If you ask Zane Durant about last year’s Northwestern game, there’s a good chance he will smile.
Penn State’s third-year defensive tackle produced arguably his best game, collecting three tackles for loss.
One of them, a sack of Northwestern quarterback Ben Bryant early in the fourth quarter, ended any hope of a late comeback by the Wildcats.
Trailing 27-10, Northwestern had third-and-goal at the PSU 1. Durant, aligned at right tackle, burst through a gap between the center and left guard to drill Bryant for a 10-yard loss.
Bryant couldn’t continue after suffering an apparent right shoulder injury, and the Lions won 41-13.
The 6-foot-1, 290-pound Durant remembers the play and said Tuesday he’s focused of producing more in the fall.
“It’s really on me, how much I dominate within a play,” Durant said when asked about creating disruptive plays.
“I have a technique and an assignment on whatever I do. I try my best to dominate my assignment, regardless of what it is.”
The Lions’ tackle group features several experienced options to go with an edge rusher group that will be led by Abdul Carter, Dani Dennis-Sutton and Amin Vanover.
Dvon J-Thomas and Hakeem Beamon are sixth-year tackles, and Coziah Izzard is beginning his fifth season.
“With the experience we have, yeah,” said Durant, asked if the 2024 PSU tackle room is the deepest group with which he’s played.
“A lot of guys can play. We’ve got a lot of guys that can change the game, man, in our rotation.”
The Lions’ edge room is not as deep, but Carter and Dennis-Sutton, third-year players, are expected to go early in next year’s NFL Draft.
Durant believes the 6-4, 268-pound Vanover, a fifth-year end, is not far behind those two, in terms of talent.
“Every day we come out (in practice), they’re always changing up the (end) rotation,” Durant said when asked about Vanover’s upside.
“He’s getting just as many plays as those two. We’re pretty deep at D-end with playmakers who can change the game.”