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Penn State posts most sacks since 1999 in dominant defensive effort
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Racing out to a 28-0 lead in the first 16 minutes, No. 12 Penn State had plenty of offense in their 35-7 win over Purdue at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.
The Nittany Lions’ defense, however, turned in the most impressive performance of the day. Causing nightmares for Purdue redshirt freshman quarterback Jack Plummer, Penn State racked up 10 sacks in the game.
The most sacks the Nittany Lions have recorded in a game in 20 years, this total fell just one shy of the program record.
Onward State recognized the defensive achievement on Twitter:
Penn State's defense is closing in on the program record for sacks in a single game.
The Nittany Lions posted 11 in a 27-7 win over Illinois in 1999. pic.twitter.com/0qkBpqlu5i
— Onward State (@OnwardState) October 5, 2019
Led by juniors Shaka Toney and Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State recorded seven of their sacks in the first half.
Totaling 13.5 tackles for loss, the Nittany Lions’ defense held Purdue to just 104 total yards.
Improving to 5-0 with the win, Penn State will travel to Iowa City to face the No. 14 Hawkeyes (4-1) on October 12 at 7:30PM ET.
Their third consecutive loss, Purdue now sits at an unsightly 1-4. Looking to get back in the win column, the Boilermakers will host the Maryland Terrapins (3-2) on Saturday (12:00PM ET, BTN).
A graduate of Bowling Green State University, Rydquist has been contributing to Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition since 2019. He can be found on Twitter @TeddyRydquist.