Oct. 15, 2008
Derrick Williams, Senior, Wide Receiver
Q: What does the nine-game losing streak mean to you and what do you think of it? A: As far as myself, since I've been here we've never beat Michigan. They're a great team. On Saturday, they're going to go out there and be a great team. We just have to prepare ourselves this week for a tough challenge. Every year we look at it as 0-0. We don't look at the streak. We just go out there and try to win a game.
Q: Michigan wide receiver Daryll Stonum guaranteed a win on his MySpace page. What do you make of that? A: That's him personally. If he was on my team and he had that kind of comment I would want him to say it, but not so publicly. If he doesn't play the game thinking he is not going to win, he shouldn't be playing at all.
Q: When you came in 2005, you had the expectations for the program and where it was going to go. Have you been surprised at how explosive the offense has been at over 500 yards per game? Is it even beyond what you had expected to transform? A: When I first came I had no clue about how the offense would perform. Then I got around the guys and saw the talent that we had. I knew immediately that we had the chance to become one of the best offenses in the country. This year we're doing a good job and we just have to keep it up.
Q: Is it just of beyond fun? More fun than any other year that you've been here? A: Yea. I'm out there with four other guys that I came it with. There are so many guys that can make plays and at any given time we can break it loose.
Q: Joe (Paterno) said he's going to leave any Heisman promotion for Daryll Clark up to us, the media. You're a pretty big football fan. Do you think Daryll has a chance? A: Personally, Daryll is the best player in the country. He's just a great player, the way he carries himself in a game and how he leads the team. He's an amazing player. If I could, I would vote for him as a front-runner. Daryll's a guy that doesn't want to even get into that. He just wants to help the team out and take it one game at a time.
Q: You broke your arm against Michigan (in 2005). Does playing them mean anything more to you knowing your history with them? A: Not at all. Every game I come in knowing we want to win the game. We definitely know that Michigan has a good team. They definitely have a good defense. All those guys on defense we've played before. There might be one or two new guys. The majority of them we've played. They've gotten the best of us the last three years.
Q: That (broken arm) also happened of special teams. Do you have any extra motivation on special teams for a big return? A: No, I'm just going to try to run and do my best.
Q: With 2005 being the successful season that it was, you probably have a lot to look back on with fond memories. When you have a team like this season, what would you say are the big difference between that team and this team? A; I don't think it's too much of a difference. Everything that we had in 2005 we have on this team. We have great leaders. We have a group of upperclassmen who aren't just the captains, they are guys that just take charge. With both of the seasons, everyone on the team just loves to be around each other. That's the makings of a good team. It's not just what you do on the field, it's also what you do off the field. When you do that you would do anything for that person next to you.
Q: You've been in three tough games against Michigan and you know about their tradition. Are you surprised that they are 2-4 and how dangerous do you think they could be? A: Looking at their defense, Michigan is a great team. We don't look at their offense but their defense is unbelievable. Like I said, we've played all those guys before. It's going to be a tough game. I think they want to get that loss they had to Toledo out and they are going to come out hard. We are going to try and do our best.
Q: Daryll's taken a few hits this year and on the option play last week he got hit pretty hard. Does your heart ever jump out of your throat when you see Daryll take a hit like that? A: No, Daryll's a big, strong kid and he's going to get up. The only way he'd stay down is if a stretcher had to come and get him. Otherwise he's not going to get out of the game.
Q: You've returned three kicks for touchdowns this year. Have you taken a different approach to your returns or why are you having more success now? A: To be honest I'm really not sure. I've just been running. Whenever I see the open I just try to hit full speed.
Q: Joe said recently that he's had an undefeated team every decade and obviously in 2005 you came really close. Is this almost like a second chance? A: I think us as captains we don't really look back at the `05 season. We don't look back at any season. We're just worried about this season right here and we know that it's a tough journey in front of us because we have some tough teams to play. We go to practice and practice hard and just take it one game at a time.
Q: In the past, Penn State has had a lot of undefeated seasons that didn't get recognized for national championships. Do you worry about getting frozen out of the BCS? A: No. The only this we can worry about is taking care of ourselves. Just going out there and playing every week and playing the best that we can so things can take care of themselves. We just go out there and do our thing.
Q: Are you watching Texas and Alabama now more than you would have in the past? A: No. We're watching Michigan and that's what we have been watching this whole week because it's going to be a tough game. The upperclassmen and telling the rest of the team that it's going to be a dogfight. Every time Michigan comes in, it's going to be a dogfight.
Q: You're obviously a pretty fast guy. Have you or anyone else lined up in the backfield and tried to emulate Sam McGuffie's feet? A: No. Like I said, I haven't looked at Michigan's offense at all. I'm pretty sure that the coaches, Coach Paterno and the defensive coordinator, Tom Bradley, went to the best guys on the scout team because we have some pretty fast guys. I'm pretty sure that they're doing a good job.
Q: With your three returns on the season, if you were a punter, would you kick to yourself? A: Not at all. The guys on the punt team have just a tasted of the success of the kick return team and the punt return team. Everybody knows that at any given time we can just break one. So, it's just not me. The whole punt return and kick return teams work together. Everyone is just so excited.
Q: It looks like you have a nice pair of earrings (laugh) I was just wondering at any point do the players wear them or has Joe changed the rules? A: No, not at all and I forgot to take them out (laughs). Earrings are so tricky because you never know when you have them in. I'm so sorry. I'm going to take them out right now.
