I was able to round out my interview series with Penn State's coaching staff Wednesday with 20-minute Zoom sit-downs with defensive coordinator Brent Pry and special teams coordinator Joe Lorig, building on my interviews earlier this month with offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and head coach James Franklin.
Just as I did with Yurcich last week, I thought rather than immediately wading into the formal stories that will emerge from the interviews, I could start today with some of my off-the-cuff impressions and observations from Pry. I'll do the same for Lorig tomorrow.
Without further ado:
1) Pry is always a character and is in full summer mode. We do this yearly, and that means he wants to BS a little, catch up on our families, and what I would describe as a budding sense of anticipation from him about the season ahead.
Unfortunately with some time constraints of back-to-back interviews, mine being the first before another outlet had an opportunity to get with him immediately after my 20 minutes, that meant less time for catching up, but even through COVID and the challenges of the last year, he was still relaxed and in a great mood.
And that translated to his vibe regarding the defense at his disposal this season, and specifically where it stands this summer. Unlike most of the other interviews I do - frankly, nearly every interview I do - the best starting point with Pry today felt like asking him what he wanted to talk about right off the bat. And right off the bat, gnawing on a stick of beef jerky, this was what he had to say:
"We got a good group coming back. I'm excited about it," Pry said. "I think our depth, if we'll continue to have a great summer and have a good camp, I think our depth... when you look at each position, you're trying to make sure you got five ends, five tackles, you six linebackers, you want four safeties, you want five corners. And sitting at this point right now, I think we have the best chance to check all those boxes, as far as having talented guys that are good enough, they just have to get to a point where their maturity and those types of things are where they need to be. And that's what the summer and the camp's about. So I feel pretty good right now. We just got to stay the course."
No doubt, last season wasn't the shining example of what Pry wants Penn State's defense to be. The Nittany Lions finished 55th in scoring defense, allowing 27.7 points per game en route to an 0-5 start to the season and a 4-5 finish overall. Sacks were down (more on that shortly), interceptions and takeaways were down (more on that, too), and the Nittany Lions made a habit of giving up explosive plays, most glaringly in the stretch of losses to Ohio State, Maryland, Nebraska and Iowa.
But with a return to something resembling more "normal" circumstances, and guys littered across the field that he has confidence in (Jaquan Brisker, Jesse Luketa, PJ Mustipher, Tariq Castro-Fields, Ji'Ayir Brown, Keaton Ellis... you name it), Pry was nothing short of bullish on the potential he sees for this group this season.
2) Pry spoke this spring of accountability in the defense as being a huge priority for the offseason, and Franklin touched on some of the same topics in my interview with him earlier this month.
And really, they're saying something about last season in what they're not saying.
Bottom line, the emphasis on doing what you're supposed to be doing - that's off the field in study halls, meetings with tutors, being engaged in position meetings, and on the field, fulfilling the responsibilities that you have on each and every play without deviating because you think you can make a play - is a blinking red light and siren for what the program feels went wrong last season.
I'm going to pound the drum on this all summer, so I'm not going to run through it all right here, right now. But, Franklin's comments about the importance of Grant Haley *not* attempting to block the kick, and maintaining his responsibilities on the back side of that play, which ultimately led to being in position for the scoop and score that would completely alter the trajectory of that 2016 season, was telling. And Pry, this afternoon, was similarly telling in that regard.
"If you're supposed to take five steps on this blitz, you should take two. And that's the way we put it to them," Pry said. "If you're supposed to be a spill blitzer and come underneath a blocker, but you go down the middle or stay outside, you're not accountable. If we don't know that you're going to be where you're supposed to be, it's hard to operate. And there's enough examples of that last year. And it wasn't because guys didn't know what to do, it's because either they're trying to do too much, or they didn't think the details were important. So that goes back to us, as coaches, emphasizing it."
In other words, as I take it: Trust the system, do what you're supposed to do, even when it doesn't feel sexy, and the rest will take care of itself. Don't, and it won't.
3) Pry acknowledged today that some of the sack numbers that the media - and program itself - had salivated over (particularly while Sean Spencer was here), have changed in their priority within the defense. Setting the table for it in the preseason that they had shifted slightly away from generating so many sacks (not that they don't want them, they do), Pry said that there were some liabilities of that approach that Penn State was no longer comfortable with from a defensive perspective.
"We tweaked it just a little, where maybe it merits not as many sacks, but helps us in some other areas. So that's still a work in progress," Pry said. "I think we saw some of it last year, but last year was such a just an oddball year. I'm anxious to see with another offseason of that mindset, and again, we're just trying to control quarterbacks a little bit better and minimize rush lanes and do a better job getting the ball out a little sooner."
