Justyn Martin | QB | R-So.
Q: Can you take us through when you found out you were going to start? The process, the pre-game, what was going through your mind?
A: So I prepped all week just in case, I didn’t really know too much about starting or anything. I was just kind of focused on the task at hand. You know, they told me to get the reps in at practice. So I prepared, they told me I was going to be the starter, and gave it my all. The coaches did a good job of preparing me.
Q: Did you get any good advice that was helpful?
A: Yeah, so Ethan [Garbers] and Chase Griffin, but really everybody. They were supporting me throughout the week. Garbers was just saying to really understand the moment. Not a lot of people get a chance to play in front of 100,000 people. And I was appreciative of this opportunity to play at Penn State - a great, legendary college environment. So he was just saying to appreciate it. Don’t really get too sunk into this, it’s your first start. Just enjoy it and play ball.
Oluwafemi Olajedo | LB | Sr.
Q: Coach Malloe was talking about how he got really emotional this week. He was talking about how much he wanted to win for you, help you guys win. Did he make any changes that were helpful in the game plan?
A: Yeah, I think the whole staff did on offense and defense. He was showing emotions and the whole staff did. We have people working day-in and day-out. So a lot of people change things, how we approach things, whether there’s corrections on the film. And we just have to make it happen as a player.
Q: Did you feel that this was a step forward for the defense?
A: Yeah, definitely. Obviously we knew this team wanted to pound the ball. I believe they averaged 250 yards a game, so we knew we had to step up. But like I said, we still had some mistakes on the field, so a lot to correct.