WVU doesn’t see much difference as Penn State’s defense goes from Diaz to Allen

Aug. 28—MORGANTOWN — Manny Diaz’s stint as Penn State’s defensive coordinator wasn’t very long, but it certainly was impactful.

Last season, the Nittany Lions’ defense ranked second in the country in points per game (14), yards per game (256.6) and yards per play (4.0). PSU’s defense led the nation in rushing yards per game (75) and yards per rush (2.2).

“Defensively is where I think it starts for them, ” WVU head coach Neal Brown observed. “A top-five defense in most categories in 2023.”

Brown and his Mountaineers host the Nittany Lions in their 2024 season opener on Saturday (noon, FOX). Diaz won’t be on the opposing sideline, however. Instead, it will be former Indiana head coach Tom Allen, who was hired after Diaz took the head coaching job at Duke this offseason.

Despite having a new coordinator, Brown said he expects Penn State’s defense to look very similar to what it was under Diaz.

“From a structure standpoint, it hasn’t been much different than what Manny did, ” Brown noted. “Tom’s had a lot of success as a coordinator and then when you start watching them structurally, there are some real similarities (to Diaz).”

Allen compiled a 33-49 record over eight seasons with the Hoosiers. Prior to that, he was the defensive coordinator at South Florida.

Allen, like Diaz, runs a 4-2-5 defensive scheme, using a hybrid linebacker-safety position rather than a traditional third linebacker, much like WVU’s spear position on defense.

Because the scheme is so similar, WVU offensive coordinator Chad Scott said he hasn’t had to spend a lot of time studying Allen this offseason and instead has been studying Penn State’s players.

“It’s similar to what Penn State does as far as how they line up, ” Scott said. “We’ve been paying a lot more attention to Penn State’s personnel because of the similarities.

“You look at the scheme and…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wvu-doesnt-see-much-difference-023300419.html

Author : The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.

Publish date : 2024-08-29 02:33:00

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