Postgame Quotes: Football vs. Penn State
Nov 20 | Football
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Rutgers Head Coach Chris Ash
COACH ASH: Go ahead and start. Just want to thank our seniors. Disappointing that Senior Night didn't end on a positive. Didn't give them an opportunity to leave their legacy in this football program and this university the way that we wanted.
You know, my hat's off to Penn State. They made the plays, and we didn't get much going on the offensive side of the ball. And you know, you can't run the ball, can't protect the quarterback, and you know, third down was, again, another issue. We're going to struggle.
But can't say enough about the seniors. They have helped us lay a foundation that we can build on for the future. Their buy-in, their commitment, their work ethic, their leadership has been outstanding in the year that we've been here and my heart goes out to them right now because we really wanted to finish on a positive note for them.
The good thing is we have one more opportunity for this group of individuals to go out and play the game that they love together one more time, and keep trying to find a way to let these seniors enjoy a moment together here at the end of the season.
But we have to roll up our sleeves. We've got to go to work. We've got a lot of work we need to do to make improvements in a lot of areas moving forward and we'll do that. There will be better days than there were here recently, and obviously tonight. So.
With that, I'll go ahead and just open up for questions.
Q. Offensively, the same logistical problems, first downs, third down conversions; how do you fix that, and is it a case of being a little too predictable?
COACH ASH: No, it's not about being predictable. There's a lot of things we've got to fix. First it starts up front. We have to be able to run the ball and we have to protect the quarterback. You know, when you talk about being able to run the ball, we've got to have some sort of a pass game threat and right now, we don't. If we can't protect the quarterback, it's tough to throw the ball.
Q. How much of it do you put on Drew as your play-caller?
COACH ASH: It's on everybody. It's on everybody. Our coaches are coaching their tails off. Drew is calling a lot of really good plays. Players are out there fighting and scratching and clawing and trying to execute stuff.
But if you're a one-dimensional offense, and right now, we're not even one-dimensional. You look at the stats, there's not much going well. But that's on all of us and we've got to find a way to get it fixed moving forward.
Q. How much did it hurt to not get anything out of that first possession?
COACH ASH: It hurt. You know, you go down the field, you kick the ball off, you recover a fumble, and we lose yards and then can't put the ball between the uprights for some points. That hurt.
Q. The decision to use Tylin as much as you did, was Gio banged up?
COACH ASH: No, that's a part of the game plan. That's what we want to be able to do, and Tylin did some good things.
Q. One-dimensional, is it just --
COACH ASH: You look at the stats, we're not even one-dimensional.
Q. Is it just, guys just aren't good enough?
COACH ASH: There's a combination of things. Like I've said before, I'm never going to make an excuse. I'm not going to ever say it's about players. It's about us coaching and executing and finding out what our players can do and we've got to do a bet eastbound job of that.
Q. What do you think about the defensive effort, forcing four field goals, but obviously was not enough in the long run?
COACH ASH: I thought for the first three quarters, we were playing pretty good. Good enough against a quality opponent with an outstanding tailback, and I think the quarterback is a really good player, too.
I thought the effort and execution what have we were trying to do defensively was there. Fell apart in the fourth quarter. Game got out of hand and got wet and sloppy and I hate to see that. First half I thought was pretty good. Third quarter I thought was pretty good. Defense was put in a bad spot with the blocked punt in field position, but we have to get better on all phases. It's not just offense, defense or special teams. It's all phases.
Q. The blocked punt, was it a missed assignment?
COACH ASH: A missed assignment.
Q. Do you have some concern that your message of hope in the future gets lost a little bit in just the number of shutouts and the lopsided scores?
COACH ASH: No, look, I came here with a plan, came here with a vision. You go back to the opening press conference that I had standing right here in this room, I never told anybody it was going to be easy. It's going to be difficult; we've got a lot of challenges that lay ahead, but we'll get there. And I'm not going to make any predictions on when, but we'll be there; I can promise you that.
