Top Penn State linebacker ejected against Wisconsin for targeting

Penn State had to finish their game against Wisconsin on Saturday without one of the Nittany Lions’ best players. Veteran linebacker Ellis Brooks was ejected with just under six minutes left in a 16-10 game. 

Ouch 😳

Mertz takes a huge hit from Brooks that was confirmed as targeting after review. Brooks has been disqualified from the remainder of the game. pic.twitter.com/89pfzBhcqe

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 4, 2021

Targeting was not initially called on the field, but after reviewing the personal foul, that was the final decision. Brooks will miss the first half of Penn State’s game against Ball State next week as a result of the call.

The ejection was controversial in the college football stratosphere, causing outrage from viewers and FOX Sports color commentator Joel Klatt. Klatt called the ejection a “disgrace.”

Brooks was having a great game at the time of the ejection. He led the team with seven tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss at the conclusion of the first quarter.

The linebacker was not the only one on the defense having a good opener. The Penn State defense held Wisconsin to 132 yards in the first half. Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz was 7-for-11 with 42 yards. Mertz threw interceptions on Wisconsin’s final two drives. The Badgers also missed a field goal and fumbled the ball, both in the red zone, in the first half.

Brooks started all nine games for the Nittany Lions last season. He led the team with 60 tackles, and he had 5.5 tackles for loss, one sack and two forced fumbles.

Opener was a defensive slog, especially in the first half

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford, who the Nittany Lions need to have a big year, had just 42 yards in the first half after going 7-for-14.

He redeemed himself in the latter half of the game, finishing 18-for-33 with 247 yards and a touchdown.

There was a lot of offseason hype surrounding a Penn State running back room with a lot of depth; they could play five backs pretty regularly. The unit had just two yards in the first half and finished with 50. Running back Noah Cain had 48 of the yards and the only ground touchdown on the day for the Nittany Lions.

While they won the game, their 16 points was well under the 29.8 points per game they averaged last season.

Head coach James Franklin is now 6-2 in season openers. No. 12 Wisconsin was the first ranked opponent the Nittany Lions have faced to start the season under Franklin.