Penn State Football: What to Expect From Tom Allen's Defense

Penn State Football is expected to hire former Indiana head coach Tom Allen as its defensive coordinator.

Allen was fired in late November and will get paid a $15.5 million buyout.

Penn State Football, Tom Allen — Tom Allen of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts to a play against the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

No stranger to the Big Ten, Allen spent seven full seasons coaching the Hoosiers, accumulating a record of 33-49. His extensive experience, including leading Indiana to the Gator Bowl and Outback Bowl, is a testament to his capabilities and dedication to the sport.

Allen will take over a Penn State defense that was No.1 in yardage per game (ypg), giving up
222.3 yards per game. The Nittany Lions ranked third against the pass and the run, yielding just 153.6 and 69.7 yards per game, respectively.

The Nittany Lions also stood third in the country, allowing a mere 11.4 points per game.

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Inside Tom Allen’s System

Allen likes to run a 4-2-5; in that defense, you must have an outstanding defensive line, which Penn State is slated to have.

Also, The 4-2-5 Defense is very strong against the Inside Zone.

This defense emphasizes defending the middle of the field and spilling the play outside to the overhang players. All the linebackers and safeties work inside out.

Allen took over the Hoosier defense in 2016; He took over a defense that was ranked 120th. He engineered one of the top defensive turnarounds in the country, with the team improving in every significant statistical category against a schedule featuring four top-10 opponents, a program first.

The Hoosiers were the most improved team nationally in total defense (-169.4 ypg) and passing defense (-134.1 ypg), the sixth-most improved in third-down defense (-12.2 percent), and the ninth-most improved in points per game allowed (-12.3 ypg.)

In 2017, Allen became head coach but still oversaw the Indiana defense. The Hoosiers finished 2018 with 26 takeaways (T-11th nationally; T-2nd in the Big Ten), 13 fumble recoveries (T-5th; 2nd), and 13 interceptions (T-33rd; T-6th).

Allen won Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2020, and the Nittany Lions will get an experienced defense guy to run their defense, which it seemed like James Franklin wanted.