It was a game of firsts for Caleb Bacon. Not only was it the first game of 2026, but also Bacon's first game as a Nittany Lion after transferring from Iowa State, as well as his first game as a full time defensive end since switching from linebacker.
It's safe to say all the changes worked out for Bacon, as he was named the Big Ten's Co-Defensive Player of the Week for week one. Bacon made an immediate impact in his Nittany Lions debut, collecting three TFLs, a sack, and six tackles in the first half alone against Marshall. The Thundering Herd had difficulty handling Bacon, as he constantly provided pressure and wreaked havoc in the backfield whenever he was on the field. Bacon even had a sequence with consecutive TFLs as he helped to shut down an early drive by Marshall as the Nittany Lions defense held them scoreless throughout the game. It was Penn State's first shutout in a season opener since blanking Akron in 2017.
Bacon shares the honor with UCLA's Ta'Shawn James, who had two interceptions to help lead the Bruins to a victory over Cal on Saturday.

#first #tfls #marshall #week

Penn State faced Marshall as a 23.5-point favorite in week one, crushing expectations with a 45-0 victory. They have now opened as Temple with the same line – as a 23.5-point favorite in week two over the Owls.
The Nittany Lions kicked off the Matt Campbell era with a satisfying shutout victory, with strong performances in all three phases of the game. Rocco Becht had a career-high four passing touchdowns before exiting the game early in the third quarter. Koby Howard had the breakout performance that Nittany Lion fans have been waiting for, catching six passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. The Penn State defense swarmed Marshall all game long, with Caleb Bacon among the top performers with four TFLs in a game where he seemed to nearly always find himself in the Herd backfield.
Temple also began the season on a winning note on Saturday, taking down Rhode Island 38-14. Former Penn State quarterback Jaxon Smolik was four-of-six passing for 57 yards and a touchdown for the Owls, while running back Keveun Mason had 192 yards from scrimmage and two scores.
Penn State will visit Temple for its first road game of the season on Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon with the game airing on ESPN2.

#temple #yards #marshall #nittany

South Jersey's linebackers represent some of the most versatile and impactful players that will step onto the gridiron this fall. The balance of power and athleticism is what sets these football players apart.
Here are some of South Jersey's best going into the 2026 season.
We ranked our top 10 linebackers. Now, here's your chance to vote for your choice with the poll at the end of this story.
10. Dez'yon Purnell, Schalick. A true stat-stuffer on the defensive end, the Cougars' backer had three interceptions, returned a fumble for a touchdown and made 63 total stops. Purnell added two sacks and nine TFLs.
9. Zamir Davis, West Deptford. Five interceptions. Three fumble recoveries. Plus 57 tackles and a sack. The Eagles' defensive anchor was everywhere his team needed him on Friday nights.

#linebackers #players #defensive

In a recent post, The Athletic talked about who they believe is the most intriguing newcomer for all of the teams in the Power Four. Newcomer can mean any player that they picked up out of high school or the transfer portal, or any coach they nabbed on the carousel. While most Rutgers fans likely would have named new defensive coordinator Travis Johansen as the team's most intriguing addition, The Athletic chose another direction.
They chose to name former Tulsa EDGE J'Dan Burenett as the Scarlet Knights' most intriguing newcomer, pointing out his ability to make plays in the backfield as the reason for it.
"This is Burnett's third stop in as many seasons after he played at Louisiana Tech in 2024 and Tulsa in 2025. He earned second-team All-American Conference honors last year after recording 6.5 sacks and 9.5 TFLs," said Antonio Morales, writer of the post.
It has been some time since Rutgers has had a truly consistent pass rusher. There is a possibility that Burnett could be the answer to that; however, his stats at the lower level don't necessarily jump off the page. Rutgers did add several defensive line pieces in the portal overall, so there is a possibility that the overall improvement of the defensive line gives Burnett what he needs to be successful, but that seems to be a reach given what we know now.
It is a surprise that Johansen was not the name called here, given that he is taking over a defense that set records for poor performance last season. On top of that, he has a proven track record of building defenses at the lower level, so seeing what he can do to the Knights' defense in year one is definitely intriguing, to say the least. It is unreasonable to expect a complete turnaround in one season; however, a good leap forward from where they were is still on the table. How much they improve is one of the most intriguing things about the team next season, and Johansen is the architect behind that.

