Penn State DT Izzard makes his return to the lineup
Penn State defensive tackle Coziah Izzard made his long-awaited season debut on Saturday against Northwestern. The redshirt sophomore, who started the final seven games of the 2021 season for the Nittany Lions, was held out through the first four weeks of the season for undisclosed reasons. He played 16 snaps in the 17-7 win over Northwestern and joined a defensive tackle rotation that had been playing five players.
“It’s huge. Just having somebody who’s fresh come in, it adds more depth,” starter PJ Mustipher pointed out following the win. “But let’s not forget he was a starter last year when I went down. So he’s capable of playing big-time football for us. So it’s huge.”
Head coach James Franklin left Izzard’s status for the game in question on Wednesday, noting that they hoped to have clarity on his situation later in the week. Izzard had appeared with the scout team in practice and did not dress or travel through the first four weeks of the season.
“He worked as hard as he could each and every day and just kept his head up,” said defensive end Nick Tarburton. “He did some great things. I’m excited for him.”
Penn State now deeper at defensive tackle
While Izzard didn’t record a stat on Saturday, he’ll bring a different element to the Nittany Lions’ attack up front. Mustipher described his teammate and fellow Maryland native as a combination of himself and fellow starter Hakeem Beamon, whom he called the disruptive force in the room. Izzard had 21 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks in his first extensive action down the stretch last fall.
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“Having somebody who’s athletic, somebody who’s also physical at the point of attack. The sky’s the limit for [Izzard],” said Mustipher. “Truly, when he gets in his rhythm when he makes his mind up, he’s unstoppable. So I’m excited to just see the progress he makes from now until the end of the season. I know it’s gonna be huge.
“He has it all. When you have a defensive tackle who can do both [stop the run and rush the passer], it’s truly unstoppable. It just creates another person who can cause havoc in the trenches. When you can do that, it gives offenses fits.”
“Coziah is a physical presence,” added Tarburton. “He’s also just super twitchy, man. Aggressive. And just a great dude. Just a key element in our defensive line. It’s been awesome getting him back and I can’t wait to see what he does for us this season.”
