Trending
By Andy Stine
astine@altoonamirror.com
UNIVERSITY PARK -- No one on the Penn State sideline seemed to know the result of Saturday's Michigan-Ohio State game but James Franklin.
As for the players?
"I didn't find out until after the game," cornerback Audavion Collins said.
"We don't use our phones in the locker room," linebacker Tony Rojas said. "We found out after the game."
Whether they knew the result or not, It certainly didn't seem to affect anyone, especially on the defensive side of the ball in the Lions' 44-7 dismantling of Maryland.
Outside of their first play when Terps' quarterback MJ Morris tossed his team's lone touchdown of the day on a 25-yard strike to Kaden Prather, the Lions' defense was as dominant as ever.
That was one play after Nicholas Singleton fumbled on PSU's first play.
It only went up from there as the defense totaled six sacks, six tackles for loss, and three interceptions.
"The game did not start the way we'd like it to start," Franklin said. "It was very, very sloppy. But after that from that point on, I'm very pleased."
As usual, Abdul Carter led the way with six tackles, two for a loss, to go along with a pair of sacks. He also had a hit on the quarterback.
Jaylen Reed tallied five tackles, while Dani Dennis-Sutton, Zion Tracy, and Jordan Mayer all picked up a sack each. Zane Durant and Amin Vanover combined for a sack.
It didn't seem to matter if it was the starters or the backups either.
"No drop-off is really what we say," Rojas said. "It starts at practice. Whether it's ones, twos, or threes getting the reps, we have to be persistent."
It's no surprise for Franklin with the history that Penn State has with its defensive excellence.
"Every defensive coordinator I've had pretty consistently finishes their defenses in the top 10," Franklin said. "It's a credit to those men and their leadership. It's also a credit to how we operate and how we do things."
Their defense can carry them all the way to Indianapolis this weekend.