Battle Tested Trust | Why Penn State’s defense feels prepared to take on Michigan

Michigan week on the schedule seemed far away when the season started in September, but Nov. 11 has quickly approached.

Growth in maturity and size paired with extreme depth has put Penn State’s defense above all the rest. The group is special with play-making ability at every position.

With a plus-16 turnover margin, the Nittany Lions are the best in the nation. At No. 10 in the College Football Playoff poll, the defense will have another tough test with the Wolverines coming to town.

There isn’t fear in this group; there’s hungry anticipation.

Tough performances against Ohio State and Indiana forced transparent conversations within the group on how it can maximize its efforts and remain connected.

How Penn State coordinates attacks at the line of scrimmage and through the secondary makes it challenging for most offenses to string together longer drives.

Reflections on its lackluster performance against the Buckeyes and Hoosiers has solidified new growth. Against Maryland, the defense’s production was up to par as it held the Terrapins to -49 rushing yards.

Michigan and its newfound passing offensive explosiveness provided it with success through nine games.

“The biggest thing with them is they really have not been challenged,” James Franklin said during his Monday press conference. “They’re usually ahead on the scoreboard for the most part, and they’re usually ahead of the sticks on offense and defense.”

There’s fear that if Penn State goes down early, it’ll be unable to recover, but the defensive confidence is unwavering.

It’s battle-tested, and it’s ready for a fight.

After admitting to having the worst game in his career, Kalen King, stressed the importance of having a one-play mentality.

“It’s just not really [letting] things in the past or things that happened previously affect how I move forward and how I carry throughout the rest of the season,” Kalen said.

Penn State has a statement ready to make against the Wolverines, and preparation is key.

In order to pick the Michigan lock, the defense needs special attention to detail and playing at a high level.

“Nobody’s trying to be a superhero. Everybody’s just trying to do their job,” Adisa Isaac said. “That’s kind of the secret to it — we’re not trying to do anything fancy.”

Isaac said accountability among the team’s leaders is detrimental to ensuring the unit is on the same page.

“The standard’s the standard, it doesn’t really matter who’s in the room,” Isaac said. “As long as you keep a high standard, everything else is gonna fall into place.”

Dialing in under Manny Diaz’s scheme has allowed Penn State to take a strong defensive leap compared to how it performed against the Wolverines last year.

Kalen’s brother, Kobe King, has noticed the different fire that the Nittany Lions have after going through the process of growing from past mistakes.

“Guys having an edge about themselves, you know, have a chip on our shoulder to do things the right way,” Kobe said. “We’re gonna put our all on the line with each other Saturday.”

Amanda Vogt is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email amandaevogt@gmail.com.