Penn State Football: 5 overreactions from win over Indiana
5. Penn States’ defense is the Big Ten’s best
While Penn State’s offensive firepower and the Heisman Trophy campaign of junior running back Saquon Barkley have received the vast majority of the team’s national headlines so far this season, the team’s best unit has actually been its defense.
More from Penn State Nittany Lions
- Penn State Football: 3 Reasons Why Nittany Lions Will Beat Illinois
- Watch: Drew Allar’s first start for Penn State football is off to dream start
- The Big Ten Championship Game is looking for new locations
- Penn State Football 2023 Season Preview
- The best college football game for each week in November
Currently ranked the 13th-best defense in the nation, Brent Pry’s unit has only surrendered 47 total points over their first five games, fewer than future opponent Michigan’s first-ranked defense (54 points in four games) and Michigan State’s fifth ranked defense (72 points surrendered in four games).
And what’s even more impressive is that the Lions’ defense shutting opposing offenses down while averaging the 85th-best time of possession differentiation in college football.
Many top-ranked defenses are paired with pro-style, power running offenses, that can typically be relied on to eat up the game clock and effectively give the team’s defenders a chance to catch their breath and regroup on the sideline.
This, however, is not the case for Penn State, who typically remain in a no-huddle, pass-happy offense for the vast majority of the game, regardless of down, distance or situation.
While this offensive philosophy makes the team a threat to take the ball to the house on any given play, it also can result in a plethora of three-and-outs, and can heavily sway the time of possession battle in their opponent’s favor, like in Penn State’s Week 2 victory over the Pitt Panthers.
The Nittany Lions did ultimately win their home debut by a score of 33-14, but the Panthers possessed the ball for almost twice as long as their opponents, which could become a problem against a more competent offense.
Even the best defenses will break down from fatigue due to extended snaps, so Penn State’s ability to rotate players and keep opposing players out of the end zone should be commended.