Opening Statement
Like always, thanks everybody for coming out and supporting Penn State football, the media as well as the fans. Under the conditions we had a really good crowd. In normal conditions, under ideal conditions, a lot of programs around the country would die to have the crowd that we had tonight so very appreciative of everybody that was up in the stands. When you talk about critical stats, we did not win the turnover battle, which is something we're leading the country in, so that was obviously one criticism but explosive plays we won. Third down battle we won. Sack battle we won. Starting field position, penalty battle we won, so a lot of positives there. Defensively, we were suffocating all night long on one of the most explosive offenses in the country. When you look at explosive play percentage, that's the most explosive offense that we played this year from a statistical perspective. You know, defensively, I thought early on we had to get some things kind of cleaned up but once we did, I thought we played balanced offense again tonight and played complimentary football. And then special teams, obviously the story of the night is Daequan Hardy, the same guy that me and Terry went to watch in the state championship game and earned a Penn State scholarship by how he performed scoring all sorts of different ways, and one way was as a punt returner. So that was awesome for us to have that success tonight and specifically for him. Good win. We will obviously appreciate this one tonight. Enjoy tonight and wake up tomorrow morning and get started on our next opponent.
Q: Why did you try Daequan as a returner? What is the value he brings to the team?
A: I just kind of talked about that in the locker room with our guys. You know, here's a guy. Talk about opportunities, high school guys trying to create opportunities to go to college, college guys trying to create opportunities for certain roles, whatever it may be. He's the perfect example. Him and Kaden (Saunders) kind of went into a competition all summer camp with catching punts and returning punts. They battled back and forth. Kaden had done a nice job of catching the ball all year long. But we weren't, we weren't very explosive or making a ton of yardage. That's no knock on Kaden, he was doing a nice job, but we're looking to try to create some more big plays not just on offense, but special teams as well. Kickoff return and punt return as well. Catch percentage at practice was similar. So, we wanted to get him some opportunities and some reps and obviously he did a did a phenomenal job. So, we got two guys we feel like we can win with but he obviously showed tonight that he could be special. I think he broke the school record. Not just for a game but for a season in punt returns for touchdowns.
Q: What is the value that he (Daequan Hardy) brings to the team?
A: Here's a guy that's been a nickel for us for multiple years and has really dominated that role. Well. I think all the way back to the Purdue game last year. That huge play he made on the slot fade late in the game and that was huge. We started playing him a little bit more corner now and he showed the ability to do that, nickel and corner. And then on top of that now you know on special teams and a lot of different roles now specifically as a returner. This is going to change things for us. This is going to create issues for people that are evaluating those on film and something that's going to cause them to kind of think about how they're going to defend him. Guys that can make big plays and be explosive and protect the football are valuable and he's done a phenomenal job for us, and I'm not surprised. This is kind of who he's been.
Q: Of all the things that you can praise your defense for, are there one or two specific areas that stand out to you?
A: The first thing that probably jumps out is the turnovers. The reality is the turnover margin is more of a team statistic, and obviously defense is doing a great job, and offensively we've done a really good job as well. We put the ball on the ground one time which was disappointing, but I think the biggest thing defense has been able to control the game with the three and outs and the field positioning.
Q: How have those first six games prepared Drew specifically for what he's going to face in the second half of the season?
A: I think it's been an ideal situation. We've been able to get a first-time starter a ton of experience with normal downs, two-minute situations, and third down situations. It's an ideal situation with how the offensive linemen and left tackle that's playing well with a running game that's effective. He's been in a ton of different situations last year as a true freshman, but still got into almost every game. The thing that makes me feel good about Drew is that he's very humble and his approach is consistent.
Q: Today both tight ends scored, but the receiving corps has also been great. What does it mean for your offense to have these great players?
A: The fact that we can go to 11 or 12 personnel that we're able to run the ball out of both groups and line up in traditional tight end sets or get in non-traditional tight end sets and give them more spread sets. Our tight ends can do both which is where they become the most valuable. We have been fortunate to recruit and develop a big tight end room. That's another positive for Drew, is having these big targets to give the ball that are very dependable.
