Penn State’s greatest strength may also be their biggest weakness, and Notre Dame must be able to exploit it
When you think about the Penn State Nittany Lions on defense, speed, and length is the first thing that comes to mind. It is a unit that is littered with NFL talent, and you will find some tremendous players on all three levels. When the defense is at its best, which is led by former […]
When you think about the Penn State Nittany Lions on defense, speed, and length is the first thing that comes to mind. It is a unit that is littered with NFL talent, and you will find some tremendous players on all three levels. When the defense is at its best, which is led by former Indiana head coach Tom Allen, it is playing in pursuit and swarming to the football.
The big name on the defensive line is Junior defensive end Abdul Carter, who heads into the contest with 63 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks. The All-American spent his first couple of seasons as a traditional linebacker before moving to the edge in 2024.
Carter is joined up front with fellow defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and defensive tackle Zane Durant. While neither gets as much fanfare as Carter, they are both very important pieces up front.
At the linebacker position, you are going to see even more speed. Redshirt junior Kobe King is your traditional middle linebacker in the system, while sophomore Tony Rojas is the rangy playmaker on the second level. When No. 13 is working in pursuit, he can be an extremely difficult player to handle.
In the secondary, Penn State is also very talented. They don’t get as much notoriety as the front seven, but cornerback AJ Harris, and safeties Jaylen Reed and Zakee Wheatley have quietly been excellent. That trio has combined for 217 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six interceptions, and 11 pass breakups. Although they play different roles in the defense, each is aggressive, fast, and impactful.
With so much speed, this Nittany Lion unit makes a lot of eye popping plays. They can, however, also be susceptible to over pursuing at times. In a lot of ways, Penn State’s biggest weapon can also be its largest weakness, just look at the USC game for an example.
With Notre Dame being a heavy inside zone team, it wouldn’t be overly surprising to steer into some deception this week. Could that mean more counters? Perhaps some end arounds or reverses? Don’t be surprised if the screen game is also a huge part of the game plan for offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. They need to try to get their best athletes like Jeremiyah Love in advantageous situations the best they can.
The Penn State defense is a very good unit overall, but the Fighting Irish need to have answers ready. Use their speed against them, and make them guess wrong. That’s the best way to make their strength their fatal flaw in the Orange Bowl.
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