Q: Can you give us an update on Koby [Howard]? It looked like at the end of the Michigan game Brett [Eskildsen] was dinged up a little bit. Is he okay?
A: Brett is. He's 100% ready to go. Koby's situation, probably where I left off last week: I think last week, I said probably questionable for this week. I think still the same point.
Progressing in a really positive way. I think we'll know a lot more by the time we get to the end of the week if he can play.
Q: Has he been able to practice yet?
A: He was out on the practice field today. That was a positive, for sure.
Q: The pass-rush, the inability to generate a lot of pressure on the QB, how much of an emphasis is that for you? Is it something where the D-line can organically take on that challenge or something you have to feed into?
A: I think the answer currently is a collection of both in terms of we can improve and we can help put some of those guys in better positions at times.
I think that's what's great about a bye week, an opportunity to reflect on some of the gaps that you have, fundamentally go back and really, man, from a coaching perspective and playing perspective, attack those gaps. I thought that's an area for us where we can grow and get better.
I think the other piece of it is, again, when we've been able to pressure or have pressure throughout the season, when has that showed up. I think it's collectively at times a four-man pass-rush, those guys being able to affect the passer, but also times where we've had the opportunity to use our second- and third-level defenders to make an impact.
The answer currently with this team, our setup, we're going to need a little bit of all of those things as we continue to move forward to be at our best to create and generate pass-rush.
Q: If Koby does return, do you think he could be the piece that cures the offense a little bit, helps out, especially with Chase [Sowell] stepping up?
A: I think the unfortunate piece is you haven't had those guys on the field at the same time probably playing in that same rhythm. You feel like you are a way more complete football team than maybe you were probably those first two games back without Koby. I think you're trying to kind of navigate who are we, what are we.
Yet I feel like the last two weeks, you found a rhythm, you found a lot more of who you want to be, how you continue to progress forward.
I do think getting Koby back will be a huge asset to our football team. I think that's why we have to make sure he's healthy and truly ready to play on the football field, making sure we get the Koby you saw the first three games of the season, not a shell of Koby. I think that's part is really important for us.
Q: Have you had to adjust some team goals based on the first half of the season? Do you look down the road and emphasize getting to a bowl game, the value that that may have?
A: I think the bigger thing, I really try to take it week-to-week with our football team, where are we, how do we continue to move ourselves forward. I think a lot of those things we talked about on the onset of the season, of breaking the season up into four different quarters.
I think this is a flip to the third quarter of our season and where are we. I still think there's things for us that the goal that we set out first and foremost is the identity of our football program moving forward. Who do we want to be? What do we want to become? This is the vision of where we want to be.
Again, I think even getting into a bye week, where are our gaps? How far away are we in some of these areas where we need to go to have that identity as we continue to move ourselves forward as a football program?
I think a lot has been on leadership, a lot has been on the identity of our football program.
That's really been the focus from day one, more than a win or a loss or talking about those end goals. If we don't take care of those things, if we don't create those things, those will always take care of themselves when you take care of yourself. I think that's really been our focus, to be quite honest with you, really all season long.
Q: With a bye week to work with, do you think there's one or two things that are holding the running game back a little bit that can be fixed? How confident are you that it could look quite a bit different maybe during the final five games?
A: I would just say from my end, you're right. I have confidence because I think when you look at what you saw, there's been growth and improvement in areas, and yet it starts with coaching, identifying what can we do. We now have collection of data of seven games. What are we. What allows us to have and find the consistency in the running game that we would like to find.
Again, I think if you look at USC and Michigan, at times you're finding a little bit more of that consistency in the running game at times. Still not where we want to be, certainly where we're at.
I think even going into the bye week the opportunity to really digest that information and have a clear plan both schematically and fundamentally moving ourselves forward.
I think the biggest piece that I saw from the bye week is our football team's demand to come out and have great practices and want to fix the problems equally from the coach's standpoint of collectively trying to fix the problem.
I think that gives me a lot of confidence. I think where we're really excited about continuing to move this thing forward from that perspective, for sure.
Q: What were some of the things that you did last week with Rocco [Becht] to get him to reset? What is the benefit of a bye week?
