In just two games, the Penn State football team's defense has already seen the two opposite sides of the spectrum of offenses.
After switching gears from defending the pass-happy Central Florida offense, to focusing on the option and the ground game against Nebraska, the Nittany Lions now have to go back to focusing on the pass against the spread, one-back offense run by Louisiana Tech.
"I think it's a good thing that we have to learn to adapt," linebacker LaMar Stewart said.
"I think it's helped us a lot, going from a team that passes to a team that runs, to a team that passes. It's not hard to adapt to what they do. They just do one thing more than another."
There are a lot of reasons for Stewart not to be as optimistic as he is. While the Nittany Lions were able to contain the option against the Cornhuskers, they weren't tested very often against the pass in that game. The last time they were tested, the results that came back were somewhat less than pleasing.
UCF quarterback Ryan Schneider managed to pick the Lions' zone apart on several occasions, picking up chunks of yardage on short passes and finishing with 345 yards passing and a late touchdown to cap a well-run two-minute drill in a 27-24 loss in the opener.
The Bulldogs run a similar offense to the Golden Knights, and they throw the ball even more. Last season, junior quarterback Luke McCown threw for 3,665 yards and 29 touchdowns while averaging more than 43 passing attempts per game.
The darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidate has already piled up 823 yards and six touchdowns in the air this season. In the Bulldogs' first game, a 39-36 win over Oklahoma State, he was 38 of 66 for 448 yards and three scores.
McCown has a stable of talented receivers to throw to, most notably Erick Franklin who leads the team in receiving yards with 183 on 11 receptions. Wideouts Ahmad Harris, D.J. Curry, and Freddie King are among a list of a number of other receivers that could give the Lions' defensive backfield a tough day.
The Lions will not be able to focus solely on the pass, either. Bulldogs running back Joe Smith proved himself a danger on the ground with a 177-yard rushing game last week.
"I think they do have a little more balance," Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said. "They want to run the ball a little bit more. They also have more wideouts when they stretch you across the field ... We will have our hands full with Louisiana Tech."
The Lions secondary has been criticized after last season and the Central Florida game. The Lions struggled to make things happen on defense last season, and made just six interceptions. They got half of that total last week alone. However, outperforming the Huskers' passing offense doesn't seem like much of a task. The Lions' defensive backfield sees this week as their statement game.
"This week we have to prove ourselves as a secondary," Lions free safety Shawn Mayer said. "They're going to throw the ball like 50 times, complete probably 30 passes. What we need to do is get a couple interceptions here and there and get our offense on the field."
