Oct. 30, 2007
No. 42 - Jason Ganter, Senior, Safety
What do you think it will be like for you coming out of the tunnel on senior day?
It's definitely going to be sad. You can't be ready to give this up. We have been playing the game that we love for so long and especially in a Penn State atmosphere, coming out of the tunnel is such a special thing. So, it's definitely going to be sad.
It's been a tough couple weeks for the secondary. Can you give us your viewpoint on that?
We're going to be fine. Teams throw different things at you. Tom Bradley and Brian Norwood do such an amazing job in preparing us for each and every week, that it really comes down to the us making the big plays.
Can you describe the "Lift for Life?" Do you guys do a lot of preparing in the offseason for that and can you describe how successful it was?
This past year was very successful. We raised $75,000 in its fifth year. During the season we stay focused on the season. We don't do much work on it at all. We do have a lot of volunteers that help out with that during the season so we can concentrate on the games.
You mentioned $75,000. Why do you guys think you have been so successful in raising that money in the years that you have been here?
Just the Penn State family. Penn State football is a big organization and its success is based on for much of word that gets around to the Penn State Alumni Association, Letterman's Club, and a lot of the good work in the news.
Where do you see it going in the future?
We hope to broaden the entire organization into every university across America having one. Right now we obviously raise money for the Kidney Cancer Association. Our general hopes are that every university can pick their medical center or certain disease in which to raise money for.
I understand that you are wearing No. 42 in honor of your dad. Is that true and can you talk about that?
This is the fourth number that I have had here. A lot of athletes will tell you that being comfortable in the jersey number that you wear matters a lot. A lot of people said that I have been wearing No. 42 for my dad. I've really never found a number here. In high school I wore No. 1 which Justin got priority for one reason or another (laughs). I wear No. 42 because it's a great safety number. It's a very historical number here and it has great tradition.
What does it mean to be a Penn State football player on and off the field?
To sum that up, I'm not sure if that is possible. It has to be one of the greatest feelings in the world, to run out of that tunnel and having 110,000 fans yelling for you. Over the past five years, the camaraderie and friendships that I've made just through the football organization whether it be coaches, assistants, managers, and especially the players. After five years, I have 130 other brothers.
No. 60 - Pat Weber, Senior, Center
Can you sum up what this experience has meant to you?
I have to say that it's a great experience to play for the tradition of Penn State and playing under Coach Paterno. I think he really readies his players for life. We are always stressed to be on time. On time means early for everything; 15 minutes early. I think that we face things in football everyday that we will face in the real world. We're going to face defeat, we're going to face adversity. I just think that everything we do sort of falls back on something on the road of life. I think we are better prepared with dealing with it everyday.
Any thoughts about coming out the tunnel for the last time?
I think it will be happiness. I think it will be joy. I'm not going to say I won't shed a tear. I think it's going to be something very emotional knowing that it is the last bus ride over to the stadium, it's the last time to run out the tunnel, with 100 other guys you have cried with, sweat with, bleed with. I just think it's happiness and sadness. So I think it will be all mixed emotions.
What did your involvement mean to you in "Lift for Life" for kidney cancer research?
I just think being involved with Lift for Life, being able to help others that are struggling in their lives and not to take granted for what we do everyday. We have an opportunity to get up and eat everyday and get to play football and do the things we want to do, where the people with certain diseases are struggling some days to get out of bed. And I just think to help them out is a great accomplishment for everyone.
There are a lot of walk-ons and former walk-ons who are going to be honored on Saturday. Can you talk about the level of pride you guys take in coming to the program without a scholarship and then making it through all the five years?
I came here as a preferred walk-on. I just think that I wanted to take that chance to say that I could play at the Divison I level. I had a couple opportunities to play at smaller schools. But I wanted to say that I could do it at the highest level of college football and to play under Coach Paterno and struggle through and get through the five years as a walk-on. I earned a scholarship last year, so I was on scholarship for two years. I just think that Coach Paterno will reward you if you're doing the right things, the way he wants this program run. I came in here with that in mind, and it's paid off. I think that it's been a great experience.
When did you think you finally earned your spot as a Penn State football player?
I would have to say that I was really welcomed by everyone in my freshman class. Just to say that it's not different being a walk-on that would be something that wouldn't be right. I think that everyone was accepted for who they were, and we are all in it together to try to win games. Right early on in my freshman year, my coaches made me feel comfortable, my teammates made me feel comfortable. So I felt welcome right from the get-go.
Can you talk about your practice routine as a kick snapper?
