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LOS ANGELES -- Not that logic always prevails when analyzing college football, but you would think Penn State's best chance to upset Utah in the Rose Bowl -- yes, the Nittany Lions are 2-point underdogs -- it would be with a strong defensive effort.
The Utes average 40 points per game, eighth best in the country, and are fresh from a 47-point uprising in the Pac-12 championship game against Southern Cal.
And without their best receiver, Parker Washington, it's unlikely Penn State can win a shootout.
Led by veteran quarterback Cam Rising, Utah scored 40 or more points seven times -- and even that didn't lead the high-scoring Pac-12.
Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz knows the Lions will have their hands full.
"Utah is as tough a football team as anybody we played this year, and that includes Michigan," Diaz said. "Their belief and their ability to pound the football will be difficult to stop. They can just maul you up front so it's a great challenge."
Other than at Michigan and a fourth-quarter collapse against Ohio State, the Lions' defense was up to the challenge in going 10-2.
The Nits finished the season strong and wound up No. 9 nationally in scoring defense, yielding an average of 18.0 points per game. Of their 12 opponents, nine scored fewer than 20 points.
After Penn State lost respected defensive coordinator Brent Pry, who became the head coach at Virginia Tech, Diaz stepped in and did an admirable job.
Pry watched from a distance and texted, "I'm obviously proud of the guys and happy for them."
Diaz's philosophy was similar to Pry's, which helped the transition.
"I feel like both of them have an edge to them that you don't see from a lot of people," Lion safety Ji'Ayir Brown said. "Pry wanted to press you and play man coverage. Manny sees those things the same way. Both of them -- the way they coach, and their expectations -- align. Neither one is taking any BS from guys not doing their job."
PJ Mustipher was particularly close to Pry but said, "When he (Diaz) came in, we had to adjust, but by the time the season ended, we were firing on all cylinders, and that's from spending time with him. Their defensive philosophy is really similar. They're both really aggressive, and coach Pry would get you fired up, too. I love them both so much."
In the games Penn State is measured by the most, neither DC could quite finish off Ohio State, and Michigan this year simply overpowered the Lions on both sides of the ball.
"We reserve the right to improve as a defense," Diaz said. "Losses can become lessons, and I think we learned a lot. If you look at the way we played the Michigan game, our ability to come in and be honest with ourselves and to get better from that moment ... how we played the next game (beating Minnesota 45-17), how we played up front with Ohio State and through November, we were a much more confident team."
As the Lions' defense improved, how long Penn State can hang on to Diaz became a November topic.
Diaz went 21-15 in three years at Miami, which dismissed him in a messy ending after the 2021 season to hire Mario Cristobal.
Diaz's first head coaching opportunity was at Temple -- when he was hired, ironically enough, by current Nittany Lion athletic director Pat Kraft. But after just two weeks, Diaz left Temple in another messy ending, for Miami, where he grew up.
The Penn State experience has provided him with a soft landing -- in fact, he bought Pry's house -- and the last few years have taught him about the pursuit of head-coaching opportunities.
"I'd like to be a head coach again," he said. "I enjoyed it, and I think there's some unfinished business with the way things happened a year ago.
"Second time around, I think you're a little wiser, and you don't necessarily let the opportunity choose you. I think you choose the opportunity a little differently. When you don't have a platform where you feel comfortable, you may just lunge for something, but I feel very comfortable here.
"I have a great job, and it would take an amazingly great job to leave it."
In addition to being a successful strategist and motivator, Diaz has a head-coaching presence and is a good spokesman, two components vital for success in this fish-bowl era.
And his past experience has taught him an accepted reality.
"If you're doing a good job, they (reports) say you're leaving for somewhere else," he said. "And if you're not doing a good job, they want you to leave for somebody else."
Rudel can be reached at 814-946-7527 or nrudel@altoonamirror.com.