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PENN STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCESeptember 1, 2015Christian HackenbergUniversity Park, Pennsylvania An Interview With: CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG Q. One thing that came up at the end with James was Donovan's going to be in the booth, Ricky's going to be on the field. What's that dynamic like for you? Is that a comfortable situation for you? CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG: Yeah. Definitely I think that was one of the things we just talked about. You know, I think as an offensive unit we needed one of those guys down there. So having either/or, whatever they were most comfortable with, we were most comfortable with. So I think Coach Donovan decided to go up and Coach Ryan decided to come down. So I think it's great for us. Q. Christian, you've played pretty good in your two season openers since you've been here. What is it about the first game of the season that you just have it going for you? CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG: You know, I don't know. I just try and prepare as well as I can, you know, and I think as a unit we always come out and we execute well. I think that that's more what it's all about, you know, rather than just me. You know, I think as a unit we've had a lot of guys come out and play really well opening game. So I'm excited about what that kind of brings, that dynamic brings. I think these guys are really ready to roll. I'm ready to roll. So I think we have a great game plan and we're going up against a team that's very veteran team, well coached. They have a good plan. They're very comfortable with what they do, so you know, I think it's going to be a great challenge for us. Q. Christian, when you're going into the first game of the season, would you rather almost face a team like Temple that's got almost everybody back, so maybe they're a little bit easier to prepare for when you don't have a lot of game film for this year than you would a young team where you really don't know maybe what you're going to go against? CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG: Yeah. I think you just have to prepare the same way with any of those teams, so I wouldn't say that necessarily you prefer one over the other. I think it does help that they have a lot of the same personnel coming back. You kind of get a feel for what those guys are. But then again, they got better. They developed, they had a year in the system. They had spring, they had a whole off season. So you're always going to have a new challenge each year, year by year. So you know, I think that, like you said, they're very veteran team. So really excited about that. Q. Christian, now that you've had a couple of years under your belt here, is there a way leading up to a game, especially when you've waited so long in the off season to get back on the field to temper your energy or to help other players that maybe aren't as experienced moderate their energy leading up to game week so they can sustain during the game? CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG: Yeah. I think it's just focus. You know, you really gotta be a guy who's really prepared, you understand the game plan; you feel like you know what you got to do, what have you to do to make sure that the team's successful, and you know, I think that you have to know what the other guys have to do and they have to know what you have to do. So it's kind of like one of those things where you have to rely on each other and I think this camp we've done a really good job of that. I think though we have some younger guys, a lot of those guys are experienced; a lot of those guys had to play last year. So we're a very I think experienced group from that standpoint, so I'm sure we'll be ready to roll. Q. Two weeks ago, I believe DaeSean called you a big dork. Quite frankly, I was just kind of curious what your reaction was when you heard that, and how you describe yourself, if maybe dork isn't the right word? CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG: You know, I -- it is what it is. (Laughs). DaeSean is one of my best friends, so I'm sure that was in a very joshing manner. But he -- I am who I am. I think you guys have a pretty good idea of who I am. So you know, I have no comment other than that. Q. You said on media day before the start of fall camp that coming back, returning to the same system you were a lot more comfortable, more relaxed. Coach Franklin today reiterated that, but now having been through camp and it's winding down, how has that progressed further? Can you give us an example, couple of examples as to how that's translated into what you're doing on the field? CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG: You're talking about being more comfortable within the system? Q. Yeah, now that you've been through camp. CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG: Well, I don't necessarily think it's about me. You know, I think that I have to hold my role and I have to do what I have to do within that unit to make sure that we're successful, but I think as a whole we've gotten so much more comfortable, and that's going to lead to success. You know, one player is not going to turn the tide for an entire offense in terms of, you know, being able to execute. You need 11 guys to execute at the same time for a play to be successful. So you know, I think that we've done a really good job of everyone being more comfortable with what we need to do, talking the same language, understanding how we want to attack teams, what we're good at. And you know, I think that has been evident throughout this entire camp. Q. You seem more relaxed, laughing a little bit more, and you know, after a year. And based on Hamilton's characterization of you, does he get the ball at all? CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG: Yeah, DaeSean is going to get the ball. But yeah. You know, it is what it is. Q. Are you having more fun right now than maybe during the transition? CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG: You know, I think I've always had fun. I think the guys in the locker room have seen that. And you know, I try and just be the best teammate I can be for each and every one of those guys, and someone who they can call on Saturday night if they need me or if they want to watch film, I'll be there in a heartbeat for them. So that's how I try and approach it. You only get to play college football once, so you might as well have fun with it. It's a great experience, and you never get that type of environment again. Q. James credited the other four guys on the line with really helping to make sure Paris gets on the same page and making calls for him. Have you seen them really kind of rally around him so far? CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG: Yeah. I think Mang has done an awesome job with that. He's really taken the reins this off season, and then Coach Hand now, those two kind of work hand in hand to really get that done. And you know, you can see them being a lot more comfortable with making calls and being a lot more assertive with it and understanding that that's the right call that needs to be made rather than at times, you know, last year they may not have known and I may not have known to help him. So we're really just trying to get on the same page with that and I think that Mang has done a good job of getting everyone on the same page with that. And if you're referring to Paris, really helped him a lot. You can see him growing every day. Q. What about the receiver core? Last year very young, very inexperienced? How much further along are they at this point compared approximate to maybe a year ago? CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG: Yeah. I think they're stronger, faster, which is naturally going to happen in our strength and conditioning program. But then I think the biggest thing is is they understand things more. Last year at times you could see as a whole we were just kind of going through the motions, whether it be, you know, drops on my part or, you know, certain depths with routes. You can see a more concise focus on those type of things, on the small details, and then the understanding of coverages and how to defeat coverages with certain routes and certain leverages and what you have to do. So I think the intricacies of the position is something that they've really dove into and they've worked hard on it this entire camp and even in spring. So I think those guys have just matured at a pretty amazing pace, and it's really good to see them work. You know, they work together as a unit better than I think almost any other position on our team, in terms of how they gel and how they push each other. 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