Ford was injured in the second period of Saturday night's victory over Minnesota.
Penn State was previously ranked No. 9.
Brunt, who focuses on coaching the defense, led the Nittany Lions to the second-most steals and third in turnovers forced per game in the Big Ten last season.
The Nittany Lions now have three current or former players set to play in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Penn State earns its first series sweep over Minnesota since November 2019.
