Penn State vs Minnesota depth chart: Defense

Penn State heads into a critical game this weekend against Minnesota with the perception of the 2022 season hanging in the balance. Can Penn State head coach James Franklin and his staff keep the team on course after their first defeat of the season? Or will the perception that Franklin’s teams respond poorly to a loss continue?

Here are the defensive players that will shape that narrative on Saturday in the latest edition of the Penn State depth chart.

Penn State defensive line

Defensive end

46 Nick Tarburton (R-Sr)
44 Chop Robinson (So.)
56 Amin Vanover (So.)

Defensive tackle

51 Hakeem Beamon (R-Jr)
99 Coziah Izzard (R-So)
28 Zane Durant (Fr.)
55 Fatorma Mulbah (R-So)

Defensive tackle

97 PJ Mustipher (Sr+)
91 D’Von Ellies (R-Jr)
52 Jordan van den Berg (R-Fr)

Defensive end

20 Adisa Isaac (R-Jr)
33 Dani Dennis-Sutton (Fr.)
94 Jake Wilson (R-So)

The Lowdown: Dani-Dennis Sutton saw more reps earlier in the game than he has in recent weeks, but his workload remained relatively even, finishing fifth among the edge defenders in reps. With another physical run team headed to Happy Valley, Dennis-Sutton could see a similar amount of snaps, thanks to his powerful frame. Beyond that, nothing changed for the Nittany Lions last week save a drop in production. 

At defensive tackle, the return of Coziah Izzard disrupted the snap distribution last week. Freshman Zane Durant did not see the field, and rotational tackle Jordan van den Berg tallied six snaps.

Lions linebackers

WILL linebacker

23 Curtis Jacobs (So.)
11 Abdul Carter (Fr.)
42 Jamari Buddin (R-Fr.) 

Middle linebacker

43 Tyler Elsdon (So.)
41 Kobe King (So.)

SAM linebacker

0 Jonathan Sutherland (R-Sr.+)
34 Dominic DeLuca (R-Fr.)

The Lowdown: 

Penn State head coach James Franklin gave his most detailed answer this season, discussing how the team could get both Will linebackers Curtis Jacobs and Abdul Carter on the field at the same time. 

“The answer is to move Curt (Jacobs) to the field ‘backer, but the problem is then we’re in nickel so much, and that guy is coming off the field on third down. The way to get both of those guys on the field is with the two inside ‘backer positions, and that’s easier said than done because Curt’s not a Mike linebacker. Abdul may be a Mike linebacker one day, but it doesn’t make sense right now, so that’s the challenge. But we have gone “Big Base” with both of those guys on the field,” Franklin said

Might we see more “big base” this coming week against Minnesota? Penn State also has a “Prowler” sub-package that puts both Carter and Jacobs on the field together, so it’s worth monitoring to see if they incorporate their short-yardage package with both standouts more often. 

Penn State secondary

Safety

16 Ji’Ayir Brown (Sr.+)
7 Jaylen Reed (So.)
21 KJ Winston (Fr.)

Safety

2 Keaton Ellis (Jr.)
6 Zakee Wheatley (R-Fr.)

The Lowdown: Penn State’s young safeties Zakee Wheatley and Jaylen Reed struggled to tackle and rally in run support last week, exacerbating the team’s issues stopping the run. While that won’t likely change the snap distribution, it might change how you feel about this matchup. 

One significant difference between Michigan and Minnesota is that the Gophers use much more play-action and RPO than the Wolverines do. It’ll be worth watching how the young players hold up under the stress of the play fakes. 

Cornerback

9 Joey Porter Jr. (R-Jr.)
8 Marquis Wilson (Jr.)
24 Jeffrey Davis Jr. (R-Fr.)
13 Cristian Driver (Fr.)

Cornerback

3 Johnny Dixon (Jr.) OR 4 Kalen King (So.)
5 Cam Miller (Fr.)

Nickel

25 Daequan Hardy (R-Jr.)
3 Johnny Dixon (Jr.)

The Lowdown: After a week of light duty, there are no changes to note at cornerback. The only comment is that Johnny Dixon struggled in coverage last week, allowing a 35-yard reception on a deep corner route early in the game. He and co-starter Kalen King have been trading standout performances over the previous three weeks.