Depth chart breakdown: What to expect from Penn State football’s defense in 2020
Over the past month, we’ve taken a look at how Penn State football is shaping up on both sides of the ball with depth chart breakdowns. Now that the lineups are projected, we’ll take a look at what the Nittany Lions can do on either side of the field.
We’ll start with the Penn State defense — led by defensive coordinator Brent Pry — and its chances at repeating a stellar 2019 season after losing six starters to the National Football League.
Run Defense
Penn State’s 2019 run defense featured a stout front line that had plenty of strength behind it. Now that group features four new starters, but added athleticism and can reach even greater heights in 2020.
The defensive line brings back a stout run defender on the interior in redshirt senior Antonio Shelton, who should have junior P.J. Mustipher line up next to him at defensive tackle. Those two will have to do plenty of heavy lifting along the front four.
Redshirt senior Shaka Toney and redshirt sophomore Jayson Oweh should start at defensive end, but neither is likely to replace Yetur Gross-Matos as a run-stuffing end. They’re both lean and athletic but will need to add an excessive amount of weight to defend the run well. Their general ineffectiveness will put more pressure on Shelton and Mustipher to occupy blocks and the team’s linebackers to make plays.
However, there’s plenty of talent at the second level to stop the run after Cam Brown and Jan Johnson exhausted their eligibility. Juniors Micah Parsons and Jesse Luketa will lead the way from that standpoint, with both excelling against the run.
Parsons is an athletic freak who makes plays all over the field. He can quickly diagnose blocks to find an opening and bring down ball carriers near or behind the line of scrimmage. Luketa will be charged with playing in the middle of the field and shedding blocks against the run, while sophomore Brandon Smith will play on the outside. Smith — like Parsons — is an exceptional athlete who can make tackles in the open field. The two outside linebackers will have to make up for the lack of run-stuffing ability on the edge, while Luketa can clean up in the middle of the field.
Senior safeties Jaquan Brisker and Lamont Wade can contribute in the run game because of their physicality. Both won’t have an issue moving into the box and playing like a linebacker, and neither will redshirt junior Jonathan Sutherland. Penn State should be very good against the run this season even with the losses they suffered in the front seven thanks to an improved back seven.
Pass Defense
The Nittany Lions struggled against the pass at times in 2019. Defensive backs got caught with their backs turned to the quarterback and relied heavily on the pass rush to bail them out before they could get beat downfield. They could be in for a mixed bag in 2020 because the back line of the defense lost two veteran coverage options.
John Reid and Garrett Taylor are off to the NFL, leaving sophomore corner Keaton Ellis and Brisker to take their respective jobs. Both spots should see a decrease in pass coverage performance for similar reasons. Neither Ellis nor Brisker has the level of experience their predecessors brought to the table, even though they’re more gifted athletically. While they might have a slow start, both could potentially surpass Reid and Taylor’s play by the end of the season.
Wade should provide more of the same from last season — when he was above average in coverage — while senior corner Tariq Castro-Fields is the wildcard in the secondary. Castro-Fields was inconsistent last year, sometimes looking like a No. 1 cornerback and sometimes looking unplayable. He’s the unquestionable leader of the corners and has to be more consistent. If he plays to his upside, the Nittany will have a lockdown option in the secondary.
The other key component of the pass defense will be the team’s pass rush. The Nittany Lions have recently had one of the nation’s best pass rushing groups in the nation under former defensive line coach Sean Spencer. New defensive line coach John Scott Jr. will be tasked with leading the group and keeping its standard at that level. He’ll have a supremely talented group to work with this season, starting with Oweh and Toney.
Both are elite edge-rushers and can get to the quarterback at will. They have excellent speed off the line of scrimmage and can beat tackles easily, and so can backup Adisa Isaac — a sophomore. Those three, along with redshirt senior Shane Simmons, form an elite foursome that will be among the nation’s best at rushing the passer. Combine their skill with Mustipher and Shelton eating space on the inside and the pass coverage should benefit from the quarterback’s lack of time in the pocket.
Even with the talent on the edge, the biggest difference maker in the team’s pass defense might be Parsons. The former five-star defensive end recruit made his name by rushing the quarterback in high school and showed he could still do it last season. If Pry unleashes the junior linebacker more often, the pass rush may go from one of the nation’s best to the nation’s best.
Outlook
Penn State’s defense should once again be one of the top 10 — if not top five — in the country in 2020. The loss of six starters shouldn’t hamper the team enough to see any drop in ability and the unit’s replacements could be an improvement by the end of the season.
The pass rush will be the staple of the defense once again and has the talent to carry it even if its other aspects struggle. Having a supreme talent like Parsons making plays against the pass and the run will create a baseline for the defense and raise its ceiling at the same time. He’s the anchor of the unit, but the talent around him will dictate if it’s good enough to carry the team to the College Football Playoff.
