Penn State Football vs Kentucky: 3 reasons to watch Citrus Bowl

2. Both defenses are solid

The defenses of both teams have been pretty good on the season. Both will have their work cut out for them dealing with the other side’s offensive weapons. But we should expect plenty of defensive plays in the Citrus Bowl.

For Penn State, they entered the season having to replace a lot on the defensive side, including nine starters. However the Lions improved as the season progressed. The most impressive player for the Lions on defense perhaps has been defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos. The sophomore tallied 54 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and eight sacks. The back end of his season was especially superb. Also keep an eye on freshman linebacker Micah Parsons, who only started one game this season yet led the team in total tackles with 69, including 4 tackles for loss.

Kentucky’s best player on defense by far is senior outside linebacker Josh Allen. The kid is a freak of nature and his stats prove it. Allen racked up 18 and a half tackles for loss this season and 14 sacks. He has already won the Nagurski award and is a finalist for the Bednarik and Butkus awards as well. He is projected to be a top 10 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

The Wildcats also have a pair of strong safeties in Darius West and Mike Edwards. So if Trace McSorley is to have a good day in his last game, the Lions will have to find a way to block Allen and throw the ball away from West and Edwards.

Penn State has the more balanced offense on paper, but Kentucky has a good run game led by Benny Snell. Both offenses will have their hands full in trying to score on the opposing defenses.