Oct. 28, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; -
61- Stefen Wisniewski, Senior, Guard
Q: How anxious are you to finally get the (career rushing yardage) record this week?
A: It's about time, right? We're in game eight here and certainly would have thought we would have had it done earlier. I guess you couldn't really pick a better game for it to happen, if it's going to happen this week; home game, night game, Michigan. We're hoping we're definitely going to get it done and do it on a great stage for him (Evan Royster).
Q: You guys ran the ball well last week in the second half; do you think that can carry over again this weekend?
A: We're definitely hoping to keep the running game going like we had it in the second half. We feel like our offense functions at its best when we're balanced, throwing the ball well and running well. We showed both last week with several different quarterbacks looking good throwing the ball and running the ball pretty well too, so we're going to try to keep that balance going.
Q: If you don't have (Rob) Bolden, it sounds like he probably isn't going to play, how much will it change your game offensively?
A: I don't think it changes too much, to be honest. We don't know if he's going to play yet, he still might. He's going to be evaluated tomorrow, but (Matt) McGloin and (Kevin) Newsome are practicing and both are looking good. To be honest, McGloin, you guys saw him on Saturday, he threw the ball really well. I don't think it will limit our offense at all if we don't have Bolden. I think we still have all our plays in there, all our throws, and with Newsome we have the ability to have the quarterback run the ball. So I really don't think we're limited too much if Bolden's not able to play.
Q: Seeing what Michigan can do on offense, is there an extra emphasis this week on time and possession and controlling the clock, controlling the play?
A: I think whenever you're going against a really talented offense like Michigan's is, we, as an offense want to help our defense out the best we can and certainly that's putting up points, but also that's holding onto the ball and trying to keep Michigan and (Denard) Robinson off the field for as long as we can.
Q: The last two night games you've had tough losses. You have the chance to make a statement this week, can you talk about that a little bit?
A: These home night games, they're kind of the highlight of our season, I think, as players. It's a phenomenal atmosphere, one we really love to play in. It sort of ruins it when you lose, so we would really like to win this one. It being Michigan adds another dimension in there, one of our big rivals and we've beat them two years in a row now. I certainly would like to be able to graduate with a streak of three wins against Michigan going.
Q: I'm guessing you took the imPACT concussion baseline test at some point, right?
A: Yes, everyone does.
Q: What did you think when you took that, as you're sitting there answering those questions with how bizarre they are, what's going through your mind?
A: They're very strange and you're definitely thinking, "what is this going to help?" But, I know it was designed by some very smart people who understand the brain pretty well. They analyze all different kinds of thought processes. I look at it as a challenge, I'm excited. Being me, I'm like, "Oh, a test! I have to get a 100!" But that's not actually the goal.
Q: Did you struggle in any one particular area, like with the squiggly lines?
A: Oh, I loved the squiggly lines.
Q: I'm sure the season hasn't been as successful as a lot of the players would have liked, what do you think when you see all those kids out there in Paternoville, still rallying behind the team, even though things have been a little bit tough?
A: Our fan base is awesome. It's really encouraging to know that even when we've lost several games this year that they're still behind us 100% percent. I remember walking off the field after Illinois, and obviously we were really disappointed after that one, and there were fans hanging around and students were yelling stuff like, "We still love you guys!" and "We're still with you!" That's awesome. I don't think it's like that everywhere else, that kind of fan base that really motivates us to try to do our best.
Q: Do you see any similarities maybe with the fact that they're taking this weekend to be a salvage-type game for both programs?
A: I'm familiar with where Michigan is at. I don't think we're trying to look at it as a game to try to salvage the season. I think if you take that mentality you kind of put a little bit of added pressure on yourself and when more pressure is on you that can tend to make you make some mistakes. I don't think we're looking at it like that, I think we're looking at it as a great opportunity, a night game on national TV to show people that we're better than we've maybe shown in some of our previous games.
Q: Is there something specific about these home night games that really gets your motor running on game day?
A: Definitely. I mean what it is that really gets you going is the crowd. Crowds are always awesome here. There's something about that night game, people get some more time to get fired up. Just the atmosphere under the lights is pretty awesome. We definitely feel that as players and we can sense it.
Q: I know the offensive line constantly stresses consistency; can you pinpoint one area maybe like footwork or using hands better that we need consistency at?
A: I think it's hard to pick one thing. I think it's kind of; it will be one thing here, it will be another thing at a different time. It's sort of a combination of some of those things that you mentioned with being feet here and being hands here, maybe being an assignment mistake here. It would be hard to point to one, I think it's just a different one each time.
