Ryan Bates | Offensive Line | Sr./Jr.
Q. Ryan, what does the absence of Nick Bosa do to Ohio State, and does that make the challenge maybe a bit easier for you guys on Saturday?
RB: I wouldn't exactly say it'll be easier. They're a great team and they have a lot of depth at defensive line. Obviously Nick Bosa is a phenomenal player. I've watched a lot of film on him, and he's a great player. And it's a shame, his injury. But they have a lot of good players behind him, and I think they'll do a very good job stepping up to the role.
Q. Coming off a game in which your team rushed for almost 400 yards, confidence level for this offensive line group, is it at an all-time high since you got to campus?
RB: Absolutely. With [running back] Miles [Sanders] and [quarterback] Trace [McSorley] in the backfield I think we can accomplish anything.
Q. I just wanted to ask you a little bit about the [Ohio State game] from two years ago. That was obviously a big win for you guys. Looking back on it, how important was that win in getting you guys to where you are right now?
RB: You know, I'm not one to dwell on the past. I think every win is important. Obviously it was a great win for our program, but a win is a win no matter which way you put it.
Q. Even if it's an unranked Penn State beating one of the top ranked teams in the country?
RB: A win's a win.
Q. So you have College Game Day coming in. Is there any kind of buzz around campus? I mean people stop you, talk about that? What's it like?
RB: Not really. I haven't really talked about College Game Day a lot. I haven't really talked about it.
Q. Ryan, you guys got back at, what, like 4 a.m. Saturday. How did you spend the rest of the day? What did you do?
RB: I tried to sleep. I didn't get a lot of sleep that night. I was tired, but I couldn't fall asleep. I don't know why. But just the whole Saturday I just tried to relax, you know, kick my feet up, just trying to recover from the game.
Q. Did you watch Ohio State-Tulane at all just because it was on?
RB: I don't think I watched that game. Obviously I watched the film already, but I don't think I watched it live.
Q. We've seen you and [quarterback] Trace McSorley have this little touchdown celebration thing going on. What's behind that? It's kind of unique?
RB: There's really nothing behind it. It's nothing too complicated. I mean we literally, hey, we should handshake and we're like, yeah, sounds like a good deal. And first thing that came to Trace's mind was this (indicating). For what reason, I don't know.
Q. Do you think it's going to stick?
RB: I mean it's stuck so far. I don't see why not.
Q. Ryan, is there anything special about a White Out game, and when you're playing in such a charged atmosphere, is it a challenge to kind of keep your focus and composure, especially early in the game?
RB: I wouldn't say so. Obviously the White Out -- the White Out is a phenomenal atmosphere. I think we have the best fans in the country, and our fan base is unbelievable. Coming out of those gates during a White Out, it's a different kind of atmosphere, you know, from a regular Penn State game. You walk out of those gates and it's just white, the ground's shaking, your whole body is shaking, everyone is screaming. And I remember my freshman year when I first experienced it, and it was unreal. From my freshman year to now, I still can't get over how electric it is and how great of an atmosphere it is.
I wouldn't say that we will lose focus. It just kind of gets everyone more hyped up.
Q. Ryan, you guys ran 51 times last week. Was that an added emphasis, do you think, on the run game with the idea that it could carry over?
RYAN BATES: I don't know. Say that again. What was the --
RB: I had no idea how many times we ran. Just part of the game plan, I guess. We were running the ball well versus Illinois, so I guess we just kept running it.
Q. Last year you guys sort of left the door open out there. You had a couple score lead in the second half. Did you feel that way? Do you feel there's some unfinished business? Do you gain confidence, motivation from letting it get away a little bit?
RB: Yeah, kind of. You know, especially that was a game I got hurt last year. I was kind of upset I got hurt that game. I feel like I could have been a difference maker that game. But like I said before, it's just another game. It's the next game on our schedule and we're going to prepare like it's the Super Bowl this week.
Q. Talk about prep for Ohio State. How are you guys looking forward to this week? Talk about how you're preparing for that.
