Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1305106
Porter Jr. and Daequan Hardy battled for playing time in preseason camp, and coach James Franklin said he appreciates the impact that Castro-Fields has had on them. "We feel really good about that group, and Tariq leads the group," Franklin said during a recent appearance on the Penn State Coaches Show. "He's been a tremendous player, and he's also been a tremendous leader. He's a culture-driver in our program. I think Tariq is going to have a huge year." Pry is just as enthused as his boss, noting that Penn State has plenty of op- tions at the cornerback spot opposite Castro-Fields, where John Reid gradu- ated after three seasons as a full-time starter. "I love what Joey Porter is doing," Pry said. "There won't be a longer guy in the league who can move like he does. I love Marquis Wilson. You're talking about a guy who made a key interception in the Cotton Bowl as a true freshman, and he's done that through this whole session here; he's a ball hawk. Then you've got Keaton Ellis, who had gotten a ton of ex- perience last year, good and bad, but growth and development, a mature guy, high football IQ. So we've got great can- didates. I feel like right now we've got four good corners that we can go in with." Two priorities for Castro-Fields and the rest of the Nittany Lions' defensive backs during preseason camp were communi- cation and opportunism. Castro-Fields said that many of the defense's problems last year had to do with blown assignments that could have been prevented if everyone had been in sync before the ball was snapped. "If you saw a lot of those big plays, there was probably a person who was out of place," he said. "So I'm really trying to emphasize – and the leaders of our de- fense are trying to emphasize – always communicating. For me, it would be with the Will [linebacker] and the free safety. If we're on the same page, then everything is cool. But if one person is off of that page, that's when big plays happen, because there's either a hole in the zone or maybe the safety isn't overtop, whatever it may be. So communication is the biggest thing that can eliminate big plays." For all the yards Penn State surrendered last season, it didn't give up many touchown passes. In fact, only two teams in the Football Bowl Subdivi- sion – Ohio State and Kentucky – gave up fewer scoring passes than Penn State's 10. Except for Reid and Donovan Johnson, who is out for the year with an injury, all of last year's cornerbacks are returning this season, so the potential clearly exists for Penn State to make the strides it needs to make. And improved communication is just one way in which the defensive backs hope to better last year's performance. They're also looking to reduce oppo- nents' chunk plays by using takeaways to cut possessions short. The Nittany Lions were tied for eighth place in the Big Ten last season with 10 interceptions. To Castro-Fields, who finished with two of those takeaways, that's not enough. "I know we had a couple of dropped picks >> HANGING ON Wilson made a big impres- sion as a true fresh- man. He played in 10 games for the Nittany Lions and finished with two intercep- tions. Photo by Steve Manuel