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2 0 1 8 S E A S O N P R E V I E W YOUTH MOVEMENT T H E D E F E N S E Brent Pry's inexperienced but athletic defense will have to grow up fast this fall B rent Pry is facing a new kind of challenge as he prepares for his third season as Penn State's de- fensive coordinator. Earlier in his tenure with the Nittany Lions, he and his play- ers were focused on helping re-establish the program as a contender. That mis- sion has since been accomplished, but the Nittany Lions now must find a way to sustain their success. And this year, they must do it with an overhauled de- fensive depth chart. "There's just such a small margin for error," Pry said. "We've got to be on our P's and Q's every week and take advan- tage of anything we think can help us reach the playoffs. The motivation is a little dif- ferent. These guys don't have that same platform that the other guys worked from. They came here to return Penn State to prominence. We're in the national spotlight now. We're in national conversations, and I think that these guys talk and think a little bit more about winning the league and advancing from there." Penn State has lost eight defensive starters, including its top three defen- sive tackles, a three-year starter at mid- dle linebacker and the entire first-team secondary. And even though the losses are more plentiful than in the previous few years, the expectations have been steadily ratcheting up, owing to the 22 victories the Nittany Lions have amassed over the past two seasons. Pry recently discussed Penn State's defensive outlook with BWI's Nate Bauer. Here's what he had to say: BWI What are you most confident about for the defense? What do you know about this group? PRY I think we'll be an explo- sive group. I think we will be more versed in what it takes to win a championship. Whether these guys had little roles, big roles, or were redshirt guys, a lot of them were at least a part of that football team that won a championship. I think these last two years have [given players] an under- standing of the expectations, but also how we get there, the work that goes in, and the mindset. I think that we're fur- ther along that way, and even though we're less experienced in some areas, we have an explosive group. If we get going in the right direction, there is some stuff to be excited about. BWI The number of players who went through those struggles is dwindling, though. Is it more difficult to get those guys who've only experienced success to understand what it takes? PRY I think the motivation changes. The mindset is a little different. There was an edginess, a bitterness. You come off 7-6 and there's disappointment and there's this drive to return Penn State to respectable status, to an elite status. For us, I just think that drive, the motivation is different. Now, it's a motivation and a drive to get in the playoffs and compete for a national championship. BWI When you look back at the two losses last year, is there something to be learned from those experiences? PRY We sit in our room, we watch the cutups and we're disappointed in how we played. But at the same time, I think that both quarterbacks played excep- tionally well. We definitely grew from the experience, and there were a few things that we did schematically down the stretch that were a direct result of things we felt we needed, looking back on those two games. STOPPING POWER Under Pry's leadership, the Nittany Lions finished seventh nationally in scoring defense last season. Photo by Ryan Snyder

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