RB: I mean we're preparing for this week like any other week we have. Just because it's Ohio State we're not going to prepare any different. Every week we prepare to the best of our ability. And that's exactly what we're doing so far. We haven't really talked about the game plan yet because we haven't met with the coaches yet. But yesterday we came in, the offensive line, watched film, and watched all the games. But haven't heard a word on the game plan yet.
Q. Ryan, how many of these White Out games did you attend as a recruit, and can you recall what kind of impact that had on you at the time?
RB: Actually I didn't attend any White Out games as a recruit. I think the only game I attended as a recruit was a UMass game. I think that was the only game I attended as a recruit.
Q. On a different subject, James was in here and told us that Mark Allen is out for the season. Obviously he's been a guy who's been a big part of this program for the last four or five years. How difficult is it for you guys to kind of see him struggling with an injury issue like that?
RB: I mean it sucks. It's terrible, especially for someone like Mark Allen and someone so positive. He's still so positive. He's taking it very well. We all have his back, of course. We all have his back no matter what and obviously he's still part of the team. He's going to be with us every day. I don't think it'll change much. He'll still be around. It'll still be the same hype-up, high-energy Mark. But yeah, obviously it's a terrible thing what happened. But I wish him the best of luck.
Q. Going off that, with Ricky Slade, what can you tell us about him and kind of just a freshman coming in here and playing right away. We've seen him a little bit, but what's impressed you about Ricky?
RB: Ricky is a good back. He's quick. He's real twitchy. I think he's got a promising future here at Penn State.
Q. Michal Menet at center was the one guy who didn't have college starting experience coming into the year. Now that he's had three or four games, his first Big Ten game. How would you assess his development this month and where you're at collectively as an offense line group?
RB: Mike's doing a great job so far. Being the center, he's the guy that's gotta call out all -- what linebacker we have and what the front is, the down and distance. I think he's doing a great job so far. The whole offensive line as a whole, I think we're the best we've been in years, obviously since I've been here. Our chemistry hasn't been like this. Chemistry is awesome. We're all friends. We all hang out outside of football. I think that's what makes us connect. We're all on the same page a lot of the time. We trust each other. Offensive line is about trust. I gotta trust the person next to me that he's going to do his job and he's gotta trust me that I'm going to do mine. And I think that's the biggest thing with our offensive line right now is we trust each other.
Q. How about not just the guy next to you, but the guy maybe below you on the depth chart? Where does that stand in terms of your confidence in the second team group if they're needed to come in because of an injury perhaps like you suffered last year?
RB: Of course. We have a lot of depth this year, and it's not something -- especially the offensive line, it's not something that we've really had in the past. And you know, I trust the people -- I trust Des Holmes, [Rasheed] Walker, like people below me. I think they're great athletes, great offensive linemen. And I trust them completely.
Q. Ryan, how as a player do you get closer and closer to being as good as you can be every down? I mean how do you go from maybe being a freshman to being a guy who's sort of executing at the level that you feel like you're capable of?
RB: A lot of it's experience. And a lot of it has to do with the people who I've had the privilege of playing with. The Angelo Mangiros, the Andrew Nelsons, the Brendan Mahons, the Brian Gaias, the people who were here before, who obviously are not here anymore. But when I was a young guy, I think those guys really helped me develop as an offensive lineman and as a football player in general, you know, just expanding my knowledge of the game and my knowledge of the offensive line. And I think that's one of the biggest things that's helped me personally.
And of course, having the experience I have being when I was a starter as a redshirt freshman, I've come a long way. When I watch film from my redshirt freshman year to now, it's like what the heck was I doing, like why am I doing that. And, you know, just repetition, practice. You know, practice makes perfect. And I'm a heavy believer in that.
Q. Mike Mauti came back recently to talk to you guys. What was his message and how powerful was it to kind of hear from Mauti about things that had happened in the past here?
