Quiet, yet smart, DE Brown looks to take his game to the next level
Through Penn State’s first two games, Torrence Brown is one of three who leads the defensive line unit with six tackles. He’s still waiting on his first sack of the season.
A native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., Brown starts his junior year with only two sacks in his career, but in the 33-14 win over Pitt Saturday, he was nonetheless effective. His best play, perhaps, came halfway through the second quarter when he stunted to his right behind the line of scrimmage and swatted down quarterback Max Browne’s pass. Although Brown considers his pass-rush ability to be where his greatest room for improvement lies, a work in progress, his second-down deflection threw Pitt’s offense off schedule. On the very next play, Troy Apke intercepted the pass.
While causing an incompletion proved to be a boost for the defense, now Brown is hoping to get his hands on not just the ball, but the quarterback more often as well.
“Me, personally, I feel like I could be more effective on the pass rush game and that’s something I’ve been working on lately and working on everyday,” he said. “I just want to be patient until my time comes.”
While he’s sharpening that aspect of his skill set, Brown is also working to become a more well-rounded leader. Teammates have taken notice.
A self-described “quiet guy,” Brown said that since he’s the most experienced defensive end in the room he feels it's his duty to take that role upon himself, even if speaking aloud isn’t exactly his thing. “It’s not really my personality,” he said.
With that, however, he hopes his approach elevates the game of not only his teammates alongside him, but also his own.
“Being one of the older guys on the D-line, I feel like I needed to take more of a leadership role and I feel like I’m still stepping into that,” Brown said, “but that’s what can take my game to the next level.”
Sophomore defensive end Shareef Miller, who leads the defense with two sacks, has felt the effects of Brown’s approach firsthand.
After Miller’s two-sack performance against Pitt, he was asked about Brown and how his upperclass teammate affects the mentality unit overall. Miller replied that Brown’s presence and his lead-by-example attitude has not only lifted those around him, but also Miller, himself.
“He’s a leader,” Miller said. “I lean on Torrence a lot. I mean, he helped me a lot these past few years. We grew real close. We’re like brothers. He’s smart.”
One-on-one, it comes more naturally to Brown to offer his opinion and guiding advice. In front of a group, that’s something he’s continuing to work on.
As the oldest defensive end on the unit, it’s become a challenge – not too different from his goal of improving his pass rush – that he’s embracing.
“I’m more of a quiet guy, but if its something that the team needs me to do them I’m all for it,” he said. “I’m fine with taking that responsibility, 100 percent.”
