Penn State interim head football coach Terry Smith claimed Monday that the defensive linemen “really played stout” against Ohio State.

He said they put a lot of pressure on quarterback Julian Sayin and that the folks who took the Nittany Lions’ statistics had them for 15 quarterback pressures.

“We felt like we got a lot of pressure (on Sayin),” Smith said. “We have to continue to develop that and get more pressure on the quarterback.”

Regardless of those numbers, Sayin often had an eternity in the pocket and completed 20-of-23 passes for 315 yards and four touchdowns without being sacked in the top-ranked Buckeyes’ 38-14 romp, Penn State’s fifth straight loss.

Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and linebacker Keon Wylie each had a chance to sack Sayin on a third-and-5 with Ohio State leading 10-7 in the second quarter. But both whiffed, allowing Sayin to scramble for a first down.

Three plays later, he connected with Carnell Tate on a 45-yard touchdown pass.

The Lions have consistently ranked among the national leaders in sacks, but not this season. They have only 14 sacks in eight games, compared to 44 in 16 games last season.

Dennis-Sutton, a preseason All-American, has two this season – and none in Big Ten play – after registering 8.5 in 2024.

“It’s a completely different defense (under new coordinator Jim Knowles),” Smith said. “This defense is more gap control. Last year’s defense was more vertical push up the field. It’s just a different philosophy.

“Another reason is we don’t have Abdul Carter (who had 12 sacks last season). That’s a major factor.”

Nine of Penn State’s 14 sacks came in the non-conference games against Nevada, Florida International and Villanova. The Lions had no sacks against Oregon, Iowa and Ohio State.

They also have 43 tackles for loss, compared to 119 last season. They have 14 in five Big Ten games, including nine against UCLA and five in the other four.

On the corner: Penn State’s cornerbacks will be tested again when they meet No. 2 Indiana Saturday at noon (TV-FOX) at Beaver Stadium.

Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza ranks second in the nation in pass efficiency, completing 72.3% of his passes for 2,124 yards and 25 touchdowns with four interceptions.

Indiana leads the nation in scoring with 46.4 points per game and is third in total offense with 504.9 yards per game.

Omar Cooper Jr. has 46 catches for 669 yards and eight touchdowns, and fellow wide receiver Elijah Sarratt has 45 receptions for 609 yards and 10 TDs.

“It doesn’t get any easier,” Smith said. “They’re very similar (to Ohio State) in their style and approach.”

Last week at Ohio State, Penn State watched Tate and Jeremiah Smith combine for 11 receptions for 247 yards and three touchdowns. They got behind the secondary several times.

“One of the reasons why it happened is that our guys were sitting on routes a little bit too much,” Smith said. “Some would say it was a lack of respect for who their opponent was. When you play guys who can run routes and who have speed like these guys, you have to get more into your pedal and stay on top of receivers.”

Singleton returns: Penn State running back Nick Singleton lined up to return kickoffs against Ohio State for the first time since early this season.

Singleton watched three kickoffs sail into the end zone for touchbacks before he was replaced by Corey Smith and Quinton Martin, two younger running backs. Both looked indecisive fielding kickoffs and cost the Lions field position.

Smith was asked why Singleton was replaced with Penn State trailing 17-7 in the second quarter.

“If we were going to have returns, we’d like to get it in Nick’s hands,” he said. “As the game went on and the way the game played out, we wanted to get some of those young guys opportunities.

“Obviously there were two kick returns when we made bad decisions. Sometimes that’s what happens with young players.”

https://www.mcall.com/2025/11/03/penn-state-notebook-pass-rush-has-been-missing-during-big-ten-play/