Penn State defense trades punches with Payton Thorne: Film Study

Penn State capped the 2022 season with another stellar defensive performance against the Michigan State Spartans. While it wasn’t the complete shutdown of offense that defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and his players achieved in the previous three weeks, it was another strong effort against a Big Ten East foe.  Yet, at times it didn’t feel that way. After all, the Spartans assembled a drive late in the game to pull within a touchdown of the lead. While a lack of offensive scoring is partially to blame (the defense gave up ten points through three quarters), the Penn State defense did give up more plays than they have previously. So it wasn’t as surprising as seeing a hair out of place on Manny Diaz’s perfectly sculpted hair-do, but it’s close. In today’s film review, we’ll look at what Michigan State did to find passing lanes against the Nittany Lion’s stingy defense.