3 Fixes Penn State's Defense Must Make Now Before Hosting USC in the White Out

Northwestern’s offensive dominance over Penn State was so tough for defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to watch from the coaches’ box that he moved to the field for the second half.

“It was just hard to watch from up top, and then just not being down there with the guys, being able to talk to them, look them in their eyes,” Lynn said of his decision to move. “You kind of don't know what's going on down there, so it just felt better being down there while all that was going on, just to be able to talk to the guys, talk to the coaches, easier to make adjustments.”

The Wildcats rushed for 413 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-13 win over the Nittany Lions, the roughest game of the season for Lynn’s unit. The coordinator found plenty to fix after that performance, as he prepares to face USC, his former team, in the White Out game Saturday night at Beaver Stadium.

Take control at the line of scrimmage

Northwestern Wildcats running back Caleb Komolafe (5) runs the ball against the Penn State Nittany Lions. — Northwestern Wildcats running back Caleb Komolafe (5) runs the ball against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half at New Ryan Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lynn and head coach Matt Campbell made it a point to recruit size for Penn State’s defensive line in the offseason. Starting defensive tackles Siale Taupaki (6-4, 326) and Keanu Williams (6-5, 317), are the two best examples. So when his team allowed 7.5 yards per carry and got dominated at the line of scrimmage against Northwestern, Lynn was shocked.

Northwestern became just the fifth team to rush for 400+ yards against Penn State since 1947. The Wildcats created gaping holes against Penn State’s big line using misdirection concepts in a Wing-T format that Penn State’s line struggled to stop.

“You go back and watch the game, I don't know if we won the line of scrimmage once,” Lynn said. “We didn't lose every time, but we didn't win at all. We weren't getting knockback, and it was really just controlling the A and the B gaps. Whether it was with our D-line, whether it was with our run fits, or whether it was missed tackles, it was really just A and B gap.”

Tackle better in the open field

Northwestern Wildcats running back Joseph Himon II (6) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Penn State Nittany Lions. — Northwestern Wildcats running back Joseph Himon II (6) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the half quarter at New Ryan Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Missed tackles were a glaring problem against Northwestern. Middle linebacker Kooper Ebel caught a lot of that attention, but most of the defense couldn’t wrap up Northwestern’s backs.

To make it worse, it seemed like every missed tackle turned into an explosive play. Northwestern’s Caleb Komolafe (188 yards rushing) and Joseph Himon II (162) generated much of their yardage after contact.

“There were a lot of runs that could have been 2-, 3-, 4-yard gains that went for 20-plus yards because of missed tackles,” Lynn said. “Then there were some runs that should have been 8-, 9-, 10-yard gains that went for 30-plus because of missed tackles.”

Lynn took the blame, saying the short week led him to curb some tackling drills in practice to keep players fresh. After the game, tight end Ben Brahmer said that Penn State’s practices weren’t physical enough last week.

“[Tuesday is] our most physical day of practice, first and second down,” Lynn said. “So we do a lot of tackling today. We do tackling on special teams, we do tackling in the [individual drills], and then most of our periods are thud. So we tackled a lot today, and we'll emphasize tackling a lot throughout the week.

“But again, we have to go out there and we have to execute it. And if we have to figure out different drills to put these guys in better positions, if we have to figure out again putting guys in different spots, however it gets done, it's our job to make sure it gets done.”

Improve defensive consistency

Lynn emphasized consistency on defense, saying the team needs more of it in “our fits [gap assignments] and tackling.” He said it while evaluating linebackers Tony Rojas and Kooper Ebel’s play. He also used the term when talking about the safeties, who have “been good, but again, need to be more consistent.”

Lynn also said that Penn State needs to be more on top of details, like making sure the defense doesn’t let ballcarriers get outside to the edges of the field, because then defenders need to run farther in pursuit. Being able to correct those issues in person is one reason Lynn moved to the field in the second half against Northwestern.

“I just felt better being down there, just making sure, regardless of what the circumstances are, regardless of what's going on on defense, regardless of what's going on on offense, when we go out there, we have to have the same mentality,” Lynn said on his decision. “We have to have the same edge.

"We can't let the scoreboard change that. We can't let how we're playing change that. We can't let something happening on the opposite side of the ball affect that. We have to have that same attitude every single snap.”

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