Penn State football countdown to kickoff: 26 days

We’re counting down the days until kickoff. So, every day, we’ll try to make that time tick by just a little faster by also counting down the top 30 moments of James Franklin’s tenure so far. Up next — with 26 days left — is the No. 26 moment since Franklin took the head-coaching job.

No. 26 moment: Backup linebackers step up in 2016

Penn State’s 39-point loss at Michigan wasn’t pretty — and neither was the Nittany Lions’ situation at linebacker at the time.

Jason Cabinda hurt his left arm in the season opener against Kent State, Brandon Bell incurred a wrist injury the following week, and Nyeem Wartman-White suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 3, leaving Penn State limping into Ann Arbor.

Penn State was 2-2 after the blowout, and the outlook at linebacker was dire. But Franklin and his newly appointed defensive coordinator Brent Pry adapted — and thankfully for the Nittany Lions, the moments produced by their backup linebackers were some of the finest in Franklin’s tenure.

Brandon Smith, Manny Bowen and Jake Cooper started against the then-No. 4 Wolverines, and Smith was ejected for a questionable targeting penalty. True freshman Cam Brown had his redshirt burned and jumped into the fray.

The Michigan game was a mess, but the backups moved on and helped hold together Penn State’s season.

Brown made nine tackles, while Smith and Bowen had seven each in the Nittany Lions’ overtime win against Minnesota. In the following week, Smith tallied 14 tackles and Koa Farmer had five, including a sack, in a win over Maryland.

Cabinda and Bell returned for Penn State’s upset of Ohio State, but the fill-in linebackers kept contributing. By season’s end, Bowen made 12 starts with 68 tackles. Smith and Brown tallied 54 and 33 stops, respectively, while Farmer chipped in 29 tackles and three sacks.

Without Bell, Cabinda and Wartman-White, Penn State’s defense looked doomed at the Big House. But thanks to Smith, Brown, Farmer and Bowen, the Nittany Lions were able to hold firm and make a run to the Rose Bowl.

The backup linebackers may be overlooked pieces of Penn State’s magical 2016 season. But Franklin surely won’t forget their sizable contributions.

This story was originally published August 7, 2017 at 12:09 AM with the headline "Penn State football countdown to kickoff: 26 days."