Penn State Is 'Starting to Feel the Soul of Our Defense'

Manny Diaz has watched the Lions' defense bloom in Big Ten play. 'We look like we're having a lot of run right now.'

In the second quarter Saturday at Northwestern, Penn State trailed 10-3, had just gone 3-and-out offensively and had punted back to the Wildcats. Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz acknowledged that the game was "not really going according to plan." And then Diaz's defense made one of his favorite plays of the game.

This Lions smashed Northwestern's run game for a 6-yard loss on first down, forced a punt on 4th-and-13 and returned the ball to the offense with 3:31 to go. For Diaz, that series underscored the evolving verve with which his defense is playing, something that required a few weeks to develop. Now, Diaz said that Penn State is beginning to feel the "soul of our defense," which resonated in that moment and looms large over the remainder of the season.

"Before we took the field on defense [for that series], they were in a great headspace," Diaz said Tuesday. "They were ready to go have fun and play, and that first play of that drive, when Zane Durant and Dvon Ellies and like seven other guys hit the running back in the backfield for a big tackle for loss, you just saw the spirit and the fun we were playing with. And that's kind of what I'm getting at now. I think we're seeing a little more of that."

Penn State's defense has climbed into college football's elite air this season, leading the nation in total defense, pass defense and pass efficiency defense. It ranks second in the FBS in sacks, is third in scoring defense (allowing just six touchdowns) and is tied for the Big Ten lead in forced turnovers. Even against West Virginia in the opener, a game in which Diaz said the Lions were "trying to be perfect" and "maybe a little tight," the first-team defense allowed only one touchdown.

Since then, Diaz has seen Penn State's defense really come into its own during the Big Ten schedule. The Lions have allowed just two touchdowns in Big Ten play, handed Iowa its first shutout in 23 years and forced 10 turnovers in those three games. The defense has shown him more cohesion, more playmaking distribution and fewer players being out of position.

"I felt like against West Virginia, and even part of [the game against] Delaware, I felt like we were trying to be perfect," Diaz said, "maybe a little tight. Because there was a lot of talk in the offseason about, not just as a group what we could be, but a lot of our individuals collectively had a lot of beautiful, wonderful things said about them. But then you've got to get into the games. And I really think that the the first quarter, second quarter against Illinois, when all those plays started coming, I think that kind of relaxed us a little bit. And I think from that point, we started having fun. And we look like we're having a lot of fun right now."

Diaz has won over his players with a style that stresses pressure, turnover creation and revolving them freely through the system. Indeed, Penn State's leading tackler is linebacker Curtis Jacobs with just 18. Diaz is playing three defensive ends on certain downs and four linebackers on others. He rotates safeties, asks players to cross-train and gets everyone involved. As a result, the snap counts this season are quite low. Some players, Diaz said, have played 75 percent fewer snaps than this time last season. So the Lions are fresh for the finish.

"We have a bunch of different things that coach Manny does, and it’s fun," defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton said after the shutout win over Iowa. "It’s a fun defense to play in. He’s coming up with different things on defense to use all of our specialties."

Diaz attributed part of the occasional early tightness to changing leadership. The Lions lost key locker-room voices in safety Ji'Ayir Brown and defensive linemen PJ Mustipher and Nick Tarburton, big personalities who initially were difficult to replace. To compensate, some players strayed from their roles attempting to make plays, something Diaz warns against. He compares it to trying to hit a grand slam with no one on base, and Diaz is seeing less of that now.

"You can see it where a guy's trying to do someone else's job," Diaz said. "And there might have been a little bit that. It was just more kind of playing uptight. You know, sometimes you want to be perfect. And there's that fine line where you put too much pressure on yourself... Just play your role, do your job and the plays will come. And I think that's where we have relaxed over the last three weeks."

Diaz's message now is this: Don't force it. The season includes enough sacks, tackles for loss and turnovers for everyone. If players do their job, the ball will find them.

"I like the fact that as a unit, we're starting to feel the soul of our defense," Diaz said. "The guys are enjoying playing for and with one another."

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.