Hindsight 2020: PSU Defense vs. Ohio State
Everyone has a Plan Until They Get Punched in the Mouth. Well, for Brent Pry and the Penn State Defense That Punch Landed on Play One and Kept the Nittany Lions Off-Balance All Night Long.
First, a little perspective.
The sky isn’t falling. The Penn State defense we all saw Week 1 wasn’t a mirage. This is still an above-average unit littered with NFL talent and very well could be the best defense of the James Franklin Era by December…assuming we get to December.
But, man, Justin Fields is so damn good. No, not good…he’s great. The GREATEST quarterback in Ohio State history. Anyone who argues otherwise just wants to be a contrarian jerk.
So the fact that Fields peppered passes to his overflowing cornucopia of talent for 60 anti-climatic minutes on Saturday shouldn’t really be upsetting, at all. That’s going to happen – not just to Penn State but to every team on Ohio State’s schedule.
But you know what doesn’t have to happen? Confusion. Disorganization. A clown car drill on 3rd and Goal that results in an uncontested touchdown. Defenders looking toward the sideline while Fields quick-counts a QB sneak on 3rd and 3 that nets four freaking yards! Doesn’t matter if the opponent is snapping the ball to Superman, there’s no excuse for these mistakes when the margin for error is already microscopic.
FORMATIONS
Some tinkering but not much.
On 3rd down passing plays, we again saw Brent Pry roll out what we’re going to dub the DIRTY THIRTY front – 30 because there are 3 down linemen with the NT in a 0 Tech, and “Dirty” because we’re basic AF. Of course, because Penn State didn’t put Ohio State in many 3rd and Longs, we didn’t see DIRTY THIRTY until late in the 2nd quarter.
About that play…
Alexa play Yaxety Sax. Perfect mood music. Now, let’s try and figure what in holy heck is going on here!
It’s 3rd and Goal from the PSU 10. Up until this point, Penn State hasn’t had 6 DBs on the field at the same time. But now’s the time! Ji’Ayir Brown – the 6th DB – gets the memo late. Ohio State is set. Brown races into position – not sure if it’s the right position, though. Daequan Hardy – perhaps thinking coaches are yelling for HIM to get in there — takes a few steps on the playing surface before U-Turning back. Maaaaybe Franklin should consider burning a timeout, eh? Naw, no need, he reasons.
PSU’s LBs blitz, leaving the middle of the field unoccupied. I can’t really tell who was supposed to roll over and replace the LB’s vacant territory – Wade, Brown, Brisker? – but it had to be somebody, right? Justin Fields’ greatness isn’t needed on this throw. I mean, the goofy college kids Dr. Pepper picks to chest-pass footballs into soda cans at halftime of the SEC Championship could complete THIS pass.
Want to know the grossest part of all this chaos? Ohio State called timeout BEFORE this play, meaning Pry had extra time to get the right personnel on the field!
Pry also shifted from a 4-man front to a 3-man front on a 1st and 10 late in the 1st quarter – a new wrinkle we didn’t see vs. Indiana. It didn’t work. The wider alignment keeps backup DT Hakeem Beamon from closing the backside gate before the OSU RB squirts through for 14 yards.
This last play doesn’t really belong in the Formation Section, but I didn’t know where else to put another example of Pry’s defense being caught out of position and unready. It’s 3rd and 3 from the PSU 5. Ohio State does a check-with-me and looks toward the sideline. Penn State does the same. Fields approaches the line, mimicking what QBs do when they’re changing the protection. Not here, though. Fields taps the center’s backside and plows ahead 4 yards on a sneak!
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is playing 4D Chess. Pry is playing Tic-Tac-Toe with a stick in the dirt.
Here’s one more mess in a high-leverage situation, down one score with a chance to get the offense back on the field. Antonio Shelton and Brandon Smith aren’t ready. Easy first down:
SUBSTITUTIONS
Curtis Jacobs, Charlie Katshir and Nick Tarburton, welcome to the show! These no-shows vs. Indiana all saw playing time against Ohio State.
On the third series, Adisa Isaac gave Shaka Toney a breather. Same for Beamon with Shelton. Jacobs debuted on the fourth series, and blitzed (unsuccessfully) on two straight plays. Fred Hansard subbed in for PJ Mustipher on the fourth drive, as well.
If Joey Porter Jr. didn’t get dinged up, it appeared he and Tariq Castro-Fields were primed to play the entire game. Marquis Wilson moonlighted during Porter Jr.’s brief absence and watched a long touchdown pass fly over his head. Hardy didn’t play on defense. Jonathan Sutherland saw more run than he did last week.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Upon further review, and after wearing out the slow motion DVR feature, the front four’s performance wasn’t as horrible as I initially thought. That’s not to say it was good, though.
