Ohio State and Washington averaged over 280 passing yards per game and were ranked in the top 25 of the category before playing Penn State football. However, the Nittany Lions held both teams to a combined 301 yards and no receiver had more than 55 yards.

The secondary faced former No. 1 recruit in the nation Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and the Big Ten’s receiving touchdown leader Washington’s Denzel Boston. It was the first game of Smith’s young collegiate career where he didn’t have over 70 yards or a touchdown. Boston was held to a season-low two receptions against the Nittany Lions.

The common denominator was the improvement of cornerback A.J. Harris, who had four pass breakups, one interception, and leads all Penn State corners in tackles with 26 in his first season with the Nittany Lions.

“The thing to me that’s exciting is I don’t think [Harris has] scratched the surface,” James Franklin said Monday. “I think there’s a ton left for him, and I think he’s playing at a high level, but I think there’s a ton left for improvement there. And I think Terry [Smith] is the right guy to coach him.”

The Georgia transfer has been called on to cover the opposing team’s No. 1 receivers throughout the season and has been one of the best corners in the Big Ten in doing so. Harris has the second-best PFF grade in the conference and the 11th-best in the country among corners who have played at least 200 snaps this season.

After practice last Wednesday, Harris didn’t shy away from facing another tough test against Boston and the other talented Huskies receivers.

“We just look forward to sticking to our technique and trying to compete against those guys,” Harris said. “This is a great group of wide receivers, but we just look at giving it our all and trying to take care of business.”

Harris’s production and confidence weren’t a surprise to Franklin and the coaching staff. He was on Penn State’s radar since he was at Central High School in Alabama. When he hit the portal after one season with the Bulldogs, Franklin knew what he was getting in the sophomore defensive back.

“Once he showed up on campus, [Harris] bought into everything we asked him to do,” Franklin said. “He tested really well physically and then just embraced the competition in that room.”

Harris and the secondary have been consistent this season, only allowing over 200 pass yards in three games, but they have taken another step recently. Jalen Kimber has been consistent on the other side of Harris, and sophomores Elliot Washington II and Zion Tracy have been productive as well. Washington leads the team in pass breakups and Tracy had a pick-six in the first quarter against the Buckeyes.

Franklin attributed the room’s growth to defensive backs coach Terry Smith.

“When you think about the history and tradition at Penn State, and we’ve got as good a history and tradition as anywhere in the country. But probably the corner room, there [are] less examples of that over time,” Franklin said. “And I think Terry has changed that dramatically.”

Smith has been with the program since 2014 but was named the defensive recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach in 2021. While in the position, Smith has had a hand in developing NFL talents like Joey Porter Jr., Ji’Ayir Brown, and Jaquan Brisker. More may be on the way with Harris, Kimber, Washington, and Tracy.

“Terry has just done a really good job taking a position, and you talk about draft picks and you talk about all-conference players and those types of things, and at a position specifically and how the conference has changed, a lot more spread offenses, a lot more throwing the ball around,” Franklin said. “Terry’s done a phenomenal job.”

Harris and the secondary are now preparing for Purdue. The Boilermakers may not pose the same threat as Ohio State and Washington, but Franklin still saw it as another opportunity for the room to get better.

“As good as [Harris has] been, I think he’s got a chance to get a lot better. And I think that room does in general,” Franklin said. “I’ve been very pleased with how they’re playing, but Terry deserves a ton of credit. So obviously, the young men in that room do as well.”