Tag: jonathan sutherland

Penn State football: Best photos from the whiteout vs. Minnesota

Best photos from Penn State’s whiteout game victory over Minnesota

Is there anything more beautiful than a whiteout crowd under the lights in Beaver Stadium? Perhaps watching Penn State dismantle Minnesota after halftime en route to a runaway 45-17 victory? things may have been a little rough around the edges at the start of Penn State’s Week 8 contest at home against the Gophers, but the fans had plenty of reason to celebrate as the evening unfolded and Penn State buried their opponent with authority with a big second-half push.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s big rebound win against Minnesota.

Penn State leads Auburn at halftime, here are the highlights

Check out the first-half highlights from Penn State vs. Auburn.

Penn State and Auburn are locked in a tight one down in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The defenses have been coming up with some big plays, including a pair of red zone stops by the Penn State defense to force Auburn to settle for field goals.

Sean Clifford took a big hit early on but led the offense to a go-ahead touchdown on his second series of the game. Penn State also forced two turnovers in the half.

Here are some of the highlights from the first half of the game as the teams look to make their adjustments going into the second half.

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.

Blue-White Game Report Card: Grading Penn State’s spring football game

The grades are in for Penn State’s performance in the Blue-White Game.

Penn State’s spring game wasn’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard, even in a modified scoring system. And fans wanting to see drastic improvement from the program that has gone .500 over the past two seasons may be left wondering if Penn State is set up for another mediocre season in Happy Valley after watching the Blue-White Game. But Penn State’s final spring practice of the year had some positive developments and some reminders that help is on the way over the summer.

And now the grades are in for Penn State’s performance during the Blue-White Game. Here’s how each position group was graded for the spring game in Beaver Stadium on Saturday.

Quarterback: C

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

A recurring theme when it comes to the offensive grades following Penn State’s game is probably chalked up to a simple “Eh, it could have been better.” That was the basic takeaway from the performance of the quarterbacks overall, but any expectation of any passer just lighting up the spring game may have been unreasonable.

We were never likely to see a whole lot out of [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], the sixth-year senior who really has little more to prove at this point. We know pretty much exactly what Clifford is, and if given time to process the field, he can make plays. But he had some overthrown passes at times. He did, however, throw the game’s only touchdown of the game.

The backup competition behind Clifford is the real storyline here, and the future of [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] is what fans are eager to witness. But a rough spring debut for the true freshman shows there is still work to be done in the big picture. If based solely on one afternoon, [autotag]Christian Veilleux[/autotag] proved he should be the team’s primary backup option heading into the season, although Allar should improve quickly.

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Next: Grading the running backs

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Everything James Franklin said in his spring press conference

Here is everything James Franklin had to say in his spring football press conference.

As Penn State hit the football practice fields for the first spring practice of the year, head coach James Franklin spent some time in front of a microphone to answer questions from reporters about the current state of the program for the 2022 season. After two mediocre seasons, a number of departures to the NFL, and some notable changes on the staff and roster, there was no shortage of topics to discuss with the head coach of the Nittany Lions on Monday afternoon.

Franklin covered a lot of ground, including key position battles and concerns, the future of the program under a new athletics director, and how the confidence level is for a program that has struggled the past two years. Franklin also discussed the impact some of the newest additions to the program are having in workouts, whether as an early enrollee or via the transfer portal.

The following quotes from Franklin were provided by Penn State.

Five big questions for the Penn State defense

5 big questions for Penn State’s defense this spring.

Penn State’s defense was a strength in 2021 but faces some big questions this spring ahead of the 2022 season. With a number of notable departures to the NFL and a new defensive coordinator, this spring has plenty to be watching in Happy Valley on the defensive side of the football.

Penn State’s biggest change this season is the addition of defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. The former Miami head coach comes to State College to replace Brent Pry, who has left the program to become the head coach at Virginia Tech. Diaz brings a solid reputation as a defensive coordinator and Penn State appears to have found a terrific replacement for Pry. But Diaz will have some work to do in shaping the defense with a number of key starting jobs up for grabs this spring.