Once again, Antonio Shelton graded out best among the starters (+7.5/-3) and flashed a decent pass rush that should make Pry think twice about automatically subbing him out on 3rd and Mediums. In addition to recording Penn State’s only non-blitz sack, Shelton also was the only lineman to bat down a pass when he got up in Fields’ face early in the 3rd Quarter. Beyond Shelton’s ability, his energetic attitude will be paramount going forward if Penn State wants to finish this fake season 7-2 with a Florida bowl invite.
Shaka Toney (Grade: +3/-4) wasn’t the chaos creator Indiana couldn’t block seven days earlier, though to be fair, he did play through an early injury that caused him to limp off the field and miss a series in the 1st Quarter. Toney managed to get to Fields once (seen below) but Fields didn’t flinch and somehow threw a perfect touch pass for a chunk of yards. Don’t feel too bad, Shaka. Fields pulled off these maddening magic acts seemingly all night in the face of organic pressure (minus the outlier Shelton sack).
For whatever reason (perhaps lack of juice from no Whiteout crowd?), Penn State’s defensive line got pushed around and blown off the ball right out of the gate. That OSU dominance lessened after the first two drives, but by then the Buckeyes had a lead they’d never relinquish. Apologies to PJ Mustipher (Grade: +4/-5) for shining an undesirable spotlight in his direction – because he wasn’t the only lineman getting driven back regularly – but his effort on Ohio State’s first touchdown illustrates our point perfectly.
When you’re escorted four yards downfield and turned completely around, that’s a problem.
Last note: 51-Beamon and 34-Shane Simmons made a few plus plays during garbage time, but nothing cool enough to showcase.
LINEBACKERS
For those soapboxing on behalf of former 5-star recruit Lance Dixon, yammering how he needs to see more playing time and steal snaps from the less-heralded Jesse Luketa, you finally got your wish.
Now, please be quiet.
Thrust into the starting lineup because of Luketa’s carryover targeting suspension (which is such a dumb rule), Dixon (Grade: +1.5/-8) didn’t look comfortable, didn’t play fast, didn’t avoid blocks, and didn’t trust his eyes. Unlike Brandon Smith – who is much further along at this stage – Dixon didn’t get the benefit of substantial mop-up work in 2019 and it shows.
On this play, Dixon doesn’t really do much of anything prior to the OSU left guard reaching him. More concerning, Dixon sort of accepts defeat and doesn’t put up much of a fight once the Buckeyes blocker puts hands on him.
Well, that’s an offensive lineman. Dude must outweigh Dixon by 90 pounds. What happened when Dixon picked on someone his own size…like a tight end?
Glad you asked.
Once Luketa broke free from Targeting Timeout, he filled gaps and made tackles, finishing with the highest linebacker grade (+10.5/Zero Negatives) despite the late start. I’m not saying Penn State would have won if Luketa wasn’t sidelined for the first 30 minutes, but he definitely would have kept us from wondering, ‘What else is on TV?’
Here a sampling of Luketa’s work:
Luketa diagnoses the play in an eye-blink, uses his quickness to avoid the TE block, and makes a textbook tackle for a minimal gain.
SECONDARY
Either Ohio State coach Ryan Day respects the hell out of TCF, or he felt first-year starter Joey Porter Jr. could be exposed, because the Buckeyes tested the lanky corner with the Go-Go-Gadget wingspan early and often on Saturday. In fact, Fields didn’t throw a ball toward TCF’s side of the field until 6:53 in the 2nd Quarter.
And you know what? Porter Jr. (Coverage Grade: +5/-3) did a decent job out there. In the ultimate sign of respect, Day dialed up a successful deep shot a few plays after Porter Jr. went to the sideline with a minor injury.
Porter Jr. did give up a touchdown in man coverage on a two-receiver route with max 8-man protection, but that was more ‘Tip Your Hat to the QB’ than poor coverage. Only knock is Porter Jr. didn’t turn his head to locate the ball, but it took a perfect pass and above-average catch here to beat him.
Near the end of the 2nd Quarter, Porter Jr. jumped an out route beautifully but dropped a potential Pick-6, causing Day to take his foot off the gas and choose to run out the clock…well, all but one second of the clock. Porter Jr. also handled OSU WR 5-Wilson on a 2nd down shot in the end zone on a drive that ultimately ended with a field goal.
We cut a handful of clips where Lamont Wade struggled in man coverage, but by now you get the point, so we’re not going to show them. Just seems like piling on. Two games into a shortened senior season, Wade still has enough time to flip the script and show enough to convince an NFL team to overlook his less-than-ideal size, but if it’s going to happen, it needs to happen NOW.
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