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While the first month of the college football season has been enjoyable, there's a new energy around Eugene this week. The Oregon Ducks are finally out of the proverbial preseason, and the stakes are ratcheting up in a hurry. This weekend, Dan Lanning's team heads east for a top-10 matchup against the Penn State Nittany Lions.
It will be a white-out atmosphere in Happy Valley, which is one of the most well-respected and intimidating environments in all of college football. While both Oregon and Penn State are ranked among the top teams in the nation, there's a sense that neither has proven itself just yet, with a handful of cupcakes on the schedule to open the year.
With all of the hype and intrigue going into this Big Ten Championship rematch from a year ago, there are questions. What will we see on Saturday? Let's dive in.
The Nittany Lions are now, and have been known for having a great defense for the most part, and that remains the case in 2025. After being led deep into the College Football Playoff by this unit a year ago, Penn State added former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and made him the highest-paid coordinator in the nation.
While they lost a generational talent to the NFL draft in EDGE Abdul Carter, the Nittany Lions have been able to impress early on this year. However, the numbers should be taken with a grain of salt due to the level of competition that they have played thus far. Regardless of competition, though, Penn State currently has the No. 1 scoring defense (5.5 ppg allowed), the No. 8 total defense (246.8 ypg allowed), the No. 31 rushing defense (109.5 ypg allowed), and the No. 8 passing defense (137.0 ypg allowed) in the nation.
Considering the roster and taking those numbers into account, it's fair to say that the Ducks might have the best chance of success running the ball. While Penn State has been pretty great across all levels of the defense, there is some newness and youth in the front seven that Oregon might be able to target.
Dani Dennis-Sutton
While losing someone like Abdul Carter is always hard, it's made a bit easier when you have a guy like Dan Dennis-Sutton waiting to be the No. 1 guy. As a senior on the team, DDS has been solid this year, with nine tackles, five tackles for loss, and two sacks through the first three games. He's also not had much of an opportunity to pin his ears back and get after the passer just yet, so this could be a breakout opportunity for him.
Amare Campbell
The former North Carolina transfer was one of the top linebackers in the portal this year, and he has had an instant impact with Penn State, leading the team in tackles through three games and getting in the backfield with three tackles for loss. While the defense may be new in certain areas with Knowles in his first year as coordinator, they have a veteran player in the middle with Campbell.
Tony Rojas
Tony Rojas is another stalwart inside linebacker who has been with Penn State for three years now and is really coming into his own in this defense. After racking up 58 tackles and three interceptions as a sophomore, Rojas is well on his way to having another career season so far, with 18 tackles and five tackles for loss through three games.
King Mack
King Mack is another central transfer portal win for Penn State, coming over from Alabama this offseason and hitting the ground running. Mack started his career at Penn State in 2023 and is now back again, helping to lead the secondary and replace Jaylen Reed from last year's team.
Chaz Coleman
Chaz Coleman has been a bit of an unheralded player for Penn State thus far nationally, but the freshman has shown a serious ability to play early on, grabbing one sack and three tackles for loss in his first three games. If he can get after it alongside DDS on Saturday, it could be a massive breakout opportunity.
We've said it before, and we will say it again: Until proven otherwise, it feels as if the Ducks are built to score on just about anyone they play. Of course, Penn State will be the toughest test yet, and a defensive coordinator leads them in Jim Knowles, who shut down Oregon a year ago in the Rose Bowl while with Ohio State. Of course, that was a different Ducks' offense, led by a quarterback with a far different skill-set than the one Dillon Gabriel has.
Oregon should feel confident about their offensive game plan going into this game, knowing they should be well-positioned for success at both levels. On the ground, starting RB Noah Whittington is expected to return for this matchup, and a deep stable of backs will allow Oregon to remain fresh throughout the matchup, so long as the offensive line can get a solid push in the trenches.
If the Ducks decide to open up the passing game and take some shots, there are few better duos right now than Dante Moore and Dakorien Moore. On top of that, Malik Benson and Gary Bryant have been solid this year, and the Ducks may have the single best tight end in the nation this year with Kenyon Sadiq. Oregon certainly has the talent necessary to score on Penn State; it's just a matter of figuring out the best way to get the job done.
I don't have much of a worry about the Ducks being able to put points on the board this weekend. I do think that Penn State may be able to slow down Oregon's rushing attack, but if that's the case, there should be no concerns about Dante Moore's ability to take over and try to make things happen.
There are two things that I am a bit wary of going into Saturday: 1 — Penn State might be able to limit possessions for the Ducks if their ground attack is working, and the Ducks can't get off of the field. We saw against Northwestern earlier this year that Oregon was pushed out of a rhythm early on with the Wildcats routinely eating 6-8 minutes off of the clock. 2 — I want to see how Dante Moore handles the pressure of playing in this environment with 106,000 fans in his ear when the game is on the line. So far, he has passed every test that he has taken, but this will be the biggest one yet.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: What the Oregon Ducks should expect from Penn State's defense
Continue reading...
