DEFENSE DOING ITS PART AS WELL

It's very easy to overlook the defense of a team that has the top ranked rushing, scoring and total offensive units in the Big Ten. So much so, that I wonder how many of you realize that Penn State possesses the top rushing, pass efficiency and scoring defense in the Big Ten as well.

What this year's group lacks in star power, it makes up for in balance. Eight different players have at least 20 total tackles for the Nittany Lions, that's more players than USC's, Ohio State's, Oklahoma's, LSU's or Alabama's defense, just to name a few.

Additionally, in its six games so far, Penn State has employed six different defensive starting lineups, showing tremendous depth at every position. The unit has had to overcome season-ending injuries to linebackers Jerome Hayes and All-American Sean Lee as well as the mid-season suspensions of defensive linemen Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma and it still rolls on.

Penn State fans have found unexpected heroes at every level of the defense with Aaron Maybin ranked 2nd in the nation in sacks/game (1.17), linebacker Navarro Bowman earning conference defensive player-of-the-week honors three weeks ago and freshman Drew Astorino leading the team in interceptions.

Maybin was named to the All Big Ten Freshman team last year, but was certainly expected to play in the shadow of Evans this season. Instead, it's been Maybin that has become the most effective pass rusher on the D-Line, Maybinizing everything in sight. (It will quickly become apparent of the unnatural love we feel for Aaron Maybin here at The Floating Lion)

The expectations for Bowman rose by default this spring when Lee suffered his knee injury, and the redshirt sophomore has not disappointed. He's led or tied for the team lead in tackles in four of the six games so far, including eleven stops, five tackles for loss, three sacks, an interception and a forced fumble all in one game against Temple.

Astorino, through six games, seems to have answered the question of who will step in for first team All Big Ten safety Anthony Scirrotto when he graduates after this season. The first-year player has shown a knack for providing excellent support against the run and getting himself in the right position to make plays in the secondary.

The best measuring stick for a defense is points allowed and the Lions are the ninth toughest team to score on in the country. One reason why is that it has consistently not given up the big play. Sure, there were blown coverages in the secondary against Coastal Carolina and Illinois, but overall the Lions have allowed just 13 plays all year to go for more than 20 yards, and just one of them was a run. That means that Penn State is forcing teams to matriculate the ball down the field slowly, a staple of Penn State defenses for decades, allowing itself more chances to use its depth and athleticism to short circuit drives before they reach the end zone.

Moreover, while the Penn State defense might not be the greatest at forcing turnovers (11 far this season, ranked 40th), it has effectively nullified any momentum that the opponent might gain from the Lions' offensive turnovers. Penn State has six turnovers this season (9th best in the country) and the net result of those six has been just six points off of two field goals. Look closer still and you'll see that both of the opponents' scoring drives had started deep in Penn State territory and the defense allowed exactly 0 total yards.

So while Daryll Clark and the offense might be grabbing all the headlines for its stellar play this season, don't sleep on the Penn State defense, a unit that will certainly get its own time to shine when Penn State plays road games Wisconsin and Ohio State - two places that the Blue and White have traditionally struggled to score points.