Penn State braces for stout Washington pass defense
It would seem only natural to conclude that Ohio State's defense is the most stout unit to be encountered by Penn State so far this year.
Following their win in State College last weekend, the No. 2 Buckeyes rank second among FBS programs in total defense, yielding an average of 256.4 yards per game.
But Penn State players are not overlooking their upcoming opponent, Washington, in particular its pass defense.
"We have a really good team coming into town, so it's going to be a challenge this week for us offensively," quarterback Drew Allar said. "We've got to step up to the challenge. They're going to mix a lot of different looks in, and they've got a lot of talent on the front seven and the back end, as well."
In Year 1 under coach Jedd Fisch, the Huskies (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) are a lost cause with respect to replicating any sort of team success comparable to last year's squad that went 14-1 and played in the National Championship.
That said, as Allar alluded to, Washington boasts a strong defense that could give the sixth-ranked Nittany Lions trouble Saturday night at Beaver Stadium.
The Huskies hit the road for Happy Valley with the No. 10 overall defense nationally, allowing 292.8 yards per game.
While Washington has been average in stopping the run, its pass defense to date has been elite, ranking second in the nation in yards per game (142).
"They're definitely up there, for sure," Allar said. "We've seen a lot of talented defensive backs, defensive back rooms in general and they're definitely up there. If not the best, they're one of the best. The thing that sticks out to me is they're always contesting the catch, no matter if it's zone coverage, man coverage — they're always around the ball, trying to make plays on the ball.
" ... We're going to have to be on our Ps and Qs this week when it comes to the pass game: ball location, route depth and timing and those things."
Penn State (7-1, 4-1) comes off of a disappointing offensive performance vs. Ohio State in which its only touchdown of the game was scored by the defense.
Through the air, Allar managed just 146 yards, a repeat of two weeks ago when he threw for 148 in the Nittany Lions' road win at Wisconsin.
The Huskies have recorded 42 pass breakups this year, with cornerbacks Thaddeus Dixon (8) and Jordan Shaw (6) leading the way.
Linebacker Carson Breuner, Washington's leader in tackles (67), has also been active in coverage, posting a team-high three interceptions as well as five breakups.
"It's going to be important for us to know our areas, whether it's zone and if we do get some man, winning in that will be important," Penn State tight end Tyler Warren said. "But really being able to space out the zone and find the holes will be big going into this game this week."
Penn State is eyeing a bounce-back performance on offense that will prevent their Ohio State loss from turning into a losing streak.
As game preparation continues this week, Allar in particular is affording a proper amount of respect to his upcoming opponent.
"Their linebackers do a good job of dropping underneath in coverage and making the windows tighter," Allar said. "The other thing that probably helps them is their d-line. I don't know how many batted passes they have this year, but they have a lot of batted passes. If they know they're not getting a great rush on a play, they're going to try to bat the ball down, so that's something we're going to have to be aware of this week.
"They stick to guys in coverage, so we're going to have to make contested catches throughout the whole four quarters this weekend."
