Trending
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- There were plenty of parts of the Penn State football operation that were less than impressive here Saturday.
Altoona's Kevin Givens, however, was an exception as he turned in a performance to feel good about.
Givens and the Nittany Lions' defensive line continued their strong play as Penn State put away Rutgers, 20-7, before an alleged crowd of 44,480 at HighPoint.com Stadium.
The redshirt junior made five tackles that included 1.5 for loss -- one of which was on third-and-goal from the PSU 1-yard line in the third quarter.
"Our D-line is playing at a high level," James Franklin said afterward. "I think our defense is playing really good the last couple weeks. I thought we played fantastic today."
Penn State has given up just two touchdowns in the last two weeks. The starting defensive line combined for 23 tackles against the Scarlet Knights with Yetur Gross-Matos, Robert Windsor and Shareef Miller getting most of the headlines.
That's perfectly fine with Givens, who is content to let his play do his talking.
"I just do my job," he said Saturday. "I really don't care about the attention. As long as we win and I do my job, that's all that matters."
It's because of the way he's doing his job, Franklin said, that praise is flowing to his teammates.
"It probably isn't flashy, but a lot of the things he's doing is allowing our linebackers to make the plays they're making," he said. "It's allowing Windsor and our D-ends to get into one-on-one situations. He (Givens) warrants a lot of respect on tape. He's being disciplined and holding his gap, which is critical to our success."
Givens' snap count has increased each week, which has built his confidence.
"I feel great," he said. "We've been getting better every week, been learning from our mistakes. I feel like I can learn a lot more and get a lot better."
The one-game suspension he served at the outset of the season for undisclosed disciplinary reasons got his attention.
"I've gone through adversity with my first year starting," he said. "I feel like I've learned a lot about how to play, how to be a role model and how to manage the game. I'm old now, so I know the ins and outs."
Some of the Nittany Lion veterans have taken notice.
"Being a grandfather in this program and watching these young guys grow up is great," Nick Scott, a fifth-year safety and one of the team's outstanding leaders, said. "This program bodes well for young athletes in their development off the field as well as on the field. Watching guys like Kevin, especially, come through (has been gratifying). Guys come through this program and leave as better men."
Givens said he learned from past PSU defensive tackles such as Anthony Zettel and "the Cothren brothers" -- Curtis and Parker, (even though they're not brothers).
"I'm just trying to live up to them," he said.
An ox in the weight room, Givens led the defensive tackles in vertical leap (30 inches) and pro agility (4.40) and was first on the entire team in strength index (716), power clean (355) and squat (605).
He won the prestigious Jim O'Hora Award for the defense's most improved player, and he's sustained that performance through the fall.
"Kevin is not the most outgoing guy, but we have a lot of respect for him and his work ethic," Scott said. "He's continuing to grow, and he's been an outstanding player and teammate."
At 6-foot-1 and 283 pounds, Givens isn't sure whether his future will remain at defensive tackle or whether he'll have to bulk up even more and be an inside cornerstone.
"I feel like it's in the middle," he said. "We'll see when we get there ... but whatever I need to do to make that happen."
The Lions will return the majority of their defense in 2019, and Givens is expected to be a key component.
"I feel like we're in a good place," he said.
For now, though, he's enjoying the Nittany Lions' success this season. They're 8-3 heading into senior day on Saturday against Maryland.
He can hardly believe he's only got one more year left.
"I've been having fun. It's always fun in the season," he said. "I'm just sad it's about to be over, but I've still got work to do next year. Time goes fast when you're in college."
Givens was reminded of that during the open date when he came home to see the Mountain Lions.
"It's always fun to go to Mansion (Park) and catch up with the coaches and the new players," he said. "I feel like old going back."
Which is understandable for somebody soon to be a fifth-year senior.
Rudel can be reached at 946-7527 or nrudel@altoonamirror.com.