It will be a white-out atmosphere in Happy Valley, which is one of the most well-respected and intimidating environments in all of college football. While both Oregon and Penn State are ranked among the top teams in the nation, there's a sense that neither has proven itself just yet, with a handful of cupcakes on the schedule to open the year.
With all of the hype and intrigue going into this Big Ten Championship rematch from a year ago, there are questions. What will we see on Saturday? Let's dive in.
What do the Penn State Nittany Lions do well on defense?
The Nittany Lions are now, and have been known for having a great defense for the most part, and that remains the case in 2025. After being led deep into the College Football Playoff by this unit a year ago, Penn State added former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and made him the highest-paid coordinator in the nation.
While they lost a generational talent to the NFL draft in EDGE Abdul Carter, the Nittany Lions have been able to impress early on this year. However, the numbers should be taken with a grain of salt due to the level of competition that they have played thus far. Regardless of competition, though, Penn State currently has the No. 1 scoring defense (5.5 ppg allowed), the No. 8 total defense (246.8 ypg allowed), the No. 31 rushing defense (109.5 ypg allowed), and the No. 8 passing defense (137.0 ypg allowed) in the nation.
Considering the roster and taking those numbers into account, it's fair to say that the Ducks might have the best chance of success running the ball. While Penn State has been pretty great across all levels of the defense, there is some newness and youth in the front seven that Oregon might be able to target.
Who are the top players to know about?
Dani Dennis-Sutton
While losing someone like Abdul Carter is always hard, it's made a bit easier when you have a guy like Dan Dennis-Sutton waiting to be the No. 1 guy. As a senior on the team, DDS has been solid this year, with nine tackles, five tackles for loss, and two sacks through the first three games. He's also not had much of an opportunity to pin his ears back and get after the passer just yet, so this could be a breakout opportunity for him.
Amare Campbell
The former North Carolina transfer was one of the top linebackers in the portal this year, and he has had an instant impact with Penn State, leading the team in tackles through three games and getting in the backfield with three tackles for loss. While the defense may be new in certain areas with Knowles in his first year as coordinator, they have a veteran player in the middle with Campbell.
Tony Rojas
Tony Rojas is another stalwart inside linebacker who has been with Penn State for three years now and is really coming into his own in this defense. After racking up 58 tackles and three interceptions as a sophomore, Rojas is well on his way to having another career season so far, with 18 tackles and five tackles for loss through three games.
King Mack
King Mack is another central transfer portal win for Penn State, coming over from Alabama this offseason and hitting the ground running. Mack started his career at Penn State in 2023 and is now back again, helping to lead the secondary and replace Jaylen Reed from last year's team.
Chaz Coleman
Chaz Coleman has been a bit of an unheralded player for Penn State thus far nationally, but the freshman has shown a serious ability to play early on, grabbing one sack and three tackles for loss in his first three games. If he can get after it alongside DDS on Saturday, it could be a massive breakout opportunity.
Are the Oregon Ducks built to score on Penn State?
We've said it before, and we will say it again: Until proven otherwise, it feels as if the Ducks are built to score on just about anyone they play. Of course, Penn State will be the toughest test yet, and a defensive coordinator leads them in Jim Knowles, who shut down Oregon a year ago in the Rose Bowl while with Ohio State. Of course, that was a different Ducks' offense, led by a quarterback with a far different skill-set than the one Dillon Gabriel has.
Oregon should feel confident about their offensive game plan going into this game, knowing they should be well-positioned for success at both levels. On the ground, starting RB Noah Whittington is expected to return for this matchup, and a deep stable of backs will allow Oregon to remain fresh throughout the matchup, so long as the offensive line can get a solid push in the trenches.
If the Ducks decide to open up the passing game and take some shots, there are few better duos right now than Dante Moore and Dakorien Moore. On top of that, Malik Benson and Gary Bryant have been solid this year, and the Ducks may have the single best tight end in the nation this year with Kenyon Sadiq. Oregon certainly has the talent necessary to score on Penn State; it's just a matter of figuring out the best way to get the job done.
What should we expect on Saturday?
I don't have much of a worry about the Ducks being able to put points on the board this weekend. I do think that Penn State may be able to slow down Oregon's rushing attack, but if that's the case, there should be no concerns about Dante Moore's ability to take over and try to make things happen.
There are two things that I am a bit wary of going into Saturday: 1 — Penn State might be able to limit possessions for the Ducks if their ground attack is working, and the Ducks can't get off of the field. We saw against Northwestern earlier this year that Oregon was pushed out of a rhythm early on with the Wildcats routinely eating 6-8 minutes off of the clock. 2 — I want to see how Dante Moore handles the pressure of playing in this environment with 106,000 fans in his ear when the game is on the line. So far, he has passed every test that he has taken, but this will be the biggest one yet.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: What the Oregon Ducks should expect from Penn State's defense
Continue reading...
