Penn State DE Carl Nassib and DT Austin Johnson work to slow Temple’s Defense.

Defensive line duo paced one of the toughest pass rushes in the country

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Dec. 8, 2015 – Penn State senior defensive end Carl Nassib (West Chester, Pa.) and junior defensive tackle Austin Johnson (Galloway, N.J.) have been named to ESPN.com’s All-Big Ten team.

Nassib is a finalist for six national awards – Lombardi Award (nation’s top lineman or linebacker), Bednarik Award (nation’s top defensive player), Ted Hendricks Award (nation’s top defensive end), Lott IMPACT Trophy (distinguished young men represent the qualities embodied by Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott – Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity), Burlsworth Trophy (top player that started his career as a walk-on) and the Nagurski Trophy (nation’s top defensive player).

He was selected as a USA Today second team All-American on Tuesday. Despite playing only six snaps in the last two games due to injury, Nassib leads FBS in sacks (15.5) and forced fumbles (6) and is second in FBS and first in the Big Ten in tackles for loss (19.5). With one sack at Northwestern, Nassib broke the Penn State single-season sacks record by upping his total to 15.5. He surpasses the mark of 15 sacks set by Larry Kubin (1979) and Michael Haynes (2002).

Johnson has been a force up front for the Nittany Lions with 70 tackles, which is third on the team. He also has 5.5 sacks and 13.0 tackles for loss this season. His 70 stops are third among defensive tackles in FBS. Johnson has the most tackles by a Penn State defensive lineman since Cameron Wake had 71 stops in 2003. Johnson has four outings this season with at least nine tackles. Johnson is also second on the team with 13.0 tackles for loss. He registered his first career touchdown with a 71-yard fumble return. The fumble recovery was the fourth of his career and Penn State’s first fumble recovery for a touchdown since Mike Hull’s 74-yard return vs. Navy in 2012. He tallied a career-high 10 tackles, including eight solo stops, at Northwestern. He also had a sack and two tackles for loss against the Wildcats.