James Franklin was a bit hesitant to call Manny Diaz the day after Miami fired him as its head coach in December 2021. But Franklin hasn’t regretted offering Diaz the job as Penn State’s defensive coordinator even for a moment.
“When you’re able to go out and hire a guy like Manny,” Franklin said Tuesday, “and he comes in and right away is able to get up in front of the room and talk about how we’re going to play defense, he was able to get buy-in right away.
“In some ways he’s even taken it to another level.”
In Diaz’s second year, the Nittany Lions (5-0) rank No. 1 in the nation in total defense, passing defense and pass efficiency defense as they prepare to meet Massachusetts (1-6) Saturday at 3:30 (TV-BTN) at Beaver Stadium.
They’re second in scoring defense and sixth in rushing defense and have held 10 straight opponents to 21 points or less.
“I think we’re playing with a lot of confidence,” Franklin said. “That stems from Manny and the whole defensive staff. …That defensive staff has really good chemistry and the players can see it and feel that as well.”
Penn State has talent and depth at all three levels of the defense, especially at cornerback. Kalen King and Johnny Dixon are the starters, and Daequan Hardy plays when the Lions use five or six defensive backs.
Franklin went out of his way Tuesday to praise Dixon, who transferred from South Carolina before the 2021 season.
“They (Dixon and King) check a lot of boxes,” he said. “A lot of times you’ll have guys who are really good in coverage but maybe they don’t want to tackle. Or maybe they’re really good in coverage but they’re not great blitzers. These two guys do a lot of things.
“Not only that, they’re big guys. They can mix it up and defeat blocks. They can make plays on the ball and run with people. Those guys have been a big part of our defense’s success.”
Dixon and King often take away a quarterback’s first option and force him to hold onto the ball longer. That enables other defenders more time to register sacks.
Penn State leads the Big Ten and is third nationally with 20 sacks, 4.0 per game.
The Lions have made their greatest improvement on defense against the run. They’re limiting teams to 74.2 rushing yards per game and 2.6 yards per carry.
“We’re bigger across the board,” Franklin said. “Part of that is the natural maturation process. But I also think they’ve done a good job of emphasizing it and putting the right weight on. We’re not a weight for weight’s sake type of program. We want our guys to be lean and athletic.
“They’re playing bigger in terms of being disruptive and being gap sound and doing their jobs on a consistent basis.”
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Franklin expects the timing between quarterback Drew Allar and the wide receivers to improve when Harrison Wallace III returns, which could be as soon as this weekend.
Franklin implied that Wallace, who has missed most of the last four games with an undisclosed injury, will play when the sixth-ranked Nittany Lions (5-0) play Massachusetts (1-6) Saturday at 3:30 (TV-BTN) at Beaver Stadium.
“I think getting Trey (Wallace) back is a huge piece of the puzzle,” Franklin said Tuesday. “I think it helps KeAndre (Lambert-Smith). I think it helps Drew. I think it helps our team. I think it helps our offense. I think it helps Coach (Mike) Yurcich in calling the game.”
Wallace caught seven passes for 72 yards in the season-opening win over West Virginia. He had three receptions for 26 yards against Delaware before he left the game with an injury.
He and Lambert-Smith, who leads Penn State with 25 catches for 372 yards and three touchdowns, are the only wide receivers with at least 10 receptions.
The Lions have only 12 plays of at least 20 yards, including 10 receptions, which ranks among the nation’s fewest.
“I think it will be helpful,” Franklin said, “being able to have Trey back with KeAndre on the field while those other guys are developing those roles, those opportunities and that confidence.”
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Penn State senior Hunter Nourzad has made a seamless transition from guard to center this season.
Nourzad, who transferred from Cornell before last season, started his final 20 games for the Big Red at right tackle. The Lions moved him to guard, where he was a reserve for five games before taking over for the injured Landon Tengwall for the final eight games a year ago.
“He’s done a really good job,” Franklin said. “He’s been a great culture fit for us. He’s really well-respected in the locker room from the players and the staff. I think him coming back this year was important for him and us.
“The way he’s playing right now and his ability to play center and guard are extremely valuable.”
Source: Berkshire mont