There aren't too many good things to talk about regarding Penn State's defense line these days.

With teams averaging 245 rushing yards per game, it seems unlikely that there have been any consistently solid individual performances on the defensive front. In fact, the solid 133 yards of passing given up per game by the Lions is not a credit to the secondary, but a dubious credit to the defensive line; teams don't need to throw the ball with the success they have on the ground.

However, there has been some progress through the first three games worth noting on defense. Redshirt freshman Ed Johnson is a prime example.

"You just don't learn to play football at this level overnight," Penn State football coach Joe Paterno said. "You have to get in there and play. Guys like Ed Johnson haven't played enough."

In the time he has played, the young talent from Detroit has stepped into the role of starting defensive tackle and has steadily improved from game to game. His patience and play-reading abilities have been the areas where Johnson has shown the most improvement.

While he's not where the team needs him to be, his development on the line has taken shape. Johnson has been his biggest critic so far, especially after the loss to the Cornhuskers.

"We felt like, I really can't describe it. We felt like we let our selves down," Johnson said. "We didn't want them to score in the second half. Our line gave a great effort."

In the first two games against Temple and Boston College, he constantly fell victim to opponents' play action passing game. Play action after play action, Johnson would over-pursue the running back, and leave the quarterback with ample time to throw or run. It was a rookie mistake.

"In the previous games I haven't been taking off the ball like I should or playing to my potential," Johnson said. "I tried to make a statement against Nebraska. I tired to play all out because my teammates were playing all out. I just fed off my teammates."

Against Nebraska however, Johnson exhibited much more patience off the line. Evidence of this is his forced fumble after a hit on Cornhuskers' quarterback Jammal Lord. Instead of over-emphasizing his speed to blow by the blockers, Johnson shadowed Lord after the snap, and made the hit.

Even more evidence of Johnson's improvement from weeks one and two was the success in defending the option utilized by Nebraska. Johnson was an integral part of the shutting down Lord in the option. His patience was a virtue on the field.

"I attribute some of my improvement to great work from the scout team [last] week," Johnson said. "We were prepared for the option. We just played our assignment good. Nolan McCready did a great job this week of mimicking Lord in the option."