There’s been a lot of positives to take away from what the Penn State defense has done this year and some negatives as well. It feels like defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has waited to dial up some of his patented exotic schemes.
Maybe this will be the first game he shows some of them.
Illinois poses a challenge for Penn State, who continues to look vulnerable on the ground. They also have some really good weapons on the outside that pose a dangerous threat.
The defense will be a major reason why the Nittany Lions ultimately win their first Big Ten game of the season.
Here are the defensive keys to ensure they come away with the victory.
The first is stopping the run.
Yes, it’s a broken record at this point, but that’s because they haven’t shown they can do it consistently. They will need to in this game since Illinois wants to run the ball as many times as they can. With a mobile quarterback to pair with two good running backs, this is the biggest ground threat that Penn State has faced this year and they need to show they can stop a running game or else this could be a close one.
The second key to victory is pass rush.
If Penn State is able to force Illinois into long passing downs, the front seven needs to get after the passer. The Illini have given up eight sacks in two games so far. This is an offensive line that the Nittany Lions’ pass rushers should dominate. They’ll need to on Saturday.
The third key is to cover the opposing weapons.
While Illinois hasn’t been potent through the air so far, they still have good weapons who can take advantage of poor defensive coverage. The secondary needs to be ready to play on Saturday and not allow this receiving unit to get going. If they eliminate the passing threat like they did against Delaware, that will go a long way in ensuring Penn State comes out of this matchup as the winner.
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