Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1476228
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 2 11 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M go into detail about the nature of those subtle changes. It's clear, however, that fans can expect to see Diaz put his own spin on the schemes that Pry ran during his tenure with the Nittany Lions. PSU's defense won't be afraid to take chances in the interest of creating big plays and forcing game-changing turnovers. That's how the Hurricanes operated during Diaz's tenure as defensive coor- dinator (2016-18) and later as their head coach (2019-21). Since 2016, they've ranked in the FBS top 10 every year in tackles for loss, including a No. 1 rank- ing in 2020 when they averaged 10.5 per game. By putting opponents in difficult down-and-distance situations, Miami was able to create turnovers, ranking 10th nationally since the 2017 season with an average of 20.6 takeaways per season. Some people may view turnovers as random occurrences, but while Diaz ac- knowledged that there's usually some year-to-year variation, he emphasized that there are ways to increase the like- lihood that the ball will bounce your way. "I've had fascinating conversations with people in analytics about that, and certainly you can look at the track re- cord of where we've been in years with more turnovers and years with less turnovers," he said. "But we also have led the Power Five twice in the last eight years, so I do think there is a formula. It's not complicated; it's not earth shattering. "I think every defensive coordina- tor across the country tries to preach the same thing. I don't think anybody is saying, 'Let's not get turnovers.' But you've got to do a great job versus the run. You've got to create negative places." One of the ways that Diaz's defense will strive to create takeaways is by put- ting opponents in third-and-long situ- ations. Defenses gain the upper hand when opponents have to take risks to move the chains. Some of the intercep- tions that quarterbacks throw in those situations occur on desperation heaves and end up being no worse for the of- fense than a punt. But others are the result of the defense being able to re- lentlessly attack. "You've got to put people in vulner- able situations," Diaz said. "This is a fact — most turnovers happen on third down-and-long, because the offense has to put the ball basically in harm's way." To create those situations, Diaz wants his defense to be stout on first and sec- ond down. A year ago, Penn State fin- ished 10th in the Big Ten in rushing de- fense, allowing 152.4 yards per game. The Lions toughened up in the red zone and gave up only 17.31 points per game to tie for sixth place in the FBS, but if they're going to get the turnover pro- duction that Diaz envisions this year, the defense will need to put itself in ad- vantageous third-down situations. "Opponents can protect that foot- ball on first and second down, and if they're not getting in third-and-long, then they can really protect that ball," Diaz said. "But sooner or later, you've got to ex- pose your quarterback to a drop-back pass because you've got a third-down- and-8 or more. So, there's a formula. Good defenses get people in long-yard- age third downs. Good offenses avoid getting into third-down-and-long. It's easier said than done. If it wasn't, then everybody would do it." Penn State will aim to put its oppo- nents in conflict from the opening se- ries to the last one. All one has to do is watch Diaz at practice to know that he's preaching it on every rep. He is a hands-on coach who will dive on a mat to demonstrate a pass-breakup drill and then turn around and roll on the ground to teach proper fumble re- covery techniques. Good teams win with a balanced at- tack and stout defense. Better teams reach the sport's pinnacle when they have a quick-strike offense that is set up occasionally with great field position thanks to a turnover. The Nittany Lions are striving to play exactly that brand of complementary football this fall, and Franklin is eager to see his team in ac- tion now that preseason camp is about to give way to the start of the regular season. "One of the things that I've noticed right away with Manny is that we are emphasizing turnovers like crazy," Franklin said. "And because of that, you see it. We're getting our hands on so many more footballs — fumbles, turn- overs. It's been emphasized. I've felt like that in the past as well, but it's been em- phasized enough that we have a chance to take a step in the right direction this year. "The way that Manny and [safeties coach] Anthony [Poindexter] and [cor- nerbacks coach] Terry [Smith] are em- phasizing the turnovers and the tipped passes and the caused fumbles, I think that's really going to help our defense." ■ CHARTING PENN STATE Penn State's Turnover Margin During The James Franklin Era GAINED LOST BIG TEN YEAR FUM INT TOTAL FUM INT TOTAL MARGIN PER/G RANK 2014 5 16 21 11 15 26 -5 -0.38 10th 2015 12 10 22 12 6 18 +4 +0.31 5th 2016 11 10 21 12 8 20 +1 +0.07 8th 2017 15 10 25 3 10 13 +12 +0.92 1st 2018 7 13 20 13 8 21 -1 -0.08 9th 2019 12 10 22 5 9 14 +8 +0.62 4th 2020 5 4 9 8 9 17 -8 -0.89 11th 2021 7 14 21 5 10 15 +6 +0.46 3rd