Daequan Hardy, Penn State defense provides spark in dismantling of UMass

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Don’t play with your food.

A simple saying that was constantly repeated one way or another as Penn State headed into its post-bye week matchup against UMass on Saturday.

While the Nittany Lions offense started slow, the defense and special teams, specifically Daequan Hardy, made no mistake against the heavily outclassed Minutemen.

“You know, defensively, we were suffocating all night long,” James Franklin said. “Then special teams, obviously, the story of the night is Daequan Hardy.”

Midway through the first quarter, UMass sent out punter CJ Kolodziey backed up by his own endzone. With neither side being able to break through, Franklin and special teams coordinator Stacy Collins made a change at returner and brought in Hardy in place of Kaden Saunders.

On the first punt return of his college career, Hardy weaved his way through the coverage and followed his blockers to a 56-yard touchdown.

“I was a good returner in high school. I used to score a lot,” Hardy said. “This is just bringing it back to the old days.”

Throughout the summer, Hardy was even with Saunders when it came to catching punts, so when Franklin was looking for a boost he knew where to go.

“We’re looking to try to create some more big plays not just on offense, but special teams as well as kickoff return, punt return,” Franklin said. “So we wanted to get him some opportunities and some reps, and obviously, he did a phenomenal job.”

It was a necessary spark for the Nittany Lions, and it set the tone for the rest of the way.

“That was huge. It changed the game for us. It made us all excited and pumped,” special teams captain Dominic DeLuca said. “We’ve been trying to get one to break loose for a while now, and we have three break loose today.”

The touchdown by Hardy wasn’t the only chunk play by the special teams unit, as Saunders broke one free for 37 yards.

Hardy, meanwhile, wasn’t done just yet. With under four minutes left in the third quarter, his team in full command up 42-0, Hardy had another house call off a punt, this one for 68 yards.

The performance tonight by the Pittsburgh native was one for the record books. Not only was he the first Penn State player with two punt returns for touchdowns in the same game, but it set a single-season record for punt return touchdowns in program history.

The mindset of the veteran defensive back is a huge reason for his success.

“My game is I just want to be explosive,” Hardy said. “I want to score, so when I catch the ball I try to get vertical and get as many yards as I can.”

Hardy’s teammates know what he is capable of, so this is no surprise for them.

“When he gets loose, it’s hard to stop him. He’s just a shifty guy,” Deluca said. “He’s quick, and he’s able to get vertical fast. It’s hard to catch him.”

Special teams wasn’t the only dominant phase in the game. The blue and white defense was a swarming force all night long, especially when getting into the backfield.

As a team, they notched seven sacks and 14 tackles for a loss, along with allowing 109 total yards, over half of which came in the fourth quarter for UMass.

Senior defensive end Adisa Issac recorded two and a half sacks, along with three and a half tackles for a loss. He credits the cohesiveness of the unit for the dominance they’ve had.

“I feel like it’s just everybody playing on the same page,” Issac said. “Nobody’s an outlier, everybody’s dialed in, and we just play together.”

In recent history, James Franklin has struggled to come off the bye, 3-7 in his tenure going into the matchup on Saturday, but this time was different.

“I think we’re playing winning football,” Franklin said. “That’s probably going to look different every week based on our opponent and based on the matchup, but we just have to continue to find ways to win.”

However, this year was a different caliber of opponents, but what lies ahead is what has been more commonly seen post-bye week.

Next week will be the biggest game of the season so far as Penn State travels to Columbus to take on No. 3 Ohio State at noon.

The cornerbacks, Kalen King and Johnny Dixon, especially feel good heading into the second half of the year.

The secondary and the rest of the defense will look to show out next week against one the best players in college football, Marvin Harrison Jr.

“We got two elite corners,” Dixon said. “So try your luck.”

Matt Scalzo is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email matt.scalzo8@gmail.com or mms7477@psu.edu.