Penn State Football
Visiting Student-Athlete Postgame Press Conference
vs. Indiana – October 2, 2021
Ty Fryfogle | WR | Sr.
Q: This Penn State secondary is very good. Michael Penix Jr. was throwing into tight windows, and the offense seemed a bit out of sync. What can you do to fix that?
A: Going forward, we have two weeks of preparation for this next game. We will look at what we have done to this point and we're going to decide how we want the season to end up. A lot of guys are going to look at themselves in the mirror and figure out what we're going to do going forward. I feel like, with our offense, we could be way better than we are.
Q: How important is it for you guys during this bye week to just hit the reset button again and get the second half of the season figured out the way you want it to be?
A: This bye week is very important for us. A lot of guys are going to get a ton of work in. Our guys are going to get together and figure out what we're going to do. We could be as good as we want to be. This is going be the turning point of our season. We are going to figure out how good do we want to be. I hope Michael Penix Jr. is okay, and he gets healthy. Jack Tuttle stepped in and did what he had to do. Jack is always ready, and I believe in that.
Q: Early on there was not much action going on offensively but some better drives as the game progressed. What stood out to you today as a whole?
A: We just didn't come out and make plays. We were flat. I feel that the defense played well but you know anytime you put up zero points you're most likely going to lose the football game. It's very frustrating because we had a couple of good drives where we got down field, and the defense set us up. But we got stopped on fourth and short. That's just something we have got to fix going forward.
Q: What's your message to the fans and critics, and for the rest of the year?
A: I know this offense can be way better and we're going to be better going forward. It has been a month. We have got two weeks to figure this out and we're going to get it figured out.
Micah McFadden | LB | Sr.
Q: For all the preparation that went into this game, this had to be extremely frustrating. Can you just talk a little bit about what was going on out there and how you feel now about the playing?
A: Yeah, we definitely did do a lot of preparation for this game, but I don't think earlier our defense responded too well out there. We could've responded a little bit better, and just got the mission with one guy not doing his job. They're not making a play that he could've made, me and myself included, you know. They got an early lead, and we need to start self-reflecting on everything that we're doing.
Q: A lot of their yards, [Sean] Clifford just kind of snuck around. Is it just a case of just being that close and the pocket and guiding those pieces that you're almost getting there?
A: Yeah, we knew he could scramble and get out of the pocket so a few of those plays were on myself and other guys just keeping them contained in the pocket as well, but it is something we need to address. I think some of the time we did well, and other times we fumbled some. That's something we've got to improve on.
Q: With this bye week coming on, is this a good time for you guys to kind of regroup a little bit and reflect? Obviously, the opposition has been incredibly strong, but you know three losses in five weeks against these good teams – is hitting the restart button something that might be a good idea for this team?
A: I think so, yeah, and the overall feeling of our team is that the guys need to take a look at themselves in the mirror, you know, decide what's going to come of this year and how we are going to respond.
Q: During this period, did you think you had at least a couple moments when you had the goal and standard to look at the moment and say 'okay, this defense at the very least is locked in and still cares about this?'
A: Yeah, I felt like the guys stayed locked in throughout the day, and I saw a lot of encouragement on the sidelines and leadership. You know, there wasn't any lack of fight. I think it was the lack of execution here that kind of lost us that game.
Cam Jones | LB | Sr.
Q: Sean Clifford is a smart veteran guy. He can take off when he has to, to get jump yards on the ground at sort of the worst times you can get. How frustrating was that for you to check you and get away?
A: It was very frustrating. Knowing coming into this game that containing him on the third down could lead to a scramble. We just had to collapse the pocket, and that's something that we couldn't do that he took advantage of.
Q: What else happened there? You guys are bringing in pressure. It seemed like it was one step between containing it and breaking down. Were those breakdowns you saw just as simple as that it was almost there?
A: Just almost there. The most kind of effort guys are making is to just try to get to the quarterback, get out of a spot. At the end of the day, we've just got to do a better job trying to protect the quarterback.
Q: Without Tiawan [Mullen] playing tonight, I guess just how much is that for you guys in terms of having another leader?
A: Tiawan is a great player, but the next man has got to step up no matter who's on the field. You've got to step up and make a play.
Q: Your guys' defense reception really sets you off in the offense. I guess for you guys in the defense how frustrating is that when you have an offense that could be hurting you?
A: We came into this game knowing that we had to take the ball back to the offense creating ways that we keep going and just keep moving the ball back to the offense and letting them work things out. We're just going to try to keep taking the ball away and keep trying to make big plays.
Q: I guess you'll have a bye week now at 2-3. Does this kind of come at a really good time for you guys to hit the reset button and give you time to figure things out?
A: I think it comes at a great time for guys to take time to look at themselves in the mirror and figure out how we're going to go with this season. It's a great time to rest up, head back to the drawing board, and figure the season out.
Q: Micah [McFadden] mentioned before, talking about missed assignments. Did you see a lot of that as well too – seeing guys be out of position or trying to do things that wasn't there? Is that a big piece of what happened? Did you see a lot of that?
A: Yes sir, in big games like this, you know, people, my teammates, want to make big plays. Coach always tells us don't press, just do your job. A lot of people were just pressing and trying to make big plays. This games just comes down to whoever made the least mistakes to win the ball game.