Obviously, last season's catastrophe of inconsistency across college football made comparisons more or less impossible, but the end result for Penn State was a decrease in team sacks to 2.44 per game, down from 3.46 per game in 2019 (7th nationally).
4) The interceptions - or lack thereof from Penn State's secondary - continues to be something that surprised me last season given the expectations that were set for creating more turnover opportunities ahead of the 2020 campaign.
The way that Pry laid it out today, though, the staff feels there is less rocket science to the subject than maybe I'm supposing.
"Honestly, I think you got to catch the ones that are thrown to you," he said. "And we're dropping those right now, too many of them."
Penn State had four total interceptions in nine games last season, only three of which came from the secondary in one each for Jaquan Brisker, Lamont Wade, and Keaton Ellis. Franklin pointed out time and score as a contributing factor to it, as well as a decreased number of pressures on the quarterback, but Pry seemed confident in saying that the elements for creating more interceptions is already in place, the players themselves just have to catch the ball when it's in their hands.
5) A couple of personnel notes to pass along, mostly for reiteration's sake, on the record:
- Jesse Luketa is getting reps on the DL.
"Jesse's practicing some at defensive end. What that role is going to look like, I don't know yet, but we're certainly going to experiment with it like we did with Micah some, and put him on the line of scrimmage."
- Keaton Ellis formally making the move to field safety:
"Obviously moving Keaton Ellis to the position strengthens it even more. Keaton's a guy that is going to battle for starting time wherever you put him in the back end."
Pry said he could move back to corner, but he's two-feet in on learning and playing at field safety right now, though he also acknowledged that Ellis will likely still get reps at corner in preseason camp.
- Marquis Wilson to receiver remains, at present, but Pry said that's ultimately a question for Franklin to decide.
"Obviously, he's always welcome on our side of the ball, but I'm excited about him at receiver. To me, he's done some good things. He's got big play potential every time the ball goes his way," Pry said. "But he's a guy that obviously has some experience. He made a big interception in the Cotton Bowl. I mean, this guy could come back over and slide back in with us pretty quick, whether it's in a significant role or in a part time role."
****************
I'll have much more from Pry in the coming days and weeks, but those were some of the key takeaways that jumped out to me about our session. If anything stands out to, be sure to let me know and I can flesh it out here a little more.
Just as I did with Yurcich last week, I thought rather than immediately wading into the formal stories that will emerge from the interviews, I could start today with some of my off-the-cuff impressions and observations from Pry. I'll do the same for Lorig tomorrow.
Without further ado:
1) Pry is always a character and is in full summer mode. We do this yearly, and that means he wants to BS a little, catch up on our families, and what I would describe as a budding sense of anticipation from him about the season ahead.
Unfortunately with some time constraints of back-to-back interviews, mine being the first before another outlet had an opportunity to get with him immediately after my 20 minutes, that meant less time for catching up, but even through COVID and the challenges of the last year, he was still relaxed and in a great mood.
And that translated to his vibe regarding the defense at his disposal this season, and specifically where it stands this summer. Unlike most of the other interviews I do - frankly, nearly every interview I do - the best starting point with Pry today felt like asking him what he wanted to talk about right off the bat. And right off the bat, gnawing on a stick of beef jerky, this was what he had to say:
"We got a good group coming back. I'm excited about it," Pry said. "I think our depth, if we'll continue to have a great summer and have a good camp, I think our depth... when you look at each position, you're trying to make sure you got five ends, five tackles, you six linebackers, you want four safeties, you want five corners. And sitting at this point right now, I think we have the best chance to check all those boxes, as far as having talented guys that are good enough, they just have to get to a point where their maturity and those types of things are where they need to be. And that's what the summer and the camp's about. So I feel pretty good right now. We just got to stay the course."
No doubt, last season wasn't the shining example of what Pry wants Penn State's defense to be. The Nittany Lions finished 55th in scoring defense, allowing 27.7 points per game en route to an 0-5 start to the season and a 4-5 finish overall. Sacks were down (more on that shortly), interceptions and takeaways were down (more on that, too), and the Nittany Lions made a habit of giving up explosive plays, most glaringly in the stretch of losses to Ohio State, Maryland, Nebraska and Iowa.
But with a return to something resembling more "normal" circumstances, and guys littered across the field that he has confidence in (Jaquan Brisker, Jesse Luketa, PJ Mustipher, Tariq Castro-Fields, Ji'Ayir Brown, Keaton Ellis... you name it), Pry was nothing short of bullish on the potential he sees for this group this season.
