Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz & DT PJ Mustipher preview the Rose Bowl
LOS ANGELES — Penn State made its defensive players available to the media Friday morning ahead of its upcoming showdown against Utah in the Rose Bowl. In addition to multiple starters, defensive coordinator Manny Diaz spoke with reporters for about 25 minutes Friday.
He said he believes Monday’s game against Utah’s offense presents “a great challenge” for Penn State’s defense.
“They’re scoring 40 points a game, conference champions,” Diaz said. “They do a great job of just questioning your toughness, down after down the way they pound the football.
“The one thing you always worry about in bowl games is you haven’t played in a month. You kind of have to restart, reestablish your toughness. Tackling is always crucial in bowl games, so I think those will all be the big things. We have to run to the football, we have to tackle, all the things that every defensive coordinator is going to say, but when you haven’t played in a month, I think they take on an even bigger emphasis.”
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Penn State will also have to find a way to stop Utah quarterback Cam Rising. This past season, he threw for nearly 3,000 yards, scoring 25 touchdowns. Diaz said that he’s impressed with Rising’s toughness.
“When your quarterback is tough, your entire offense is tough. Just by nature of the game, the guy touches the ball every play and everyone on the sideline is watching the quarterback, So, when he can demonstrate that he’s tough, everybody’s level of toughness picks up….What you can see that Utah has is belief. They believe in their leader and why wouldn’t they because of the way he plays the game.”
Penn State fans can see what else Diaz had to say by watching the video above. You can also watch PJ Mustipher’s thoughts below.
