After watching film of the Penn State defense, UCLA coach DeShaun Foster not surprisingly singled out Abdul Carter, Zane Durant and Jaylen Reed.
Those three have helped the Nittany Lions continue to be one of the top defenses in the country.
But the guy who is the glue that holds everything together is middle linebacker Kobe King.
“Kobe’s just a great leader,” outside linebacker Tony Rojas said. “His leadership has really improved. I feel like that’s given him even more confidence. The whole defense trusts him. We just know we can rely on him in any situation.”
King calls the defensive signals for seventh-ranked Penn State (1-0, 4-0), which will meet new Big Ten member UCLA (0-2, 1-3) Saturday at noon (TV-FOX) at Beaver Stadium.
The 6-1, 251-pound King, the twin brother of Green Bay Packers rookie cornerback Kalen King, also has had an impact beyond his leadership.
He made seven tackles, including 1.5 in the backfield, in last week’s 21-7 win over Illinois. He sacked quarterback Luke Altmyer during a goal-line stand late in the second quarter and had two stops for no gain in the third quarter.
“He and Dom (DeLuca) took me under their wing last year,” Rojas said. “I feel like him being able to coach me has helped him become a better player. That has taken him to the next level.”
With King’s leadership, the Lions rank fourth nationally in total defense, seventh in scoring and rushing defense and 16th in pass efficiency defense.
Penn State is playing UCLA for the first time since 1968, a 21-6 Lions win in Los Angeles, and for the first time in State College since 1967.
The Bruins are struggling in DeShaun Foster’s first season as coach. They opened with a victory at Hawaii and have lost successive games to Indiana, LSU and Oregon by decisive margins. This is their first Big Ten road game and they’re playing it at 9 a.m. Pacific time.
“It’s a team that is still kind of trying to find its way,” Penn State coach James Franklin said.
UCLA also might be playing without starting quarterback Ethan Garbers, who was injured last week during a 34-13 loss to Oregon and who hadn’t practiced this week through Wednesday. Garbers has three touchdown passes against six interceptions.
If he can’t play, the Bruins likely will go with redshirt sophomore Justyn Martin, a former Southern California high school star who has attempted just five passes in his college career.
“They have a really good D-line,” Foster said, “so you can’t hold onto the football. We’re just making sure that he’s ready for the crowd noise and that environment.”
UCLA’s pass protection has been poor and so has its running game. The Bruins have allowed 18 sacks and rank next-to-last in the country in rushing (57.0 yards per game). That’s not a good combination against Penn State, which has elite defensive linemen.
“There’s just a lot of talent at every level,” defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas said. “We’re playing very, very well together. I think it’s going to be a special year for our defense.”
Penn State is beginning to establish its identity on offense. Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton combined to rush for 196 yards and two touchdowns against Illinois. UCLA’s run defense is decent, but its pass defense is porous.
“I talked to the team about the importance of us taking a significant step this week,” Franklin said, “and not having to be one of those teams you see all over the country that have to have a setback first before they have a wakeup call.
“We have to get better in general. We have to make sure we’re not getting complacent.”
Rich Scarcella’s pick
Penn State 38, UCLA 7
This is the final tuneup for the Nittany Lions before they face USC, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Washington in the next five weeks. Expect Penn State to shut down the Bruins’ struggling offense. Drew Allar could have a prolific day against a defense allowing almost 300 passing yards per game.