Penn State is set to open spring football practices on March 21, with the annual Blue-White Game currently scheduled for Saturday, April 23.

Here are five questions I have for Penn State’s offense that may be addressed this spring (we addressed the questions for the offense last week).

Who stood out at Penn State’s first winter football workout?

Penn State coaches named their standout players from the first day of winter workouts.

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It was just over a month ago that the final game of Penn State’s 2021 season was played, and spring football is still a little more than a month away. But winter workouts are underway in Happy Valley as the Nittany Lions begin preparing for what they hope will be a big rebound season, and some new faces are starting to get to the grind with their new teammates.

Winter workouts officially got underway bright and early Tuesday morning and assistant coaches made sure to spread some encouraging news about who showed up to compete in the practice sessions.

Both coordinators took to their Twitter accounts to share who their unit’s best player was. Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich named starting quarterback and team captain Sean Clifford as the offensive competitor of the day. Clifford announced his return for a rare sixth year of eligibility prior to Penn State’s appearance in the Outback Bowl. It will be the first offseason in which Clifford has had the same offensive coordinator to work with leading into a new season, and Clifford would like to make up for a few down moments in 2021 in his final year of eligibility.

Penn State’s new defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz, also went with a team captain for his defensive competitor of the day, with Jonathan Sutherland getting the props of the day from the new defensive playcaller. Sutherland has been a standout on special teams during his time at Penn State, with some defense mixed in. But Sutherland is expected to be a top candidate to take on a larger role in the defense in 2022.

Other notable players from Penn State’s first winter workout included cornerback Kalen King, defensive end Nick Tarburton, cornerback Ji’Ayir Brown, running back Keyvone Lee, wide receiver Jaden Dottin, tight end Tyler Warren, offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, and punter Barney Amor.

These winter workouts are the first that have been opened to early enrollees in Penn State’s Class of 2022, so we will be keeping an eye out for possible shoutouts from the coaching staff for any of the new faces in the crowd. Penn State will eventually be adding to its roster with other recruits in the Class of 2022 that have not enrolled early and any possible additions from the transfer portal, including recent commit from Cornell, Hunter Nourzad.

Penn State’s spring game, the Blue-White Game, is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 23 in Beaver Stadium.

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Jonathan Sutherland getting time at linebacker in Outback Bowl

Here is how Penn State has adjusted its defensive roster for the Outback Bowl

With the absence of two starting linebackers for the Outback Bowl, Penn State was going to have to work out some alternative plans for the position against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Fortunately, one player who may be expected to be a fixture at the position in 2022 is available for the bowl game.

Jonathan Sutherland, special teams captain who has played safety when asked to play defense, will be getting some time at linebacker in the Outback Bowl, judging by pregame observations from the Penn State beat in the press box in Tampa.

Audrey Snyder of The Athletic managed to update her starting lineup sheet while seeing who was getting reps at a variety of positions in pregame warmups.

Sutherland looks to be moving into the position previously held by Curtis Jacobs, who will apparently be moving form SAM to WILL linebacker for the Outback Bowl. Jesse Luketa, who has played both linebacker and on the defensive line for the Nittany Lions, looks to be situated in the middle of the linebackers.

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Amid opt-outs, Anthony Poindexter says defense still has a standard to live up to

Penn State defense still has a high bar to clear for the Outback Bowl despite missing so many key players to opt-outs

There is no question that Penn State’s defense has been hit hard to early NFL departures heading into this weekend’s Outback Bowl matchup with Arkansas. The Nittany Lions are down four key starters on the defensive side of the football due to NFL declarations, but Anthony Poindexter says that will not be an excuse for the defense against the Razorbacks.

