Malik McClain. But Allar did miss a few open looks and couldn’t quite connect with a couple of his passes. Overall though, Allar seemed to handle the pressure of his first start out of Beaver Stadium well enough to pick up the win, and there is clearly room to improve.

But this game was all about the defense. Penn State allowed just seven points for the second straight game and has yet to allow an opponent to score more than 15 points. On a day when Penn State’s offense needed an assist, it was the defense that set the tone and shut down nearly every threat by the Illini. It started right from the start with three interceptions of Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer. Penn State managed just 13 points off of those early turnovers, but the defense made plays when it was needed the most.

[autotag]Johnny Dixon[/autotag] came up with a massive interception in the second half immediately after a big passing play by the Illini with the game still very much in question. Or so it seemed. [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag], [autotag]Daequan Hardy[/autotag], and [autotag]Cam Miller[/autotag] also got their hands on an Illinois pass attempt. Linebacker [autotag]Kobe King[/autotag] also recovered a fumble forced by [autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag].

Head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] will be able to look at many self-inflicted wounds by his team in the coming week as well. Poor penalties on took Penn State’s offense out of favorable positions, including a poor unsportsmanlike penalty on receiver [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] in the first half that turned a 3rd-and-2 into a 3rd-and-17. Allar smacked his hand on a defender’s helmet on the following play and [autotag]Alex Felkins[/autotag] had a 52-yard field goal blocked. Illinois followed up with its first touchdown of the game on the ensuing possession to cut the Penn State lead to 13-7. Penn State was flagged for six penalties in the game, costing Penn State 65 yards.

Penn State will be home next weekend for a primetime matchup with Iowa. It will be the official whiteout game for the Nittany Lions.

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Report Card: Grading Penn State’s dominant Week 2 win vs. Delaware

Grading Penn State’s performance against Delaware in Week 2

There are some weeks in the course of a college football season where you can probably fill out the postgame report card ahead of time and not have to worry about it. Penn State’s Week 2 matchup against Delaware was one of those games where you hoped things would go as planned and you wouldn’t have to worry about too many issues against an FCS program.

And they did.

Penn State’s offense and defense each took care of business against the Blue Hens in the first all-time meeting between the two schools. Delaware may go on to have a solid season in the FCS championship hunt, but they were overmatched in every facet of the game against Penn State, which is also hoping to set the tone for what they hope will be a playoff push of their own this season.

It may have been a home game against an FCS program collecting a solid check, but Penn State did just about everything you would expect a top-10 team to do in this situation. Here are the grades for Penn State’s performance following its 63-7 victory over Delaware.

Quarterback

Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: A

After being named the Big Ten offensive player of the week, [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] picked up right where he left off a week ago. The touchdown pass count was down but Allar completed 22 of 26 pass attempts for 204 yards with a touchdown pass (and a touchdown run) for a fine outing before getting an early rest in the second half.

Allar showed great vision and patience and just made smart throws that were taking advantage of the holes Delaware’s defense was giving him.

Backup quarterback Beau Pribula played for most of the second half in relief of Allar. Pribula attempted five attempts with three completions for 22 yards and a short touchdown in the fourth quarter. Pribula added to the ground attack with

NEXT: Running Backs

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Instant Reaction: Penn State offense overpowers Delaware, 63-7

Instant reaction as Penn State football overpowers Delaware in Week 2 blowout win

After a comfortable primetime victory in Week 1 against West Virginia, there was no noon kickoff hangover against an FCS opponent for Penn State in Week 2. Penn State (2-0) overpowered Delaware (1-1) in the first all-time meeting between the two schools on Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium. Penn State’s 63-7 victory over the Blue Hens was powered by a running game that saw [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] rush for three touchdowns and a 100-yard afternoon from [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag].

Singleton rushed for all three of his rushing touchdowns in the first half of the game, and he ended up getting a nice early rest after halftime following a brief appearance with the offense.  Singleton ended the day with just 47 rushing yards on 12 carries. Singleton also added an 18-yard reception and a 26-yard kickoff return. Allen rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. The running back duo scored each of the first four of five touchdowns for Penn State before halftime.

Quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] had a fine performance in his second career start for the Nittany Lions as well. Allar was smooth and used good field vision and patience to take whatever the Delaware defense was willing to give him. Allar completed 22-of-26 pass attempts for 204 yards with a touchdown pass and 27 rushing yards on five carries with one rushing touchdown. It may not be enough to receive a second-straight Big Ten offensive player of the week award from the conference, but it was more positive results from Penn State’s maturing starting quarterback.

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A 56-7 result was not without some miscues sure to be enforced by James Franklin in the coming week. The defense allowed just one touchdown, a 66-yard touchdown run by Marcus Yarns, on a 3rd-and-1 play. Penn State’s defense left too big a hole on the left side for a back like Yarns, not to mention some of the backs Penn State will be facing later this season.

Penn State’s special teams also gave Delaware a free first down with an offside penalty when the Blue Hens were punting on 4th-and-1. Franklin will have some teaching moments on film for the offense as well, although it was difficult to complain too much about what Penn State put on display against one of the better FCS programs.

The defense allowed just 110 yards of total offense going into the fourth quarter, and 66 of those came on the Delaware touchdown run in the first quarter. Linebacker and team captain [autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag] was unable to come up with an interception in the first half deep in Delaware’s end, but he made up for it in the third quarter with a pick-six.

