Penn State finished off its 28-25 win over Washington in Seattle on Saturday without one of its most important linemen, and afterward coach Matt Campbell explained why starting left tackle Malachi Goodman didn’t play the second half.
Goodman was in the lineup to start the game, as expected. But after halftime, Garrett Sexton took over at left tackle and handled the rest of the night.
Campbell said the decision came down to Goodman’s health, not anything tied to his performance.
“Really, that was kind of what went into that with Malachi: he was not at full strength, and you know, I think we knew he would be able to give us some, how much could he give us, and Garrett really had a great day of practice. So I thought of Garrett; I thought he did a really good job.
I think it would be great to watch the videotape, but it wasn’t anything Malachi did. It was just his physical health.“
That was a notable loss for Penn State’s offense. Goodman, a redshirt freshman, had started all eight games entering the Washington matchup and, according to Pro Football Focus, had logged more snaps than anyone else on the offense at 505. His pass-blocking efficiency rating sat at 97.4, and he had allowed just 13 pressures and 11 hurries across those snaps.
Sexton was the next man up, though his workload had been much lighter before Saturday. He had played only 45 snaps this season, including 14 in Big Ten games.
Whether Goodman will be ready for Penn State’s next game is still unclear. The Nittany Lions return home to face Minnesota at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Nov.
- Kickoff is set for 7 or 7:30 p.m. on a network still to be determined.
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