Penn State Football
Visiting Coach/Student-Athletes Postgame Press Conference
vs. Iowa – September 23, 2023
Kirk Ferentz | Head Coach | Iowa
Opening Statement:
Disappointing game, disappointing outcome for us. You know, we really never had a position to put a stress on our opponent so credit goes to them, they have a really good football team and played pretty much flawless tonight. Obviously, we helped them along and certainly turnovers didn't help, and some penalties didn't help. Outside of that really not a lot to say, it's a tough loss for us. We'll move forward and the biggest thing right now is we'll go back to work tomorrow so we can learn from this. And it's all about pushing forward a lot of people to look at right now, let's communicate the key things to work on.
Q: There's a lot to break down here of course, I guess starting with offense, but I think you had five or six yards the last three quarters what, what happened offensively where you couldn't establish anything?
A: I mean, really, the second half level was good up until the second half or so. It's just sometimes things just snowball, that's really what took place tonight. First half, we started up at the drive and then the turnover right there. After that, we're just seeing what was going on. We're good team, they're a good defensive football team. Still got to work.
Q: You've been in these types of situations before, I mean 2016 here was kind of similar in a way but what has been your approach in those cases as a coach, do let it marinate with the guys for a while, how do you how do you approach them?
A: We try to move on as fast as we can, it felt like a different scenario, different type of game, so a little different situation there. You know whether you lose by you know, 30 or you lose by one, it's still, it's tough. It's hard for me and I think the biggest thing again, we'll try to learn from it. We'll get through the tape quick tomorrow, then we're gonna move forward and focus on next week and that's really all that's gonna matter at this stage.
Q: What is the concern level, for you, with offense?
A: Tonight we didn't score points, you know and we didn't stop them on defense. So, it's not a good night. My concern levels, I don't know, I don't have a concern level if that makes any sense. Other than we got shut out tonight. There's not much good about that.
Cade Mcnamara | QB| SR
Q: Now this is back-to-back game three, completing less than half of your passes. What do you attribute that to, and why will that get better?
A: It's a combination of a lot of things. I have to play better too. Completion percentage is another thing. You know tonight was a tough night from a defensive standpoint that we were facing, and there are also other elements too, but we will get better.
Q: You mentioned that you believe that this experience will help the offense get better. Can you maybe expand on that?
A: I don't think tonight is a reflection of the offense, the defense, or the special teams. This team is better than what we played tonight. I believe that with my whole heart. I promise from now on we will be fueled and motivated for the rest of the season.
Q: Was there much trouble communicating with all the noise going on tonight?
A: No, I thought our communication was good, we only had maybe one or two hiccups but that's okay. We can deal with one to two hiccups.
Mason Richman | OL| Jr.
Q: In the middle of a performance like that, what are you hearing from the coaches on the sidelines in between possessions? How are they keeping you guys focused on the game?
A: Yeah, I think our mindset never changes, If you're down, if you're up, if you're tired, just focus on the next route. Coach comes over and tells us eyes straight ahead and everything like that. For me, Coach Barnett is saying the same exact thing, you know just stay focused because that's all you can do. This team always has their eyes straight ahead.
Joe Evans | DE | SR
Q: Did the fatigue hit since the defense was out there for 97 plays?
A: I don't think so. We trained so hard and we take pride in that. So, I don't know if it's a fatigue thing. I just think honestly all together we need to be better.
Q: What needs to happen now whether it's forget about it or learn from it? When you guys say "eyes forward", how do you do that how do you get back on track?
A: Definitely come back and watch the tape tomorrow and just learn from it. That's a big thing that we can watch and learn from our mistakes.
Q: In your opinion Joe, where do you assess where things went wrong against Penn State's offense in the second half?
A: I thought we did a great job in the first half. Just being able to come out and put the fire out. We knew that we needed to come out and have a good first drive and we weren't able to do that. We just to be better in that aspect.