 

Penn State will play its Big Ten opener next week with a road trip to Illinois. Penn State lost the most recent meeting in the series with the Illini with a 20-18 loss in a 9 overtime game in 2021 in Beaver Stadium. Penn State beat Illinois in a 63-24 rout the last time the Nittany Lions visited Champaign in 2018.

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Penn State awards coveted No. 0 jersey to special teams standout

Penn State continues tradition of awarding the No. 0 jersey to special teams standout for 2023 season.

The No. 0 jersey has officially been handed out to a special teams standout at Penn State. It’s a recent tradition of Penn State under [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] for a player on special teams to wear that jersey number.

For three years it was worn by safety [autotag]Jonathan Sutherland[/autotag]. After his graduation, some wondered if the tradition would continue and who would wear the jersey.

Linebacker [autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag] will be the one wearing No. 0 for the 2023 season. The redshirt sophomore has played a huge role on special teams throughout his career. He joined the program as a walk-on in 2021 and redshirted after appearing in three games.

In 2022, DeLuca appeared in all 13 games on special teams and defense, racking up 29 total tackles. He earned the coaching staff’s Special Teams Player of the Week after he blocked a punt in the game.

Franklin and Penn State awarded him a scholarship before the Rose Bowl game against Utah this past season after sharing the team’s Outstanding Run-On Award with [autotag]Tank Smith[/autotag].

It was previously announced that DeLuca would be one of the six captains for the Nittany Lions this season. He’s joined by wide receiver [autotag]Malick Meiga[/autotag] as special teams captains.

The Pennsylvania native has worked his way into a backup linebacker role and will be on the field at that position in certain spots going forward. But his main contributions to the team will be leading the special teams unit that Franklin has put a lot of emphasis on.

The No. 0 jersey tradition lives on for another season with DeLuca wearing the honor.

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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.

2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 34 Dominic DeLuca

Taking a look at Penn State reserve linebacker Dominic DeLuca in 2023.

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] this season.

Today is a look at linebacker [autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag] who has worked his way from a redshirt player to special teams star over the course of his two seasons in the program. Can he continue to work his way into more playing time? Here is a look at DeLuca heading into the 2023 season.

Penn State spring football: Linebacker preview

Penn State’s linebacker depth in 2023 could be the best it’s been in years.

There is potential that this will be one of the most exciting linebacker groups that Penn State has had in a while.

The group is headlined by true sophomore [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] who really opened eyes last season. Coming in wearing the coveted number 11 jersey as a true freshman meant the spotlight would be on him all year. He more than delivered and has a promising collegiate career in front of him.

Another interesting nugget is there are no seniors in the linebacking corps for 2023-24. The most experienced players are two redshirt juniors. This is a good sign for the future as this group will be able to continue playing with each other for multiple years going forward.

There will be depth chart battles this spring to keep an eye on. The main one to watch is between [autotag]Kobe King[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Elsdon[/autotag] for the starting middle linebacker position. Elsdon won the battle last spring and summer, but the snap counts last season were pretty similar.

Abdul Carter

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Measurables: 6’3″ / 233 lbs.

Year: Sophomore

Expected Role: Starting Weakside Linebacker

There is a real buzz around Abdul Carter about what he can do this season. Coming into Penn State, Carter was a four-star recruit in the 2022 class. He was excellent in his freshman season recording 56 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. His PFF grade was 76.2 ranking him 122nd out of 789 linebackers last season.

With another offseason in the college weight room and more time to get familiar with the defensive scheme, the sky is the limit for Carter. He could be the highlight of what’s expected to be a very good defense.

NEXT: Kobe King a rising redshirt sophomore

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Report: Penn State places Dominic DeLuca on scholarship

Penn State reserve linebacker and special teams leader reportedly placed on scholarship.

One of the stars of last year’s Blue-White Game has finally been placed on scholarship. According to a report from Lions247, linebacker [autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag] was placed on scholarship at the end of the season. Whether that was before or after the Rose Bowl is unconfirmed, but regardless, it seems well deserved given DeLuca’s work ethic exhibited in the program the past couple of seasons.

DeLuca joined the Penn State program in the Class of 2021, and almost immediately he was regarded as one of the hardest-working players on the roster. DeLuca was the breakout star of the Blue-White Game in 2022 with a pair of interceptions, following a 2021 season where he had been a standout player on Penn State’s developmental squad with three developmental squad defensive player of the week honors from the coaching staff.

DeLuca went on to be named the program’s outstanding run-on player in 2022 after finding a role as a reserve linebacker and on special teams.

DeLuca got in the box score of Penn State’s Rose Bowl victory over Utah with a pair of tackles.

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2022 Penn State football: Nittany Lions’ linebacker preview

Penn State position overview: Linebacker roster overview for 2022

Penn State is prepping for a season in which the program hopes to redeem itself on the national stage. After back-to-back seasons of mediocre results, Penn State is aiming to bounce back and prove themselves worthy of being in the Big Ten championship hunt, if not a little bit more.

Penn State kicks off the 2022 season with a Thursday night primetime matchup at Purdue on September 1. When that season begins, the Nittany Lions will begin to answer whether or not the linebacker depth is truly a concern for the upcoming year. After losing a pair of starters from last year’s team, Penn State has some big spots to fill at the program’s signature position.

Here is a look at what Penn State has on the roster at the linebacker position going into the 2022 season.