Dec. 19, 2011
Player Quotes // Photo Gallery // Transcript
Q: Can you talk about the incident on Saturday?
A: We had an activity in the locker room after practice. Both guys got a little emotional. It lasted about 10 seconds and that was it. I think you guys have got Matt's (McGloin) statement on the whole thing. Matt's the quarterback, he knows better. He called me up and apologized to myself, the coaches, the team and other people. He's disappointed that it got that far, but sometimes that does happen. The guys are competitors; during practice there was a play they were talking about. They just want to win.
Q: Can you talk about Matt's status for the bowl game?
A: That's up to Dr. (Wayne) Sebastianelli as he checks him out. He'll check him out medically and they'll check him everyday. His status will obviously be day-to-day.
Q: You interviewed Friday for this job. Have you received any indication when a permanent coach will be named?
A: No, I have not received any indication on that. As you know, Dr. Erickson was down today, congratulating our team on their No. 1 academic ranking for all bowl teams (Academic BCS No. 1 ranking). I tried to schmooze him a little bit, I gave him a No. 1 jersey and maybe that will help my cause. I gave Dave (Joyner) a No. 70 jersey, so I was trying to do the best I can do.
Q: We all know, every now and then, teammates are going to get into fights in practice. However, not often does a quarterback that contributes so much to the team gets knocked out in a fight. When you heard that had happened, what was your reaction?
A: Well, I was very alarmed. First of all, I was concerned about his health. That's number one. That's my first concern always. When they wrestled to the ground, he had hit his head on a surface that has concrete under the carpet. That's how it happened. It's just an unfortunate incident.
Q: If Matt (McGloin) is healthy, will he start?
A: We are going to talk about that. There is internal discipline, which has to do with our football team. Student Affairs will also deal with this since the campus police were contacted and we had to have an ambulance come down here. We will have to let the process take its course just like any other student.
Q: Have you heard anything from Curtis (Drake)? What did you two talk about?
A: I did talk to Curtis. They are both disappointed with themselves. It carried over into the locker room and it shouldn't have. The funny thing is, they are good friends. I can tell you from past experience, usually when these things happen, the guys (later) are up at dinner laughing and joking about it.
Q: Is there any chance that Rob Bolden will be ruled ineligible with his legal situation?
A: Rob's situation was a prank that dealt with a two-dollar bottle of Gatorade that was returned unopened. He is taking care of it.
Q: When you guys first heard it was the TicketCity Bowl, did you guys first think about not playing in the bowl?
A: The team did have a meeting about it. They did discuss it. I'm okay with the fact that they had some concerns. It's healthy and it brings them all together. They had concerns, discussed it and now they are ready to go. We've had three great practices. Not good; great practices. They guys are into it.
Q: Do you plan to name a starting quarterback before the game?
A: No, I do not. Not right now.
Q: Will there be potential discipline for Bolden?
A: No, there will not be discipline for Bolden.
Q: When you went on the road recruiting, how did you sell Penn State to the recruits?
A: Well, I told them we had the greatest media in the world that covers us (laughter). I talked about the great attributes of this University from the academics, to the facilities, Big Ten schedule, stadium and fans. I talked about all the great things this University has to offer, no matter who the head coach is. This place is not going to change. We have great facilities, great support and great academics. We have a lot of great things going for us that have nothing to do with the head coach.
Q: How disappointed are you with the fight and how it is effecting Penn State with all the shots you guys have taken in the last month?
A: It's disappointing. I wish it wouldn't have gone that far. But I have to be honest with everyone here. I've been in this for 33 years. I've seen fights before. We've had them on the field. It does happen. I'm not going to sit here and say it never happens because it does. This is just an unfortunate incident here where we had a young man get hurt.
Q: You said that you had some positive conversations with some bowl reps heading into the selection process. Were you surprised with your selection?
A: I have no control over the bowls and what they decide. I'm excited to go down and play Houston in this game. We have a great matchup. You have a one-loss team and a three-loss team going at it. It's a good thing. It's going to be a heck of a game. They have a heck of a football team and I'm excited to play them. If you've watched them on tape at all, they are pretty darn good.
Q: Were you in the locker room when the fight happened?
