"Lack of Key Defensive Rusher in Penn State's Week 1 Football Game"
Penn State Football Prepares for Florida International University
The Penn State Nittany Lions are gearing up for their next challenge, as they take on the Florida International University Panthers this Saturday.
Last week, the team demonstrated their dominance with a 46-11 victory over Nevada. The stadium and fan atmosphere were reportedly great, according to head coach James Franklin.
However, the team's success came with a missing piece. Key pass rusher Zuriah Fisher was out, which led to a noticeable absence in the team's defensive line.
Despite this, the team's field goal work was solid, and they won the takeaway battle against Nevada, scoring 16 points off turnovers.
Franklin commented on Monday that while he was "hopeful" to have Fisher for the contest against Nevada, the staff decided to hold him as he had not "practiced enough." But good news is on the horizon, as Fisher is "close" to returning, according to On3 Sports. This will be significant for the team, as Fisher recorded 3.5 sacks and 11 total tackles in his last playing time for the team, back in the 2023 season.
Unfortunately, Fisher's eligibility to play again will not be until October 2025 due to previous issues.
As the team looks ahead to the upcoming game, Franklin emphasised that the team needs to be more explosive in their play. He also acknowledged that there were things to get cleaned up after the game against Nevada.
The Nittany Lions are currently ranked No. 2 in the country, and they started the season with a dominating win. However, other highly-ranked teams like Alabama, Notre Dame, and Texas faced losses in Week 1.
As the season progresses, the Penn State football team will look to continue their success and build on their strong start. With the potential return of Zuriah Fisher, they may just have the boost they need to take their game to the next level.