Usually during the week, we have field goal, we have punt group everyday that goes out early. We're on the field about 25 minutes before everyone gets out there. We start off by doing punt snaps and then we will go over for Kevin (Kelly) and then we will snap and hold for him. He goes through 20-25 kicks usually 3-4 days a week. I just think that repetition and being able to get in a groove while you are going through the practice session through snapping is key to everything. And being able to practice it everyday, is how you get good at it.
Was snapping something that you did in high school and how important is it for you to be a long snapper for a team?
In high school I snapped my last three years. I did all the snapping, I played offensive and defensive line. So pretty much in high school I never came off the field. In college, I think that it's a little different because anything you can do is a way you can get on the field. And I think that is the way that I looked at it. And I used it to earn my playing time. Since I'm the backup to A.Q., I just figured that kick snapping was the way to get myself on the field and that's the way I used it.
You are part of a small class. Do you think about the guys that came in with you and left and fizzled out?
Yeah, I think that it is everyone's personal decision. I think that the group of guys that I came in with, like you said it was really small, we had a couple more guys that walked on, and it got a little bigger. Then there were guys dropping off. Then there were guys, like Paul (Posluszny) and Tony (Hunt) that did not redshirt and they were gone last year. But the guys that are left are the ones that really stuck to it and worked hard, even though we went through the tough years of the seasons when we first came in. I think they paid off the last two seasons and I think this year we still have a great opportunity to make it to a New Year's Day bowl and finish on the right note.
No. 25 - Brendan Perretta, Senior, Cornerback
You always wanted to come here. Now that it is your last home game, what has it meant to you?
Man, my last game. It's going to be exciting. It's like a trip. This whole experience has been great. I've met a lot of great people, I played in a lot of great games, I watched a lot of great games. All I can say is that it has been the best time of my life.
Do you have any regrets coming here considering there are many other places you have gone to and played?
No, I don't have any regrets. It's been everything that I have hoped it would be. I feel like I could have taken the easy way out and gone to a Division III school or a Divison I-AA school, and played a little more. But this is something I have always wanted to do. I felt like I could do it. A lot of people told me I couldn't do it. And I just wanted to prove that I could.
Can you talk about the experience of walking on and earning a scholarship, to go along with that, as mentioned earlier, a lot of scholarship guys never even made it through?
College football is a lot of hard work. You have to be dedicated whether you are walk-on or a scholarship guy. You have to have that mentality of everyday doing the same thing, working hard, not taking days off. And if you can fight through it, they will reward you. Like a couple of previous guys here, got rewarded because they worked hard in practice. Your on scout team, you try to make the starting teams better, the second teams better, and that was your job. If you played well, they would reward you. And it was a good feeling to get rewarded.
What do you do to try to get noticed by the coaches in practice?
You do whatever you can to get noticed. You just have to play hard. Whether you're on the scout team or not on the scout team you really have to work hard. You have to play a position to earn a position and if you're on the scout team, the starting team is not going to get any better if you are just going through the motions and not working hard. A lot of guys start on a scout team, they work hard and they get bumped up to second string or first string. Whoever is playing better is just going to get on the field.
Coach Paterno has always spoken really highly of you. What have you done to impress him and what kind of relationship do you have with him?
He's been a great coach. He tries to motivate people. I haven't done that much. I have just worked hard in practice, worked hard lifting, worked hard running, and I all that was asked of me. So I just knew I had to do it.
Can you talk about what it was like to clean the stadium and are you glad that it is over with now?
It wasn't that bad. We were out there for two hours cleaning up the student section. The worst part about it was that it was Sunday morning after a game, where guys are sore or they don't want to do it. It was something that we had to do. It brought the team closer together. Some coaches were out there doing it, and they didn't have to do it. They are part of the team also and it wasn't that bad. I'm glad we don't have to do it anymore, but if we still had to do it, I wouldn't be complaining about it.
Can you talk about what it was like when they approached you with a scholarship and the amount of pressure it took of you and your family?
It was hard paying for school for a while. They called me one day and told me that starting up in the fall that I would have a scholarship and that was the greatest feeling in the world. You don't have to look over your back anymore. It won't be like, "am I going to be here anymore" or "am I not doing the right things?" Once you get it, it's like a huge boulder is lifted off your body and you can just go out and play football now. You don't have to worry about anything.
How did you feel about the switch from wide receiver to cornerback?
I've always been a "team-first" player. When they told me they were going to switch me to cornerback, I didn't ask any questions. It's whatever helps the team. Whether I'm on the field of off the field, if we are winning, I'm happy. I hadn't played cornerback since high school. It was a hard transition, but it has been fun. I have learned a lot of things and hopefully it has helped the team.
What has it meant to you getting back on the kickoff teams?
It's fun. Just being on the field is fun. I like to help out anyway I can. Just hoping to not let the other team run back a kick is one of the things you get scared about. It's a lot of hard work and I'm happy to be back on it.