Dec. 13, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
#39 Jesse Della Valle
Gr./Sr., Saf.
Q: Coach Franklin talked about how you guys get more time to spend with each other throughout the bowl process. What does that mean to you to have that time with your teammates?
A: For me, this is my last go around, my last game. I'm trying to cherish everything I have with my teammates. Some of the guys, I've been really close with for years and it's really special to have an extra opportunity to play in that bowl game.
Q: How cool is the Yankee Stadium aspect of it?
A: It's pretty cool. From everything I've heard, the bowl games there always have an awesome atmosphere. It's something that I know the team is really excited about.
Q: What are you going to miss most once this year is over?
A: I'm going to miss Beaver Stadium a lot, it's such a special place. Penn State as a whole is just a special program to play in and I've been blessed to have been a part of that. I'm going to miss the coaches and all of my teammates, everything about this program.
Q: How special would it be to get your first punt return touchdown in Yankee Stadium?
A: It's definitely the goal. I've been close a couple times this year. That's definitely the goal there. I just want to win a game, I just want to win another game. That's the most important thing, getting that win and going out on a positive note.
#43 Mike Hull
Gr./Sr., LB
Q: Talk about ending your Penn State career on a high-note, getting the opportunity to play in a bowl game. How exciting is that for you and the rest of the team?
A: We're really excited to have one more opportunity to be out there as a team and a family. It would mean everything to us to finish on a high-note. We're really excited to get back to a bowl game after two years being under sanctions, it's just a great way to end my career.
Q: You've been recognized with a lot of honors the last few weeks. What do they mean to you?
A: I just think they're really cool, to be able to get honored like that. I don't think about it too much, because a lot goes into it. A lot of Coach Shoop, Coach Pry and the rest of those guys, they're the ones that made it possible. Playing as a unit, as a total defense, that's what makes that kind of stuff happen.
Q: The seniors before you did not have this opportunity. How fortunate do you feel to get this experience?
A: We feel very fortunate. Like we said earlier in the year, we didn't think we would have this opportunity. It's pretty cool that we can have one more game and end our careers on a high-note.
Q: Is there anything as part of the bowl trip that you are most excited for?
A: I just think it's cool to play in a baseball stadium. Yankee Stadium is relatively new. When you think of the New York Yankees, that's the team you think about in baseball. It's a pretty cool atmosphere and New York City around Christmas time will be pretty cool. The most unique experience will be going to the New York Stock Exchange, seeing how all of that works. I'm a finance guy. I think that will be a cool experience. Maybe I can make a few connections while I'm there.
Q: With Boston College being a team that runs the ball a lot, do you see this as one last opportunity to make a statement as a defense?
A: Definitely, I think it will be a really fun game. They run the ball extremely well and anytime the quarterback can run, that makes it even more of a challenge. I think it's going to be a fun game for the defense.
Q: How important has it been to play against guys like J.T. Barrett in preparation for playing against a quarterback like Tyler Murphy? Do you see any similarities?
A: Definitely. You can see the similarities between the two and the offenses they run. Playing some of those guys in the past helps our confidence. We can stop anyone when we play our game and I think we can stop him too.
Q: Both teams have a strong defense. Are you looking forward to kind of an old-school battle?
A: Definitely. We always like when teams try to run the ball on us. Especially the front seven, I think we thrive on that and we get excited about that. It will be a good challenge and it will be really fun.
#59 Andrew Nelson
So./Fr., T
Q: What have the last few weeks of program development been like for you guys?
A: It has been really good for the younger guys, the offensive line and the program in general. It really helps getting that `good on good' work, because you don't normally get it during the season. This was an `us week,' we really focused on ourselves. We are just trying to get better.
Q: What has the comradery been like on the team as you guys prepare for the game?
A: The special thing about Penn State is the players. This is the tightest group of guys that I have ever been around. The comradery is always good and even though it is near the end of the season, we are sticking together. We go hard at practice together and we are ready.
Q: What are you looking forward to the most about playing Boston College and the bowl experience?
