After nearly coughing up a 28-6 lead against Washington on Saturday, Penn State football’s defense understands how urgent it is to fix its second-half shortcomings.

“We have to not get bored doing the same thing over and over again,” defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn said Tuesday. “As the game goes on, we start getting into the 40s, 50s, and 60s as far as snaps, like we can’t lose that focus when we get tired.”

The Nittany Lions held Washington to just 123 yards of offense and six points in the first half. But a switch flipped in the second half, as the Huskies scored 19 points in just 12:33 of possession time.

The Huskies sparked three explosive plays of 10 or more yards after halftime: two passes by Demond Williams Jr. for gains of 39 and 21 yards, along with a 23-yard rush by the quarterback.

Lynn attributed the chunk plays that led to Washington scoring 19 unanswered points to a lack of individual execution.

“Leverage and missed tackles. I thought we did a really good job of it in the first two quarters,” Lynn said. “You look at the second half, there are five plays, whether it’s run game or pass game, we lose leverage. You know, guys don’t make each other right, and we give up big plays.”

For a defensive unit that has preached doing its “1/11th”, these sorts of breakdowns nine games into the season are inexcusable. If the collapse against Washington was the first of its kind, there wouldn’t be as much concern, but it’s been a thorn in the paw all season.

Against Michigan, Penn State allowed 21 second-half points after shutting out the Wolverines in the first two frames. The stellar first half marked the first time a team had shut out the maize and blue at home in the first half since 2020.

In the White Out against USC, Penn State gave up 14 points in the second half after going into the locker room tied 17-17.

Back in Week 4, the Nittany Lions infamously blew a 17-0 lead to Wisconsin by allowing 17 second-half points to drop their Big Ten opener.

Ultimately, Lynn said it boils down to making opposing offenses earn their yards by containing explosives and consistently executing individual assignments, regardless of the scoreboard.

“Especially in games that we’ve been up at halftime, for whatever reason, there’s maybe a foot that comes off the gas a little bit,” linebacker Cael Brezina said. “Whether people are tired, or we’re not warming up the right way, we’re not doing the right stuff at halftime. We’ve been digging into that and trying to figure out how we can come out hot in the second half.”

But fixing the issue requires more than acknowledging the shortcomings.

Penn State still has to drill to improve and throw complacency out the window.

“[Tackling] is something you can’t stop working on,” Brezina said. “And then just as important is the actual technique of tackling and wrapping up and all that stuff. Just as important is leverage and angles.”

Starting safety Jamison Patton, one of the team’s best defenders in 2026, said he’s focused on improving his footwork and, once again, doing his job.

Nothing less, nothing more.

“I’ll catch myself overcompensating at times, like that happened last game in Washington, just not doing my job to my best ability,” Patton said. “Just trusting the 10 guys to be where they need to be.”

Furthermore, Patton praised Lynn’s scheme for its disguisability and multiplicity, which allows Penn State to match up with various personnel.

But from his perspective, what wavers most from the defense on Saturdays is not fully playing within that scheme.

“I like what we’re doing. It’s very plug-and-play, which is nice as a defender,” Patton said. “Playing within the scheme … I feel like that will fix everything.”

The Nittany Lions have talented defenders and a sharp coach to deploy them in an effective scheme, but ultimately, heightened attention to detail and discipline can only end the second-half woes.

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