A: No, I was not. A lot of the kids weren't in the locker room when it happened. There were probably only 12-15 kids in the locker room when the incident occurred. The whole defense stayed out here on the field at the end of practice. So there were only 12-15 players in the locker room when this incident occurred.
Q: Have you ever faced a team that throws the ball 50-60 times a game like Houston? How much pressure does that put on the secondary?
A: I was teasing Larry (Johnson) and Ron (Vanderlinden) saying, "I'm glad I'm not the defensive coordinator for this game." They're a very exciting team. We have played teams that throw the ball that much over the course of time. If you look back, we've seen some Michigan State teams come in here and throw it 60 times. One of the things that is very unique about this team is their quarterback (Case Keenum). He's one heck of a football player. Five interceptions and 45 touchdowns (passes), that's a heck of a ratio. They have good receivers; (Tyron) Carrier is one heck of a football player. They've got skill everywhere. They move that skill around and they're hard to defend. They play a number of different positions and we've got our hands full with a lot of challenges about how we play them. They also run the ball. Everyone thinks they're just a passing team and they're not. They do a good job, they keep you off-balance. A lot of downs they're 50-50 since we broke them down. They're hard to get tendencies on and one of the things they have is a very veteran group. If you look at their roster, it's a bunch of seniors that are fifth-year seniors; a senior quarterback who's broken every NCAA [offensive] record. We really understand what we're up against.
Q: How do you keep the coaching search from distracting the players?
A: These guys love to play football. No matter who the head coach is, they love to play football. They know I love to coach football. I have a staff that loves to coach football. We come out every day and we have fun. We get going and that has not been a problem. They're competitors. If we had no coaches, they'd go out anyway and do the best they can to win the game. They might do better without us, who knows?
Q: How do you think fans will treat you in Dallas?
A: We have a strong alumni group in the Dallas area and I'm hoping they show up for the game. All indications we've been told is that they will. We're expecting a good reception when we get down there from our alumni. Penn State will show. Penn State alumni will show up. Our fans, we've got a great fan base. I think we'll be okay.
Q: Do you know if you will be without anyone due to academics?
A: Yes, we will be without some people because of academics. I don't know how many yet and I can't disclose, obviously, because that's an academic situation. Everyday we get a report as the grades come in. Obviously, not all of the grades are in yet. They don't have to be in until later in the week. We probably have some guys that are not going to make it.
Q: Can you share anything from your interview?
A: I think that's personal in nature what was said there and they've kept this pretty close to the vest. I'm excited that they gave me the opportunity to interview and I got to say what I wanted to say. That's all I can ask for is the opportunity to talk to them and them to give me their time.
Q: If Paul Jones' grades came back okay, would he be eligible for the bowl game?
A: Yes, he could play in the bowl game. Paul's situation is unique and I don't think I can get into all of the academic things. Paul has to raise his all-U average above a 2.0 (cumulative GPA). He's going to be over that this semester. If he does get his all-U above a 2.0, we could play him. He used his redshirt year already last year.
Q: If he played in one game, it would still cost him a year of eligibility?
A: Yes, because he's already used his redshirt year. His freshman year was his redshirt year, that's gone. He's got five years to play four. If I had to use him for one game: why not?
Q: Do you plan to continue to use Drake and (Bill) Belton in the Wildcat?
A: We'll have some stuff with them doing different things. We have to keep working on some variations of it.
Q: Have you challenged the team in terms of any off-the-field activities at a bowl site with everything that has gone on?
A: I did. I actually sent a letter out to the players Saturday that also got sent to their parents. We're all on the same page.
Q: Can you outline your itinerary?
A: The itinerary's been done. We're going to practice Wednesday until noon. I'll have a special surprise for them during conditioning that they don't know yet. They'll go home Wednesday. Everyone has to get to the bowl site by 7:00 (p.m.) on the 26th.
Q: You guys in the past have gone down to the bowl game before the holidays. What was the rationale to wait this year until after the holidays?
