STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The biggest difference in Penn State's defense from last season to now isn't some statistical measurement or even the team's increased depth or improved speed.
It's not the seven interceptions from five different players or even the seven fumble recoveries on eight forced fumbles. However, putting seven seniors out there on the starting defense -- including three up the middle in Parker Cothren, Curtis Cothran and middle linebacker Jason Cabinda -- does give defensive coordinator Brent Pry a sigh of relief.
"When you look out there you know what you’re going to get from everybody that you’re putting on the field and sometimes you can’t always say that," Pry said Thursday afternoon. "There’s been many years, like last [year], when you’ve got guys out there in the rotation and you’re just not sure yet what kind of player they’re going to be under the lights. Whether it’s an inexperience factor or you’re still evaluating and with these guys we know what we’re getting when we put obviously the first unit out there and the majority of the guys that are playing behind them."
Penn State has what Pry called three starting corners in Grant Haley, Christian Campbell and Amani Oruwariye. Their fourth starter in that group of course is the injured John Reid. Up front they have a deep rotation of players and established depth at defensive end, the one question mark that was the area where the biggest improvements were needed in the offseason. They also lost a starter at end in Torrence Brown, but Pry was very complimentary of redshirt sophomore Ryan Buchholz who continues taking on an increased role. That too, has been a surprise this season.
"Buchholz, to me, he has a chance to be one of the better d-linemen to come through here," Pry said. "Which is a big statement, I realize. He’s got tremendous size and also is a very good athlete. People don’t realize how athletic he is. And, he’s a great student of the game. If you ever watched him pre-snap his head is on a swivel."
That's some lofty praise coming from the coordinator and the compliments continued as Pry was asked about the back end of the defense where Haley, Campbell, Marcus Allen and Troy Apke have continued helping a defense that hasn't given up a point in the first quarter this season. Cornerbacks coach Terry Smith said a few weeks ago he thought his position group was playing at an elite level and Pry didn't disagree.
"I’m very pleased with our corners. We’ve really got three corners that are complete players and I think that’s the goal at every position," Pry said. "You don’t want there to be a guy who is a liability. ... All of them have experience, all of them have confidence. It’s a real quality group. One of the best I’ve been around.”
Other highlights from Pry's conference call with the media:
Q: Can you compare the depth of athleticism on the defense now to when you arrived?
A: “Yeah, I think probably the greatest testament is just we’ve got some great competition at multiple positions. Whether it’s corner, Amani Oruwariye is a guy that’s in a backup role right now but certainly could be a starter at other places, or at least compete to be in the lineup. Guys like Cam Brown, who has certainly been an exciting guy and very productive and he’s in a backup role. Brandon Smith. Smitty is another example of a guy that’s experienced. I can go on and on at defensive tackle. The backups are terrific. Tyrell Chavis, Rob Windsor and Kevin Givens are guys that we're really excited about, but those two guys Cothran and Cothren have just, you’d have to show me a pair of better ones who are more consistent week in and week out. There’s just really good competition. I can’t say that we had that those first couple years where you felt nearly as good about the guy going in the game as the starter and we have that at a bunch of spots right now. It certainly gives you some comfort and, as you said, provides depth when someone like Torrence Brown goes down and you’re able to have some guys and you have Ryan Buchholz sitting there in the second group, a guy who certainly merits a starting job and he’s able to slide up with an injury. Definitely the depth is, there’s more competition at more positions to me in the lineup.”
Q: Was increasing the team speed a high priority when you arrived at Penn State?
A: “We’re a staff that believes in team speed. We try and recruit to that. We try and Dwight Galt and his staff do a tremendous job through the winter, spring and summer developing that speed. Most of the guys come in here and drop their speed and are a little more explosive and cover ground better as they get into their career. It’s certainly important and it’s noticeable right now in the back seven especially. I think we’re running very well and week in and week out you look at your matchup problems and you say, 'Where is there an issue? Where are they going to run a little better than we do and that’s a discussion point less and less this year over previous years.'”
Q: Do you see that team speed in any statistical improvements or in a tangible way?
