Penn State defensive coordinator, players preparing for challenge of Jaxson Dart and Ole Miss’ tempo offense
ATLANTA — Media in Atlanta for the Peach Bowl had the chance to speak with a number of players and coaches from the Penn State defense Thursday. Let’s take a look at how the Nittany Lions responded when asked questions about Ole Miss.
Numerous times Penn State defensive coordinator and players mentioned the Rebels’ tempo offense.
Here is what the Nittany Lions’ interim defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter had to say about the Rebs.
“The first challenge is the tempo. You see it sometimes, but we haven’t really seen it on a consistent basis throughout the game like they do. I think the depth at receiver, the production at the receiver spot that they have, and the players that they have. They have three guys on the field that’s all over 700 yards. I don’t know if we have played a team with that kind of production, maybe Ohio State.”
Coach Anthony Poindexter
Penn State’s senior defensive end Adisa Isaac echoed his coach’s sentiments on the Rebel offense.
“Yeah, I say definitely the tempo and the personnel. They know how to get their skill guys into space and make plays. We kind of pride ourselves on stopping the run all year, and this is a team that has some good backs that run hard and some good receivers as well. So they’re pretty balanced in that aspect. So we’ve just got to do a good job of locking that down.”
Adisa Isaac
When Coach Poindexter was asked to compare Ole Miss to a Big Ten opponent, here is what he had to say:
“That’s hard. Like I say, they’ve got a uniqueness. We really didn’t face a Big Ten team that kind of operated like they did, that they do. Like I say, I think their receiving corps is very similar to Ohio State. Obviously in the Big Ten, there’s quite a few really good running backs in the Big Ten, and obviously we have two great ones on our team. I just don’t know if we’ve faced a team that consistently throughout a game tempo that way.”
Moving onto the next question, defensive tackle Dvon Ellies was asked about his and the defensive line’s plan to prevent Jaxson Dart from succeeding.
“I believe it’s going to start up front. The best way to get to the quarterback is through the offensive line, and we really respect Ole Miss’ offensive line. So we’re going to do our best as a defensive line to operate at a much higher level a lot faster to keep up with an explosive, quick offense.”
Dvon Ellies on stopping Jaxson Dart
To wrap up the press conference, Coach Poindexter finished by commenting on the evident talent of Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins, explaining that he sees a lot of Judkins in his own running backs, Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton.
“We have a back on our team. I think Quinshon’s very similar to Kaytron. He’s got that kind of power, tackle breaker, speed through the hole. And even Nick, they’re all bigger backs that run with power, got breakaway speed and good vision. Luckily we face those guys each week in practice. Obviously, the Big Ten has a lot of big backs like that. He’s special, and we give him all the respect.”
Coach Poindexter on Quinshon Judkins
Rebel fans tune into the Peach Bowl this Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN. Hotty Toddy!
