Penn State defense returns to form in win over Minnesota: 'We trusted each other'
STATE COLLEGE — The Penn State defense did everything it didn’t do last week during a resounding 45-17 win over Minnesota here Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
Coordinator Manny Diaz’s unit was gap sound. It tackled well. And, it got push upfront that gave the linebackers plenty of room to clean up running plays and passing plays alike.
All told, the Lions surrendered 205 yards through three quarters before the game was turned over to the backups in the third quarter. It stopped Minnesota on 11 of 13 third down tries. And, it racked up seven tackles for loss while keeping explosive Golden Gophers running back Mohamed Ibrahim mostly in check. He finished with 102 yards but never had a game-changing play.
“We trusted each other, and we played our gaps,” senior safety Ji’Ayir Brown said. He had seven tackles and an interception in the win. “We followed Coach Manny’s plan and executed it. It seems simple, but it’s not easy. When guys are out there, things that may seem simple can change.
“A guy’s mind not be in the right spot, or their body might not be in the right spot during the play. That leads to execution errors. So, today, gyys were in the right spots, in their gaps. They trusted each other, and executed a lot better than last week.”
Penn State did have the luxury of not facing Minnesota starting quarterback Tanner Morgan. He was a game-time decision and briefly warmed up but was ultimately ruled out due to a head injury. Backup Athan Kaliakmanis tried hard but could not replicate the success Morgan has often had in Kirk Ciarrocca’s offense. He finished nine of 22 for 175 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
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So which defense is the real Penn State defense?
That’s the most pressing question coming out of this game. It’s no secret that Minnesota is not as dynamic as Michigan. It can be said that Penn State forced the Golden Gophers to be one-dimensional. But, in reality, Morgan’s injury did that as much as anything else. And, because of it, the Lions could gear up to stop the run with little concern about the passing attack.
“It’s really as simple as we just consistently did our job tonight,” head coach James Franklin siad. “We consistently did our job and held our gaps. You got to own your gap. You can’t peek and try to fall into somebody else’s gap. Against good teams, the ball finds the open gap. We were really consistent in doing that tonight.
“And then I think the other thing is the game plan was to say, you can make the argument one of our strengths on defense is our defensive backs. So, let’s leave those guys on the island, let’s load the box up, and let’s have the numbers in the run game. They got us on a few pick plays and things like that. But, for the most part, I thought we played really well-rounded defense.”
Ohio State will present a far greater challenge next Saturday. This version of the Penn State defense must show up to stop it. This win was a step in the right direction. But, now it’s about doing it each week moving forward.
