Penn State Game 5 Snap Counts at Northwestern and Season Totals

Penn State’s struggles in Big Ten play continued with a lopsided defeat at Northwestern in the debut of the new Ryan Field on Friday night.

The Nittany Lions were gashed for over 400 yards on the ground amid a 34-13 loss, falling to 3-2 this season and remaining winless in conference play.

Here’s a look at who played, and how much, in the game, per PFF (season totals in parentheses):

Quarterbacks

Rocco Becht – 68 (275)

Alex Manske – 0 (45)

Connor Barry – 0 (17)

Jack Lambert – 0 (1)

Though fans began clamoring for Becht to be benched in favor of Manske, the fourth-year starter remained in the game from start to finish. He completed 26 of 41 throws for 243 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

Running Backs

Carson Hansen – 31 (113)

James Peoples – 30 (111)

Quinton Martin Jr. – 7 (63)

Cam Wallace – 0 (45)

Amar’e Glover – 0 (4)

Hansen led the room in snaps, but it was Peoples who saw the most carries with eight for 13 yards during his worst performance of the year. Hansen found the end zone in the second quarter, but he finished with just four touches for 19 yards.

Wide Receivers

Chase Sowell – 66 (241)

Brett Eskildsen – 61 (198)

Zay Robinson – 27 (85)

Amarion Jackson – 1 (47)

Koby Howard – 0 (94)

Karon Brookins – 0 (35)

Keith Jones Jr. – 0 (12)

Peyton Falzone – 0 (7)

Peter Gonzalez – 0 (2)

Sowell was arguably the best offensive player on Friday, hauling in five passes for 68 yards and a touchdown. Eskildsen added six catches for 45 yards but didn’t live up to his reputation as a deep-ball threat.

Tight Ends

Benjamin Brahmer – 53 (192)

Andrew Rappleyea – 45 (179)

Gabe Burkle – 17 (102)

Finn Furmanek – 2 (77)

Brian Kortovich – 0 (37)

Bobby Mears – 0 (30)

Logan Cunningham – 0 (18)

Brahmer and Rappleyea contributed five receptions each for 45 and 36 yards, respectively, while Burkle continued to be absent from the passing game.

Offensive Line

Malachi Goodman – 68 (293)

Cooper Cousins – 68 (281)

Anthony Donkoh – 68 (281)

Trevor Buhr – 68 (280)

Brock Riker – 51 (242)

Vaea Ikakoula – 17  (91)

Garrett Sexton – 0 (47)

Donnie Harbour – 0 (45)

Chimdy Onoh – 0 (42)

Will Tompkins – 0 (31) – out for season

Owen Aliciene – 0 (21)

Henry Boehme – 0 (18)

Jim Fitzgerald – 0 (18)

Hunter Albright – 0 (8)

Penn State rolled with the same starting five but subbed in Ikakoula for Riker at center late in the game. PFF credited Riker with allowing four pressures while on the field.

Defensive Line

Keanu Williams – 50 (179)

Yvan Kemajou – 47 (170)

Alexander McPherson – 39 (119)

Siale Taupaki – 34 (152)

Armstrong Nnodim – 32 (77)

Caleb Bacon – 29 (141)

Dallas Vakalahi – 27 (100)

Ikenna Ezeogu – 21 (147)

Alijah Carnell – 16 (33)

Ty Blanding – 0 (59)

De’Andre Cook – 0 (34)

Liam Andrews – 0 (25)

Jackson Ford – 0 (22)

Max Granville – 0 (22) – out for season

For the first time this season, McPherson earned the start over Ezeogu at defensive end. He finished with three tackles and was credited with one quarterback hurry. Carnell, who missed the first two games of the season, continued to see his workload increase.

Linebackers

Tony Rojas – 58 (214)

Kooper Ebel – 52 (209)

Cael Brezina – 19 (102)

Alex Tatsch – 14 (81)

Cam Smith – 0 (17)

John Klosterman – 0 (4)

Rojas and Ebel led the entire defense in snaps and also took the top two spots in tackles with 12 and 11, respectively. Rojas added a sack and 3.5 tackles for loss.

Cornerbacks

Audavion Collins – 52 (208)

Daryus Dixson – 51 (182)

Zion Tracy – 40 (165)

Josiah Zayas – 36 (153)

Jahmir Joseph – 28 (129)

Ibn McDaniels – 3 (51)

Tyler Armstead – 0 (19)

Donte Nastasi – 0 (10)

Christian Askew – 0 (1)

The cornerbacks weren’t tested often, as Wildcat quarterback Aidan Chiles attempted just 14 passes on the night. Per PFF, Collins allowed a six-yard reception, his only completion allowed this season on nine targets.

Safeties

Jeremiah Cooper – 46 (183)

Jamison Patton – 44 (161)

Marcus Neal Jr. – 35 (168)

Vaboue Toure – 19 (73)

Xxavier Thomas – 0 (33)

Bryson Williams – 0 (16)

Tyrell Chatman – 0 (6)

Neal and Patton contributed five tackles each while Cooper was credited with four. Toure also saw some burn after not playing in the Wisconsin game a week ago, totaling two tackles.