We're going to be swinging really hard. We are developing the players that are on the roster, the younger players right now. We are going to be recruiting really hard. Those things will never change. Our goals for the program are not going to change. The vision is not going to change. The plan is not going to change.
We have to roll up our sleeves and go to work, and we've got to coach, and we've got to develop and we've got to recruit. And guess what, that takes a lot of time and it's going to take some time.
Q. Is it bigger than you thought it would be, the rebuild?
COACH ASH: I knew there was going to be a lot of challenges.
Rutgers WR Jawuan Harris
On the challenges to the offense: "When the weather started getting out of hand, that was the biggest thing. We couldn't really throw and catch like we wanted to. We tried to run the ball, but we couldn't get through."
On the message to the fans: "It's the first year with the new coaches. There's a lot of promising things happening. It's still a work in progress. Rome wasn't built in one day. We still have a lot of things to get done. We still need to get bigger, faster and stronger to compete in this league."
On the play-calling: "I'm definitely still confident in the system. When you go back and look at the film, there's a couple things here and there that just blows up the whole play, it's not like we're just completely not executed. It's one block maybe here or there and we'd have a 20-yard gain compared to a two-yard gain."
On the promising things happening: "You can just see as far as the tradition and culture that they are trying to build, the foundation that they are trying to build, that Rutgers is going to be special down the line and for a long period of time."
Rutgers QB Giovanni Rescigno
On his thoughts after the game: "First off, I'm really disappointed for the seniors. We wanted to send them off the right way here at home. They are a great group of guys, and I'm blessed to be able to be around them. I learned a lot from them. Unfortunately, we couldn't send them off the right way. We've got one more game next week, and we're looking forward to that."
On the momentum going forward: "I think it's pretty obvious to tell how hard we work as a team. There's no doubt about that. The players go out every single week and play their butts off. The leadership we've had from the seniors, the direction that we have with Coach Ash going forward is so promising. It's hard to understand that sometimes from the outside looking in, but as someone that's been around almost three years now, I understand what's good and what's bad. And this program is really heading in the right direction. Darius (Hamilton) has talked about it, how excited he is for this program going forward. One thing is for sure, that we don't give up on anything. We don't back down from any challenge. No matter what the outcome was the week before, there's no doubt about it. No matter if we lose one week, we're going to come back the next week and work even harder. I think that's something the fans can appreciate, no matter what."
On the difference from last season: "100 percent. We worked so hard in the offseason. I've become so close to so many players on the team. This year has brought a new element with how close I've become with my quarterback group, the offensive group, and the whole team. Stuff like that is extremely important when you are playing a team sport like football, to have that kind of unity."
Rutgers DL Darius Hamilton
On his message for the players after the game: "I just said I love them. Obviously, there's only one week left. Shame on you if you treat that like it's not important. Regardless of the record, I love the game of football. I'm going to continue to work every day like somebody that loves the game of football, I'm going to continue to prepare every day like somebody that loves the game of football."
On the future for the program: "I know how serious the coaches are about making this place a better place. Obviously, Rome wasn't built in a day. Any time you are in a transition period, coaches working with guys they didn't recruit, you try and build those relationships in a short period of time. I think this is a great coaching staff. One of the best ones I've been around. I know that they really care about the players. And they really do have a successful scheme, it's just going to take some time for everybody to learn it, memorize it, and get on the same page."
On leaving a legacy: "To me, honestly, ever since coming back off this surgery, all I've been thinking about is not taking this game for granted. I once did. After that, it was just a blessing to be back out there. Don't take it for granted, just play as hard as you can. I just love being out there. I know that if I just go out there, wear my heart on my sleeve, and play as hard as I can, the rest will take care of itself."
Penn State Head Coach James Franklin
Opening Statement: "First of all, we want to thank the fans. Our fans were unreal with the type of support that we get. I would probably describe the weather conditions as less than ideal. Our fans were unbelievable. Right there until the end. I've never been a part of anything like it and our guys feed off of it. Very appreciative of that.