2) Pry spoke this spring of accountability in the defense as being a huge priority for the offseason, and Franklin touched on some of the same topics in my interview with him earlier this month.
And really, they're saying something about last season in what they're not saying.
Bottom line, the emphasis on doing what you're supposed to be doing - that's off the field in study halls, meetings with tutors, being engaged in position meetings, and on the field, fulfilling the responsibilities that you have on each and every play without deviating because you think you can make a play - is a blinking red light and siren for what the program feels went wrong last season.
I'm going to pound the drum on this all summer, so I'm not going to run through it all right here, right now. But, Franklin's comments about the importance of Grant Haley *not* attempting to block the kick, and maintaining his responsibilities on the back side of that play, which ultimately led to being in position for the scoop and score that would completely alter the trajectory of that 2016 season, was telling. And Pry, this afternoon, was similarly telling in that regard.
"If you're supposed to take five steps on this blitz, you should take two. And that's the way we put it to them," Pry said. "If you're supposed to be a spill blitzer and come underneath a blocker, but you go down the middle or stay outside, you're not accountable. If we don't know that you're going to be where you're supposed to be, it's hard to operate. And there's enough examples of that last year. And it wasn't because guys didn't know what to do, it's because either they're trying to do too much, or they didn't think the details were important. So that goes back to us, as coaches, emphasizing it."
In other words, as I take it: Trust the system, do what you're supposed to do, even when it doesn't feel sexy, and the rest will take care of itself. Don't, and it won't.
3) Pry acknowledged today that some of the sack numbers that the media - and program itself - had salivated over (particularly while Sean Spencer was here), have changed in their priority within the defense. Setting the table for it in the preseason that they had shifted slightly away from generating so many sacks (not that they don't want them, they do), Pry said that there were some liabilities of that approach that Penn State was no longer comfortable with from a defensive perspective.
"We tweaked it just a little, where maybe it merits not as many sacks, but helps us in some other areas. So that's still a work in progress," Pry said. "I think we saw some of it last year, but last year was such a just an oddball year. I'm anxious to see with another offseason of that mindset, and again, we're just trying to control quarterbacks a little bit better and minimize rush lanes and do a better job getting the ball out a little sooner."
Obviously, last season's catastrophe of inconsistency across college football made comparisons more or less impossible, but the end result for Penn State was a decrease in team sacks to 2.44 per game, down from 3.46 per game in 2019 (7th nationally).
4) The interceptions - or lack thereof from Penn State's secondary - continues to be something that surprised me last season given the expectations that were set for creating more turnover opportunities ahead of the 2020 campaign.
The way that Pry laid it out today, though, the staff feels there is less rocket science to the subject than maybe I'm supposing.
"Honestly, I think you got to catch the ones that are thrown to you," he said. "And we're dropping those right now, too many of them."
Penn State had four total interceptions in nine games last season, only three of which came from the secondary in one each for Jaquan Brisker, Lamont Wade, and Keaton Ellis. Franklin pointed out time and score as a contributing factor to it, as well as a decreased number of pressures on the quarterback, but Pry seemed confident in saying that the elements for creating more interceptions is already in place, the players themselves just have to catch the ball when it's in their hands.
5) A couple of personnel notes to pass along, mostly for reiteration's sake, on the record:
- Jesse Luketa is getting reps on the DL.
"Jesse's practicing some at defensive end. What that role is going to look like, I don't know yet, but we're certainly going to experiment with it like we did with Micah some, and put him on the line of scrimmage."
- Keaton Ellis formally making the move to field safety:
"Obviously moving Keaton Ellis to the position strengthens it even more. Keaton's a guy that is going to battle for starting time wherever you put him in the back end."
Pry said he could move back to corner, but he's two-feet in on learning and playing at field safety right now, though he also acknowledged that Ellis will likely still get reps at corner in preseason camp.
- Marquis Wilson to receiver remains, at present, but Pry said that's ultimately a question for Franklin to decide.
"Obviously, he's always welcome on our side of the ball, but I'm excited about him at receiver. To me, he's done some good things. He's got big play potential every time the ball goes his way," Pry said. "But he's a guy that obviously has some experience. He made a big interception in the Cotton Bowl. I mean, this guy could come back over and slide back in with us pretty quick, whether it's in a significant role or in a part time role."
****************
I'll have much more from Pry in the coming days and weeks, but those were some of the key takeaways that jumped out to me about our session. If anything stands out to, be sure to let me know and I can flesh it out here a little more.
