Penn State Defensive Line Ready To Take The Next Step
Coming off the bye week, Penn State football is in strong position heading into the stretch run of the season. Currently ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll, the Nittany Lions tout one of the strongest defenses in the nation and are winning games by an average of 31 points.
Somewhat surprisingly, it’s been the Penn State defensive line that has become one of the best units on the team. Believed to be a potential weakness coming into the year, the Nittany Lion front has blossomed into one of the best lines in America through the first half of the season. But the unit isn’t satisfied yet. In our exclusive interview with Zane Durant, the budding start DT notes that his position room is ready to take the next step.
Confident defensive line is ready to take the next step
Each year, the Penn State defense comes into the season with high expectations. And each year, the defense delivers. Ranked No. 1 in total defense, the Nittany Lions have had 18 different players record at least one tackle for loss in 2023. Penn State is the only team in the country to have at least 14 players register a sack on the year.
According to sophomore DT Zane Durant, the Penn State defense is hitting its stride at the right time.
“We feel good. We’re confident,” Durant told us in our exclusive interview. “We’re growing every week…Everybody’s ready to learn. We’re just trying to take it to the next level, so we’re trying to learn as much as we can early on in the season, so we can be at our best at the end of the season.”
The defense has really started to blossom in the last few games, particularly in run defense. After early concerns that the Nittany Lions might be weak up front in this area, the defensive line has turned it on. Penn State is allowing an average of 71 rushing yards per game over the month of September.
“Over the first couple of weeks, we were fiddling around. But now we’re starting to become more comfortable,” Durant said. “So, we’re getting more dominant on the inside in the run game. I feel like we’re going to take the next step as a defensive line in these next upcoming games.”
According to Durant, a major benefit to the defensive line has actually been Penn State’s offensive front. Echoing sentiments we have heard throughout the fall, battling the Nittany Lion offensive linemen has drastically improved Durant’s play this year.
“Practicing against the offensive line has helped me a lot,” he said. “Going up against guys like Olu [Fashanu], JB Nelson, Saleem Wormley, Hunter Nourzad. They push me every day.”
Nittany Lion defensive linemen have made great physical strides
While we get to see the dominance of the Penn State defensive line on the field, the production is the culmination of months of work in the offseason. Highlighted as a position that needed to get bigger and stronger last year by James Franklin, the Penn State head coach has been quick to call out the room’s response to his call to action.
“I think we are bigger across the board,” he said in his weekly press conference Tuesday. “Defensive end we're bigger, defensive tackle we're bigger. We're bigger across the board.”
“We are bigger on the defensive line, which I think has been helpful because it is one of your tools,” he continued. “Strength is a tool. Speed is a tool. Intelligence is a tool. Quickness is a tool. Size is. These are all tools, and you want to make sure that you have as many of these tools on your tool belt as possible. But they're also playing bigger in terms of being disruptive and being gap sound and doing their jobs on a consistent basis.”
The Nittany Lions are going to need all of these tools to maintain their perfect record over the next month. After a homecoming matchup against UMass, Penn State football travels to No. 3 Ohio State next week. Another potentially epic clash awaits several weeks later, on November 11 against No. 2 Michigan.
Upcoming Happy Valley United exclusive events
Happy Valley United will be providing exclusive access and events throughout the 2023-24 athletic year, including:
• Lions Live: Penn State vs Ohio State Watch Party, State College, October 21
o Experience one of Penn State’s biggest games of the season with some of the Nittany Lions’ strongest supporters
o Lions Live experience includes meet and greets with Penn State Lettermen, pictures with the Rose Bowl Trophy, unlimited cocktails, beer, wine, and catered food, and more
o Event is planned for the Penn State Golf Pavilion, starting one hour before kickoff
Be sure to check out this and all the exclusive experiences presented by Happy Valley United for the 2023 season!
Exclusive player insights, presented by HVU On-Demand
If you enjoyed this exclusive content, stay tuned for more exclusive insights throughout the 2023 season. HVU On-Demand will be providing exclusive access to player interviews and other content throughout the fall as part of the brand-new partnership between Happy Valley United, Up on Game, and Basic Blues Nation.
This initiative aims to promote NIL opportunities for the over 800 Penn State student-athletes represented by Happy Valley United and provide you with exclusive behind-the-scenes insights from your favorite Nittany Lions.