"Our defense played well. That was a challenging weather situation for both offenses, and I thought our defense played really well. They only gave up I think 87 yards and five first downs for the game, so that was significant. I thought taking the ball early and having the wind helped. The wind was a factor all day long. And then in the third quarter, taking the wind right away and not worrying about the student section in the fourth quarter and going right with the wind, I thought that was a factor in the game.
"Tyler Davis has been money for us all year long. Obviously Billy Fessler coming in and doing a nice job for us as well. Saquon Barkley just continues to do great things for us. I'm really proud of him. Mike Gesicki, we talked about, before the season started, how he had a chance to have a breakout year for us and he's done that by breaking the Penn State record for receptions by a tight end in a season with 42.
"There's a lot of positive things for our guys. Nine tackles for loss for the eighth time. We won the field position battle. We did not win the turnover battle. That's probably the one critique I had. The ball was on the ground a lot and we didn't come up with it. We lost the turnover battle. We won the penalty battle and won the explosive play battle, so overall, really cool. Next week, obviously, we're going to need everyone. I know Thanksgiving break is a challenge, but I am personally and professionally challenging all of our lettermen, our alumni, the community, the students. The dorms will be open on Friday at three o'clock. We need every student on campus. We need the lettermen from all over the country to fly in. LaVar, I'm personally calling you out. Fly back for the game. We need everyone back for the game. Obviously, this is a unique situation. Like I mentioned before, we're tough to beat at home when that stadium is rocking with 107,000. We're going to need that on Saturday.
"Give credit to Rutgers and their players and coaching staff. We have a long bus ride home, so we should have time to digest this. We should have the film graded by the time we get home and then we can get started on Michigan State. Everyone saw today what Michigan State was able to do. They're a tough team and have been a touch team for a long time. Coach Dantonio has done a great job for a long time and they have talent. We're going to have to have a great week of practice."
On the defense's performance: "I'm not sure. Obviously, I think the weather factors into it, there's no doubt, but I don't know if I have. I think Brent Pry has done a great job all year long as well as the defensive staff and then the players. We had some questions marks going into the season. We had some challenges early in the season with depth at the linebacker position with injuries. This team, tonight was a mental toughness game and physical toughness game and that's where we've been all year long. There's been some adversity that's hit with the linebacker unit and o-line unit. It's been a next man in mentality with no excuses. We're going to make a way or find a way, and I'm really proud of the guys handled all those things."
On how he felt when the team was up 9-0: "I felt pretty good. I don't want to say this, you've heard me say it before, but I don't really want to go into the locker room and say we're a second half team, but in times like this it's nice to go in and say we're a second half team. Guy responded well. I think the weather was factored in for both teams. That opening possession fumble wasn't ideal. We've had a number of situations this year where I guess some teams, coaches and coaching staffs could panic. We've just been in this situation so many times that the players believe in each other and the coaches and the coaches believe in the guys. We're going to battle for four quarters. This is a crazy game. I think we've all seen this across the country the past couple of weeks. It's not always going to be pretty and you're going to have to play for four quarters. The Big Ten is a difficult conference and one can make the argument that it's the best conference in college football right now. We don't ever expect it to be easy. We expect to go and fight four quarters to see what happens."
On if the blocked punt helped open up the game: "I don't know about that. Obviously whenever you block a punt in a game, if you look at the statistics, if you get a punt blocked against you or you block a punt, that has a real way of just swinging a game. I think that factored in. I love seeing all of these young players stepping up and making plays on special teams for us. Cam Brown, Aaron Monroe and obviously Juwan Johnson has been doing some things. It's been great. Obviously those guys have tremendous length and athleticism and use their length. Obviously it had a factor in the game. More than anything I'm just happy to see these young guys step up and make plays that the team can use to gain confidence from and momentum."