RB: It's pretty cool for him to come back and talk to us. I never really had the privilege of meeting him before. But I liked his message. He came and talked to the team about, you know, just cherishing what we have now and where we're going to be and just these are the best times of our lives. And don't take it for granted, just keep it going, keep doing what we're doing, win games.
Q. Franklin mentioned after the game against Illinois that 40 percent of your travel roster had participated or been available for their first Big Ten game in their career. How is your team managing being a top-10 program competing for a championship, trying to get to that point with a significant youth movement on the roster?
RB: I think we're doing just fine. Obviously a lot of young guys played the other day. But I think we're managing fine. I don't think it's really changing much. I talked about trust earlier, and trust doesn't just have to do with the offensive line, too. It has to do with the people -- I gotta trust the running back, I gotta trust the quarterback. I gotta trust the receivers, I gotta trust the tight end. No matter, they could be a senior or freshman. For example, Pat Freiermuth at tight end is doing a great job so far. We have a lot of depth at tight end, and he's gotten a lot of chances, and he's really taken advantage of them, and I trust him completely to do his job to the best of his ability.
Shareef Miller | Defensive End | Sr./Jr.
Q. Coach Franklin said that this Ohio State offensive line he believes is the best that you guys have faced in his five years here now. What's your assessment of what you guys are facing in trying to apply pressure on Dwayne Haskins?
SM: I would say Ohio State's offensive line is really good. They have a lot of experienced guys. But come Saturday with the game plan [defensive coordinator Brent] Pry will have for us, [defensive line coach Sean] Spencer, we're going to create pressure this Saturday.
Q. How would you evaluate your ability to apply pressure to the first four games? Is it up to par for what you expect or is it still room for improvement there?
SM: There's still room for improvement. I would just say as a group we just have to be more consistent.
Q. So sticking with the Dwayne Haskins pressure theme, if you guys would not get pressure on Haskins, how much harder does that make it to beat the No. 4 team in the country?
SM: I think it'll make it hard to beat any team if you don't get pressure on the quarterback, and especially Dwayne. Just the way he has been putting up numbers these past couple games. So that's going to be a real focus point for us to get pressure on him.
Q. Is there anything special about White Out games?
SM: Yes. It's the best place to be. I remember 2014 when I was a recruit and I came to the White Out game when they played Ohio State, I wanted to commit on the spot because it was just like so many fans and the atmosphere is unreal, something like I'd never seen before.
Q. What's the buzz like on campus right now? You got College Game Day coming in town, big White Out game.
SM: The buzz is going crazy right now on campus. A lot of kids coming up to me and a lot of the guys asking us how we're going to do and stuff like that.
Q. How hard is it as a freshman to be as good as you can be consistently? I know you're not a freshman, but just like freshman defensive players in general, how hard is it to get good quick?
SM: It's hard because it's not high school. Everybody in college is good, like real good. So it's like really hard to be consistent, because there are a lot of great guys around you.
Q. How do you lead a bunch of young guys when you can only get good so fast? How do you help them along when there's nothing that you can substitute for time?
SM: Just be there for them and set the example for them and stuff like that. I would say for the young guys, like in my room Jayson Oweh and P. J. [Mustipher], just be somebody that they can talk to, because I know as a freshman it can be tough, so you need somebody to lean on. I want to be that guy, and I am that guy for all the young guys.
Q. The win over Ohio State two years ago seemed like it was one of the turning points for this program. How do you think that win helped you guys get to where you are today?
SM: That win helped us a lot. We went on a great run, and it just gave us that confidence that we can do it, that we can be the best in the country.
Q. And let me just ask you about Michael Mauti, who visited a little while back. As a defensive player what was it like listening to him talk, and what's something he said that you kind of took away from that?
SM: It was great that he came back and talked to us. The thing I took away from Mike was he was just saying be nice to people, always speak to people. It's always good to talk to people to see how their day is going, see how they're doing, never be an outsider.
Q. What can you talk about Jayson Oweh athletically, what he brings to the table, and where are the areas that you're helping him improve because I think everybody's acknowledged, even him, that he is a little bit raw?
