Life in the trenches: Austin Johnson praises team's depth at defensive tackle

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Defensive tackle Austin Johnson said it doesn’t matter if he maybe flies under the radar as teammate Anthony Zettel picks up the accolades.

Penn State defensive tackle Austin Johnson waits for the next drill at practice during the spring of 2015. (Audrey Snyder/Post-Gazette)

At 6-4, 323 pounds it’s hard for Johnson to go unnoticed as he takes on double teams, helping free up Zettel to make big plays. Johnson’s effectiveness is often measured by details that sometimes go unnoticed because of what the other players around him are allowed to do because of him taking on two players while continuing to maximize his matchups when the double teams shift to Zettel like they sometimes do.

It’s all in a day’s work in the life of a nose tackle like Johnson.

“Depending on the team it changes throughout the course of the game,” Johnson said of the double teams Tuesday morning on a conference call. “It’s something that I have to deal with. I’ve been taking on double teams for a long time so it’s about time to start getting out of them and make plays.”

Zettel and James Franklin both said this summer that the each player wouldn’t be as successful without the other, but those behind Zettel and Johnson also help make this tackle rotation deep. Parker Cothren, a redshirt sophomore, and Tarow Barney, a senior who joined the team prior to last season, serve as the top backups for Johnson and Zettel. Both saw time last year and will certainly be in the mix this season because Penn State likes to rotate defensive linemen to keep them fresh.

Johnson said he’s certain there won’t be a drop off when the second wave of defensive tackles comes on to spell the starters.

“They’re going to be really good as well,” Johnson said. “When we rotate we’re not going to miss a beat on the field either so it’s going to be hard for teams to kind of say that, ‘Oh, their second d-line is in, the other guys are in so we’re going to try to run the ball.’ That’s not going to happen because they’re just as good as us two. They’re very similar to me and Anthony so it’s going to be hard for other teams to think they can make plays when we rotate.”

Johnson, who is from Galloway, N.J., said the proximity to Lincoln Financial Field for the Lions’ season opener against Temple on Saturday will allow him to have 8-10 friends and family members on hand.

Audrey Snyder: asnyder@post-gazette.com and Twitter @audsnyder4.