Penn State regular-season roundup: Defense clamps down, hits stride in home stretch

Fresh off another dominating defensive performance late this season, this time at Rutgers, Penn State head coach James Franklin identified the trend. 

Earning a 55-10 win over the Scarlet Knights, his Nittany Lions were suffocating. Twice they turned Rutgers fumbles into touchdowns and, thanks to a Johnny Dixon interception in the second quarter deep in Rutgers’ territory, created the conditions for the first touchdown of the game for Penn State’s offense.

“We’re playing really good on defense,” Franklin said. “We’ve done it for multiple weeks.”

Under the direction of coordinator Manny Diaz, Penn State’s defense could claim it to be an understatement.

Since suffering through a Wolverine running game onslaught in a 41-17 loss at Michigan on Oct. 15, the unit steadied itself around a year-long slate of outstanding play. Among the highlights in November, the Nittany Lions racked up six sacks in a 45-14 win at Indiana, Maryland notched just 27 yards of offense in the first half of a 30-0 shutout on Nov. 12, and a gaudy 15 tackles for a loss and three turnovers helped Penn State secure its blowout win in Piscataway, N.J.

All told, the Nittany Lion defense allowed just 40 combined points in November and steadily climbed into the upper echelons of college football’s elite groups.

With the regular season in the books, here is a breakdown, by position, of how the Nittany Lions’ defense has done it:

Penn State defensive round-up

Defensive line

Penn State’s defensive success is predicated on controlling the trenches. Relying on consistent performances from P.J. Mustipher and Hakeem Beamon at the tackle spots, plus increasing production from Zane Durant, Coziah Izzard, and Dvon Ellies, the Nittany Lions have done so. 

The result has been the virtual elimination of an effective running game for Penn State’s opponents, with Indiana (65 rushing yards), Maryland (60), Rutgers (32), and Michigan State (25) all snuffed out completely on the ground. 

Those efforts have helped pave the way for what has been a steady emergence from Penn State’s end positions. And maybe more important, also an avalanche of sacks and TFLs. Explaining a growing comfort with Diaz’s vertical pressure approach for the Nittany Lion players up front, Franklin said the benefits are now being seen. 

“You got a chance to penetrate and create negative plays and tackles for loss,” Franklin said. “We’re just more consistent across the board, playing within the scheme, and playing fast and aggressive. If you’re a defensive player, specifically a defensive lineman or a linebacker, I can’t imagine there’s a more productive system to play in.”

At the forefront of that evolution, transfer Chop Robinson has climbed the chart into becoming PFF’s top-graded defender. Among the team leaders in TFL, sacks, and quarterback hurries, his play has consistently created havoc in the backfield. 

Hardly alone in that effort, Adisa Isaac continued his highly productive comeback season. After missing the 2021 campaign to injury, he finished among the team leaders in hurries (5) and TFLs (9.0). Paired with Nick Tarburton, and with the flashes of potential shown by redshirt sophomore Amin Vanover and true freshman Dani Dennis-Sutton, what’d been an early-season storyline of concern has transformed into an area filled with optimism for Penn State moving forward.

Linebackers

With all due respect to linebackers Curtis Jacobs, Jon Sutherland, Tyler Elsdon, and Kobe King, each of whom has warranted positive stories for their performances throughout the season at the position, they don’t quite rise to the level of true freshman Abdul Carter.

An instant impact performer, Carter has backed up his highlight reel abilities with something maybe more impressive. Developing and harnessing his talent with weekly improvement in playing within the defense without dropping responsibilities, Carter has become a piece Diaz and the rest of the staff have come to rely upon with trust.

“His missed assignments are going down every single week. That gives you a lot more confidence that you can put him in there. And you’re not only going to get the good plays, but the plays that we have to eliminate as a young player, those are reducing,” Franklin said. “He’s always been super mature. He’s very smart. And he’s taken the right approach since he stepped on campus.”

That has paid off in the form of Carter being one of the team leaders statistically. That includes tackles, tackles for a loss, sacks, passes broken up, quarterback hurries, and forced fumbles. 

Concurrent to that development late this season, so too have Elsdon and King taken big steps. Against both Indiana, a game Elsdon was lost early due to an injury, and at Rutgers, King finished atop the team tackle sheet with 2.5 TFL against the Hoosiers and six stops against the Scarlet Knights.

The takeaway for the Nittany Lions has been a dose of stability in a place previously shrouded in uncertainty. 

“You’re starting to see Kobe and Elsdon do that at linebacker,” Franklin said. “But coming into the season, obviously we didn’t know that. We didn’t know how that was going to be.”

Secondary

Franklin made certain to clarify following the Nov. 12 clash with Maryland the reason for his starting cornerback, Joey Porter, being absent from the action.

“Joey had appendicitis,” Franklin said. “That’s what happened.”

Not that Porter hasn’t been missed by the Nittany Lions, per se. He is done for the year and is likely to become the program’s first prospect off the board. But, the performances in the secondary weren’t demonstrably different in his absence.

Stepping up at corner, Kalen King and Johnny Dixon each secured interceptions in Penn State’s November slate of games. King has graded out second by PFF among the major defensive contributors this season. And Dixon has crescendoed into producing his season-best performances on display through the final month of action. 

Meanwhile, at safety, Penn State has worked to develop the position for life without Ji’Ayir Brown next season. It has done so while recognizing the impact the fifth-year senior brings to the table for the Nittany Lions. 

“I don’t think he’s getting enough attention. I don’t think enough people are talking about him when it comes to college football awards, when it comes to the NFL,” Franklin said. “His name should be all over the place. He’s playing his tail off. He makes his teammates better. He’s able to impact the game both in the run game and in the passing game. So, he’s a very well-rounded football player.”

Brown was a third-team All-Big Ten selection by both conference coaches and the media. And King, who statistically finished among the most productive corners in the league, fared the same.