A: “We preach converging the ball and how many snaps can we get realistically eight, nine, 10 guys around the football. Sometimes 11. We want to take the air out of the run. Whether it’s a run play or whether it’s a receiver running after the catch, we want to take the air out of the run. The more team speed, the quicker you can merge and take the air out of the running lanes. I see that right now. That’s certainly been a factor for us. We missed some tackles, especially early on, and there’s somebody right there. We’re closing better than we ever have. I think the guys feel that, we see it on the film and we’ll continue to build on that. I think any great defense is going to have that type of converge on the ball and when you’re a little faster, a little more explosive it happens that much quicker.”
Q: How have Parker Cothren and Curtis Cothran improved this year?
A: “Yeah, to me both of these guys are complete tackles. Parker, his game has improved. He is playing with more athleticism. He is an athletic guy. He can slam dunk a basketball and do a lot of things and he just wasn’t playing that way I felt. In this spring, this camp, the way this season started he’s making more plays, he’s getting off blocks better. He’s always been a guy that’s been pretty gap accountable. He’s hard to knock off the ball and you don’t see that happening and he’s making more plays now. He’s an instinctive guy, he’s got a really good skill set. Curtis on the other hand, was a guy that had the athleticism and the talent and could make space plays and be on the edge of people, but hanging in there on the double teams and playing against the bigger guys, that’s where he’s struggled and he’s improved there. He’s gotten bigger and stronger and he’s playing with better leverage. Those two guys to me, that’s where you start. You got two tackles like that and then a middle linebacker like Cabinda. You grow your defense from the inside out. We’ve got three stalwarts there that are just very, very solid and very sound. They’re tough, they’re aggressive. All three of them are physical, mature, they’re where they’re supposed to be. It’s really good when your core looks like those three and then you have some depth behind them. That’s where it starts particularly in your run defense obviously.”
Q: What’s one common misconception fans or the media has about football and defensive football?
A: “Ah geez. I don’t know. I guess it’s tougher than it looks. It’s very hard to play good defense these days, there’s so much to defend, especially with these spread teams. It seems like each year there’s another rule or two that lend to trying to light the scoreboard up. It’s challenging and what you’re seeing and somebody says, ‘Oh, why didn’t he cover that guy or attack the run right there?’ There’s so much to these spread teams and these RPOs (run/pass options) putting players in conflict and that’s what you see and it slows down defenders. That’s probably one of those things right now that not everybody probably fully understands about what these guys, these defensive players and coaches are trying to get done.”
Q: How has the improved depth funneled down to the scout team?
A: “There’s no doubt our scout team is in a better place than it’s ever been. We’ve got a couple of guys in Des Holmes and CJ Thorpe that line up against our d-line every day and we just said last week one of the reason the Cothren/Cothran boys are playing so well is the fits and the way that Thorpe and Holmes are practicing every day. They’re big, strong guys and they got a lot of grit and they’re a little inexperienced, but they don’t let that stop them from going hard as heck and trying to make plays. It’s really helped us up front get better with those guys over there.”
Q: How do you think Cabinda embodies the Linebacker-U mindset?
A: “I think the game he played against Indiana, that’s Jason Cabinda. It doesn’t matter if it was zone coverage or man coverage. It doesn’t matter if it was inside or out on the perimeter he was all over the field, sideline to sideline. He’s a physical presence, had a lot of physical tackles, made big plays, had a nice sack, scoops the fumble and tries to turn and get extra yardage. He’s just kind of a do-it-all, very physical, has a prowess out there on the field. Great leader. I think he embodies Linebacker-U. I really do.”
Q: Koa Farmer, how has he progressed this year? Where would you like to see him grow some more?
A: “I think he’s frustrated a little bit. There haven’t been the plays coming his way that maybe he’s hoped, but he’s doing a very solid job out to the field. We certainly ...bring him off the edge a bunch. He’s a guy that’s gotten better in the box, the true linebacker techniques are necessary at the position. ...I have no concerns in there whereas last year down the stretch you weren’t sure what you were going to get when he had to play to the box. Now, I think he likes being in there. There’s a lot of chemistry between him and Cabinda and [Manny] Bowen. They work very well and Koa can bump it in there. I think he’s confident and strong, he’s got good size. He reads and his keys are in place. He’s got a chance, he’s certainly a talented guy and I think as the year goes on here we’ll see him splash more and more.”