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Penn State Football: 3 takeaways from Cotton Bowl win over Memphis

By Zach Bigalke

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 28: Garrett Taylor #17 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates with Jaquan Brisker #7 after a touchdown pass interception against the Memphis Tigers during the second half of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 28: Garrett Taylor #17 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates with Jaquan Brisker #7 after a touchdown pass interception against the Memphis Tigers during the second half of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

2. Micah Parsons indisputably the linchpin of the defense

Next season, Penn State is due to lose a lot of talent on the defensive line. Edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos declared for the 2020 NFL Draft with season of eligibility left on the table. Defensive tackles Antonio Shelton and Robert Windsor are both redshirt seniors who played their final college game at the Cotton Bowl.

That will put even more pressure on Micah Parsons, the linebacker who made his presence felt all over the field at AT&T Stadium against Memphis. As he enters his junior year, Parsons should be up to the challenge as he takes on an even larger leadership role on the defense.

After a regular season where he led the team with 95 total tackles and racked up three sacks and 11 tackles for loss, Parsons put in another huge performance at the Cotton Bowl to thwart the Tigers’ upset bid. He notched multiple sacks, stripped a fumble, and was the catalyst for what was officially a pick-six by Garrett Taylor late in the third quarter.

https://twitter.com/ESPNCFB/status/1211018216136433664

Parsons boasted 14 tackles, a couple of sacks, three tackles for loss, and a couple of forced fumbles. We could easily see Penn State unfurl a Heisman campaign for the defender, especially if he shows up for every game of the 2020 season like he did at the Cotton Bowl Classic on Saturday.

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