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Penn State DL Smith Vilbert ties Outback Bowl record with huge first half

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Penn State is clinging to a slim lead at halftime, but the Nittany Lions defense has been great so far vs. Arkansas. At the break, it is a 10-7 lead with Penn State’s defense keeping the Razorbacks bottled up.

Penn State has already recorded 2 interceptions by Ji’Ayir Brown, including 1 in the red zone. That snuffed out an Arkansas drive that was well inside field goal range.

A big reason for the success of the defense has been the amount of pressure dialed up by the front line. Smith Vilbert has been a huge part of that early pressure.

At the break, Vilbert has already tied the Outback Bowl record for sacks in a game. Vilbert is up to 3, which ties a mark held by multiple players. The most recent occurrence was in 2005 when David Pollack recorded 3 as a member of the Georgia Bulldogs.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.