Penn State Football: Michigan Starts Long Series of Tests for Manny Diaz’s Defense

When Penn State lost Brent Pry to become Virginia Tech’s next head coach, the longtime defensive coordinator left behind sizable shoes to fill. The Nittany Lions had – for the better part of Pry’s tenure – been reliable, consistent and a strength of Penn State’s program on a near annual basis. As the Nittany Lions’ offense occasionally sputtered, it was the defense which kept it in games. When both were clicking, it made Penn State one of the most formidable teams in the nation.

The hiring of Manny Diaz in place of Pry not long after was seen at the time as maybe the best reasonable hire Penn State was going to make in the moment. Whatever shortcomings Miami had while Diaz was the Hurricane’s head coach, Diaz had long built a reputation as a solid defensive mind. If anyone was going to be able to maintain and build on Pry’s success, Diaz was likely the best option in the moment.

And so far those assumptions have played out in spades.

Heading into a Week 6 meeting against No. 5 Michigan there’s little question that this Penn State team brings yet another legitimate defense to the table. The Nittany Lions are No. 5 in rush defense, No. 13 in scoring defense, No. 13 in turnover margin, No. 1 in passes defended and No. 20 in opponent third down conversion rate. There are areas in need of improvement, but the overarching theme is the same – this defense is good.

And it will have to be in the coming weeks as Penn State faces Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio State over a span that will define what the season can become. The Wolverines are first up to bat boasting the No. 19 rushing attack and a timely passing game that has led Michigan to an undefeated record and a top-five ranking. If Penn State is everything it thinks it is under Diaz, this will be the first true test of their mettle.

“We’re certainly better than we were on September 1,” Diaz said on Thursday. “And, we’re going to have to be, because obviously, we know that the level of competition is increasing as well. So I’m just happy with the way that the guys are responding to everything that we’re trying to do. And I think our players know that there’s still a lot we can get better at.”

The good news for Penn State is that despite Michigan’s ranking and general success this season, the Wolverines aren’t without their weaknesses. Michigan enters the game No. 69 in the nation in passing yards per contest after entering the year amidst a quarterback controversy and competition that wasn’t finalized until just a few weeks ago. If you can get the Wolverines off schedule, the more the ball will have to go through the air. And while there’s no guarantee of success, it would play toward — and potentially into — the hands of Penn State’s ball-hawking defensive backs.

“It’s always about stopping the quarterbacks best friend, which is the run,” Diaz added. “Because if they can run efficiently… they could just drop back and throw the ball and be fine at that. But now all their play-action pass game is available. Really everything’s available. They’re hard enough to stop if you only fight the war on one front. But if you got to fight it on multiple fronts, it just gets very, very difficult.”

So far this season opponents haven’t really been able to slow Michigan down, but then again, the Wolverines haven’t done much more this season themselves than beat Maryland and Iowa. In some respects, Penn State enters the game the more tested team with wins over away from home against Purdue and Auburn. The road certainly isn’t anything new for this group of Nittany Lions and a thumping of the Tigers’ once vaunted running game doesn’t hurt the confidence any either.

But getting past Michigan only opens the door to different challenges. Minnesota comes to Penn State in two weeks with the No. 5 rushing offense while good-at-everything Ohio State comes to town the following week a national title favorite. For better or worse Diaz, will learn a lot about his defense in the coming weeks, turning a lot of preseason questions into full blown answers.

Speaking of which, how long will the former head coach stick around in State College before he, too, finds a new home in college football? He’s not telling. There’s too much on his plate already to think about that.

“Generally speaking, when you start to look in the future, bad things happen for you in the present,” Diaz said. “I’m fortunate to be the defensive coordinator at Penn State. That’s pretty cool to say out loud, and just trying to handle that to the best ability that I can. And, that’s how every great job that I’ve been able to be blessed with, and I’ve worked at some fantastic places, none of those things have I ever spent a lot of time sitting around wishing for them to happen. 

“They’ve all just sort of presented. Right now, the focus is just trying to get find a way to hold the score down at Michigan.”