Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541990
3 8 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M A fter weeks of struggle, Penn State's defense flipped the script in No- vember and began to look like its former self in the closing weeks of the 2025 regular season. The Nittany Lions weren't able to get off the field or force a punt for most of the Big Ten campaign, but they finally found their footing against Indiana. However, the team backslid in a 40-36 victory over Rutgers in the regular- season finale, giving up 533 yards and al- lowing the Scarlet Knights to amass their highest point total in the history of the 35-game series. Rutgers found success by putting Penn State's defense in a familiar bind in three key areas. The first area involved its scheme. Rutgers offensive coordinator Kirk Ciar- rocca uses a run-pass option system that stresses defenses laterally and vertically with a quality three-receiver set. The second area was the offensive line. Rutgers has the ability to bulldoze op- ponents on the ground when given the chance. Finally, the Scarlet Knights have a quality trigger man in quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, who can read the defense correctly and make quick decisions. Penn State's late-season turnaround was due in large part to its more aggres- sive posture. At the direction of interim coach Terry Smith, the Nittany Lions turned away from the patient, option- denial system that defensive coordinator Jim Knowles deployed through the first half of the campaign. That approach served the team well against Indiana, Michigan State and Nebraska, but Rut- gers used the aggression against PSU. Knowles sent multiple blitzes and played man coverage behind five-man pressures. With easy one-on-one reads, Kaliakmanis was able to deliver the ball before the blitz got home. It was evident from the opening drive that this back- and-forth would be an issue. When Penn State played zone cover- age, it forced Kaliakmanis off his first read, which led to positive plays for the defense. However, zone coverage re- quires the defense to keep an extra player in space to cover the field and prevent RPOs. That puts extra pressure on the defensive line to make plays. While the defensive tackles did their jobs most of the day, the edge rushers struggled with double-teams, gap integrity, and play- ing within the structure of the system to prevent the ball from getting outside. Senior defensive end Dani Dennis- Sutton was particularly bad in run de- fense. He freelanced, played too high, and struggled to make the right reads on run fits against Rutgers' option offense. This lack of a strong edge, plus the team's need to play junior nickel corner- back Zion Tracy away from the forma- tion, led to wider holes than Tracy could fill against the run. This is not to absolve him, but to explain why he missed 4 tackles. Having poor man coverage in blitz- ing situations, plus poor run defense in zone situations, meant that Knowles had little room to pivot in the game plan. Either the cornerbacks or defensive ends needed to play better for him to find solid footing. Neither came to his aid. In the end, the defense gave up 173 yards and 2 touchdowns when blitz- ing. It also gave up 92 yards on runs that went through the C and D gaps (outside the tackle but not an end-around). Truthfully, nothing much changed about the situation through the end of the game. Junior cornerbacks A.J. Har- ris and Audavion Collins both struggled in one-on-one situations, and Rutgers added in play-action routes to tight end Kenny Fletcher Jr. as an extra wrinkle. What saved Penn State? Divine intervention. Rutgers gifted PSU a go-ahead touch- down in the fourth quarter when Ka- liakmanis lost the ball on an unforced fumble and junior linebacker Amare Campbell returned it 61 yards for a score. Later, the Nittany Lions played great option defense on what would turn out to be Rutgers' final offensive play. PSU's perimeter run defenders found good discipline one last time to force the ball into the quarterback's hands, and then tackled him in open space. In some important ways, the defense's showing versus Rutgers was a micro- cosm of its season. The defensive line, while improved throughout the year, could not stop the run, and the coverage unit proved once again it was not the group we thought it was at the season's outset. The second- ary was put in tough man-to-man situa- tions and struggled both at the line with press technique and at the catch point. Cornerbacks and defensive ends are widely seen as the most important play- ers on defense because they can effec- tively end a pass play with outstanding individual effort. Yet, neither of those position groups stepped up for Penn State this year. With a combination like that, it's hard to craft a consistent game plan. ■ O P I N I O N THOMAS FRANK CARR T F R A N K .C A R R @ O N 3 .C O M Regular-Season Finale Illuminates Defensive Difficulties Linebacker Amare Campbell rescued Penn State in the fourth quarter at Rutgers, returning a fumble 61 yards for what would prove to be the winning touchdown. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT Upon Further Review