COLUMBUS, Ohio — Like an underage student trying to get into a downtown State College bar, Penn State football’s ID has been taken away.
Not a physical card — but an identity nonetheless. Over its 139-ish seasons (number varies depending on who you ask), the program has come to be defined by certain characteristics, including blue collar defenses built on toughness and discipline.
Ask any fan nationwide about the Nittany Lions, and one of their identifying qualities is stout defenses, which have been a constant in Happy Valley for decades, across head coaches, defensive coordinators and personnel.
Despite having three defensive coordinators over the previous four seasons (Brent Pry, Manny Diaz, Tom Allen), Penn State posted a top-10 scoring defense under each while consistently producing NFL-caliber defenders.
This year, that defensive identity is gone. So while Ohio State and others party inside the bar, the Nittany Lions are stuck on the outside looking in.
What makes it so baffling is that this comes after returning several key defensive starters, including defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, cornerback A.J. Harris, safety Zakee Wheatley, defensive tackle Zane Durant and linebacker Tony Rojas. The addition of North Carolina transfer Amare Campbell helped address a need at linebacker.
The cherry on top was bringing in coordinator Jim Knowles, widely regarded as the top defensive coordinator in college football, from conference rival Ohio State on a deal that made him the richest coordinator in college football history.
In what was once expected to be a top-five matchup in Columbus, Knowles was supposed to march into Columbus and exact vengeance on the Buckeyes, who were breaking in a new starting quarterback, new wide receivers, two new running backs and multiple new offensive linemen, along with a new offensive coordinator in Brian Hartline (who made an impressive case to be Penn State’s next head coach).
For the Penn State fans who purchased tickets, parking passes, hotel rooms, flights and more this offseason in anticipation, this was supposed to be a special moment, a culmination of years of buildup, years of knocking on Ohio State’s doorstep.
In what was once supposed to be a breakthrough moment for the program — with head coach James Franklin finally getting over the hump, starting quarterback Drew Allar returning to his home state to lead the Nittany Lions to their first victory over the Buckeyes since 2016 and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles getting the last laugh — it was the opposite.
Franklin is long gone. Allar is out for the season with an injury. And it was Ohio State fans who were laughing, as Knowles was shown in the coaches box on the Ohio Stadium jumbotron in the fourth quarter, with his team trailing 38-14 after getting gashed for almost 500 yards.
Interim head coach Terry Smith, who played wide receiver at Penn State and entered the season as the cornerbacks coach, understands better than most the threat posed by the Buckeyes’ passing attack. He called Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate the two best wide receivers in the country, and said on Wednesday the plan was “don’t let them get behind you.”
They got behind everyone. Smith finished with six receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns, while Tate had a similar stat line with five catches for 124 yards and a score. That duo combined for more yards than Penn State’s entire offense on the day.
Losing games is bad. Losing an identity is worse, as it signifies broader, foundational issues. Without it, there’s nothing dependable to fall back on.
Iowa has yet to discover the forward pass, but the defense will always show up ready to play. USC will always score points, but the defense is also a fan of putting as many points on the board as possible.
Penn State has had good offensive seasons (1971, 1994, 2017) but the identity at Linebacker U has always been on the defensive side of the ball.
With a head coaching search underway, and potential staff changes under the new regime, that needs to be taken into consideration.
Because anyone without an identity is lost, and they’ll be left standing outside in the cold, sober. Which is not a great situation to be in for a team hoping to finally crash the party.
