Tag: Ji’Ayir Brown

WATCH: Penn State fumbles football right back to Buckeyes after defense gets a takeaway

WATCH: Penn State and Ohio State exchanged fumbles on back-to-back plays in the first quarter

Penn State’s defense came up with a big turnover on Ohio State’s opening possession of the game, but the Nittany Lions gave the ball right back to the Buckeyes one play later. In a quick roller coaster of emotions in Columbus, Penn State’s running game blew the golden opportunity at the start of the game as Penn State looks to score a major upset against the heavily-favored Ohio State.

On a 3rd-and-3, Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud completed a pass to Jeremy Ruckert. After Ruckert managed to stay on his feet after initial contact by Ji’Ayir Brown, Ruckert had the ball stripped from his hands by Brown who came back on the play as Ruckert battled for the first down yardage. Brown then came up with the fumble recovery.

Unfortunately for Penn State, taking the ball over at the Ohio State 46-yard line went down as a missed opportunity for the Nittany Lions. On the first play after the Ohio State fumble, Sean Clifford handed the ball off to Noah Cain. As Cain ran up the middle, he was stopped just behind the line of scrimmage and had the ball stripped out of his hands by Marcus Williamson, and Haskell Garrett jumped on the loose ball before Clifford could save the play.

Penn State’s defense managed to send the Ohio State offense off the field on the ensuing possession, keeping the game scoreless at the time.

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Penn State football: Injury report roundup

Let’s get all caught up on the Penn State injury situation during the bye week

Penn State has the week off, but we have seen a whirlwind of events transpire these past few days, especially on the injury side of the Nittany Lions. Penn State has been lucky enough to have a very limited injury report this season. However, that wasn’t the case last weekend against Iowa.

Report Card: Grading Penn State’s win over Indiana

The grades are in for Penn State following their Week 5 win over Indiana

Penn State defeated Indiana 24-0 at Beaver Stadium on Saturday night. Indiana struggled in every aspect of the game. On the other hand, the Nittany Lions were in full control of this game all night. There were plenty of key moments on both sides of the ball from Penn State.

Let’s take a more in-depth look at the performance by Penn State in Week 5 and grade how each area did.

Quarterbacks: A-

Despite throwing an interception in the first half, which really was just good coverage, Sean Clifford had a heck of a game Saturday night. Even though Indiana has been up and down all season thus far, Clifford still looked more confident than ever. He continues to put himself on the map as one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten.

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

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Next: Running Backs

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Report Card: Grading Penn State’s win over Villanova

REPORT CARD: Penn State’s passing game earned high marks in a win against Villanova while the running game can improve

Penn State defeated Villanova in fashion today 38-17, despite a scare in the end of what was almost a fumble recovery touchdown by the Wildcats. But all in all, there were plenty of positive for the Nittany Lions to reflect on. At the same time, there is clearly some room for improvement as Penn State returns to Big Ten play for the rest of the regular season beginning next week.

Let’s dive deeper and grade Penn State‘s performance

Quarterbacks: A+

Sean Clifford was on fire today. Several people and analysts were very hesitant as to how he would do the season. Through the first four games, he has not only looked more confident by the week, but he is also showing off his athleticism and the ability to get several of his weapons involved in the game.

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

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Next: Running Backs

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5 takeaways from Penn State’s Week 4 win vs Villanova

Penn State’s passing offense and defense were on point against Villanova, but the running game has to improve.

After starting off the 2020 season in abysmal fashion with a program-worst 0-5 start, Penn State has done nothing but win games since. Penn State’s 38-17 victory over Villanova on Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium was the eighth consecutive win for the Nittany Lions dating back to the midway point of the 2020 season.

Penn State head coach James Franklin can feel really good about his team jumping into Big Ten play for the remainder of the season knowing his offense has big-play potential but also has some things to improve on the rest of the way.

Here are five takeaways from Penn State’s latest victory.

