'Blood In The Water': Penn State Football Cornerback Audavion Collins & Secondary Elevating Surrounding Units - Onward State
By Google News Sports ·
Penn State football’s 4-4 record certainly indicates a team riddled with inconsistencies. Before the Nittany Lions’ 31-17 win over Purdue last Saturday, Penn State struggled to run the ball, stop the run, rush the passer, and find explosive downfield passing plays in Big Ten play.
Only one unit has not wavered in 2026 for the blue and white: the defensive backs.
Led by Zion Tracy, Audavion Collins, Daryus Dixson, Josiah Zayas, Jamison Patton, and Jeremiah Cooper, Penn State’s secondary is surrendering just 141.1 passing yards per game, which ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 3 in the nation.
Furthermore, opposing signal callers have completed just 53.6% of their passes when playing Penn State.
Most fans see the unit’s dominance on Saturdays, but only those within the Lasch Football Building know that the switch never flips for Penn State’s defensive backs.
“They’re a lot of fun from a competition standpoint and what they bring. They’re not afraid to let me know it when it’s not there, and they lock everybody down,” offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said Tuesday. “There’s blood in the water there at all times.”
Zayas, a true freshman, has been a mainstay in the secondary, logging 2.5 tackles for loss, three pass deflections, and two interceptions, one going for a pick-six and the other a ridiculous Odell Beckham Jr.-esque snag.
But make no mistake: Collins is the group’s top dog.
The redshirt senior has played a unit-high 354 snaps this season, proving too valuable to sit out despite the depth of Penn State’s cornerback room.
Collins excels in coverage, using game-breaking speed highlighted by a 4.28-second 40-yard dash time. He leads Penn State with nine pass breakups, more than doubling the second-place Zion Tracy’s four.
“You’re not just going to destroy…
Originally published by Google News Sports
