Much has been made about the performance of Penn State’s offense in the season-opening win over West Virginia, and for good reason.

Nittany Lions coach James Franklin spent several minutes Monday during his weekly press conference making sure his defensive players aren’t being overlooked.

“No one’s really talking about our defense,” he said. “Our defense played really well. Our defense played better against West Virginia than it did last year against West Virginia. Not only did they play better, but they played better on the road.”

With new defensive coordinator Tom Allen and five new starters, Penn State held the Mountaineers to one touchdown, 246 total yards and 85 rushing yards in its 34-12 rout.

In the opener last year at Beaver Stadium, West Virginia scored two TDs and gained 308 total yards and 146 rushing yards in a 38-15 loss to the Lions.

The Mountaineers finished third nationally with 228.9 rushing yards last season and ran for at least 150 yards in every game except the one against Penn State.

“We did a great job stopping the run,” Franklin said about Saturday’s game. “We limited their explosive plays. They had fewer yards per carry (2.3) and we had more takeaways (3).”

Safeties KJ Winston and Jaylen Reed played superbly, combining for 21 tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and two pass breakups. Winston made 12 tackles, forced a fumble and was named Monday as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.

Converted linebacker Abdul Carter, who’s now at defensive end, was credited with one tackle, but he was often double-teamed.

“I thought he played really well,” Franklin said. “He was disruptive. There were times when he was taking on two blockers, where a couple times they could have called holding. He’s splitting two blockers and they’re unable to come off on either a linebacker or another defensive lineman.

“We have to clean up the (two) penalties for sure, but overall I thought his first game as a full-time defensive end was very disruptive. I think he’s going to get better each week.”

Sixth-year defensive end Smith Vilbert, who missed almost all of the last two seasons, sacked quarterback Garrett Greene and forced a fumble that Reed recovered.

“I know he’s extremely hungry this year,” Franklin said, “with as much time as he’s invested to really help this team as much as he can and to have a big year for himself and his family. I think you guys are going to continue to be talking about him a lot this year.”

Transfers A.J. Harris (Georgia) and Jalen Kimber (Florida) also acquitted themselves nicely at cornerback, each finishing with three tackles and a pass breakup. Franklin said six players will rotate at cornerback and that the starters each week will be decided by who practices the best.

The defense has a high bar to reach after Penn State ranked first nationally in rushing defense and sacks, second in total defense and third in scoring defense in 2023. The Lions are off to a strong start.

“It’s a small snapshot for all of us,” Franklin said. “It’s a small amount of data, but it’s a really good starting point. It’s a foundation to build on.”