Penn State football got its 2023 season started on a high note Saturday, defeating the West Virginia Mountaineers 38-15 under the Beaver Stadium lights in a primetime matchup. Led by junior linebacker Curtis Jacobs, the Nittany Lions defense was able to lock down the West Virginia offense and keep the Mountaineers out of the end zone for most of the evening.

 

As part of the brand new HVU On-Demand series, we sat down with Curtis Jacobs for an exclusive interview prior to Saturday’s matchup. In addition to previewing what we eventually saw out of the defense in Week 1, Jacobs explains to us why he looks to former Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford for inspiration on the field.

 

Jacobs shines in primetime

 

While it wasn’t perfect, the Penn State defense came out with an impressive performance against West Virginia on Saturday night. After giving up 99 total yards to the Mountaineers in the first quarter, the Nittany Lions only allowed slightly over 200 yards the rest of the evening.

 

A big piece of Penn State’s success on the defensive side of the ball Saturday was linebacker Curtis Jacobs. The junior was all over the field, leading the Nittany Lions with 10 tackles on the night. He added a sack and quarterback hurry to his stat line as well.

 

Jacobs played like he had a chip on his shoulder, which is exactly what he told us to expect out of the Penn State defense for this season. “I’ve definitely seen growth from last year to this year, which is honestly scary because last year we were very productive and put up a lot of numbers,” he said of the defense. “But I see that same hunger. Like we were doubted last year, and people still feel that.”

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Jacobs is inspired by “one of the greatest leaders” he’s ever seen, former Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford

 

In addition to exclusive breakdowns and insights on this year’s team, we also wanted to get to know Curtis Jacobs on a personal level. When we moved to intrinsic motivation, Jacobs explained why he looks to former Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford for inspiration.

 

“I came in [to Penn State] in 2020, and watched how he didn’t really play well that year,” Jacobs told us of Clifford. “…I just watched the amount of hate and comments that he got. And just seeing how in practice, he never wavered, he never quit. He just continued to keep pushing and keep pushing, even when the next season didn’t really work out for him.”

 

For Jacobs, Clifford was the model of how to lead when the chips are down. So according to the junior linebacker, it was only right for Clifford to go out on top last year.

 

“When we won that Rose Bowl, just watching him up there on the podium, it just created a great amount of pride to be his teammate,” he said. “I was really appreciative of Sean, and I really look at Sean as one of the greatest leaders I’ve ever seen in my life.”

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Penn State will look to build upon last year’s Rose Bowl victory with a championship-caliber season in 2023. The Nittany Lions take on Delaware Saturday at noon inside Beaver Stadium.

 

Upcoming Happy Valley United exclusive events

 

Happy Valley United will be providing exclusive access and events throughout the 2023-24 athletic year, including:

 

• American Cancer Society Coaches vs Cancer Reverse Car Drawing, Medlar Field, September 14
• Select members of the Penn State men’s basketball team will be attending the Coaches vs Cancer Reverse Car Drawing on September 14, at Medlar Field.
• The event is hosted by the American Cancer Society and will run from 6-8 p.m.

Penn State men’s basketball student-athletes attending the event are Ace Baldwin Jr., Rayquawndis Mitchell, Puff Johnson, D’Marco Dunn and Zach Hicks.

 

Be sure to check out this and all the exclusive experiences presented by Happy Valley United for the 2023 season!

 

Exclusive player insights, presented by HVU On-Demand

 

If you enjoyed this sit-down interview with Curtis Jacobs, stay tuned for more exclusive player insights throughout the 2023 season. HVU On-Demand will be providing exclusive access to player interviews and other content throughout the fall as part of the brand-new partnership between Happy Valley United, Up on Game, and Basic Blues Nation.

 

This initiative aims to promote NIL opportunities for the over 800 Penn State student-athletes represented by Happy Valley United and provide you with exclusive behind-the-scenes insights from your favorite Nittany Lions.

 

To donate, please visit Happy Valley United’s website. We Are!