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Some people say Poz or Dan Connor was the lynchpin of the 2005 Penn State defense. Others say it was Tamba Hali's play off the edge which made the defense work. I, however, say it was Alan Zemaitis' work in the secondary which made that defense tick.
Zemaitis rendered his side of the field unusable to opposing offenses in 2005, intercepting six of his twelve career passes that season. According to his draft profile, only nineteen passes were completed to receivers he covered that year. He was the sheriff of the Penn State defensive backfield throughout his tenure, leading the NCAA in interception return yards as a sophomore and returning three turnovers for touchdowns during his career. It was his lockdown of opposing receivers which allowed the front seven to be as dominant as they were during that special season.
This year, incoming freshman Amani Oruwariye will wear #21 for the Nittany Lions. Good luck to Amani and continued success for Alan!
