Penn State didn’t need much time to know what had gone wrong.
Less than 24 hours after Northwestern shredded the Nittany Lions for 413 rushing yards, D’Anton Lynn and the Penn State defense were back on the tape, forced to relive a performance that left the group disgusted. The first-year defensive coordinator didn’t dodge it, either. He said he should have done more tackling work during the short week, even if the goal had been to keep players fresh and healthy.
“I think it’s something that you have to stay on the guys always,” Lynn said. “But credit to their backs.
Their backs ran hard, but we have to knock that down. They were the best backs we’ve played, but they’re not the best backs we’re going to play this year."
The frustration in the room was obvious. Safety Jeremiah Cooper said the film session hit hard because the breakdowns didn’t look like Penn State defense at all.
“We were pretty disgusted watching that videotape come Saturday, and you could feel it in everybody’s mood, and especially in his mood,” Cooper said. “Everybody was just sick watching it, just because we know that’s not us, and we know that’s not Penn State defense.”
Cooper wasn’t interested in leaning on the schedule as an excuse. To him, the issue was simpler: the tackling just wasn’t good enough.
“That isn’t an excuse to go out there and tackle like that,” Cooper said. “We’re all football players.
We we all know how to tackle. It’s just like the small things in football that can make big things, and it’s just taking our feet to them, bringing our whole body into them.”
Linebacker Cael Brezina said the problems showed up at the point of attack, but he also pointed out that tackling starts well before the finish. For him, the fix has to come from the entire process.
“It was definitely an issue at the point of attack, which we have addressed a lot in in the past,” Brezina said. “The thing about tackling is it’s as much on the point of attack as it is everything leading up to a tackle. And so, just getting getting better reps throughout the whole process of tackling is something that was really emphasized and has to be emphasized going forward.”
Lynn echoed that there’s no such thing as one game telling the whole story. In his view, tackling can swing too quickly from one extreme to another if people only look at the latest result.
“I always say just because you tackle good in games doesn’t mean you’re a good tackling team,” Lynn said. “Because then you have a game like this, and all of a sudden you’re a bad tackling team. And then we could tackle good next week, and then we’re a good tackling team again.
Now the focus turns to USC, one of the Big Ten’s top offenses, and Lynn said Penn State may need to shuffle personnel and adjust looks to find better answers. He pointed to too many runs that should have been contained turning into explosive gains because of missed tackles, along with other plays that spiraled far beyond what they should have become.
“We have the pieces that we have, so we have to move guys around. We have to give different looks,” Lynn said.
“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. Then there were some runs that should have been eight, nine, 10-yard gains that went for 30-plus because of missed tackles.”
“f we have to put guys in different spots, getting different looks, we’ll do it.
In Other News...
Penn States White Out Puts One USC Advantage Under Pressure
The White Out at Penn State is already looming as a major test for USC, but it also carries a familiar twist for Lincoln Riley. On the other side will be DAnton Lynn, now Penn States defensive coordinator, who spent last season on Rileys USC staff and helped stabilize a Trojans defense that had been searching for answers. Their shared background gives this matchup an unusual layer of familiarity, with both coaches knowing something about how the other thinks and prepares.
For Penn State, Lynns return to the opposite sideline adds intrigue to a game that will be driven as much by adjustments as by atmosphere. Riley has long been one of the sports sharper offensive minds, and Lynns recent success against that same environment gives the Nittany Lions a meaningful point of confidence. There is mutual respect between the two, but Saturday night is about more than that history. It is a chance to see which coach can turn familiarity into an edge when the crowd, the stakes and the pressure are all at their peak. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State White Out Just Got Bigger Than Anyone Wanted
Penn State is heading into Saturday nights White Out with a lot more on the line than usual, and not just because No. 19 USC is coming to Beaver Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. The Nittany Lions have spent the past couple weeks trying to steady themselves after losses to Wisconsin and Northwestern, results that have put a spotlight on a season that was supposed to feel more settled by now.
USC arrives with the kind of profile that can make an already charged environment feel even heavier. Lincoln Rileys team is 5-1 and has flashed the offensive punch that has become its calling card, even if the defense has left room for concern. For Penn State, the White Out is no longer just about pageantry and atmosphere. Its a chance to halt the slide before the questions around Matt Campbells tenure grow any louder. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Still Needs More From One Key Pass Rusher
Penn States defense came out of the Northwestern game with a few reminders of how thin the margin can be up front. The run defense gave up more ground than usual, the sack count stayed low, and the overall pressure package never quite found a steady rhythm. For a unit that has leaned on disruption to set the tone, it was the kind of afternoon that left the staff looking for a little more from the edge.
Yvan Kemajou has been part of that conversation because the flashes are there, but defensive coordinator DAnton Lynn made it clear the next step is consistency. Penn State likes the playmaking potential Kemajou brings, and the coaches know there is still room for the defense to tighten up as the season moves on. The upside remains obvious, but the Lions are still waiting for that pass-rushing spark to show up snap after snap. [Read more 🡒]