Nittany Lions focus on taming Trojans’ Darnold

The only thing that seems to draw a more effusive response from Penn State players than another cloudless, mid-70s winter day in Los Angeles is USC quarterback Sam Darnold.

While Penn State survived the Big Ten Conference’s gantlet to advance to Monday’s Rose Bowl game, many of their defenders don’t think they’ve faced a quarterback quite like the redshirt freshman whose ability to throw and run transformed USC’s season.

The Nittany Lions use words like “dynamic” and “elusive” to describe Darnold. They note his quick release and how his accuracy helped change USC after his insertion into the starting lineup in mid-September. And they don’t think he plays like a 19-year-old.

“This is a new kind of quarterback,” junior safety Marcus Allen said Wednesday. “It’s going to be a great challenge.”

Added senior linebacker Brandon Bell: “He’s really savvy. He moves better than you want him to. … It will definitely be a test.”

Despite a series of key injuries this season, Penn State’s defense ranked 26th in the nation against the pass and 49th against the run.

Junior linebacker Jason Cabinda says he believes a key to slowing Darnold is constant pressure in the pocket in addition to changing defensive formations before the snap to try to confuse him. He called Darnold “special.”

“We’re going to have to rattle him a bit,” Cabinda said. “Make it easier for us to make his mind move slower.”

They want to slow down USC’s running game, too, and force Darnold, who has passed for 26 touchdowns and completed 68.1% of his passes, to throw the ball.

“Make a team one-dimensional and let our wild dogs get to the quarterback,” Bell said.

Evan Schwan, a fifth-year senior defensive end, sees the problem Darnold presents as more basic. That includes not allowing the nearly monthlong break between games to impact the team’s tackling.

“He’s a guy that can do a lot of things,” Schwan said. “It’s just going to come down to playing sound defense and coming back to our fundamentals.”

Starters suspended

Junior wide receiver Saeed Blacknall and sophomore linebacker Manny Bowen violated team rules and won’t play in the Rose Bowl, Penn State announced Wednesday.

Bowen made 68 tackles — including 8.5 for loss — in 13 games. His absence likely opens the door for backup Koa Farmer to start. The Glendale native, who has seen spot duty for Penn State this season as a redshirt sophomore, played at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High.

“It won’t be much different, to be honest,” Bell said of the suspensions. “We’ve had guys in and out of the rotation since day one.”

Blacknall, who has missed five games earlier this season because of injury, was coming off his best game. He caught six passes for 155 yards earlier this month in Penn State’s win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game.

Passing on the NFL

A few hours before Cabinda appeared at Wednesday’s news conference at the StubHub Center, he tweeted plans to pass on the NFL draft and return to Penn State for his senior season.

Cabinda, who missed five games earlier this season because of a thumb injury, said he had been 95% certain about returning and felt this was the right time to commit to the decision.

He understands why high-profile players such as LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey decided to declare for the draft and skip their teams’ bowl games.

“It always depends on your situation and what’s going on,” Cabinda said. “It’s definitely tough. You’ve got to listen to people who love you and have your best interest at heart.”

Allen, the godson of former NFL running back Curtis Martin, said he asked the league for an evaluation of where he might be drafted but hasn’t heard back.

nathan.fenno@latimes.com

Twitter: @nathanfenno