Sunday Film Study: Penn State defense gets two different results with same strategy

The Penn State defense is in an interesting position. It's clearly the most reliable and consistent performer on the 2024 squad but still sits in the shadow of the 2023 defense under Manny Diaz. Once again, the defense was good but surrendered a touchdown and the lead in the first half against Wisconsin on Saturday, giving fans a foreboding feeling about the potential results of the game heading into halftime. But is the unit playing poorly in the first half of games? While we won't answer that question for the full season, we dug into the details of the first half to see what changed in the team's approach that led to another epic third-quarter swing, complete with a defensive touchdown from Jaylen Reed.