Opening Statement
First of all, like always, I appreciate everybody coming out and covering Penn State Football. I want to give Ohio a ton of credit. I thought they did a good job. I think they have a really good team. I think they're going to have a lot of success in their conference this year. We talk about our situations that we talk about all time, like drive starts, we started our 34, and they started their 23. We won that turnover battle 0-0, so that was a tie and we've obviously got to create some more big plays and turnovers on defense. On the penalty battle, we did not win, we were 4-35 and 3-35. Then explosive plays, we were able to win that at 15.8%, if our math was correct, to 9.1%. Some positives there. Obviously, we were able to get some explosive plays in the running game, which was helpful. We were able to get a win. We were able to gain a ton of experience for a bunch of players. We were able, for the most part, to keep our guys healthy and fresh so we can have a great week this week and take the next step as a program. Great crowd, love the support that we get. It is truly special and we're very appreciative and we never take that for granted. Appreciate everybody coming out to support Penn State Football.
Q: James, you've said that you've been waiting for a running back to emerge. Did one emerge today?
A: Obviously there were some big runs that I felt like we had a chance of last week. But again, I got a ton of confidence in all three of those guys, really all four of those guys, excuse me. [Devin] has been phenomenal in the things that we've asked him to do as well. Obviously, you know [Nick], breaking off those big runs was needed. There's no doubt about it. We'll watch the film and see what makes sense for us moving forward, but today, our rotation was similar to how we said it was going to be, 1-1-1 and then if somebody got hot, we would go with it.
Q: You talked a lot about getting these young guys experience. Could this have gone any better, could you have scripted this any better? Seventeen guys caught the ball and you got 100-yard rusher. You got your freshmen in. Could this have been a better scripted day for you?
A: Oh, yeah, it could have gone better. I didn't love the second quarter offensively. I thought we stalled out a few times. I thought we could have been better on third down. That's being critical. Besides that, it was a lot of good things to build on. One of the things I talked to the team about in there is that games like that are really important because there's so many players that work their tail off every day, in season, some guys have been doing it for years, and they never get an opportunity to get on the field. I appreciate the fact that that our starters were able to execute in a way that allowed a number of guys to get on the field and get some playing time. For some guys, that that can be a memory they take with them for the rest of their life. There's a lot of positives that come out of games like that, and for the most part I was very pleased with how we handled it.
Q: What led to the decision to put [Drew Allar] in the game early in the third quarter as opposed to a little later which a lot of people might have expected coming in?
A: Our plan was to play him a series in the second quarter and then a series in the third quarter. I wanted to try to do that. I think sometimes in the past, we have planned on getting the guys in the game once there was a certain lead, and when the game doesn't play out that way, they don't get the time that you really wanted them to have. By saying we were going to give them a series in the second quarter and then a series in the third quarter, it didn't play out that way in the second quarter, that helped. The middle eight was significant for us being able to defer and get the ball coming out of the half and do some good things with it which helped too.
Q: Quality reps for young players was a thing you talked about on the off season. How comfortable are you with the quality of these kids?
A: I don't have the number. I could check my notes, but I don't know how many guys we ended up playing. I'm not sure what the number was, but it felt like a lot, which is really important. Last week, I think it was seven freshmen. Those guys, their roles will continue to grow as they gain experience and confidence as the season goes on and we're going to need them, to see some freshmen not only play, but make some big plays, pivotal plays within the game, whether long runs or touchdown catches or tackles or whatever it is. That will be helpful for us moving forward.
Q: What do you think Mike Yurcich and your quarterback room get out of today's overall experience for three different guys, particularly with [Drew Allar] and his first extended look in this uniform? I know you want to look at the film, but what did you see today that you that you personally take away?