“Everybody wants to play,” Poindexter said when meeting with the media after practice in Tampa on Tuesday (according to Blue White Illustrated). “A lot of guys who probably didn’t play as much as they wanted to in the regular season, here’s their chance to play. We got a standard for how we play defense here, and we expect them to play the way we’re used to playing.”

Poindexter, Penn State’s safeties coach, will be taking on the play-calling duties for the defense in the Outback Bowl. James Franklin confirmed Poindexter will be leading the defense following the departure of Brent Pry to be a head coach at Virginia Tech, while new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz will take on the role after the bowl game.

Poindexter is taking over the defense that will be playing without safety Jaquan Brisker, defensive end Arnold Ebiketie or linebackers Brandon Smith and Ellis Brooks. All four players have opted out of the bowl game to begin focusing on their NFL futures, leaving Penn State’s defensive depth being put to the test against Arkansas.

“I think we’ve got enough leadership that we don’t have to ask these young guys to be leaders, but they’re gonna have to communicate,” Poindexter said. “Any time you play a team like Arkansas that’s running tempo offense, you’re going to have to communicate and be on the same page. They’ve been practicing. They know what to do. Now they’re just going to have to go out there and do it.”

Penn State’s defense will be put to the test by the Razorbacks. Although Arkansas is without its top wide receiver, Treylon Burks, after opting out himself, the Razorbacks have plenty of ability to do some damage on offense with a mobile quarterback in KJ Jefferson and a decent ability to run the football, something Penn State has struggled containing against quality opponents this season. But odds are probably pretty good Poindexter and the rest of the staff and defense had a better expectation of who will and will not be available for this game, so it’s probably not likely these opt-outs of Brisker or Ebiketie were accounted for in game planning in recent weeks.

Penn State did get some good news with some key defensive players deciding to return for another season, thus will be available for the Outback Bowl. Safety Ji’Ayir Brown, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and Jonathan Sutherland all confirmed they will return in 2022. And despite speculation, he may also be moving on, Jesse Luketa has arrived in Tampa and is practicing with the team this week. Luketa could see more time at linebacker this week as Penn State adjusts its defense.

Penn State faces Arkansas in the Outback Bowl in Tampa on Saturday, January 1, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. ET.

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Joey Porter Jr. confirms he will return to Penn State in 2022

Penn State’s secondary is beginning to look stabilized in 2022 with the latest decision made by Joey Porter Jr.

Another key member of Penn State’s defense has made a decision to some back for another season. Joey Porter Jr. announced with a statement on his Instagram account on Christmas Day, that he will be coming back for another season with the Nittany Lions, providing the defense a key player to help anchor the defensive secondary in 2022.

“At this time in my life, staying in college and completing my college degree is important to me and my family,” Porter said in his statement. “After much prayer, and discussion with my parents, I have decided to return to Penn State University.”

The return of Poirter Jr. is a big lift for the Penn State defense, which is slated to lose Jaquan Brisker and Tariq Castro-Fields in the secondary and is already losing a pair of starting linebackers in Brandon Smith and Ellis Brooks. Jonathan Sutherland recently announced his decision to return for one more season, which could see him take on an increased role in the defense. Penn State is also getting Ji’Ayir Brown back for another season at the safety position, which is a big lift as well. And the return of Porter should give Penn State a key cornerback to count on next season.

Porter has shown great athleticism in Penn State’s defense since his arrival, although he has been at the center of some untimely penalties for the Nittany Lions during the 2021 season. Returning for another year should help continue to improve his professional outlook, following in his father’s footsteps to the NFL a year from now. The decision to put those NFL dreams on hold for another year apparently was not an easy one for the Penn State cornerback.

“This decision was not easy to make,” Porter went on to explain. “Playing in the NFL has been my lifelong goal and dream, but right now I think it’s important for me to finish what I started alongside my brothers & coaches at Penn State.”

Porter, potentially paired with Kalen King at the cornerback positions, should give Penn State a fun cornerback duo in 2022.

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