Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1480138
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Third-year sophomore linebacker Curtis Ja- cobs understood how Penn State's defensive performance against Central Michigan looked after the team surrendered 20 first downs and 363 yards to the visiting Chippewas. The Nittany Lions had still emerged with a 33-14 win, though, and Jacobs was mostly content with that result. Having buckled down to force 4 turnovers while allowing just 2 touchdowns, Penn State's defense met its big- picture objective. "It's just the bend-don't-break [style]," Ja- cobs said. "I feel like it started last year, us hav- ing a really good red zone defense. It's just us knowing that we can give up a good play here and there, but we cannot let them get in the end zone. That's the main goal." It's not the only goal for Penn State's de- fense, though. Head coach James Franklin pointed to an area of necessary improvement upon the re- sumption of Big Ten play in October. The Lions, he said, were allowing too many successful third-and-long plays — not only first-down conversions, but also plays that were just long enough to persuade the opposing coach to take a chance on a fourth-and-short. Fifth-year senior defensive tackle PJ Mustipher offered another critique. The Nit- tany Lions had allowed 14 points and 133 yards of offense to the Chippewas in the second quarter, losing their edge after jumping out to an early two-touchdown lead. It's an area that Penn State's defense is determined to improve upon moving forward. "There's a certain standard in this program," Mustipher said. "I told the guys after the game that we've got to come out hot, we've got to come out better. We got the job done. That's all that matters. But we've got to be better, no matter what time we're playing, who we're playing, or what- ever it may be. We've got to start fast and continue it through the game." Echoing the sentiment, Jacobs said the Nittany Lions "got a little lacklus- ter" in the second quarter. However, there were some mitigating factors at play. First, he said, Central Michigan didn't relent offensively. Featuring a pro- ductive, hard-running tailback in Lew Nichols III and a physical offensive line, the Chippewas impressed him. Even so, Penn State held them to just 10 explosive plays, which are de- fined as runs of 10 or more yards and passes of 15 or more yards. In its nonconference finale, Penn State didn't allow a single pass completion of more than 25 yards, and none of the Chippewas' rushes exceeded 18 yards. Of the chunk plays they did have, none went for touchdowns. "They drove on us a little bit, but we decided to grit our teeth, just bat- ten down the hatches and keep them out of the end zone," Jacobs said. In Penn State's opener, Purdue finished with 9 explosive passes for 191 yards. A week later, Ohio was limited to 7 total chunk plays. Auburn racked up 16, but the longest went for 37 yards, and only one found the end zone. Determined to use the experiences of September as an opportunity to get better, both Jacobs and Mustipher pointed to the benefits for the de- fense moving forward. "I think we're in a good place. That's the goal every week, to be 1-0," Ja- cobs said. "We're just going to go back and improve on the stuff we didn't do right. There are a couple of things we didn't do right. We've just got to be able to execute. "We've got to go back and look at the film and see the minor tweaks. That's the most important part, and that's what we do every Sunday." — Nate Bauer Third-year sophomore linebacker Curtis Jacobs had 17 tackles, including 1 sack, in Penn State's first four games. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT Penn State Defenders See Potential For Improvement do big things this fall. "I think both of those guys will con- tinue to grow and continue to get better and continue to accelerate knocking that shell off and returning to the form that we know they have," Scott said. "I feel like as a unit, we still can con- tinue to grow and get better, but I do feel like we're on track to be what we want to be and play the style of football that we want to play. "Those guys are leading the charge for us, showing them the way, and showing them how. I think that really helped our group. As we continue to practice and get even more comfortable with what we're doing, I do think the group's best football is ahead." ■