Penn State Sports Magazine
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6 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State's defense came into the season with sky-high expecta- tions. Through the first month of the season, Manny Diaz's crew looked like a group with championship aspira- tions. For a team that still has a handful of question marks on the offensive side of the ball, the defense hit its stride early. At the very least, it's a group that will have the Nittany Lions in every game they play this season. At its best, it just may be the nation's top defense. "In terms of what we're pleased with, we're pleased with 5-0," Diaz said. "We've done what it takes to win the first games in September. I like that as a unit we're starting to feel the soul of our defense. The guys are enjoying playing for and with one another. "You're seeing our playmaking dis- tributed among a wide group of guys. That's what we want. That means ev- eryone is doing their job and whoever is there to make the play is making it." Diaz and the defense felt a collective click in their first road trip of the sea- son at Illinois. The Nittany Lions, just two years removed from being outmus- cled on the ground by Bret Bielema's team in a nine-overtime embarrass- ment, began a string of dominance that carried over three weeks into the bye. The Nittany Lions went into the Massachusetts game with the nation's second-best scoring defense and were allowing the fewest yards per game. On top of that, the individual stats were taking care of themselves, even if they were spread out among the defense. Fourteen Nittany Lions were responsible for the team's 20 sacks through five games. While redshirt se- nior defensive end Adisa Isaac had reg- istered only 2.5 sacks on the year, the Lions' average of 4 sacks per game was third among FBS teams in the category. "We know, as a D-line, that those stats will come," sophomore defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton said after the Northwestern win. "I think it comes with maturity. We don't try to look at stats. Stats will come. And even if you don't have the best stats and you're winning, you can see that show up on the field. That's what [defensive line] Coach Deion [Barnes] tries to focus on. Beat your guy consistently over and over and then you'll go where you want to go." Like Dennis-Sutton, junior outside linebacker Curtis Jacobs has taken his game up a notch this year. Jacobs was leading the team in tackles with 18 through five games, while Isaac and junior defensive end Chop Robinson were helping PSU dictate games from the edge. The Nittany Lions have been able to rotate through at nearly every position so far, particularly on the defensive line and in the secondary. New stars have started to emerge as a result. Dennis- Sutton, sophomore defensive tackle Zane Durant and fellow sophomore safety Kevin Winston Jr. graded out highly over the first half of the season, and redshirt sophomore linebacker Kobe King played his best game against Northwestern. The group is playing as confidently as it has in recent memory. "We look like we're having a lot of fun right now," Diaz said. "You just see the spirit and the fun that we're play- ing with. And I think that's what I'm getting at now. You're seeing more of the 11 guys becoming one in that unit. Every year, you have to piece those pieces together, and I think we've really grown as a unit in the last three weeks." Isaac echoed that sentiment. "Throughout these first five games, I feel like we've grown into a full unit," he said. "It doesn't matter what phase of the game it is. Whether we're up or down, we have that same approach of just still attacking and executing at a high level. We try to keep everything simple and let everyone play fast and free." Penn State will travel to Columbus, Ohio, on Oct. 21 for the first of the season's Big Ten East Division heavy- weight battles. In a slight departure from their 1-0 week-by-week mental- ity, the Nittany Lions got extra work in against the Buckeyes' playbook throughout the bye. The shift shows that every member of the program knows just how much those championship aspirations hinge on its trip to the Horseshoe. Even if they don't want to admit it. "In addition to self-scouting our- selves, we're definitely paying attention to the games we have coming up," Diaz said. "You need to make sure that when you see [the upcoming opponent] on Sunday, whether it's Ohio State week or whoever else down the line, it's not the first time you're watching and get- ting a feel for who these guys are this year. We're absolutely doing all that. My opinions about Ohio State are ab- solutely very strong, and they're abso- lutely going to stay to myself." ■ Redshirt senior defensive end Adisa Isaac helped the Nittany Lions average 4 sacks per game through their first five contests. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL PSU's Defensive Performance Has Been A Team Effort JUDGMENT CALL O P I N I O N S E A N F I T Z S E A N . F I T Z @ O N 3 . C O M