DT Parker Cothren grateful to finish PSU career at Fiesta Bowl
It was almost five years ago when Parker Cothren took a leap of faith.
A native of Hunstville, Ala., the defensive lineman bypassed other offers – he had previously been committed to Purdue and had scholarships from Georgia Tech, UNC, Tennessee and more – to take a chance with Penn State.
He committed to then-head coach Bill O’Brien at a time when the Nittany Lions were staring directly into the eyes of NCAA sanctions. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever get a shot at a bowl game. Now as a fifth-year senior, after missing the Pinstripe Bowl against Boston College as a redshirt freshman, he’s preparing to play in his third and final bowl game.
“It’s awesome, especially (because when) I was getting recruited to Penn State, we didn't know if we would ever be able to get to go to a bowl game,” Cothren said at Fiesta Bowl media day this week. “That second year I was there we were able to go to the Pinstripe Bowl. We were all thankful. We had a great time there in New York. Then just every year since it's been getting better and better, and it's so much fun. This year's no different. We're having a great time, and the Fiesta Bowl is probably my favorite experience so far. I think it's awesome.”
On Wednesday at practice, Cothren received instruction from former Nittany Lion great and NFL alumnus Jimmy Kennedy, and the night before they were out at a local Brazilian steakhouse. All that he’s enjoying.
But he’s making sure not to overlook the upcoming opponent. He had fun in California last year, too, but the way the Rose Bowl ended, a 52-49 loss to USC, was not how he envisioned the trip finishing out. He wants to end on the winning side of the ledger this time around.
He’s studied Washington closely. “They play more Big Ten-style football than the other Pac-12 teams,” said Cothren. “So I think it's a good matchup honestly. I think it will be a good game.”
Finishing the regular season with 2.17 tackles per game, a high among Penn State's DTs, Cothren makes that forecast based off of hours of studying the game tape.
“If you watch the film, (it’s) pretty easy to tell their offensive line is very physical,” Cothren said. “They play hard and we're kind of used to that playing in the Big Ten. A lot of offensive lines play that style of football. We've been watching them, game-planning them. The running back is very good. He's quick, runs hard. So we're trying to contain him, stop the run.”
Last year, Penn State’s run defense allowed on average 151 yards per game. It improved this season, surrendering just 119.2 per game.
Led by RB Myles Gaskin, who averages 106.8 yards himself, the Huskies average 189.8 yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry. That’s just one aspect of their game that Cothren and his defensive teammates will be asked to limit.
More, they’ll be tasked with limiting UW to or below its season average of 36.9 points per game. The Nittany Lions' offense progressed this season to score 41.6 points per game, an improvement of more than a field goal from the season before.
In the Rose Bowl, however, Penn State needed to score 10 points greater than its season average and it still fell to the Trojans by 3. Until then, USC was averaging just 34.4 points per game and hadn’t surpassed 50 in one game that season.
Turnovers and field position helped boost USC’s point capability. Nonetheless, Cothren is aiming to prevent any type of below-average performance from the PSU defense again in this one.
“That's all our motivation,” he said. “Last year left a sour taste in our mouth at the Rose Bowl, and that's the last thing we want to happen this year. We've been working hard ever since they announced who we're playing. We’ve been studying the film. We went over their game plan, learning their scheme, and I think we have a good plan to attack these guys and stop their run and their quarterback.”
Five years ago, he wasn’t sure if a bowl game was in the offing of his college football career.
Now he’s been there and done that a few times. He knows how well they can end, and how they can’t. With one more opportunity to wear the uniform during Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl, he wants this ending to be the best yet.
“Very grateful,” Cothren said. “When I first got here, they said we wouldn't be in a bowl game until my senior year. We've been blessed with (head coach James) Franklin coming and bringing a lot of these good recruits, a lot of good friends that I made throughout the years. It's just been a blessing to play in the bowl games, great experiences, a lot of fun, and I'm glad I get to play one more game.”