Player Spotlight: Mike Miranda

Audio/Story posted October 28, 2020 in CommRadio, Sports by Logan Bourandas

Penn State offensive lineman and redshirt junior Mike Miranda spoke to the media following the Nittany Lions’ upset loss against the Indiana Hoosiers.

Now 0-1 on the year, Miranda and the Nittany Lions will come back to State College to face the Ohio State Buckeyes. With both no fans and no White Out for this important game, Miranda commented on that change

“It’s always great to have our fans in the stadium, and it's definitely going to be a strange experience to play a game without them,” Miranda said. “I haven’t really experienced it yet in our stadium. I know it was odd at Indiana, and it’s probably going to be even weirder coming back home and not having fans to play in front of. But at the end of the day, it’s not going to stop how we come into the game, what our mindset’s going to be and what we want to do.”

Along with there no being fans for this weekend’s game, Penn State will be without starting running back Noah Cain for the season. Cain only recorded three carries against Indiana before leaving the game. This came a week after previous starting running back Journey Brown was ruled out due to a medical condition.

Now it will be Devyn Ford, alongside newcomers Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee taking the handoffs from quarterback Sean Clifford. Even with the constant change at running back this season, Miranda’s approach to the game remains the same.

“Whoever we’re going to have available on the field for Saturday, they’re going to have to be ready, they have to treat this week the right way, and they have to prepare,” Miranda said. “[Holmes and Lee] are going to be playing a lot and playing important roles for us, so once again, it comes down to how we handle this week and how we handle today, most importantly.”

Despite losing Chase Young to the NFL draft, the Ohio State defensive line is still a dominant force which will prove to be a tough task for Miranda and the rest of the offensive line. The Buckeyes defensive line recorded three sacks against Nebraska last week but also allowed over 200 rushing yards. Miranda had high praise when discussing the defensive front.

“They’re a well coached team, and they play with good technique and good fundamentals,” Miranda said. “They’re a deep unit like they always are. But at the end of the day, it’s going to come down to us and how we prepare.”

Miranda and rest of the Nittany Lions will take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in State College on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

 

Logan Bourandas is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.