A: I think the biggest thing that I think jumps out to everybody is that he's just super poised in there for a young kid. The game seems slow to him already. I think he's doing a really good job from a preparation standpoint. I think I said this last week, it also helps that he's 6'5" and 242 pounds because he's bigger than half the guys chasing him. The fact that people are going to have to respect him and his own read game and things like that. He is no Trace McSorley, I'm not saying that, but he does enough to keep people honest in the quarterback running game off his own reads and stuff. That's probably the thing that stood out to me last week, on the road against a Big 10 opponent in a tough environment, he seemed very poised and was able to build on that today. We were able to get him a bunch of reps and they were valuable reps. We had a bunch of discussions about when to get the other quarterbacks in, and things like that, but it's just that fine line because there's only so many reps to go around. I was glad that [Christian Veilleux] was able to get in because he has obviously earned it, and I am a huge [Christian Veilleux] fan. He has earned the right to play, but there's just always so many reps to go around and I was glad that we were able to get [Drew Allar] a significant number.
Q: I was wondering if you could talk about your outside blocking. Can you assess the right side of your line?
A: I have to watch the tape, but I do think what happens with Nick Singleton is that he's got such good speed that maybe in years past when the read would be cloudy and you'd want to balance it, we didn't always have the speed to get to the edge like he does. He showed the ability to do that and around that may typically be three or four yards, has a chance to be eighty with him. I do think it has an impact, obviously not just on the rushing stats, but I think it has an impact on defensive coordinators. When they know if they're not in their gap or they make a mistake that there's a battle on the other side that can go 80 yards at any point. There's a lot of value in that. I think it affects how people call the defense too.
Q: You're not in pro football. You're in college football and college coaches are known to depend on guys who perform for them and have been dependable for them, where ruthless pro coaches might not. It looks like you've got some decisions to make with very young players who are really good and some veterans who may be trying to hold on to their job. Do you have an overarching philosophy on all of that, and when you decide to make a move?
A: We need them all. We're going to need every player on our roster. We're going to need every player in that locker room. Like I talk about all the time; all of their roles are critical for our success. Some guy's roles are going to increase as the year goes on. Some guy's roles are going to decrease as the years go on. Some guys are going to kind of stay the same. That's the balancing act of being able to manage all of that, whether it's five position, or whether that's the team. That's one of the jobs of the head football coach, right? That's to manage all of the personalities and egos that we have, and that is players as well as staff. It is not always a fun job, but it's a big part of what we do and how we do it. What we try to talk to the guys all the time about is with team success comes individual recognition. The reality is the guys that truly commit to the team and put the team first, all those other things come to them, at least that's what I have found throughout my career. I will continue to emphasize everybody's role is critical. Ultimately, we have to do what's best for the team.
Q: You mentioned the middle eight. I think you guys scored the two in the first game and then the first one today which at the moment was a big score. What's been the key for you guys there, and what does it take to be good in the middle eight offensively?
A: It helps if you defer, and if the way the game plays out, you have the ball at the end of the first half and have a chance. Sometimes, it just doesn't play out that way, getting off the field defensively or being able to sustain drives offensively to give yourself a chance to do that and then be able to work the clock at the end of the half to give yourself a chance. Sometimes it's just not going to play out that way. We've been fortunate.
We were going to do that in game one. We were able to force a turnover and make it happen. All we're trying to do is keep teaching situational football and emphasize why these things are important. Knock on wood, we have to keep protecting the football and that is through decision making at the quarterback position. That's through protection of our quarterback in the pocket. That is when we carry the ball making sure it's high and tight and in the outside arm. We've done a pretty good job of that. We had one guy come in towards the end of the game the ball swinging all around and he puts it on the ground and was able to recover it, but we have to keep coaching that aspect of football, like the game depends on it because it does.
Q: Are you concerned about your placement kicking game after Jake missed a field goal and an extra point, or have you seen enough from him over his time here and at camp, with everything you guys have tracked, that you just chalk it up to one bad day?
A: He missed a 42-yard field goal. You know if you look statistically, in college football, you know the percentage of that kick being made. He hasn't had a lot of opportunities. Part of it is because we've gone for it a bunch on fourth down and have been successful. I have a ton of confidence in Jake and what he's going to do. We have to shore up that protection on the field goal. We're getting way too much push inside our guard position. The problem is once you put that on tape, it's there and now people are going to attack it. We have to get that fixed, whether that's continuing techniques and fundamentals or whether that's making some changes at those positions as well. Everyone wants to talk about the other positions. That guard position on field goal PAT is important too. Nobody wants to talk about that. It is not sexy to you guys.