Q: To follow up with the night games, is that something you need to experience because Michigan doesn't have night games?
A: It's definitely a unique experience. If you're never part of one, your first one you're just kind of like "Wow! This is pretty cool!" It is a lot different certainly. I mean everyone has played night games back in high school. Everyone one played Friday nights, but they've never played in front of 110,000 at night.
Q: How much did that help you going into Iowa and Alabama this year?
A: It helped a ton, tremendously.
Q: On McGloin's list of strength, where would enthusiasm, leadership and self-confidence rank. Are they important to who he is?
A: Absolutely. All those things you just mentioned about McGloin are definitely strengths for him. The kid's got a lot of charisma and a lot of confidence in himself and we see that just in the way that he handles himself. That's what you like to see out of a quarterback. You want to have someone who is confident in what they're doing and shows that confidence.
Q: Can you give me an example?
A: I think just the way he handled himself against Minnesota. He walked in, walked into the huddle, said something like, "let's go guys, I'm ready for this." His second pass he threw a 50-yard touchdown pass and it's like, "this kid can handle it." He believes he can and I think he showed that he can.
Q: Defensively does Michigan do some things differently than what you normally see in the Big Ten?
A: Absolutely. I think they're the only ones in the Big Ten that play it, that 3-5 stack and definitely that is something we haven't seen. We will be putting a big emphasis on making sure we have all our assignments down because they are pretty big for us.
59 - Pete Massaro, Sophomore, Defensive End
Q: Is the lack of sacks a concern and how important do you see them? Are they indicative of your play?
A: I think it's very important. It's more important that we get steady pressure on the quarterback and I know at times this year we haven't really done that consistently. It's something that we're working on at practice all the time. It's something that we're working to improve.
Q: How tough is that with so many people going down and switching positions and whatnot?
A: It's more so kind of an individual thing. You have to refine your skills, find out what you can do and what you can't do.
Q: Obviously Robinson is what makes their offense good, but what have you seen from Michigan's offensive line that they do well this year?
A: I think their offensive line is going to be one of the more athletic offensive lines that we play. They're all very big and they all move very well also. I think we just have to work on running to the ball and keeping Denard Robinson contained.
Q: Is it more important to just contain Denard Robinson instead of trying to get to him?
A: We're definitely going to have to adjust our rush lanes this week. If we let him escape the pocket there are going to be big running lanes in our defense. We want to control our rushes and try to get our hands up at the line of scrimmage to knock some passes down.
Q: I know it's early in the week, but who was mimicking Robinson at practice yesterday?
A: We had a few guys. One of the guys was Evan Lewis from Gettysburg. He's pretty quick.
Q: When you watch Robinson on tape, what really stands out, what does he do that makes him so special?
A: I mean a whole bunch of things really. You name it. He's fast, he's quick, he has a great burst when he runs through the line of scrimmage and he's deceptive as well. He's a great player.
Q: With all the injuries and shifting with the defensive ends, how much of a burden is that and how difficult is that to overcome?
A: Any time somebody goes down, the next guy just has to be ready to step up. I feel like the next guys have done a pretty good job with that. Jordan Hill had a great game in his first game at D-end. He really picked up the plays and got used to the position pretty fast.
Q: Chris Colasanti leads the Big Ten in tackles per game. He's sort of a quiet guy in his performance, how do you assess his performance so far this season?
A: Chris has been really important to us. He's one of our toughest players on defense and he's aggressive and he's strong and while he may not say a lot all the time, he's one of our biggest leaders. No doubt about it.
Q: Can you compare the Michigan offense to anything you've faced before?
A: I guess the closest thing we've faced this season to that was, talking about the pace of the game was Youngstown State. They went no huddle all the time and it's going to be very important for us this week to work on our conditioning and make sure we pursue the ball.
Q: Going back to Jordan Hill, what goes into making a transition like that?
A: I think it's extremely different. You're going from being closed in to being out in a lot of space. I think he really adjusted well. The other aspect is learning the plays at end. He didn't necessarily know them before. Jordan's a smart guy; he picked them up in about a week.
Q: Any change you guys might play a spy against Robinson?
A: It's possible.
Q: How much are you looking forward to playing your first night game here?
A: I'm really excited for it. It's just a great atmosphere and it's one of the reasons you come to a school like Penn State, that great night game atmosphere. The fans are going to be really amped up and it's going to be a really fun time.
Q: You're probably too young to remember the TV program "I Spy," but can you elaborate on the spy question. Do you have to have one guy who sort of watching a guy like Robinson?
A: I think we all have to be watching him. That's the best answer I can give you.