Opening statement:
First of all, you have to give Northwestern and Coach [David] Braun a ton of credit. We shouldn’t lose that game. It’s 100% on me, and we have to get it fixed, and I will get it fixed.
Q: James, I think you were getting to the point that your team made a lot of mistakes it usually doesn’t make. There’s a lot of noise out there about you specifically. Are you worried that the team is distracted by all the publicity around you?
A: Yeah, we have worked really hard to keep the building as positive as we possibly can and close out all that noise. But for me to say that it doesn’t impact them, would not be honest.
Q: Why do you think that the run defense has been so porous these last two weeks?
A: Yeah, again, probably the answer that you don’t want — that I need to watch the tape. But at the end of the day, the stats and the results are what they are, and it’s my responsibility to get it fixed. And we will get to work tomorrow, and probably even tonight. Again, it’s totally on me, and we will do everything we can to get it fixed.
Q: Do you have any update on Drew Allar, and do you expect that he’ll maybe be able to go here in the coming days?
A: Yeah, so Drew will be done for the year. The reason I turned and looked is I do not release that information until I clear it with the kid and the family. And I talked to Drew, but I had not heard back from the family before I came in here.
Q: What do you think is missing? Is there a lack of connection between the coaching staff and the players? And in the NIL era, does that change the dynamic after a team takes, say, a loss to Oregon? Has there been a different dynamic since then?
A: Yeah, there’s obviously a ton of different dynamics in college football now, but we’re all dealing with the same thing. And whatever the situation is now in college football, everybody must embrace it — and that doesn’t allow us to use that as the reason. Again, at the end of the day, it is my responsibility completely, and I take full responsibility for all of it. I hired all the staff; I recruited all the players — believe in all of them. But at the end of the day, we’re not getting it done right now, and again, I own that.
Q: Coach, is there anything you’re hearing on the headset when you guys are on offense that maybe gives you an indication, without watching the film, about why things haven’t worked on offense up until the end?
A: Yeah, I thought, you know, early in the game, we got the running game going. Kaytron was very productive. Obviously, Nick was able to get the touchdown as well. The early turnover, obviously, was significant, because we went right down the field after the blocked punt and were in a great situation. That was obviously a big series in the game. You go down and you score on that drive — could be a very different game. But again, we’ve got to handle whatever comes and respond to whatever comes. But I thought early on we were able to run the ball and mix some things up. In the second half, we weren’t able to run the ball either.
Q: Devonte Ross had a nice game. You had a real big play there. You guys took the lead. The other guys you added in the in the transfer portal, the wide outs. Just your thoughts on [Trebor] Pena and [Kyron] Hudson? Just your thoughts on maybe getting more of an ability to consistently get more playmakers involved?
A: Yeah, I think that's fair. It can't just be the running back and one wide receiver. We need multiple guys making plays. We need to distribute the ball. We need to get as many guys involved, because they're capable. So again, that is on me to make sure that that happens. And again, you know, all I can say is, I take full responsibility.
Q: We've heard the emotion from the fan base, and we saw yours post-game. Do you still want to be a head coach here at Penn State, and do you have confidence that this is a group of people that can turn this around this season?
A: Yeah, for me, it's always been about our players, and those guys are hurting right now. And the fans are frustrated, and I totally get it. We have great fans here. We get unbelievable support. I understand their frustration. Trust me. We’re as frustrated as anybody, the guys in the locker room. But to me, ultimately, it's about the guys. It's about the guys in the locker room, and they're hurting in there, and I’d do anything I could to take that hurt away from them. But like I told them, we got to stick together. We got to tune out all the noise, and we got to get to work. That's the only answer--- is get to work. We've had some adversity in the past, not like this, and we're going to get to work. I love those kids. I am committed to those players in that locker room, and I've been that way for 12 years. I've been that way for 15 years of my head coaching career, and I've been that way for 30 years. That won't change. It's always been about the players for me; that won't ever change. That's what it's all about for me. So, my commitment is to the guys in that locker room and all the guys that have been in that locker room in the past. So that's where my commitment is.
Q: I know you said that you love your players and everything, but do you still think it's best for your career to be the head coach at Penn State?
A: Yeah, again, I take full responsibility for what happened tonight. I take full responsibility for what's happened this season, and I'm committed to the guys in that locker room.
Q: From afar, it looked like you were more active in the play calling on offense tonight. Was that the case?
A: Tonight was no different than it's been all year long and for the last 12 years. There was no difference. There was, there was no change. I'm not sure where that is coming from.