A: This is mine and a lot of others first bowl experience, so I am really excited. There is obviously some history to this game; Penn State has played Boston College plenty of times before. It will be nice to play them again. It is special for us because we get to keep this family, this group of guys together a little longer.
Q: If this team is a family, what role do you play?
A: I think I am the little brother who is just trying to keep up with everyone else. There are a lot of great older guys on this team that really take you under their wing. We are a young team and we have really good leadership coming from the older guys. They try to make the whole team better.
#98 Anthony Zettel
Sr./Jr., DT
Q: How do you analyze the job you've done this season?
A: I think I've done a good job this season. There are definitely some plays I left out on the field that I wish I could change. They might have changed the record of the season a little bit, but I feel like I played well and tried hard and performed for our defense.
Q: Do you think your overall athletic ability has helped you at all?
A: Definitely, that's what I play with. I try to play with speed, that's my strong suit and I just try and work off that.
Q: What's the excitement of the Bowl game and possibly being able to close out the season with a win?
A: Yeah, it's huge. Getting another opportunity to go out there for a whole month. We have an opportunity to go out there and win this game. We didn't end how we wanted to in the regular season, so we really want to finish this season off right and send these guys off on the right note.
Q: Playing in Yankee Stadium at such a historic venue, what's the excitement for that?
A: I've never been to New York, but I've always wanted to. The level we are going to play at in Yankee Stadium is huge and I've always heard great things about it, so I'm really excited to go there and see the stadium.
#65 Miles Dieffenbach
GS/Sr., G
Q: What have you seen from the true freshmen on the offensive line?
A: They're improving a lot which is one thing you're looking for out of these guys. They're really focusing on getting better during these practices. They're listening to the coaches and taking all the coaches, so they're doing well and getting better.
Q: You said it was tough for you to take a leadership role earlier in the year when you couldn't play. Since you've been back, has that been easier for you?
A: Being out there, taking live rounds, and being in the fire is helping a lot. Making the calls while you're out there with the guys rather than them coming to the sidelines and saying what they could've done is helping a lot.
Q: Andrew Nelson was named second-team All-Freshman. What kind of progression have you seen from him this season?
A: He's a tremendous player. He's made such strides throughout this season because he's a high-talent, high-workload guy. He's a great player and he has an awesome future.
Q: What have you seen as the biggest change in this offensive line from the beginning of the season to now?
A: Our execution. We're getting hats on hats a lot more than we were before. We know our who-to's and now focusing on our how-to's. We're forming the right technique in the right fits.
Q: Where do you think offensive linemen make their biggest jump year-to-year? When did you make your biggest jump?
A: Every guy is different. I didn't play until my third year as a redshirt sophomore, so for me it was the time between my redshirt freshman and redshirt sophomore year.
Q: What are some of the things that you did then that you couldn't have done in your first couple of years?
A: One thing I tell the younger guys is that it's tough when you're going against great players and you're getting beat a lot. I say `you know why I'm able to stop that move? Because I've been beat by that move a hundred times in practice.' It just takes time and a lot of reps. You keep getting beat and you're finally going to know what to do to stop those. That and obviously getting in the weight room and getting stronger and physically able to make the box.
Q: What are some of the specific little things between your fellow starting offensive linemen that you do to get on the same page by having that extra time?
A: Extra time gives you a lot of time to focus on our who-to's and our how-to's. We're going over our whole playbook so we know who is working against who, who the back has, who the quarterback has if they blitz, if we're hot and who has what guy. Obviously our how-to's are our pad level, footwork, everyone being on the same level, the linebacker depth, little things like that.
#86 C.J. Olaniyan
GS/Sr., DE
Q: When you think of bowl games you think of warm weather. Next to playing a game in California or Texas, is playing in a venue like this the next best thing?
A: I wouldn't say it's the next best thing. It's a great thing because at Penn State we play in cold weather all the time. So, going to New York and playing in that weather is just another game for us.
