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PENN STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 8, 2015

Jordan Lucas

University Park, Pennsylvania

An interview with:

JORDAN LUCAS

THE MODERATOR: We're now joined by senior safety, Jordan Lucas. Open it up for questions.

Q. I was wondering what are your thoughts on the leadership of Cabinda or Wooten starting?
JORDAN LUCAS: I'm very confident in both of them. I don't know what coach's decision is, who is going to fill that Mike linebacker position but either one of them, they have great communication, they know their assignments and we're just going to rally around whoever it is. Make the best of every opportunity that we have.

Q. How did you feel if you are first game playing safety? Talk about your comfort level, what you saw.
JORDAN LUCAS: I felt great, you know, the first game is a first game. For a lot of people it's working through the Kings, getting through training camp and being very anxious, excited to get out there and play somebody else other than your teammates. But we got rid of our first game jitters, I know I did especially and playing a new position, it wasn't really too much for me.

I'm a football player, I will go out there and just play football.

Q. Jordan, can you take me through the mood of practice, did anybody need to say anything to get this thing regrouped? Refocused? What was Sunday like for you guys?
JORDAN LUCAS: Sunday was our regular Sunday that we have. The veterans, we know how to handle Sundays, we know how to attack it. Coming off a very tough loss, one of thing that the captains did, we brought everybody up after the coaches got off the field and we buried the tape. We buried the tape, actually with a shovel on the practice field right where we walk out, we buried it. And (Away from mic.) -- but I think that's something we needed to do to get moving forward and kind of give us that positive energy back and, you know, have a little fun with this. We are now getting ready for Buffalo.

Q. Talk about the challenge that lies ahead for you guys trying to replace Nyeem at least on the field and may be in the (Away from mic.)
JORDAN LUCAS: Well, first off, I know Nyeem very well. Just because he's injured, just like you said he's always going to be there. He's always going to be that leader for us in the middle, whether he's on the field or not. Just yesterday he was watching film with a couple of the freshman, and you don't see that a lot. He's taking leadership already in the sense that he wants to make sure guys are prepared for the opportunities that lie ahead for them. He's a player/coach for us. I'm actually very excited because everything happens for a reason, and (Away from mic.) -- God's purpose for us, (Away from mic.) Positive thing, but we're going to be there for him.

Q. Just curious, how was it to bury the tape, and by doing that what did you guys hope to -- what was the reasoning behind that?
JORDAN LUCAS: I'm going to go ahead and say it was all of ours. We all decided to do it. Hack brought it to my attention and brought the team up, and we just wanted to let the guys know that, hey, look, we're not going to dwell on the past. (Away from mic.) -- our fault. We're going to bury this, it's not the end of our season, it's the first game, first game of the season so we have 11 more opportunities to finally get -- (Away from mic.) -- 12 more opportunities after this.

Q. You're a senior now. Have you ever done that before? Have you guys every buried a tape? This isn't like a normal occurrence, I'm taking it?
JORDAN LUCAS: No, it's not normal but it was fun for us, we're out there, we have the shovel, we buried the tape and we're not going to talk about it anymore. That was it, that was the last that we think about them, that was the last we think about that game and that was it, that's what we wanted toe let the guys know. We wanted to jet especially the younger guys know that after we go through our Sunday corrections -- (Away from mic.)

Q. (Away from mic.) As a senior, knowing this is your last hope-opener at Beaver Stadium, can you talk about what's going through your head in that aspect?
JORDAN LUCAS: I actually haven't thought about that, really. It's all right. The only thing I have been thinking about is going out there and just communicating with the guys, making sure everybody is on the same page because that's the most important thing to me. I don't care that it's my last opener, here, at Beaver Stadium right now, that's not on my mind, I just to want make sure as a defense, as a team we're all on the same page and we're all communicating properly.

Q. Jordan, who held the shovel?
JORDAN LUCAS: A couple different people. There was too many players for everybody to get a piece of the dirt, but, you know, guys like Brian Gaia, you know Saeed, he stomped on it a couple times. A couple different guys were a part of the digging process but it was all fun for us, we tried to make it fun and have very positive energy around it.

Q. (Away from mic.) -- April 13 when you opened it up? I'm just kidding.
JORDAN LUCAS: I wouldn't remember.

Q. On a more serious vein, some former players, some of the guys that were even your teammates kinda got loose on social media after this game. Are you aware of that? What kind of reaction do you have to it?
JORDAN LUCAS: I'm aware of it. What else can I say? They're passionate about the program, how they feel is how they feel. Whether it's accurate or not, I can't speak on that, I really don't know. All I know is we can control what we can control, and people are going to say what they want to say and at the end of the day our family is our family and we're going to make it happen.

Q. Back to Cabinda and Wooten, Coach said Jason is an extrovert, very outgoing, and he hasn't heard Gary say more than seven words. What can you tell us about their personalities or leadership styles?
JORDAN LUCAS: I actually lived with Gary, we were roommates and he does speak! He does have a mouth, but he's a little bit more on the quiet side. Jason is more outgoing, has a very bright personality and he's not afraid to speak up. That's where they're different.

They're both great linebackers, and whichever one is going to be our Mike -- (Away from mic.)

Q. Marcus Allen listed as 5-6. In practice is it hard to see him given he's shorter? He's a quick guy, is that a different dimension?
JORDAN LUCAS: Well, let's think about this. We have, you know (Away from mic.) 6-5, 6-6, 6-7, I'll stop there, what did you say? 5-6? I'm not good, but let's think about it, you do the math there. Do you think it would be hard to see him? Very hard to see him.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Jordan.

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