#rutgers #newcomer #Athletic

Earlier in the week, head coach Mike Norvell said he wanted his team to treat this week like a "game week." Coming off a scrimmage on Tuesday, FSU had three days of physical practice in Jacksonville, ahead of its final scrimmage of the fall on Sunday.
If Sunday's scrimmage had a winner, Norvell told the media afterward, that it was the defense.
"I thought (the defense) really did a nice job," the head man said in his opening statement. "(They were) flying around and made some explosive plays and created some TFLs. I liked tonight that there was a great balance of pressures, four-man pass rush, and guys going out there and having to win a 1-on-1."
It seems that the defensive line, led by Terrance Knighton and first-year coach Nick Williams, is developing the front into a formidable force heading into the regular season.
"I thought the defensive line was really impactful. I saw the Desir twins multiple times making an impact. Jalen Anderson had a great speed sack…You felt that disruption. When you're sitting out there, it's good for one side. On the other side, you have to continue to improve."

#scrimmage #thought

Just a few weeks out from starting their 2026 football campaign, the North Carolina Tar Heels are hoping their mix of returners and offseason additions propel them to heightened success.
UNC trudged to a 4-8 record in 2025, with anticipation from Bill Belichick's hiring quickly dying out during the blowout loss to TCU. North Carolina beat Charlotte and Richmond in consecutive September weeks, then didn't win again until a Halloween victory over Syracuse.
One of the Tar Heels' best 2025 surprises came in the form of defensive end Melkart Abou Jaoude. On Tuesday, Abou Jaoude earned himself a nomination to the Bronco Nagurski Award Preseason Watch List, an award annually given to the best defensive player in college football.
Abou Jaoude continued UNC's recent trend of promising pass rushers, leading his teammates with 12 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. The Delaware transfer's best stretch came during late October/early November, when he totaled eight sacks between a 2-1 stretch for North Carolina.
The Tar Heels lost most of their other 2025 pass-rushing production. Tyler Thompson (7.5 TFLs, seven sacks) transferred to Louisville and Andrew Simpson (nine TFLs, five sacks) graduated, while CJ Mims (2.5 TFLs, two sacks) transferred to Texas A&M.

#sacks #jaoude #best #award

Silver and Black Pride is wrapping up the preseason AFC West position ranking series with a pretty strong position group for the division: safety.
The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers each had a safety earn second-team All-Pro honors last season, while the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders each have a quality starter on the backend of their defenses, too. So, let’s see how the Raiders’ roster—and, more specifically, Jeremy Chinn—stack up to the rest of the division.
All stats referenced below are from the regular season unless otherwise noted.
2025 Stats: 94 tackles, 3 INTs, 7 PDs, 2.0 sacks, 6 TFLs (16 games)
In the five seasons since he missed the entire 2020 campaign with a knee injury, James has made four Pro Bowls and three second-team All-Pro squads, establishing himself as one of the best safeties in the entire league. He’s one of the most versatile defenders in the NFL and can impact every phase of the game. In addition to the numbers above, the statsheet-stuffer allowed a 68.4 passer rating when targeted, recorded 13 pressures on just 71 pass-rushes, and he ranked tied for 14th among safeties with 14 defensive stops against the run last season, per Pro Football Focus.

USC football plays Wisconsin this season. Two key Badgers the Trojans must plan for are linebacker Mason Posa and quarterback Colton Joseph. Nittany Lions Wire wrote about both players:
On Posa:
"With several changes coming to a pretty solid defensive unit, attention could turn to the young players up front tasked with making the D-line fearsome. Among them is sophomore linebacker Mason Posa, who could be primed for a breakout campaign. While he was forced into the lineup due to injury, he has proven highly capable, tallying 25 tackles and 4 TFLs. If he continues to show marked improvement, he could become the new face of this defense."
On Joseph:
"The quarterback position has always been a major weakness for this Badgers squad. For three consecutive seasons, the team has had to contend with several injuries to the man at the helm of the offense. That is why Luke Fickell went into the transfer portal to acquire Old Dominion's Colton Joseph. While Joseph is not necessarily the most impressive of passers, Badgers fans should be intrigued by his 1,007 yards rushing along with 13 touchdowns, presenting an interesting dual-threat capability. If Joseph stays healthy, he could immediately elevate the national profile of the program."

