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P O S T S E A S O N P R E V I E W >> P E N N S T A T E become a full-time =rst-teamer with the impending graduation of Amani Oruwariye. And that's just the start. There are also a number of more-experi- enced players who earned All-Confer- ence nods this year and who are expected back in 2019, such as defensive tackle Robert Windsor, cornerback John Reid and safety Garrett Taylor. Reduced to its essence, the approach that defensive coordinator Brent Pry has instilled in those players could not be more straightforward. "We go out there and we have the mindset that the oppos- ing o?ense's game plan is just not going to work for them," Gross-Matos said. "We're going to stop whatever their iden- tity is." Penn State will be looking to do just that on Jan. 1 against a Kentucky team that has relied heavily on the running of junior tailback Benny Snell Jr. But with an abun- dance of underclassmen on its two-deep, the defense will also be looking to set the stage for what could be a breakthrough season in 2019. The Lions will head to Orlando with a bit of momentum, having surrendered a combined total of 20 points in their =nal three regular-season games. Against Wisconsin, they held the Big Ten's best running game 64 yards below its season average. Against Rutgers, they gave up 155 rushing yards to the tandem of Raheem Blackshear and Isaih Pacheco and all but eliminated the pass game, allowing the Scarlet Knights only 46 yards through the air. And against Maryland, they held the league's third-rated ground game to 74 yards. Even in a 42-7 loss to Michigan, they kept the Wolverines within reach for the better part of three quarters, limiting them to 14 points through the game's =rst 44 minutes. Coach James Franklin has attributed the Lions' success late in the year to the steady improvement of their front seven. Heading into the season, they had to replace three starting defensive line- men and two starting linebackers, and the inexperience showed in the season opener, as Penn State was outgained 451 yards to 434 in a 45-38 overtime victory over Appalachian State. But as the sea- son approaches its conclusion, the de- fense has been doling out as much punishment as it's been absorbing, with a special emphasis on harassing oppos- ing quarterbacks. Prior to the start of postseason play, Penn State was leading the Big Ten in both sacks (43) and tack- les for loss (100), ranking second in the Football Bowl Subdivision in the former category and fifth in the latter. "Coming into the season, D-line and linebacker were probably two of our 99 PROBLEMS Gross-Matos takes down Maryland run- ning back Anthony McFarland. The Nit- tany Lions held Mc- Farland to 12 yards on six carries in a 38-3 victory over the Terrapins last month. Photo by Steve Manuel

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