Linebackers key Penn State win
STATE COLLEGE — Smeared with grass stains and blue field paint, Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett’s ruffled uniform was proof of what No. 24 Penn State’s defense can do with two of its most versatile players available.
Linebackers Brandon Bell and Jason Cabinda returned Saturday night for just their second game together since the season opener and led Penn State’s 6-sack, 24-21 win, with Barrett out of sync most of the night.
It was the kind of performance Brent Pry envisioned when he took over Penn State’s defense last winter. Pry vowed to terrorize offenses with high-pressure packages akin to those his predecessor used to mold the Nittany Lions into a top defensive unit the last two seasons.
A game plan like Saturday’s had to wait for Bell and Cabinda, and some of their backups, to get healthy.
“I’ve been telling you guys for three years that this Brent Pry guy is pretty good, and he has stepped up,” coach James Franklin said. “I mean, we lost seven linebackers this year, for long periods of time and our defense just kept grinding and grinding, making no excuses, and just playing.”
The Nittany Lions (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) didn’t have to grind this time. They simply attacked.
With Bell and Cabinda back, Penn State went after Barrett with extra-man pressure all night. The Nittany Lions blitzed or showed pressure on more than 56 percent of their plays after playing more base defenses with their starting linebackers hurt. Pry, who was the team’s linebackers coach before ascending to defensive coordinator when Bob Shoop left for the same job at Tennessee, has always valued Bell’s ability to time and disguise the blitz from the outside linebacker spot. He wasted little time getting the veteran involved.
Although Bell hadn’t practiced since Week 3, he showed no signs of rust and combined with fellow outside linebacker Manny Bowen on 16 blitzes. Bell finished with a sack and factored in on 19 tackles.
Cabinda last practiced in Week 1. Playing with a cast on his left hand, he finished with 12 tackles and pressured Barrett.
