John Penisini: DT · Utah · #52.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
John Penisini
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move. Third year in the same defensive front at Utah. On tape: 7 tackles and 1 sack against Washington, Week 10, 2019.
Play style
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
38 tackles. 1 pass defended. 0 interceptions. 7 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
The Salt Lake Tribune Nov 2
KJZZ Oct 29The Salt Lake Tribune Oct 27
KUTV Oct 23Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2019 season · 13 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 30-12@ BYU | 2 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-17vs Northern Illinois | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 31-0vs Idaho State | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 23-30@ USC | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 38-13vs Washington State | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 52-7@ Oregon State | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 21-3vs No. 17 Arizona State | 6 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 9 | W 35-0vs California | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 33-28@ Washington | 7 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 12 | W 49-3vs UCLA | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | W 45-15vs Colorado | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 15 | L 15-37vs No. 13 Oregon | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
 Bowl | L 10-38vs Texas | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 9 | 7.0 | 2.0 | — | 1 |
Week 10 · 2019
W 33-28
at Washington
1 sack · 1 tackle for loss · 7 tackles
Edged out Washington on the road in a shootout.
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
18%7 TFLSack rate
5%2 sacksHurry rate
0%0 hurries38 tackles · 7 for loss · 2 sacks.
3 seasons under Kyle Whittingham — 27-14 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2019 season · 13 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 3.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Road4g | 3.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 4.0 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kyle Whittingham
Pass share
35.5%
321 pass / 583 run
Plays / game
64.6
14 games
Team sack rate
8.2%
355 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Player standing · 2019
38 tackles in 13 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive lineman who plays every week.
How it ended
Three seasons at Utah, 80 tackles — drafted at #197 overall by the Detroit Lions.
Four or fewer games in the first season, then ten or more.
Coaching lineage · 2016–2019
1 coachPlayed every college season under Kyle Whittingham.
Next stop · NFL
Detroit LionsEntering 7th NFL season
Detroit LionsEntering 7th NFL season