Penn State defensive end Evan Schwan
On if the weather was a factor: "I don't think it was much of a factor. I didn't see any guys get their feet taken from them. There was a bit of ice on the field that I had to constantly get off my cleats but I don't think the weather played a factor on what we were able to do."
On focus going into the next game and going 10-2: "I don't think our focus is going to change much. We're going to approach every game like we have up to this point. Obviously this game being our Senior Day is really special for me. To be able to run out and meet my parents in the center of the field. But we're still going to prepare like we have for every other game. Just get a good week of practice. We don't have class this week so that'll give us some more time to look at film and prepare for a good Michigan State team."
On the possibility of going to a title game: "It's surreal. I never thought as a freshman that we'd be in the position we are now. I'm very proud of everyone on the team, the fans and staff for sticking with us and working through the tough times."
Penn State wide receiver Juwan Johnson
On adjustment to special teams: "It's not really that hard. You're essentially just playing football which is what I've been doing most of my life. In high school, you play pretty much every position and when you come to college you're still playing those positions. It's second nature to me."
On what coach Franklin said to special teams before opening kickoff: "He said we got to keep on going and not stop no matter what. If we're up big he still wants us to give it all we got. He wants us to stay in that mindset for when we play those really tough games we just keep fighting."
On the field goal block and what it does for the offense: "It what a spark. We kept our heads up and kept going. The team came back to life after that so it was definitely part of our success today."
Penn State Quarterback Trace McSorley
On possibility of going 10-2: "To even have that opportunity is obviously big for us. The only way we can get to that is by winning next week's game. We got a big week coming up. Thanksgiving break is a huge week for us. We must get into the film room and watch as much film as possible when we're not in practice so that we're as prepared as we can be."
On what has allowed the team to come this far: "The kind of improvements we've had week in and week out. How comfortable we are with each other and how we're playing for one another. It's that chemistry and sense of team that we have."
On possibility of going to a title game: "When you play DI football that's what you dream of. Especially when you come to a place like Penn State. For a lot of these guys who came here and stuck with program when people told them they we not going to get the chance to play in a bowl game or any kind of postseason play. It is surreal to a point where if you sit down and think about it, it's incredible. But taking care of the next game is the only way we'll be able to have that opportunity."
Penn State linebacker Jason Cabinda
On what it was like to play defense with the conditions: "It was tough. It was one of those mental toughness games. It's something we couldn't prepare for. But we toughed it out and played with energy. We were having fun out there. You could see it on the sideline. Guys were having so much fun."
On the position they've put themselves in going into next week: "We control what we can control. Finish up strong and do everything we can that's within our power. We don't have classes next week so we'll be watching film and doing what we need to do to be as ready as possible for Michigan State. It'll be special to finish the season 10-2 and that's what we'll look to do."
Penn State tight end Mike Gesicki
On if it's easier to prepare with no classes: "Coach says we're kind of like NFL players this week. All we have to do is focus on football. We're going to have plenty of time to prepare for Michigan State."
On how team has been handling controlling their own destiny: "If you know anything about the guy that knows our program you'll know that we don't even talk about it or acknowledge it. Talking about controlling our own destiny, we control our own destiny every Saturday no matter who we play. We only care about what we can control."
On what it means being one win away from a 10-2 season: "It's something that we worked for and deserve. We've had a very good season. Some ups and down and some things we've learned from. I think it's been a huge learning experience for a lot of guys. Now we have an opportunity to play a very tough Michigan State team. They're a tough team and they're not going to give in to anybody. We're going to go out there, prepare for them and be ready for Saturday."
Penn State Kicker Tyler Davis
On how he treats wind: "You definitely have to take it into account. I never try to aim outside the post no matter what. I'll aim a little bit inside each post. The best thing you can do is go out there before the game and try to gauge the wind but it wasn't very windy before the game. When I got out there I just kind of felt it and aimed inside the post."
