“Back in the mid-1990s and late ’90s, Pitt State was as good as anybody in the country in Division II football on defense,” Tatum said. “They flew around and played with an attitude. It appears that this year’s unit is more like those from the ’90s.”

Tatum said his coaching staff hasn’t discovered any major surprises in the Lions’ first two games.

“We’re a little deeper in the defensive line than we’ve been since I’ve been here,” he said. “We still have pretty decent speed on the defensive side of the ball, good athleticism.

“Our pass protection on offense is still pretty good. We’re proud of that and plan to keep building on it, and we have to be able to mix up the run and pass, which we intend to try to do.”