3. Secondary must improve
Things were going swimmingly for the Nittany Lion defense in their first eight games last season. The run defense was legit, smothering teams at the line of scrimmage. However there were some troubling signs for the secondary and it all came crashing down at Minnesota in early November.
Fifth year senior cornerback John Reid has now departed but everyone else is back. The big question is can they improve? The team gave up an average of 251 yards per game through the air. However Minnesota, Pitt and Indiana all through for over 330 yards against Penn State. In the bowl game, Memphis threw for a whopping 479 yards. If the team is going to challenge for a Big Ten title and possible playoff spot, those averages must come down.
James Franklin made several changes to his staff this season, some on his own and some by coaches departing for new jobs. However Terry Smith and Tim Banks remain as the cornerbacks and safeties coaches, respectively. Cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields will be the only senior in the secondary so there is a lot of youth behind him. With experience from last year under their belts, the young guys will need to step it up this season.
Smith, Banks and defensive coordinator Brent Pry will need to prioritize the secondary this off season and scheme better to avoid the blown coverages and assignments that occurred a season ago.