Football is a game of matchups. The pregame attention will center on the White Out noise, exotic blitzes and fancy plays, but Oregon's chance to win rests on two players, right tackle Alex Harkey and left tackle Isaiah World.
They've posted strong pass blocking grades in Oregon's 4-0 start, but they haven't been tested. Penn State has elite athletes on the defensive line and new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is bent on unleashing them on the Oregon bookends, which look vulnerable on film.
Landon Tengwall, a former Nittany Lion offensive lineman and host of "The Landon Tengwall Show," thinks that's where Penn State has a significant edge in this game, Oregon at Penn State Saturday night on NBC,, No. 6 versus No. 3.
Tengwell said, "We have to get after Dante Moore. The matchup I'm looking at is really both defensive ends and the tackles, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Chaz Coleman and Zuriah Fischer versus Oregon's right tackle Alex Harkey who I think has a really soft edge."
Brought down in the backfield by @TakariHickle 💪
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Harkey gave up the Ducks only sack this season, in the third quarter against Oregon State.
"He drops his back leg a lot," Tengwall said, a one-year starter with the Nittany Lions who had to retire due to concussion issues. "It looks like you can bend the edge against him."
Tengwall had measured praise for World, the transfer from Nevada. "He has a good set and can really get out his stance. Doesn't get beat around the edge the way their right tackle does, but he really has a problem throttling down his anchor when you bullrush him."
"I've seen him get taken into Dante Moore's lap a few times. So if I'm going against World, I don't know if I go as much with a speed rush. Think about getting a bull and putting a helmet in his chest and trying to go through him."
When Oregon beat Penn State in the Big Ten Championship last year the Nittany Lions got to Dillon Gabriel just once, on a blitz. But in that game they had a senior quarterback with 62 starts, and two experienced offensive tackles who'd played together a full season, one a first-round draft pick.
Three weeks later Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, now at PSU, overwhelmed A'lique Terry's o-line with blitzes and pressure. They boxed and throttled the Ducks, up 34-0 by the second quarter, churning out eight sacks and holding Oregon to -23 yards rushing.
The game plan will be similar for the White Out game. Engulf the Oregon front and defeat the tackles, choke off their speed with pressure and disruption. For a redshirt sophomore starting quarterback, it's an extreme challenge. He has to set the protections in a wall of noise, maintaining his composure.
He needs to be able to depend on his bookend tackles, and an intelligent scheme that accounts for these matchup challenges.
#PSU EDGE Dani Dennis-Sutton picked right up where he left off in the CFP last year. Explosive first step, disruptive as a run defender and pass rusher. Had 2 forced fumbles and active with a couple of other pressures along with a sack. pic.twitter.com/S6a5TrhtmZ
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) August 31, 2025