Here’s how ‘tired’ Penn State DE Yetur Gross-Matos lit up the stat sheet ... again

A fatigued Yetur Gross-Matos sucked down a few deep breaths in the moments following Saturday night’s win, even gulping down some water as his teammates swayed to the alma mater.

The sophomore defensive end was hoarse and exhausted following his team-leading nine tackles and four tackles for loss. And he didn’t try to pretend otherwise.

“It was exhausting,” he said, a bead of sweat dripping near his right ear. “I’m going into treatment (Sunday) and trying to recover as fast as possible.”

Gross-Matos was everywhere at once on the field Saturday during Penn State’s 30-24 win over Iowa. He made several sideline-to-sideline tackles and registered two sacks against an offensive line that allowed just two total sacks in its previous four Big Ten games.

Over Penn State’s last two contests, that means Gross-Matos has racked up 19 tackles, six tackles-for-loss and four sacks. But good luck finding a Penn State teammate who’s surprised.

“Nah, that doesn’t surprise me at all,” cornerback Amani Oruwariye said. “We know Yetur is just a freak talent. He’s getting better every week, and that’s scary.”

Added coach James Franklin: “We always thought he had a chance to be a really special player for us.”

For Gross-Matos, Saturday’s performance was a long time coming. Last season, he was one of just three true freshmen to appear in a game, and he earned honorable mention on BTN’s All-Freshman team. But the soft-spoken Gross-Matos acknowledged Saturday night, as his voice cracked — from yelling, he insisted, and not from a cold — that he didn’t really know what he was doing in 2017.

“I kind of knew what I was doing,” he clarified. “I kind of knew what I was doing.”

Gross-Matos acknowledged he’s not a quick study. It took him time to understand defensive schemes at the college level. But he realized Week 1 of this year that his knowledge of the Nittany Lions’ defensive minutiae had grown faster than he did during his high school days.

He knew when to adjust Saturday, when to be patient and where to look for the ball-carrier. He was relentless, a characteristic that three of his teammates highlighted, unprompted.

“I can always count on him to give me a good look; I’m going to get a high motor and good moves from him,” offensive tackle Ryan Bates said, adding he told Franklin that Gross-Matos was the “ultimate teammate.” “He’s a heck of a player.”

Gross-Matos set the tone on Iowa’s first drive, when he made one stop at the opposite side of the field. During the course of the game, he made one tackle 11 yards upfield and, in addition to his four stops in the backfield, two of his tackles came right at the line of scrimmage.

He always seemed as if he were a second or two away from Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley, and Stanley certainly played as if he were hearing footsteps. He finished 18-of-49 passing with two interceptions in his worst performance of the season. Between plays in the fourth quarter, Gross-Matos just kept his hands on his knees. And he took water/Gatorade breaks at every opportunity.

About 30 minutes after his teammates rang the victory bell, Gross-Matos reclined in front of reporters with a smile. “Good, good. I’m feeling great,” he said at first. “Just tired.”

But when asked when he started to feel tired during the game, whether it was halftime or the fourth quarter, he just shook his head. He didn’t feel tired then. Just now.

That’s just Gross-Matos, linebacker Cam Brown said.

“Playing reckless and playing well and playing efficient — he’s putting his all out there every day,” Brown said. “And you’re seeing it out there come game time.”

Gross-Matos’ value to the defense Saturday was nearly immeasurable. Seven of his nine tackles were solo stops, and several of his plays came at critical times. He made the fourth-and-10 stop at the end of the second quarter, one which helped lead to a Jake Pinegar field goal. (Two plays earlier, on second-and-4, he tackled the ball-carrier for a 3-yard loss.) And then, in the third quarter, on third-and-7, he sacked Stanley for an 8-yard loss. That led to another Pinegar field goal.

Tired or not, hoarse or not, Gross-Matos meant a lot to this team Saturday night. And that was even easier to see than any residual fatigue.

“Yetur’s doing awesome,” Franklin said. “He’s got a very bright future, and we need him to keep developing and making an impact.”

This story was originally published October 27, 2018 at 10:26 PM.