Defensive keys for victory against West Virginia
The time has come to see if the hype surrounding this Penn State defense is real.
They were one of the top defenses in the country last season and are looking to build upon their success this year. In Manny Diaz’s second season as Penn State’s defensive coordinator, the expectations are that they’ll be even better than what they did a year ago.
So, what are defensive keys to victory against an upset minded West Virginia team?
The first is to stop the run.
Attacking on the ground is something that West Virginia wants to do. They’re returning three of their top four running backs from last season and all five of their offensive lineman. With quarterback questions of their own, they’ll look to grind out the game on the ground. It will be up to the interior defensive line to make sure that doesn’t happen.
After getting pushed around against Michigan and Ohio State last year, there has been rumblings the group this season is upgraded. This will be a good test to see if that has come to fruition.
The second key to victory is getting after the passer.
If Penn State takes an early lead, the Mountaineers will have to start throwing the ball at some point to get themselves back into the game. That’s when the edge rushers have to get after the quarterback and make his life miserable. With three legitimate threats on the edge in Chop Robinson, Adisa Isaac and Dani Dennis-Sutton, they should be able to accomplish this.
The third key is limiting explosive plays.
West Virginia will need some of their plays to pop if they want to pull off the upset. That can’t happen to this defense that has goals of being the best in the country. The secondary will have to limit the damage done through the air and the defensive line will have to win their battles against their offensive line.
If all three of these are accomplished defensively, then Penn State will start the season 1-0.
