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Keaton Ellis, Jayson Oweh To Make First Career Starts For Penn State Football

Penn State football’s starting defensive lineup will look a bit different when the team’s game against Rutgers kicks off at 3:30 p.m.

Freshman cornerback Keaton Ellis and redshirt freshman defensive end Jayson Oweh will start in the places typically occupied by Tariq Castro-Fields and Yetur Gross-Matos, respectively, against the Scarlet Knights.

Ellis has played in six games throughout his true freshman year, and the State High product has made a few big plays on defense and special teams. He’s registered nine total tackles and forced three fumbles, which is tied for the Penn State team lead along with Lamont Wade. Penn State’s secondary beyond Castro-Fields and John Reid is relatively young, but Ellis has stepped up and become a key contributor for the group as the year’s progressed.

Meanwhile, Oweh has been one of many key depth pieces on the Nittany Lions’ defensive line. The talented redshirt freshman has four sacks in nine appearances this year along with his total of 16 tackles. Oweh is primed for big things in the future thanks to his raw athleticism and strength.

It’s unclear exactly why these changes were made to Penn State’s starting lineup, but Gross-Matos wasn’t out there with the rest of Sean Spencer’s Wild Dogs during pregame warmups. Castro-Fields was on the field for warmups prior to the start of Saturday’s game.

Here’s Penn State’s full starting defensive lineup today:

  • Tackle: Robert Windsor, Antonio Shelton
  • End: Shaka Toney, Jayson Oweh
  • Linebacker: Cam Brown, Jan Johnson, Micah Parsons
  • Cornerback: John Reid, Keaton Ellis
  • Safety: Garrett Taylor, Lamomt Wade

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About the Author

Mikey Mandarino

In the most upsetting turn of events, Mikey graduated from Penn State with a digital & print journalism degree in the spring of 2020. He covered Penn State football and served as an editor for Onward State from 2018 until his graduation. Mikey is from Bedminster, New Jersey, so naturally, he spends lots of time yelling about all the best things his home state has to offer. Mikey also loves to play golf, but he sucks at it because golf is really hard. If you, for some reason, feel compelled to see what Mikey has to say on the internet, follow him on Twitter @Mikey_Mandarino. You can also get in touch with Mikey via his big-boy email address: [email protected]

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