Penn State Football
Penn State Player Postgame Quotes (Defense)
vs. Ohio State – October 29, 2022
Kalen King | CB | SO
Q: Ohio State came, and they got a lot of mileage out of slants and throwing it over the middle of the field. Why were they so much more effective in that?
A: I mean you know they are a very vertical team; they are a real deep threat. So, we just tried to eliminate that as far as, all the downfield passes and the explosive play passes, so we just try to eliminate that and just limit them to small advances.
Q: How do you feel you guys did overall with that?
A: I feel like we did good, but we have to come back better. We have a lot of things to work on. We have to come in tomorrow and we're going to watch the film. We're going to go over everything and we're just going to, you know, take it from there.
Q: You guys get 85 points against Michigan and Ohio State, do you still see yourself on their level?
A: Of course, we always want to see ourselves on that level. No matter if we win or lose. We see ourselves at their level and we compete with them every year.
Q: How big were the stops to be able to take away their bubble screen and short pass?
A: Oh, it was very good because it's always good to get off the field on third down. Just getting things done on defense period just adds momentum to our team. So those big moment plays are huge.
Joey Porter Jr. | CB | R-Jr
Q: How does it feel with nine minutes [left] you guys have the lead, defense on the field, stadium going crazy. Can you talk about that?
A: I mean, we had them right where we wanted them, we felt like throughout the first three quarters, we felt like we were playing great ball, some little mistakes, but nothing to put us in a losing position. Really, we just have to finish hard and fight through it.
Q: What are your impressions of Ohio State's pass game specifically Harrison?
A: He's a good player. I thought I would get a little bit more matchups with him. Little more balls my way come in, especially when I was on him…he's going to be a really good player in the future.
Q: What do you think Penn State's missing to be at the level of Ohio?
A: I feel like we're there honestly. We just have to finish when we need to. We need to make the plays the best required and I feel like we didn't do that today. We left some out there and we just have to work on that.
Q: Can you take anything from the fact that it was a close game for so long or is a loss a loss?
A: A loss is a loss in my book at the end of the day. I mean, we did have them where we wanted them going into the fourth quarter with eight minutes left in the game when we were still up. And it just went ugly really quick. So, we just got to finish the fight.
Keaton Ellis | S | Jr.
Q: What went right for Penn State today?
A: We played hard. We're stoked, we know what's going on. We trust each other and make plays. We have got to come in tomorrow, refocus, and correct whatever needs to be corrected. Be prepared for the next game. It's built into the culture here. It's a wonderful mentality.
Q: Can you describe how Ohio State was able to pull away in the fourth quarter?
A: We just got to play all four quarters. We played hard the whole game. They're a great team. They're going to make plays. When they punch, you got to punch back. We did a good job of that, and it must be all four quarters. We knew they were going to make plays; we were stopping the ball all game then they made the big play. The biggest thing going into the game was to limit explosive plays for touchdowns which we were not able to do and is something we need correct.
Q: How does Penn State take the next step going forward?
A: We have got all the talent. We just got to play hard for all four quarters, that's what football is. The first quarter is no different than the fourth. You have got to have the same mentality. We played hard today and I'm just proud of my guys. We all played our hearts out, and I'm happy for the effort that we put out there.
Ji'Ayir Brown| S | Senior+
Q: What do you feel worked for you guys best in the first three quarters?
A: I think our base stuff worked, just going out there playing hard, I feel like that's really all you have to do against a team like that. Just execute your game plan and believe you can do it and just keep following coach's lead and I think that's what the first three quarters were about, and we executed pretty well. We played extremely hard, played great. Just some key executions down the stretch that we missed and that allowed them to get away.
Q: You mention quick change situations a lot, how much harder is it when there are several of those and you kind of find yourself in those positions over and over and over again?
A: We try not to think about it. We huddle up, sudden change, we like to huddle up with each other before we go out there, try not to think about the moment, we're going out there and we're about to play defense against Ohio State, and let's just go out there execute and let's go. The guys believe in my leadership, they believe in coach's leadership, and they're going to go out there every down and no matter what it is, whether it's sudden change, they go out there every day and they just play hard.
Q: How tough is it to turnover a team like that that's so precise and operates like that on offense?
A: CJ Stroud is a great player, he does a great job putting the ball exactly where it needs to be. He had some amazing throws and wasn't letting me get a real good read on him. He did a pretty good job at that. He's the reason their offense goes. And once he's gone, you know they all feed off each other and make big plays. And that's Ohio State for you.
