Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540433
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 5 3 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 30-24 double-overtime loss to Oregon on Sept. 27, and included back-to-back losses to three-touchdown underdogs UCLA (42-37) and Northwestern (22-21), the Nittany Lions' defense has struggled in every phase. Already problematic against a nonconference slate that in- cluded games with Nevada, Florida In- ternational and Villanova in September, Penn State's rushing defense is 70th na- tionally, allowing 144.3 yards per game. The Lions have been better in passing yards allowed, giving up 157.8 per game (15th), but team passing efficiency shows a better reflection of how opponents are using a mature approach to sustain pos- sessions and score points. More damning, the Nittany Lions have allowed a 40.2 percent conversion rate on third downs (84th), and 61.1 percent on fourth downs (T-97th). Frequently allowing teams to move into manageable third- and fourth-down situations, Penn State cannot get off the field. It's ranked 127th in time of possession at 26 minutes, 37 seconds per game. What went wrong? Can it be fixed? Here's a look at how the defensive units graded out at midseason as the team turns to Terry Smith as its interim head coach. Defensive Line Smith was asked early in his introduc- tory press conference to walk reporters through the learning curve of Knowles' defense. A system that had been used to great success at Ohio State, the payoff in Columbus wouldn't come until the sec- ond and third seasons of his tenure. With Knowles operating on an expe- dited timeline at Penn State, that hasn't come to fruition. But, to Smith, the Nit- tany Lions' defensive problems have a plainly evident cause that will need to be addressed moving into the rest of the Big Ten schedule. "On the defensive side, the biggest thing for us is that we have got to get our defensive line to be in sync. Everything starts up front," Smith said. "Not that they're problems, but they've got to be able to control the line of scrimmage. You control the line of scrimmage, you con- trol the game. "We have to be tougher up front, and that sets the tone for what everyone else does." All of the results back up Smith's as- sessment. Through six games, senior defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton's 5.5 tackles for loss, 2 good for sacks, stand as defensive highs. In fact, that pair of sacks for 9 yards in losses also stand as a high- light, joined by 2 apiece for super senior defensive end Zuriah Fisher and senior defensive tackle Zane Durant. The production contrasts sharply with the 2024 campaign led by Abdul Carter, who finished with 23.5 TFLs and 12 sacks, while Dennis-Sutton and Du- rant turned up 13 and 11 TFLs, respec- tively. Without an effective pairing, both at tackle and at the opposite end spot, Dennis-Sutton has technically graded out well but hasn't had the splash plays the Nittany Lions have needed to dictate the outcome of games. Grade: C Linebackers There could not have been worse news for Penn State's defense this season than what beset the unit on the afternoon of Oct. 1. Confirmed by doctors after an in- jury setback in the previous day's prac- tice, junior linebacker Tony Rojas sus- tained a long-term injury that will keep him out for what's expected to be the du- ration of the 2025 campaign. The injury occurred to one of the best players on the defensive side of the ball, with Rojas coming off a shoulder injury in 2024 that hampered him throughout. The setback happened within a posi- tion group that was already perilously thin, Knowles acknowledging only three ready-to-play linebackers in Rojas, red- shirt senior Dominic DeLuca, and junior transfer Amare Campbell. By the time the Nittany Lions played UCLA at the Rose Bowl a few days later, Knowles and the unit had come up with no answers to offset the damage. In- stead, using DeLuca when possible, Penn State's defense found itself frequently gutted by Bruins quarterback Nico Ia- maleava, both through the air and on the ground. PSU had hoped to push ahead with steady development for younger players in the room, but there are no ready-made backups. True freshmen Alex Tatsch and Cam Smith have been mentioned as pos- sibilities, each having only appeared in one game apiece to the season's mid- point. Grade: C Secondary Redshirt senior safety Zakee Wheat- ley is playing great. Hoping to parlay a fifth season into real returns this year, the Maryland native has lived up to that promise with a performance that has included 39 tackles (second on the de- fense), plus a pass breakup and fumble recovery. In the same vein, after a preseason push from redshirt freshman safety Antoine Belgrave-Shorter left junior King Mack on the outside looking in at starting reps opposite Wheatley, the Alabama transfer has made the most of his second opportunity. He's fifth on the defense in tackles through the first half of the season with 24, adding 2 pass breakups to his tally. Less encouragingly, a Penn State sec- ondary that hadn't been tested in any of the first three games of the season met its match against Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern. Stepping up in quality of opponent, particularly at quarterback with Dante Moore leading the Ducks, Iamaleava at UCLA, and Preston Stone putting together a timely performance in the Wildcats' win, the Nittany Li- ons frequently found themselves on the wrong side of clutch passing days. That was never more evident than when junior cornerback A.J. Harris, a projected NFL Draft early entrant can- didate, was benched for the remainder of the Northwestern game. "Unfortunately for him, he was put in a position and got beat on the touch- down, and we made a decision at that time to just play some other guys," said Smith. Juniors Audavion Collins and Elliot Washington II have "rotated all year and we just felt like we had a better chance to have success with those guys." Grade: C