Sept. 10, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" The Nittany Lions open the home season on Saturday with a matchup against Buffalo at Beaver Stadium (12 p.m. on ESPN2).
Leading up to the home opener, defensive recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach Terry M. Smith talked with the media on Thursday to preview the game. Take a look at a Q&A with Coach Smith.
Q: How do you think the squad came out of the Temple game emotionally?
Smith: "I thought we've had a really good week of practice. I thought the guys have been flying around. We've had an emphasis on communication. We've done a really good job with that. We have some younger players who are in there getting more reps than they did last week. And I thought practice was really good. We feel really good about our approach to Saturday's game. Temple is behind us. We are moving forward. We are preparing for Buffalo, and I think we are going to be ready to play come noon on Saturday."
Q: How has the defense worked on communication this week at practice?
Smith: "The thing that makes our defense go is the communication. We have to have 11 guys on the same page playing the same defense. Often times when you are in big stadiums, you can't verbally communicate. So you have to use signals. That's where we had a couple breakdowns last week. Through practice, we've overemphasized it. We have it fixed and we are ready to go for Saturday."
Q: What did John Reid show you in camp that helped him move up the depth chart so quickly?
Smith: "He's a really smart kid. He picked up the system really quickly. He's a driven and competitive kid. He competes at a high level. He came from a big-time high school program in St. Joe's Prep. He's used to competing at a high level. His skillset is really good. He's going to continue to get better for us with each rep he takes on the field."
Q: What did you see from Grant Haley throughout camp and how did Grant not playing Saturday impact the defense?
Smith: "Grant is clearly one of our better corners on the team. We are hoping that he will be ready to go on Saturday. He brings some experience. He brings us some speed, athleticism and competitiveness. He's one of our smarter players on the defense, as well. We really miss him. He gives us added depth to the numbers that we have at the corner position right now. He's clearly one of the better guys at that position. We need his presence and experience on the field."
Q: What have you seen from Buffalo on film that you have to be prepared for on defense?
Smith: "Well, clearly, the quarterback has a lot of experience. He's passed for more than 6,000 career yards. He's had 60-plus TDs. He's had a lot of game-time experience. It's not going to be anything new for him to come out and execute under a new system and a new staff. Looking at them from last week, they executed pretty flawlessly. They've got some weapons on the perimeter. The running back ran for 1,400 yards last year. There are weapons that we have to make sure we know where the guys are."
Q: What is it about Buffalo QB Joe Licata that has made him so productive?
Smith: "A couple things stand out ââ'¬" he's got poise in the pocket; a presence in the pocket, and he stands tall. He's a pretty accurate passer. Then No. 2, he runs their system. They have a lot of plays where they have a run called, but they can also pull the ball and throw it to a single receiver. He seems to have grasped that system really well. He executed it flawlessly in the game against Albany last week."
Q: What sort challenge does that type of quarterback present to the corners?
Smith: "We have to be really disciplined in staying in our coverage. He's a quick ball-faker, so he handles the ball really well. We just have to stay in coverage and be disciplined. We can't get caught trying to trigger into the run game. We have to make sure that we stay into coverage. We saw in their game last week that they threw a quick slant when the corner got sucked into the run game and all of a sudden it was a touchdown. We just have to make sure that doesn't happen."
Q: Being a former player, how can you relate to the current players and the expectations around the program after a game like last week's?
Smith: "Playing here, I played on Joe Paterno's first losing team. I experienced one of maybe the lower points in Penn State Football. You always draw on your experiences as a player and try to teach your players certain things and certain aspects of how to handle it. No one wants to go out and lose a game. But those things happen. That's the beauty of sports. The life lessons that are taught here are so valuable as you go from being a young man to being a man by the time you leave college. You draw on your experiences and try to help our guys."