A: I think, again, Rocco, like a lot of our players to be honest with you, I think we tried to really do a deep dive self-evaluation of where are they? I think that all can't be just what's going wrong; what also went right, right?
I think we were able to put a lot of that collectively together. Here's where, man, there are some really great moments. Here is where we're playing at our best. Here is where we're not and why.
I think even Rocco would tell you fundamentally there's things where it got chaotic at times, whether a decision-making process, inaccuracy process, it is fundamental, it's coachable, able to get corrected.
I think that piece of it is exciting because you're able to go to work, because you're able to put the time, effort and energy not into the scheme, but into the fundamentals and details, not just Rocco, but all of our guys having the opportunity to grow themselves so they can consistently play to the best of their ability.
I feel very convicted about Rocco. There's a lot of good football in there. There's a lot of really good playing in that.
Man, you watch college football last week. When he's at his best, he's playing good football, he's giving us a chance to win the games.
I think some of the areas where he has to be better to win the games is evident as well. I think it gave us a lot of time and effort to go, man, correct those things and have a great plan moving ourselves forward.
Q: Two parts of your special teams. I think you are in the latter half of the country when it comes to the number of kickoff returns. Is the number of times you return a kick a math equation? Do you feel like you're getting enough out of your punt unit at this point?
A: I think both of those are kind of unique. The kickoff return world, I would just say, in my opinion, again, there is value that you have to understand where are you, right? Getting the ball on the 25 yard-line at times, there's a lot of value to that.
A, we played some great kickers with guys that certainly can elevate the ball into the back of the end zone or have elite hang time. You're right, a real disadvantage at times when you're trying to ask the kick return team, because two things can happen. Either you don't get the ball to the 25, a wasted opportunity, or there's a penalty and you put yourself in a tough situation.
I think there is analytic conversation of are we going to return it here, are we going to green light this? There are strike zones to our returns where the ball needs to be if we are going to return it.
On the punting piece of it, again, we've talked about it a lot, that punt team, I think the strengths are, I think we've been outstanding in our pooch punting, sky punting. There's been more. as we've talked about it, it's double than we've ever had at this point of the season over the last four or five years as we've kind of looked, which positive and negative: positive, you're driving the football, there's sky punting, and we executed that at a really high rate.
I think the area of open-field punting, consistency in some of that, can continue to be better. I think our coverage unit, we let off one big return in the Northwestern game. Other than that, we've done a good job in our punt and cover.
I still would say the consistency in our open-field punting can continue to improve. I think that was something we were really able to go to work on this past week.
Q: You are an extremely competitive guy. You've been through a lot through the 15 years of coaching. You said with the team you try to take it week to week. How do you handle a stretch like this? What do you tell yourself? How do you cope? How hard is it to stick to the plan?
A: Well, I think that is one of the benefits of having 15 years experience as a head football coach. I said this uniquely at Iowa State: I felt like we had to rebuild our program three different times. When I took over as the head football coach at Toledo, you felt like you had to rebuild the program kind of where it was.
I feel like going through those experiences has certainly helped you with the dynamic of this experience. Again, what are you trying to get out of year number one? What are you trying to get out of building a football team and a program? How do you not waver and flinch when adversity hits?
I still think leadership is not when it's going great; leadership is the ability to build culture, and when you're not getting the results you want, identifying why you're not getting them, but certainly not leaving the plan of how you want to build the team and what the expectations are in terms of standards and expectations.
I think those things have been beneficial. I think you work really hard to sync back on those things. Again, from a frustration standpoint, as the competitor, I'd be naïve to say there haven't been some frustrating moments, some moments that you're disappointed in terms of where you are or where you would want to be, no different than our fan base, no different than the people that really care about Penn State football.
But I think the reality of it is the confidence and belief in terms of the vision of where you want to go and what it needs to look like, not only if you're going to do it but do it in sustained true success over a long period of time.
Again, that's hard to find in football anywhere, sustainable success with great consistency. At the end of the day that's my mission and my job to build that kind of football program here at Penn State.
Q: You mentioned when you were talking about the run game, generally you said the football team has demanded to come out and fix practice. What did you gain last week or what happened last week that gave you confidence in this team?
