The Lions' line without Brown, field goal woes and other observations

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Shareef Miller sent his position coach a text and then followed up late last week with James Franklin.

The Lions' starting defensive end wanted to make sure he'd be allowed to wear injured teammate Torrence Brown's No. 19 for last Saturday's win at Iowa, one way to show his appreciation for the redshirt junior who is out for the season after he took a hit to his right knee in the Georgia State game.

"It's an honor for me to wear his number," Miller said Saturday night. "We're so close and since I came to Penn State he took me under his wing and he's like a big brother to me. It was real good for me to wear that number."



Once approved, it took a little while to get used to seeing Miller shed his usual No. 48, but with two tackles for loss, a quarterback hurry and five tackles, Miller was a force. His safety in the second quarter was a reminder of the strong start he's had to the season, one where he was kept off the field for most of the first game due to injury, but otherwise has been disruptive.

Miller's safety, which came after drilling standout running back Akrum Wadley, was the type of play that helped Penn State's defense continue its dominant ways while the offense found its footing. Penn State will need more games like this from Miller and Ryan Buchholz, the latter whom started in place of the injured Brown.

"I guess they tried to leave me unblocked because I guess they thought I was gonna try and go for the little power," Miller said of the safety. "I saw him, the running back, jab step and they like pitched it but I saw it and he wasn't going to outrun me. The space was too little for that. He tried to outrun me but didn't so I tackled him for the safety. That was just a real good moment. It was like a swing of momentum."

While Brown, the leader of the d-line, didn't make the trip, at various points during Saturday's win Penn State put Buchholz, Kevin Givens, Parker Cothren and Curtis Cothran all on the field at once. Givens was lined up like a defensive end while Buchholz, who can play inside or out but anticipates playing more end this season, lined up outside as well. Those four unique skill sets could be paired together at various points as the Lions work through a deep rotation of ends that won't include Brown.