The Tennessee Vols haven't been on many folks' radars this offseason. With plenty of roster turnover and an unsettled quarterback battle, the Vols have the looks of a big question mark for the 2026 season amid what should be a wide open and entertaining SEC.
However, the Vols had quite the makeover on the defensive side of the ball going back to December of last year. Tim Banks was fired, and Jim Knowles was brought down from Penn State. Knowles brought a number of his former Nittany Lions players with him to Knoxville with him, and that included three noteworthy defenders in EDGE Chaz Coleman, LB Amare Campbell, and S Dejuan Lane.
Well, Coleman is gone, as all Tennessee fans know, but Campbell should have a strong impact in the middle this season. And it's in the middle where CBS Sports' Chris Hummer thinks the Vols have the best group in the entire country.
Hummer listed the best group nationally at each position, and the Vols' linebackers got the nod.
The Volunteers have the deepest linebacker unit in the country. For example, Edwin Spillman (81) and Jeremiah Telander (80) led Tennessee in tackles last year and are back in 2026. Yet there's a real chance neither starts due to the presence of Arion Carter — an expected draft pick who returned to school because of injury — and Penn State transfer Amare Campbell, a four-star addition out of the portal who's totaled 179 tackles, 20 TFLs and 9.5 sacks over the past two seasons.

We are Tommy ******* is days away from Texas football being back and it’s another Hot Take Tuesday. Today, I want to focus on the defense and the chaos they could create this season. Will Muschamp has been added as the “head coach of the defense” and the philosophy of his defense is clear: wreck havoc. They are going to play an aggressive style that will thrive on takeaways, sacks and TFLs. I expect it to lead to multiple defensive scores in 2026.
Texas is going to play a downhill, aggressive style of defense. They have the guys to do it, led by Colin Simmons. He’s forced his fair share of forced fumbles, including one against Arkansas that led to Texas’ lone defensive TD last year. This year, I expect his counterpart Lance Jackson to make his fair share of game changing plays on the QB. The pass rush will play its role but the difference in this take is in the LB core to me.
Rasheem Biles was the crown jewel of the defensive portal class and he comes in with big-play ability. He’s coming off a year where he racked up 4.5 sacks, 2 FFs, 2 INTs, 4 PDs and two defensive TDs by himself. I expect him to take at least one interception or fumble back to the house this season. Add in Ty’Anthony Smith, who had two INTs against Michigan and you have a duo that’ll absolutely have chances to get in the endzone this season.
Finally, this secondary is going to be a man-coverage, ball skills based unit. The cornerback trio of Bo Mascoe, Graceson Littleton and Kade Phillips all bring strong ball skills to the table. Jelani McDonald and Derek Williams Jr. both have shown big-play ability in the past. This unit will absolutely take the ball away and I could see a pick-six or two this season.
This Texas defense does have some minor questions. One of those, to me, is not: Will they create turnovers? That feels like a given for this team heading into this season, especially considering the approach. Simmons and Jackson are going to be encouraged to attack the passer. Biles and Smith are going to be ready to make big plays in coverage at LB. The secondary will be given the green light to attack and I believe it’ll benefit every player.

Editor's note: Each day, Hogs Haven compiles a collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, with a sprinkling of other stuff. Enjoy!
Commanders Roundtable
Chaisson [is potentially] the most underrated defensive addition in 2026. The veteran pass rusher also turned down a chance at a longer deal and more security to sign with Washington, a team he believed was capable of making a postseason run. Yet for a defense that struggled to generate pressure, Chaisson is a big part of what Washington needs to do better in 2026 where he has a chance to capitalize if near-$100 million addition Odafe Oweh draws increased attention opposite of him. While Oweh adds a long-term piece, Chaisson has a chance to prove himself after a career season with the New England Patriots in 2025.
Chaisson played at least 66% of the Patriots' defensive snaps from weeks nine through 16, totaling a pair of sacks, four TFLs, one pass deflection and a pair of forced fumbles during that span. He also registered an impressive average of 2.87 seconds time to pressure where he thrived as a quick twitch edge rusher.
That's the role that Chaisson will look to thrive in with the Commanders, opting for the one-year deal in Washington with a chance to prove himself for a third consecutive season.