A: I still say the 'how'. You're dealing with 18- to 22-year-olds, no different than the question just asked of the coach, we're grown up. The 18-to 22-year-olds deal with the highs and lows of a result individually and collectively.
To me, the spirit of that group and how they have demanded to fight back, I saw it after really the USC game. I saw it after we came back from Northwestern. I saw it even when we were down 14-3 in Michigan. Some of those moments where this group kept fighting and demanded a pathway forward.
I was interested to see how our team practiced last week, what kind of intent, what would it look like, you're not having a game. Man, there's areas that we as coaches we have to fix and there's areas that you as players have to continue to demand to fix.
To watch that group come to work and demand a pathway forward, that part is certainly energizing, and you're really excited. As I continue to say, we have the right people in the locker room. I feel really strong about that today after what I've watched this group continue to demand and work forward on.
Q: In terms of practice, I'm talking in years past and last week, what does a practice week look like during a bye week?
A: Like I said, when you have, one, a lot of work to do, it looks like a lot of work. I thought we really had a great Tuesday practice. Wednesday gave us a great opportunity. We had self-scouted ourselves a lot and really gave us great opportunity to give that information back to our players, videotape evidence of what we're saying rather than just saying it, both individually and collectively.
Not only do we have individual meetings with a lot of our players, we have the collective whole of these are our challenges and this is what we need to fix. Then being able to come back on Thursday and have another great practice.
I thought our kids' intent and want to; and I thought our coaches did a great job self-reflecting, where can we be better. It starts with coaches, from the head coach to our coordinators, to equally our players buying into that value system and growing and improving. That's what it looked like for us last week.
Q: I talked to Taylor Mouser this offseason. He mentioned that the plays you're going to run generally are going to be the plays your players can execute. Talking about the run game, how do you find an identity in the run game when you're trying to pivot to find the thing that all three units [running backs, offensive line, tight ends] can do together collectively?
A: I would say, number one, on the offensive line, that's a new group coming together. I think number one, watching that group progress and fairly evaluating what can those guys do best, it always starts with the offensive line.
I feel like, again, there's probably been times where we maybe tried to fix it by scheme rather than by fundamental. I think we were able to catch ourselves and kind of, like, zoom focus a couple weeks ago of really trying to dial in to what we can do best and what that group does best.
I think, against, man, then it becomes about the tight ends, certainly about the running backs. But I certainly think it always starts with those five guys.
Obviously, you've had some guys that have been dinged up, some guys that have been up and down. I think that group is probably the healthiest it's been, which has been a huge positive. That started two weeks ago with Brock [Riker] playing really good football. I think the ability for that group to move itself forward, it all starts with that group, in my opinion.
Q: D’Anton [Lynn] just said he believes Tony [Rojas] has another level to get to. What does that level look like for Tony?
A: Well, you’ve got to remember, Tony has worked really hard to come back from, in my opinion, a tough injury for anybody, especially a linebacker. The pace at which he's coming back, there's been some wild moments for Tony, for sure.
Again, great players play with an elite level of consistency. I think part of that is playing himself back into, man, what that looks like on 50 snaps, and at times we've asked him to play 60 snaps in a game. That's a lot. Yet I think he's such a competitor, he doesn't want to come out of the game.
I feel like from our end of it, I would say the other thing, a guy that has been asked to play in five different schemes or at least four different schemes in Tony's situation, four different years.
I think dialing into, man, what's being asked of me, the consistency, fundamentals schematically, then the confidence of getting himself back, being able to play that many snaps.
I've never met a great player that doesn't want to play or be on the field. Every great player that I've been around, I'm not rotating with anybody, I'm staying on the field, if you try to sub me in, I'm not letting you do that. That's Tony to a T.
I think just growing back into that with the confidence of the scheme and fundamentals of what we're asking him.
Tony has done some great things. It's been really awesome. As we know, statistically, there's a great catalyst when he's at his best. There's some areas where he can continue to improve. He knows that. What I love about Tony is he's one of the guys that has spearheaded last week of coming out with purpose and intent and really having a great week of practice.
When your best players are demanding that, then you really do have a chance to improve. That's part is certainly positive for us.