Week one of the 2021 college football featured several stellar matchups between ranked versus ranked matchups. The Big Ten’s biggest game of the week was #19 Penn State Nittany Lions traveling to Madison to take on the #12 Wisconsin Badgers. The Nittany Lions took down the Badgers on the road with a 16-10 score.

While several college football fans criticized the lack of offensive efficiency on both sides of the ball, Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt had positive things to say about the defensive performance of the Nittany Lions. In particular, Klatt praised Penn State’s defense as a “bend, don’t break” defense. Klatt continued to praise the character and the heart of the Penn State defense.

Middle linebacker Ellis Brooks was singled out in his performance against the Badgers. Brooks was the leading tackler for the Nittany Lions by accounting for 11 total tackles and eight solo tackles. He also accounted for one sack and one tackle for loss.

Another player singled by Klatt was safety Jaquan Brisker. Klatt praised the intensity and toughness he showed against the powerful offense of the Badgers. Klatt also praised Brisker for being able to come back from significant injuries in-between drives for the defense. Brisker accounted for four solo tackles and a tackle for loss. He also accounted for the interception in the Badgers’ second-to-last drive. Klatt highlighted the interception as a “gutsy performance and a smart play.”

Klatt concluded his analysis by saying that the fans of the Nittany Lions should be elated for the performance of the defense. While the Badgers outgained the Nittany Lions in total yards accounted for 359-to-297, the Nittany Lions were reliable as they held the Badgers’ offense to 7-of-22 in third conversions. The Nittany Lions forced three turnovers and did not give more than 10 points considering that Wisconsin’s offense had the ball for 42 minutes and 51 seconds.

The Nittany Lions (1-0) will host the Ball State Cardinals (1-0) next Saturday in University Park, PA.