Q: This may be one of the more challenging game for the defensive line given how Boston College runs the ball. Does this kind of matchup excite you?
A: This is the kind of game we look forward to playing as a defense. They're going to run it at us and play smash-mouth football and run between the tackles. That's what we look forward to and that's the reason we come out there and play.
Q: What's the first reaction you had when you found out you were going to the Pinstripe Bowl and where were you when you heard the news?
A: We kind of knew prematurely that there was a good chance of us going to the Pinstripe Bowl. It wasn't much of a surprise because we thought there was a good chance of us playing there. Coach Franklin made the announcement on Sunday. He made the announcement to the whole team and we went back to work.
Q: Are you caught up on Boston College's game film?
A: We watched a little bit of their game film. The defensive line mostly watched their running plays. They're a dominant running team so we just kept our eye on that.
#4, Adrian Amos
Sr./Sr., Saf
Q: You're going to play your last game as a Penn Stater in Yankee Stadium, how cool is that?
A: It's pretty cool. My last game would be pretty cool anywhere we play, but it's a good experience and you know, just get out there and finish off with a win.
Q: The season didn't end the way you guys wanted to. The senior before you didn't have the chance to play another game. How fortunate do you guys feel, your senior class, that you're going to get an opportunity to sort of end on the right note?
A: It give us, you know, another three, four weeks with this team. We'd be done now if this was last year. It's just a good opportunity and a blessing.
Q: Is this a fun scheme to play in for you guys this year, defensively, the way you guys have play and the way you tackled?
A: Yeah, we had a lot of fun. We moved around, played fast and we had a lot of success. It's always fun when you're doing well.
Q: How did it help you grow as a player? You played a lot of different spots. How did playing in Coach Shoop defense add to your game?
A: Coach Shoop helped me a lot with learning more about football. I had a knowledge of the game, but he makes me really study football and know the ins and outs and knowing the entire defense. I had to learn every position on the defense, so I really knew each and every step.
Q: The talent level is ever upward. What do those kids have to say to you, and what do you say back about Penn State?
A: What I'd say about Penn State, it's a great place to be and that if you can come and get a free education from somewhere like this that gives them more opportunity outside of football. They're not just coming to play football for Penn State but getting a Penn State degree at a place you wouldn't have been able to pay for.
#99, Austin Johnson
Jr./So., DT
Q: How much have you seen of Boston College so far, and what you have seen are you impressed?
A: They're a very good team. Their offensive line is very experienced. Their quarterback is very good. He had over 1,000 yards on the ground, so it's going to be a challenge for us to stop him, and it's going to be a challenge for us to play against his O-line who has a lot of experience. They all have fifth-year senior guys starting in front, so it's going to be a challenge for us.
Q: Coach Shoop said there's a difference between playing well and playing winning football. What do you guys have to do to get on the winning football side of it more, as a defense?
A: We have to make a bigger difference once we get a turnover. We have to score, and we just have to come up with more opportunities to get the offense the ball more often.
Q: Toward the end of the year, Jesse Della Valle said he thought you were like the key to the defense. How do you react when you hear someone saying that, especially your teammate?
A: It definitely feels good to hear somebody say that. I mean it's not just all about one person. It's about the defense as a whole. That's why we're so successful. We work well together. We gel together so that's why we're so successful as a defense. We're the number one defense in the Big Ten.
Q: How different was your role this year compared to last year?
A: It's kind of similar, but I'd say a little bit of a different mentality. We had a constant rotation between me, Daquan [Jones] and Kyle [Baublitz] on the inside. I played three and one and now all I really have to focus on is one. I feel like I have less to, not less to worry about, but kind of the same time less to worry about. I also played three at times here and there.
Q: Can you describe to the outside folks how important this game is?
A: When you're playing any sport and you're as competitive as we are as a team, you don't want to lose at anything. It doesn't matter what you're doing. Every game is important to me. Every game is important to ever body on this team, so we're going to come out and play to the best of our ability every snap and we're going to give it all we've got.