A: A lot of it had a lot to do with the weather; not sure what weather we're going to get down there. We're concerned with having to potentially go to an indoor complex. If we have to go to an indoor complex, it will be 28 miles away. I've heard stories where Northwestern went down 28 miles and then the sun was shining. That's a lot of time on the bus. We've got everything we need right here, we can get good practice in here. I would've given them off anyway the 24th, 25th, 26th. I'm letting them go home those days to spend time with their families and re-energize the batteries. As I've said, we've had some great practices in pads. We've been getting after each other pretty good...a lot of one-on-ones, a lot of team, a lot of hitting. It's been good to have this facility available and be able to practice.
Q: Pete Massaro was saying a few weeks ago that he might be back in time for the bowl game. Have you talked to him? Is there any chance of that happening?
A: I'm not sure, he looks good to me everyday. I tease him all the time, `Pete are you going to do it?' Pete's an Academic All-American, obviously a big part of our program. One of our superior players and people on this team and I'd love it if he could do it. I'm not going to do anything to harm his progress. I think Dr. Sebastianelli would tell you that he's way ahead. He works like a dog to be there.
Q: Do you feel like the delaying of the coaching search has affected recruiting?
A: It's affected it a little bit as we can't really get in now. A lot of the players, we've talked with. We've been honest and open with them. We've been transparent about everything. I think they're waiting now to see what happens with the head coach. We've told a lot of these guys that they have to go visit other places and keep their options open until they see what happens here. We've been completely honest about that.
Q: Can you explain how Paul Jones would be eligible to play in this bowl game without playing any other games this year?
A: At the end of the semester, if he has an all-U above 2.0, he's eligible to play. He's a sophomore. He's got a freshman redshirt, so he's got four years left. This is one of those years. So if he gets his all-U above 2.0, he can play. If he doesn't, he will come back in the spring and try to accomplish it in the spring. Paul's been working hard academically, been doing a great job. I'm proud of him. I see him in here at night when I'm in here. He's here all the time doing everything he can possibly do.
Q: How has the coaching staff been able to stick together through this search and the last few weeks?
A: We have a great staff. We have guys that are here working. They're here for the players; it's all about the team. They're not as worried about themselves as they are about the team. We owe it to the players, their parents, and their coaches. We're doing a great job. We'll continue to do a great job until they tell us that we're no longer wanted.
Q: How tough has it been on the staff?
A: Not tough at all. We enjoy coaching these guys. You guys will be at practice today and watch us coach them. They're a fun group to be around. They give us everything they have and in return we're going to give them everything we have. We're excited. Hopefully you'll see it today. You guys are here and hopefully that will liven up practice a little bit.
Q: Are you happy with the progress that Paul Jones has made on the field?
A: With Paul, because he's on the scout team, a lot of his things are off of cards. I've been proud of his leadership and extremely proud of him off the field with what he's done academically and how hard he's worked at it. I can't say enough good things about him doing that. On the field, it's difficult when you're a scout team quarterback. We do things by cards and we circle where we want certain balls thrown and give him the progression 1-2-3, so there's not a lot of reading. He looks awfully good in practice and he will take it from there.
Q: How far along is he (Paul Jones) when he doesn't play all season? Is it realistic to think that he would be at a competitive point to suit up and play in a bowl game?
A: I don't think you can say that. He does get all of the individual drills, all of the individual work. He's obviously throwing against our defense; he's going to be battle-tested from that standpoint. He's going against them everyday, so he's going against good people. When you want to get better at doing what you want to do, you go against good people. He's going against good people and competing and doing some things against them. In that particular point, everyday he's in a game, probably no one gets that kind of work around here that he gets. He has to go against them everyday.
Q: Are you making any preparations for Shane McGregor to possibly play?
A: Shane's been our third string quarterback. Shane takes reps anyway and he works out with the second team all the time. He's been getting snaps the whole year. He's ready to go, if he needs to do. In practice, all of the quarterbacks do the same plays, so Shane's in the huddle getting everything that Matt and Robert get.
Q: How often have you talked to Coach Paterno?
A: I have not talked to Coach Paterno since the Thursday after the incident. I can tell you that I check in with Jay (Paterno) with how he's doing. I know what Coach is going to say, `Tom, you're wasting your time, you've got thing to do.' That's exactly what he's going to say and all he wants me to do is to do the best we can do for our players.
Q: Has Matt been cleared to practice yet?
A: No, he has not been cleared to practice yet. He will not practice today.