Much has been made about the performance of Penn State’s offense in the season-opening win over West Virginia, and for good reason.
Nittany Lions coach James Franklin spent several minutes Monday during his weekly press conference making sure the guys on defense aren’t being overlooked.
“No one’s really talking about our defense,” he said. “Our defense played really well. Our defense played better against West Virginia than it did last year against West Virginia. Not only did they play better, but they played better on the road.”
With new defensive coordinator Tom Allen and five new starters, Penn State held the Mountaineers to one touchdown, 246 total yards and 85 rushing yards in its 34-12 rout.
In the opener last year at Beaver Stadium, West Virginia scored two TDs and gained 308 total yards and 146 rushing yards in a 38-15 loss to the Lions.
The Mountaineers finished third nationally with 228.9 rushing yards last season and ran for at least 150 yards in every game but against Penn State.
“We did a great job stopping the run,” Franklin said about Saturday’s game. “We limited their explosive plays. They had fewer yards per carry (2.3) and we had more takeaways (3).”
Safeties KJ Winston and Jaylen Reed played superbly, combining for 21 tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and two pass breakups. Winston made 12 tackles, forced a fumble and was named Monday as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
Converted linebacker Abdul Carter, who’s now at defensive end, was credited with one tackle, but he was often double-teamed.
“I thought he played really well,” Franklin said. “He was disruptive. There were times when he was taking on two blockers, where a couple times they could have called holding. He’s splitting two blockers and they’re unable to come off on…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/penn-state-james-franklin-praises-034600551.html
Author : Reading Eagle, Pa.
Publish date : 2024-09-03 03:46:00
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