The 2014 college football season for the Penn State Nittany Lions can best be described as a roller coaster ride. The up-and-down year for the Lions began with a 4-0 start to the season, before dropping their next four games, three of which were lost by a touchdown or less. After splitting its final four games, Penn State finished 6-6, going 2-6 against Big Ten opponents.
Throughout the season, the Nittany Lions often looked like two different teams depending on the week. While there were glimpses of promise, there were also head scratching moments. Nonetheless, the 2014 version of the Nittany Lions will be headed to its first bowl game since 2011, which is something that those in Happy Valley should be extremely proud of.
With the regular season at a close, I have decided to grade each of the team’s units on their overall performance. You can find Part One here, reviewing the offense and coaching. Here’s how the team measured up without the ball in its hands:
Defense
Defensive Line: A
Overall, Penn State’s defense was dominant all year, ranking third in the nation. The defensive line was arguably the best unit on this year’s team. From the likes of Anthony Zettel, Austin Johnson, C.J. Olanyian, and Deion Barnes, the defensive line led an overall defense that was elite and highly ranked. They were outstanding against the run, limiting opposing running backs to 84.4 yards per game and 2.56 yards per rush. The line racked up 30 sacks in 12 games, good for 2.5 sacks per game. Barnes put together a comeback season, owning six of those 30 sacks. Zettel, a first-team All-Big Ten selection, led the team in sacks (8) and tackles for loss (15), while also recording three interceptions, including a 40-yard return for touchdown against Ohio State. Despite losing longtime defensive line coach Larry Johnson Sr. to the Buckeyes in the offseason, his replacement Sean Spencer, stepped in nicely and helped turn around a defense that allowed 380 yards per game last season. This season, that number was chopped down to 269.8 yards per game. The Lions will lose Olanyian to graduation, but they still have several talented players such Parker Cothran, Brad Bars, Carl Nassib, Tarow Barney, Garrett Sickels, Evan Schwan, and Tyrone Smith, who played well in relief whenever starters needed rest. Between those seven players, they accounted for 56 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, and six sacks. The future is clearly bright for a unit that is already one of the best.
Linebackers: A
As usual, the linebacker corps proved why Penn State is known as ‘Linebacker U.’ Mike Hull was the catalyst and the overall leader of the defense. The first-team All-Big Ten selection led the conference and was seventh in the nation with 132 tackles for an average of 11.2 tackles per game. Hull is an All-American candidate and was named the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year. The senior was surrounded by up and coming young talent: Nyeem Wartman, Brandon Bell, Gary Wooten, Jason Cabinda, and Von Walker. Each of these players earned plenty of playing time this season, and are all either sophomores or freshmen. Wartman stood out the most, as he developed into a consistent playmaker over the course of the season and became known for his big hits. Cabinda, a true freshman, replaced an injured Bell in the starting lineup for his first start against Illinois, recording five tackles. His season-high in tackles was eight against Northwestern earlier in the season. The linebacker corps played a vital part in helping the Lions allow just 17.7 points per game, good first in the Big Ten and ninth in the nation.
Secondary: B+
The secondary performed better than expected this season, essentially becoming one of the team’s best pass defense units in recent years. The veterans of the unit, Adrian Amos and Jordan Lucas, proved that they were more than capable of locking down receivers. Amos, who is graduating this year, ended up tied for the team lead in interceptions with three. He finished in a seventh place tie in the Big Ten with 10 pass deflections. Lucas had a breakout year in 2013, but did not record an interception this season. However, he led the team in passes defended and was fourth in total tackles with 51. His numbers could have been higher, but opposing quarterbacks did not throw his way often, which is of course a sign of respect to a cornerback.
Surprisingly, the Lions’ younger defensive backs were the ones that shined the brightest. After the season-ending rib and bowel injury to Ryan Keiser, freshman Marcus Allen would go on to start in his place against Ohio State and recorded 11 tackles and two pass breakups. Allen finished third on the team with 52 tackles, along with one interception and two tackles for loss. Grant Haley and Christian Campbell, both who are also freshmen, filled in for an injured Trevor Williams against Temple and each recorded an interception. Haley returned his interception 30 yards for a touchdown. On the season, the secondary had two or more interceptions in four different games. That includes the five interceptions against Rutgers’ quarterback Gary Nova. The passing defense finished 12th in the nation, as opposing quarterbacks were able to only throw for 185 yards per game. The passing efficiency defense finished third in the country, with 16 interceptions to eight total touchdowns allowed all season.
Special Teams: B+
All the credit for this grade goes to senior kicker Sam Ficken, who more than exceeded expectations this season after a terrible start to his Penn State career. Ficken set a Penn State record with 23 made field goals, which is third-most among FBS kickers. He only missed five field goals this season, but four of them came on blocks. His only actual miss came on a 51-yard attempt in the final regular season game against Michigan State. Ficken is considered the team’s offensive MVP, leading the team in scoring with 93 points on the season. If Ficken’s kicking was the only thing to consider when grading the special teams, I would have given this unit an ‘A.’
However, where the unit fell short was in the kickoff and punt return coverage. One of the low points in this area came in the Michigan State game, where Spartans’ receiver R.J. Shelton broke four tackles on his way to a 90-yard kickoff return for touchdown. In the closing minutes against Maryland a few weeks ago, William Likely’s 15-yard punt return gave the Terapins great field position in Penn State territory and helped set up the game-winning field goal. This season, the special teams gave up 24.72 yards per kickoff return, which ranks 116th in the country. To put that into more perspective, that’s out of 125 FBS teams. Ficken had a few hiccups here and there when it came to touchbacks, and even kicked some balls out of bounds this season. Punters Daniel Pasquariello and Chris Gulla had rough starts, but somewhat improved their play toward the end of the season. Combined, the punters had a 34.94 net punting average, ranking 103rd in the nation. There were a large number of walk-ons on special teams this season due to the lack of scholarship players on the roster, which can be a reason as to why it didn’t perform very well as a whole. This unit will need to find its footing before the beginning of next season.
*Section Photo credit to Justin K. Aller, Getty Images; Featured Photo (above) credit to Rich Barnes, USA Today Sports
