James Franklin explains mentality behind historic defensive play in 2023

Just has it as all year long, Penn State football put together another dominant defensive performance to close out the 2023 regular season. Manny Diaz and the Nittany Lions stifled Michigan State en route to their third shutout of the year Friday night in Detroit. After the game, Penn State football coach James Franklin explained how complete team buy-in has led to historic defensive play this year.

Penn State puts historic defense on display against Michigan State

Penn State football put up 42 points Friday night against Michigan State. But really, all the Nittany Lions would have needed was their opening-drive field goal to win the game. The Penn State defense was suffocating yet again, a performance symbolic of the unit’s play the entire season.

Friday night capped off a historic year for the Nittany Lions on defense. Penn State earned its third shutout of the season, the most in a single year for the program since 1978. The 53 total yards allowed to Michigan State was the fewest of the James Franklin era and the fourth fewest in Penn State football history.

The -35 rushing yards recorded by Michigan State were the second-lowest of Franklin’s tenure, only to the -49 allowed to Maryland three weeks ago. Penn State is the only FBS program since 2000 to hold multiple teams to under -35 rushing yards in a single season.

The list of historic feats could go on and on. Already ranked near the top of the nation in many areas, no matter how you slice it, Manny Diaz put together a championship-caliber defense in 2023.

James Franklin explains mentality behind stellar defensive play

Clearly, the stats are there for the Penn State defense. But the Nittany Lions’ dominant play goes beyond the numbers. After Friday night’s win over Michigan State, James Franklin explained the “buy-in” mentality that has led to the defense’s historic season.

“There’s a difference between buying into statistics and buying into playing really good football,” Franklin said. “… I’m still a big believer that when true football people like you guys, the scouts, are studying the tape, they’re [the defense] playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played. There’s a ton of times where you’re a defensive lineman, and you run a twist, and you’re the penetrator, and the guy who’s looping the twist gets the sack. Well, the penetrator causes the sack, and real football people that are studying it, understand that.”

“Our guys have bought into that on offense, defense, and special teams,” he continued. “And the reality is, when you do your job, and your teammate does his job, the plays that are supposed to come to you will come to you. And we’ve done a good job of that. We played really good defense; really have been fortunate. We played really good defense since I’ve become a head coach. I think Manny and his staff have taken it to another level. But we’ve been playing good defense for a long time.”

Penn State will do everything it can to keep Manny Diaz

What defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has done with the Penn State defense in his second season in Happy Valley is undeniable. Putting together one of the top units in the nation each of the last two seasons, Diaz’s name has unsurprisingly become a hot commodity on the coaching market.

Earlier in the week, James Franklin explained the importance of creating an environment that can retain high-level coordinators like Manny Diaz.

“I think, as you guys know, every offseason that’s a challenge when you have good people, and you have talented people,” Franklin said of Diaz. “We got to do everything we possibly can to retain them and for them to feel good and appreciated, and that’s with the entire staff. No doubt about it…We like to create a situation here for Manny and his family that he wants to be here until he has an opportunity to get a really good head coaching job that’s going to allow him to flourish.”

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