SM: Yeah, he is raw. He's only been playing for like two, three years, something like that. Athletic. He run like a 4.4. Jump like a 38. He got crazy numbers. The area I'm just helping him for is keep his confidence and help him with like the scheme in the defense, help him like his hand placement in the run game, his hands in the pass game.
Q. How receptive is Jayson Oweh to that as a young player?
SM: He's great with it. Hhe listens. That's a great thing for a young guy to do is just listen to an older guy, because that's what I did when I was younger. I listened to like Carl [Nassib] and A.J. (Austin Johnson) and [Anthony] Zettel, guys like that. And stuff like that helped me a long way. So he's listening. That's the best thing he can do is just gather all the information he can.
Q. Do you know if Jayson's 40 was faster than Micah [Parson's]? That's kind of been a point of contention among them?
SM: I heard he was the fastest in his class. So I guess he is faster than Mike?
Q. Coach Franklin said Friday night that you guys are still looking for your best 11, that the defense is still looking for a guy who can be an eraser. Teammates this morning said they think you could be that guy. When you think of that term, what does that mean to you to be an eraser for the defense potentially? What does that include?
SM: I would say the guy to set the tone, and I feel like I can be that guy, but I just have to continue to work every day.
Q. Do you still, when you're home, work out with Deion Barnes? Does he still help you out?
SM: Yeah, I talk to Deion Barnes every day, after every game, too. I talked to him the other day about Ohio State tackles, like the sets and stuff like that. So he gave me feedback on that.
Q. What's his feedback been like for you on these first four games that you've had?
SM: It's been real good. He told me just use my hands more. He's on me like constantly about using my hands. That was the biggest focal point when I was working out with him this off season was my hands.
Q. You've seen a lot of J. T. Barrett these last few years. With Dwayne Haskins, what are some things that he presents that maybe weren't as much of a challenge before? Just basically how has that position evolved for the Buckeyes from what you're preparing for?
SM: I would say Dwayne [Haskins] is less mobile than J.T. [Barrett] Not that he can't move, but he doesn't really run the ball that much. He wants to throw the ball more. That's how Ohio State is using him, too, as pocket passer.
Q. How about the back field in general? I know Pitt put up 200 yards rushing in the first half, 170 last week in the first half against Illinois. How imperative is it that you guys bottle things up early and don't let them get off to that kind of start?
SM: Yeah, like we have to be real consistent and accountable in our gaps because they have two great backs over there at Ohio State.
Q. From a leadership perspective when you've got guys like K. J. [Hamler] and Micah [Parsons] who are big personalities and they thrive being themselves, is there a balance between letting them be themselves and sort of having them fit into what you guys want as teammates and leaders? How do you balance their strengths as who they are, but also have them fit in?
SM: They fit in well. You don't never want to change nobody's personality. Like K J. [Hamler] is K.J. That's my little brother. Micah [Parsons] is Micah. That's my little brother, too. They fit in well with the team.
Q. Coach Franklin told us this afternoon that Mark Allen is out for the year. As one of the leaders on this team, what does it mean to see a guy like Mark be lost for the year?
SM: Yeah, I was kind of pretty sad about that because Mark's a great friend of mine, and over the years I see the work and the things he did to help this team.
Q. And for somebody like Ryan Buchholz, Torrence Brown, what have they been like this year, obviously not playing? What are some of the things that they're doing to help you guys?
SM: They've been a big help, especially for me, too. They just see different things, and they're just another set of eyes. And they still are in every meeting, at practice. They travel with us. Like they're great to have around, especially for the young guys, too, because they got a lot of game experience. So they can just share that with the younger guys in the room.
Q. Is there a difference in your mind between Yetur Gross-Matos last year as a freshman and the Yetur that we're seeing this year? What's maybe different about him and his game?
SM: Yetur [Gross-Matos] from last year and this year, he understand the defense more. He's more comfortable in the defense.