For Penn State corners, elusive interceptions take priority in 2022
Terry Smith has been doing this long enough to grasp the reality of his position group. A cornerbacks coach at Penn State for the past eight seasons, perfection is an impossibility.
Mistakes will occur on every rep. Battles will be lost. Penalties are going to come.
None of those offset the primary mission of playing cornerback at Penn State.
“We’re all about taking the ball away,” Smith said. “We don’t harp on the penalties or anything like that. We just harp on making our corrections. When you play a position like corner, every snap, there is something wrong, whether it’s their eye discipline, their footwork, or their hand placement. You can always nitpick something. So we don’t harp on those things.
“We watch the film and make corrections. But we want them to be aggressive. The way you change the game is to take the ball away, and that’s how we want to change the game.”
Penn State interception formula
One of the most discussed stories of the offseason, Penn State is determined to do as much repeatedly in 2022.
Welcoming an uber-aggressive defensive coordinator in Manny Diaz last winter, the unit’s objectives aren’t shrouded in mystery as the campaign quickly approaches. Coming off a season in which the Nittany Lions snagged 14 interceptions, good for third in the Big Ten and 26th nationally, the emphasis is to continue along that trajectory in the coming weeks and months.
According to fourth-year corner Joey Porter Jr., though, the mindset guiding the corners room this preseason has steered toward the opposite. Asked Wednesday how interceptions originate, the differences between passes deflected and game-changing plays, Porter insisted the formula isn’t about forcing the issue.
“It’s not trying to be ball hungry or always trying to make the play. Let the play come to you,” Porter said. “I feel like when you’re always trying to make a play, that doesn’t work. But if you just let the play come to you, and play inside the program and the defense, the ball will come to you.
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“I feel like that’s a big thing that we worked on, not trying to always be the guy to make a play. Just play in the frame of the defense and your plays will come. That’s a lot of things we try to teach the young guys and even the older guys coming back, just be consistent in your game plan. Your plays will come to you, you don’t have to look for them.”
Next steps
Last season, that took place at a relatively infrequent rate for Penn State’s corners.
While Ji’Ayir Brown led Penn State with six interceptions on the season, a number good for first nationally for an individual, the corners were a smaller piece of the equation. With one pick himself, only Daequan Hardy’s two interceptions boosted Penn State’s corners number to three.
Recognizing and embracing the impact that the plays can have on a game’s outcome, the group continues to work this preseason toward maximizing those opportunities when they come.
“It’s just helping the team out in general, giving the team back the ball. That could be a game-winning decision,” Porter said. “Giving the ball back to the offense is always a plus. We’ll take those any day.”
In two weeks, Porter and the Nittany Lion corners will get that chance when they take on Purdue.