Q: Have you guys talked to him about that? Have some of the rules changed? A: I don't think any of the guys try to change the rules because we can't worry about ourselves. The guys before us did it. We're not better than what they were.
Mark Rubin, Senior, Safety
Q: Mark, first off, what are you going to tell Joe about Derrick's earrings? A: I'm sure Joe saw already (laughs). He might be in for it. We'll have to ask strength coach John Thomas about it because Joe definitely has rules and we try to follow them as best as we can. All the stuff Joe has in place is for a reason. We understand that and respect it. Derrick's a great guy and always follows rules. It was a mistake and I'm sure it won't happen again.
Q: A lot of the fans circled the Michigan game when the schedule came out. Are the players the same way? A: Honestly, the losing streak was in the past. All we can do is look towards the future. We can't change the outcome of what happened in the past. All we can do is work as hard as we can on this game right now. We're focused on winning. We know it's going to be a tough game. Michigan is a great team. So, we are just putting all our focus and energy on this year and this game and we are just going to try and have a great week of practice.
Q: When you take a look at Michigan tape or what you have seen on TV, are you surprised that they are 2-4? A: I am definitely surprised. They have a lot of great talent at every spot on the field. They have great coaching staff; Rich Rodriguez has done a great job installing a very effective system there. They just have great players all around and they can all make big time plays. So, we just need to play hard and come ready for a fight.
Q: A lot of players have said the Indiana game in 2004 was the turning point to get the program back. What do you remember from that win specifically? A: The Indiana game was my freshman year. I was playing wide receiver, but I remember the goal line stand that our defense had. That game taught us how to win close games. We were struggling. We had lost more games than we had won and that game specifically showed us that we could win and how to go about winning. It showed us that we needed to make big plays in big situations and we were able to do that.
Q: When you and the other fifth-year seniors came in here you were in that streak of two consecutive losing seasons and now five years later you are in the national championship picture. What does that mean to you coming from where you were? A: It definitely is a great thing to be able to look back on and to just be proud of what were able to accomplish. We have a great group of seniors now, really just great juniors, sophomores, and freshmen and we just have a really talented team right now. It comes down from the coaching staff. They instilled in us the characteristics of what it takes to win and how to prepare yourself to be in the situation to win every single game.
Q: Michigan quarterback Steven Threet is questionable for this weekend. Is it more difficult to prepare for two different quarterbacks and what have you seen from each of them? A: We've seen from each of them that they can play at a very high level. If you are the starting quarterback at Michigan you are a great football player and that's no surprise. No matter whose under center we will be prepared to stop them. They have a great group of running backs and wide receivers so we just need to be prepared to stop them. We can practice and just come out ready for a fight.
Q: You said you were on offense in 04'. Do you ever look back on offense now and are like, "this is so fun to watch?" A: Sure. Playing on defense, I love to watch. Anytime they can score a lot of points that's such an advantage for me being on defense. By having the offense score a lot of points and having the other team be behind that makes them have to pass and be a one dimensional team so that allows Coach Bradley, Vandy (Ron Vanderlinden), and Kerm (Kermit Buggs) to put us in a good position to stop them.
Q: Are you kind of amazed by some of what you've seen in some of the plays? A: Sure, the talent and the skill we have and seeing every player contribute to moving the ball so effectively. Every time we're on the sideline resting, Coach Bradley talks to us and gives us some pointers, but at the same time we're trying to watch the offense and see who is going to make the next big play. It's definitely fun to watch.
Q: The interest and excitement about the program seems to be at a very high level. What's it like going into campus everyday and going to class and talking to people on a daily basis? A: It's just fun. The support here from the Penn State fans, the professors, and pretty much everyone in State College is a major reason why you come to Penn State. It's a fun place. It's a fun time and it just gives you that extra motivation to not let them down and to keep on working hard and to keep on fighting.
Q: Michigan freshman wide receiver Daryll Stonum guaranteed a win on his MySpace page. What do you make of that? A: Good. I would hope that every player on Michigan expects them to win this game. That's what we at Penn State expect and that's what we want them to expect. We want their best and we know that we are going to get their best effort. They have a lot of talent. It's definitely a possibility if we don't play well, if we don't minimize our mistakes, if we don't stay focused for four quarters, we will lose. Good for him, but at the same time we're going to fight as hard as we can and prove that to be incorrect.
Q: Do you have a MySpace page? A: I do have a MySpace page but I don't use it that often.
Q: Michigan is a team that runs the spread offense like you guys, but haven't had as much success. How much of that depends on the athleticism of the quarterback? How does Daryll's ability keep the defense sharp? A: I think going against Daryll (Clark), Evan (Royster), Stephfon (Green), and some of the wide receivers here in practice all the time is a huge advantage. They are some of the best players in the country and we get to see it first hand day-in and day-out. So seeing that and preparing for that definitely puts us in a great spot to try and stop the other great players across the country. Michigan has a lot of great players, a lot of speed, a lot of skill, and a lot of ability to make big time plays. Seeing that from our offense has prepared us and showed us what we need to do to stop that as much as we can.
Q: What are the other players talking about in the locker room, referencing the rankings, without looking past Michigan? A: Honestly, we don't pay that much attention to the ranking. The ranking is not going to help us win games. It's not going to help us catch passes. It's not going to help us not fumble the football. Sure it's nice to see on Sunday afternoon when they come out, but at the same time we definitely know that day-in and day-out at practice we need to put in the work and stay focused on winning games or else that ranking is going to drop very quickly. So we just stay focused. Michigan is a great team and we are going to be ready for this challenge.