Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1486024
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 2 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M "It's a system I would have really liked playing in," Connor told host Steve Jones during a guest appearance on the "Penn State Coaches Show" earlier this season. "It allows you to really make plays in the backfield at linebacker. We don't really play at level two and sift across. What- ever gap you're in, that's what you've got." Connor credits Diaz for its impact. The plan, and how to exe c u te i t , i s something the Nit- tany Lions' new de- fensive coordinator delivers to his play- ers without compli- cations. "Football is cha- otic. It's really a f r e e - f o r - a l l o n every play. It's 22 players making independent decisions," Connor explained. "He has a really clear vision and message, and a way that he sees the game. And then he presents it to the defense and the linebackers in a con- cise, clear way, so he's not telling them 100 different things." The architect of a system in which Penn State's players have steadily im- proved through the course of the season, Diaz has flourished in his first year as defensive coordinator. Heading into the postseason, the Nit- tany Lions rank among college football's best defenses. That's true of the major- ity of the major statistical categories, including total defense (317.8 yards per game, 18th-best in the FBS), rushing defense (105.1 yards per game, 14th), team pass efficiency defense (104.0 rat- ing, 2nd), turnovers gained (24, tied for ninth), sacks (37, tied for ninth) and tack- les for loss (95, seventh). Most important of all, the unit has kept opponents out of the end zone. The Lions rank fifth in the Big Ten and are tied for ninth in the FBS with an average of 18.0 points allowed per game. A Solid Connection The transition to Diaz's system was immediate in some ways and gradual in others. On the immediate end of the equation, Diaz came to Penn State having earned ample credibility over the years with a résumé that included head coaching ex- perience at Miami (Fla.). When defen- sive coordinator Brent Pry left to become head coach at Virginia Tech last Decem- ber, James Franklin sought more than just a schematic fit. Recounting a "unique" sequence of events in which Diaz was terminated at Miami, then quickly contacted by Penn State, Franklin noted that the connec- tion came together quickly between the two sides. Once he'd been hired, the next step was for Diaz to build the same solid con- nection between himself and his new players. It was a table-setting test with an eye toward the season to come, and Diaz passed. "I think it helps he took over a defense that was in a really healthy spot," Frank- lin said. "Brent Pry had left it in a really good place and had done a great job. And because the players had so much respect for Brent, the hire was important not just from a scheme standpoint, but from a cultural perspective. "He was able to jump in with two feet. He has a presence, so he was able to get in front of the guys and get them on board very quickly, which helped." After he gained the attention and re- spect of Penn State's players, the invest- ment toward the 2022 season quickly followed. Diaz's defense is built on the same bedrock principles as Pry's: stop the run first, then attack. There were changes, of course, but those were aimed largely at creating more turnovers. "I don't think there's a dramatic dif- ference. And I think it's probably partly why I'm here," Diaz told BWI last sum- mer. "It does help the players, because there's a lot that's the same, as opposed to being so dramatically different. If we were going to a 3-4, or more of a read- based structure or something like that [it would be a harder transition]." In the same response, he also fore- told the evolution that was about to take place. B e g i n n i n g t h e s e a s o n w i t h 2 4 points allowed de- fensively at Purdue, Penn State demon- strated the grow- ing pains attached to the underside of the acknowledged learning curve at hand. The team's two middle linebackers — redshirt soph- omore Tyler Elsdon and redshirt fresh- man Kobe King — weren't always sure of themselves. Quarterback pressures were, at first, inconsistent. The same was true of interceptions; the Lions didn't collect their first until Week 3 of the season. "Sometimes, the nuance and the de- tails are really where the magic can hap- pen," Diaz said. "There is still a bit of an unlearning. It can be uncomfortable, but I think there's a good thing in that, because growth usually happens when we are uncomfortable. That's been good for our guys, and I think they've learned. I think they've been able to develop their football IQ because of it." Dominant In Every Facet Undeterred by a lopsided loss at Mich- igan on Oct. 15, and a fourth-quarter col- lapse against Ohio State two weeks later, the Nittany Lions put on a defensive display in the final month of the regular season. They were dominant in every facet, holding Indiana, Maryland, Rutgers and Michigan State to 40 combined points, pitching a shutout against the Terrapins, and setting program records along the way. At the heart of that performance is a talent for identifying and exploiting op- "Football is chaotic. It's really a free-for-all on every play. It's 22 players making independent decisions. He has a really clear vision and message, and a way that he sees the game. And then he pres- ents it to the defense and the linebackers in a concise, clear way, so he's not telling them 100 different things." D A N C O N N O R O N M A N N Y D I A Z