Sean Clifford continues to impress

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford became just the second passer in program history to throw for 400 yards in a single game (401 yards, officially). Clifford’s third career four-touchdown performance also saw him make a move up on the school’s all-time career touchdown passing list. Clifford’s Week 4 performance saw him moving up a few all-time passing lists in Penn State history, and he’s clearly not done yet.

Clifford continues to impress with his poise and decision-making. He was intercepted for the second time this season, but neither has come on a poor decision. His first against Auburn was a deep pass that was disrupted by contact from an Auburn defender as he released the ball in Week 3. His second, this time against Villanova was on a pass that was right to his receiver but bobbled. It certainly wasn’t Clifford’s fault. If Penn State continues to get play like this from Clifford, this offense will have more big plays on the way.

Parker Washington has cemented his status

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

We sort of already knew Parker Washignton was likely to be the team’s second-best receiver this season. Washington was the team’s second-leading receiver last season behind Jahan Dotson, and it is looking like we are well on our way to seeing the same result this season. But on Saturday, it was the Parker Washignton show with a game-high 148 receiving yards on five receptions. Washignton also scored two touchdowns.

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Next: Where the heck is the running game?

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Instant Reaction: Penn State beats Villanova in fashion 38-17

Sean Clifford had a big day against the Villanova Wildcats as Penn State cruised to a 38-17 victory at home.

Penn State has defeated the Villanova Wildcats in fashion with a score of 38-17 for their 20th straight non-conference home win. After a late game scare of what was thought of a touchdown, Villanova struggled all game to get the ball moving.  

The run game still continues to struggle, but we saw tons of involvement from the passing game. Sean Clifford threw an early deep touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson, who is picking up right where he left off from last week’s game against Auburn.  

Clifford continues to play with confidence, recording 401 passing yards and four touchdowns on the day.  

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We also saw some big plays from Parker Washington, who turned on the jets for two big plays, including one in the second quarter.  

KeAndre Lambert-Smith even caught a touchdown pass late in the game. Despite the run game struggles of the run game, the passing game continues to shine every week.  

One point worth noting though is that Penn State still saw struggles converting on third down. By halftime, they were just 39% for 3rd down conversions. 

The defense is continuing to put themselves on the map. They held Villanova to just 222 yards passing on the day. Ji’Aiyir Brown had two tipoff interceptions while the rest of the guys like Jaquan Brisker and Tariq Castro-Fields played lights out. We still saw plays late in the game, including a late touchdown pass by Villanova quarterback Daniel Smith, although Penn State was playing with backups for the large majority of the fourth quarter.  

Next week Penn State will once again be at home to host the Indiana Hoosiers, who have started to play better football these past two weeks but have already lost two games this season against Iowa and Cincinnati.

2021 Penn State Nittany Lions Profile Card: Ji’Ayir Brown

Ji’Ayir Brown has fit in nicely since joining the Penn State program as a JUCO transfer.

Name: Ji’Ayir Brown

Number: 16

Position: Safety

Class: Junior

Height: 5′-11″

Weight: 212

Hometown: Trenton, NJ

High School: Trenton Central

Twitter: @_Tiig2

Overview

Ji’Ayir Brown made his debut with Penn State in 2020 as a junior. Johnson came to Penn State as a JUCO transfer from Lackawanna Community College, where he was a member of a program that went 10-1 with an appearance in the NJCAA championship game in 2019 and an unblemished 11-0 record in 2018. The Northeast Football Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 fit in nicely in Penn State’s secondary last season.

Brown appeared in all nine games played by Penn State as a top backup to Lamont Wade and Jaquan Brisker. With Wade moving on to the NFL, Brown could be in a position to get a little more playing time on defense this fall, with Jonathan Sutherland also making a push for more of a role in the secondary.

But Brown has also become a leader on special teams, an area that too often goes overlooked on any football team. Brown was recognized for his efforts on special teams this spring with a post-spring coaches award.

Brown continues to grow within the Penn State program and he has already proven himself to the coaching staff to be a leader they can rely on setting the tone. Whether on defense or special teams, Brown will be ready to give it his best effort on every play.

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