Penn State’s pass rush is doing plenty of damage early this season. Yvan Kemajou just wants the damage to show up on the stat sheet more often.
The defensive end has watched the tape and seen the same thing the Nittany Lions have been living through over the first three games: quarterbacks getting moved off their spot, pockets shrinking, plays getting disrupted. But Kemajou also sees what is still missing.
“We’ve been getting good rush, good pressure, but we really need to finish and get the sacks,” Kemajou said.
That has become the central issue as Penn State heads into Big Ten play. Through three games, the Nittany Lions have piled up 50 pressures, along with five sacks, 12 quarterback hits and 33 hurries, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). The best example came against Buffalo, when Penn State produced 18 pressures on just 34 pass-rush opportunities.
Kemajou has been a big part of that climb. The 6-foot-3, 252-pound edge defender ranks among Penn State’s pressure leaders with 10 total pressures - one sack, three quarterback hits and six hurries - and carries a 72.0 pass-rush grade through three games.
His numbers have risen along with the defense’s. He posted a 61.3 pass-rush grade against Marshall, improved to 65.1 against Temple, then jumped to 79.0 against Buffalo while collecting four pressures on 16 pass-rush snaps.
Kemajou said that growth has come with a better feel for defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn’s system.
“I think I’m just being more comfortable and knowing what type of plays, or the way Lynn wants us to play,” Kemajou said. “Just getting more comfortable in that, and I was attacking every practice, just trying to get better at my craft.”
Part of that progression has meant broadening how he wins off the edge. Speed is still his calling card, but Kemajou has spent more time building power into his rush plan this season.
“I try to mix things up,” Kemajou said. “I’ve been working a lot more power this year, which has been good, but I’ve definitely always been the type of guy who wants to get around you, speed work off the edge.”
Penn State’s personnel packages have helped create more chances, too. The Nittany Lions have used a third-down look with four defensive ends, giving Lynn more ways to stress protections. With Max Granville out long term, Kemajou, Alexander McPherson, Ike Ezeogu and Caleb Bacon have taken on bigger roles in that mix.
“It’s just good having all of us out there ready to rush,” Kemajou said. “We practice a lot, so just being able to be with guys where you can play off each other, rush off each other, is really good.”
The work up front isn’t limited to the edge. Kemajou pointed to Penn State’s larger defensive tackles and the way they can absorb double teams, which can leave edge rushers with cleaner one-on-one chances.
Still, the message around the front is the same no matter where the pressure starts. Penn State has turned 50 pressures into only five sacks so far this season.
Against Buffalo, 18 pressures became just one sack. The disruption is there.
The finishing touch is not.
Kemajou knows a hurry or quarterback hit can still matter. He knows those plays can affect timing and throw off an offense. But he’s not interested in stopping there.
“Affecting the quarterback is definitely important,” Kemajou said, “but I want to be able to finish the job and get there.”
That’s where Penn State’s pass rush stands as conference play arrives: closer, more active, and still chasing the finish.
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