Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546586
3 2 O C T O B E R 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 fected the quarterback. They did their job in the run game. And there's times where the ball was out fast; Marshall did a good job of that. But I felt like they were doing what they were supposed to be doing." A week later against Temple, Penn State totaled just 1 sack in a 27-9 vic- tory. The Owls' offensive tackle corps had been thinned out by injuries, but the Nittany Lions weren't at full strength either. Granville had gotten hurt in practice a few days before the game and was forced to sit it out. Campbell said after the game that Granville will miss the rest of the sea- son. It's a significant blow for the Nit- tany Lions, and his extended absence will make it all the more important that McPherson steps forward. Since his arrival in January, McPherson has been working to learn the defense so he can react quickly and contribute in whatever role he's asked to fill. "Just staying in your playbook and studying more than you're supposed to. Meeting with your coaches after prac- tice, before practice, whenever you really can, just to make sure that you're on your stuff," he said. "We learned the defensive concepts, so you put things in buckets and go that kind of route." He knows sacks get noticed, but he measures his performance by how well he helps the defense as a whole. That approach reflects what Camp- bell and defensive ends coach Christian Smith have asked of the group. "For me personally, it's really just [a matter of] making sure that I did my job and did everything I can to help the team win," McPherson said. "A sack is great, but at the end of the day, it's really about winning and helping the team to the best of my ability." McPherson considers his understand- ing of the defense to be one of his biggest improvements. Now, he and the other ends need to put their offseason work to use in games. Before the opener, Campbell made that expectation clear. "I do think [the defensive end corps] has got to earn the right to be a confi- dent group. And sometimes that's hard," Campbell said. "Where are we? I still would tell you, even as a fan, until the lights come on, until we go play, until we show we can consistently do it [there's uncertainty]. That's my biggest challenge, probably, as the head football coach. It's hard for me to tell where we are. "I love the humans. I'm excited to see, are those humans ready, and are we ready to continue to grow forward in a game setting?" The opener gave the ends their first chance to answer Campbell's questions. Their roles are still taking shape as the coaches learn what each player can do. For McPherson and his teammates, the next step is to show they can be counted on every week. ■ Sophomore Alex McPherson says he gained about 20 pounds after arriving at Penn State in January. The Colorado trans- fer is working to pair that added strength with a better grasp of the Nittany Lions' defense. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT