Blue White Illustrated

DEFENSE CONTINUED FROM 12 excellent job of learning the mental aspect of the game, playing the boundary cornerback position in Butler's complicated coverage schemes. On his interception, Lucas set up in what appeared to be man-to-man coverage on the inside receiver in Michigan's two-wide receiver set, but instead of being in man-to-man coverage, Lucas had the responsibility of covering the flat area in zone coverage with the free safety in man coverage over the top. Lucas jumped the quick down-and-out route of Michigan wide receiver Jeremy Gallon and intercepted Gardner's pass. Lucas did a superb job of disguising his coverage scheme. That type of development, coupled with the physical brand of football Lucas brings to the boundary cornerback position, bodes well for Penn State the rest of the way. Williams has come along more slowly, and against Ohio State he made way for Adrian Amos. It's likely that Amos, who started at cornerback the past two seasons before being moved to safety this O C T O B E R past off-season, will be seeing a lot of action at his original position. That should help shore up one of the Lions' biggest defensive concerns. The cornerbacks got a lot of heat after Indiana strafed Penn State in a 44-24 upset, but two-thirds of the Hoosiers' 336 passing yards weren't even close to being the responsibility of Lucas or Williams. Indiana used screens to take advantage of Penn State's decimated linebacker corps. So while Lucas and Williams are still on a learning curve, their play hasn't been as inconsistent as some people would have you believe. The biggest problems in the secondary have been the two safety positions. Amos was an aggressive cornerback, and he's proven to be an aggressive safety, too. His approach has its advantages, but also its drawbacks. Against Michigan, Amos was flagged for three interference calls – calls that surely would have gotten a lot more attention had the Lions not rallied to win. Whether he's playing cornerback or safety the rest of the way, he needs to be more disciplined. 3 0 , 2 0 1 3 13 Ryan Keiser has also seen plenty of action at safety, although not as much as he would have seen had he not suffered a broken hand in the game against Kent State. Before his injury, the redshirt junior was the most consistent player at either safety position. For Penn State's secondary to play up to its potential in the second half of the season, a few things need to happen. Amos needs to avoid penalties, Lucas and Williams need to gain confidence and play more instinctively, and Keiser, Malcolm Willis and Jesse Della Valle need to settle into those safety positions. It looks as though ObengAgyapong is going to be needed at linebacker the rest of the way, so that cuts down on the Lions' options in the defensive backfield. If they're healthy, Keiser, Willis and Della Valle are all going to play a lot. If these developments occur, Penn State's secondary can be better than people realize at the end of the season. It has the ability to become a positive force in the Nittany Lions' final five games. BL UEW H I T E ON L I N E.COM

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