Penn State Sports Magazine
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N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 4 2 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M following year, totaling 5.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks as a sophomore. Durant's rise is partly a result of his dedicated approach to weight training. He's packed on nearly 30 pounds of mus- cle since arriving and is able to hold his own in the middle of a pileup. Still, his game is predicated less on brawn than on quickness, maneuverability and a single- minded sense of purpose. "He just keeps the game simple," red- shirt senior defensive tackle Dvon J- Thomas said. "There are a lot of incred- ibly talented people who overcomplicate the game, but Zane has made it very sim- ple for himself, and I think you see that in his game. He's playing very fast, he's playing hard, he's getting to the rock. He's doing a lot of really, really good things." Durant isn't satisfied with what he's accomplished to this point in his career. As impressive as his grades have been, against both the run and the pass, he sees plenty of room for improvement. "I feel like I leave a lot out there on the [field] on Saturdays, even though I do have a couple of good plays or wins or whatever you call them," he said. "I feel like there's still more out there that I could do. I want to leave the field feeling like I did all I could do to impact the game." The possibility of an even more impact- ful Durant emerging in the weeks to come can't help but give pause to the Nittany Lions' upcoming opponents. Penn State's first six foes managed a little over 2 touch- downs on average, and while the schedule is packed with nothing but Big Ten foes from now until the end of November, the Lions have to like how their defense is shaping up. Durant has been a crucial part of that surge. "I think it's a credit to the work that he's put in this offseason," J-Thomas said. "Zane is doing a tremendous job of using his talents, his skills, his speed and his strength to really complement the de- fense. He's just elevating the defense, and it's a huge credit to him. He's doing an incredible job right now." ■ When Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen headed to the coaches' box for the Kent State game, the move was described as being provisional. Head coach James Franklin said following the Nittany Lions' 56-0 victory over the Golden Flashes that both he and Allen thought it was worth trying after the first-year PSU assistant called the West Virginia and Bowling Green games from the sideline. But Franklin added that the deci- sion was not set in stone. "I don't like to say permanent, forever or always," he said. "But I thought it went well. He hadn't been up there for 15 years. We ended up doing it, and I thought there were some advantages to going up there. … I could see this being a week-to-week deal where we do whatever is necessary. "With the leadership we have on the sideline with coaches and players, we feel good about that aspect, but we've also lost some guys [to injuries]. As we play less-experienced guys, that could factor into it. But I thought it was positive, and I think Tom did as well. … "There are a lot of ways to do things that work. I'm a big believer that, if all things are even, the best place to strictly call the game is from the booth. I think after going up and doing it, it became a viable option for him and us. We'll take it on a week-to-week basis and ultimately see what's best for our team and defense." Back in June, Allen said he expected to be on the sideline on game day, where he had been for eight seasons at Indiana, first as defensive coordi- nator and later as head coach. He spoke with reporters again during the Nittany Lions' second bye week in mid-October and admitted that he had been reluctant to head upstairs. "I hadn't been up there for a long time, and I didn't like the emotional detachment from the game that you feel when you're in the box," he said. "I'm a hands-on, emotional, passionate guy, you know?" The more Allen thought about it, though, the more the change made sense. He said the increased use of technology in college football this year — notably the advent of helmet radios and tablet computers for use by players on the sideline — allowed him to make the kind of in-game corrections he wanted to be able to make, without having to be physically present on the sideline. Allen isn't the one speaking to the "green dot" player via the radio; defensive analyst Dan Connor has been given that responsibility by Penn State. But the ease of communication has allowed him to have more of a voice even though he's in the booth. And while Franklin initially said the move may not be permanent, everyone has been happy with the results so far. "The bottom line is, after several games doing it, I think it's helped us," Allen said. "I feel more comfortable up there. It took a little bit of time to get used to it, but we've got great communication with our coaches. They do a great job communicating things to our players, and I think it's defi- nitely what we're going to stay with moving forward." — Greg Pickel Tom Allen On Moving To Coaches' Box: 'I Think It's Helped Us' Allen oversaw Penn State's defense from the sideline in its first two games against West Virginia and Bowling Green, but he agreed to move up to the box prior to the game against Kent State and has remained there in subsequent weeks. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL