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PENN STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 18, 2016

Grant Haley

University Park, Pennsylvania

Q. J.T. Barrett runs a lot of play-action pass plays to himself with an empty backfield, that something that reminds you a lot of at Florida with Tim Tebow, because people had to respect those quarterbacks to much in the run game. As a corner, how do you judge that when he runs a play-action pass to himself as far as trying to come in and stop the run versus sticking with your receiver?
GRANT HALEY: I think as corners, we're obviously pass first. So it just defends what coverage we are in. If we are in a coverage where we become the primary force, we just have to be able to be disciplined and read our keys very well. He's an athletic guy. He's strong and powerful and he's an X-factor in this game.

Q. Can you just talk about the atmosphere that's going to be happening here with the White Out and why is the White Out important to you guys as players and for the fans to be involved, just talk about it from your perspective?
GRANT HALEY: Yeah, I'm sure you guys hear it all the time. The White Out is one of the reasons why you come to Penn State. Just seeing that atmosphere, seeing how electrifying it is. We have people at Nittanyville, we have almost 700 people staying out there every single night.

It just shows how much Penn State fans just love us and just support us through anything. Just coming out there on Saturday, under the lights and just seeing it all white, it's just a scene that you can't really put in words. I think that's just an extra, extra thing for us.

Q. With Ohio State losing Miller, Marshall, Thomas to the NFL this past off-season, what have you seen from their new wide-outs, any tendencies, anything you've been able to gather on film?
GRANT HALEY: I think those guys have really stepped into their roles. They are young guys so they are still getting their way, feeling the Big Ten football. But Parris Campbell, Noah Brown, Dontre and Curtis, they all are athletic guys. Noah is a good red zone threat. They all bring size, speed, their different strengths to the table.

Q. Is it fair to say that this is the best offense you'll face this regular season?
GRANT HALEY: I think they are the best offense because they have a great quarterback who can run and throw and they just have athletic guys on the edge, too, and a great offensive line.

Q. What is the key for you guys to be successful? What do you need to do above everything else? What is the main priority there?
GRANT HALEY: I think we need to make them a one-dimensional team. We obviously need to stop the run, the quarterback run especially, and also running backs back there, Mike Weber and Curtis Samuel, just make them beat us through the air. If we can make them a one-dimensional team, it makes our chances of winning more successful.

Q. James said there's a chance Cabinda and Bell could be back. How much does that help if you can get them back in terms of what you can do defensively, having two veteran guys like that?
GRANT HALEY: Yeah, we know they are important to this team. They have a lot of experience that they bring to the table. But they have been helping the younger guys step into their roles, like Brandon Smith, Cam Brown, Manny, even Koa at linebacker.

I think even though they haven't been on the field with us, they have been on the field with us by teaching the younger guys, like seeing what they see on the field and just having those guys back, it would be excellent.

Q. And you missed a couple games. How long does it take for somebody to get back in the groove after you've not really played a lot?
GRANT HALEY: I think it's just one of those things, it's different for each person. Might take a half, might take a quarter. I think with those guys, they are pretty experienced players, so I think they will get back in the swing of things as soon as they come back.

Q. We've obviously talked a lot about the White Out game. What's it like on the field for the defense, especially, because that's when the crowd is the loudest. What's it like being out there at the center of something like that, and what does it do to you as a defensive player when the crowd gets going and you're making plays?
GRANT HALEY: I mean, you could almost give the argument that it's like a 12th man out there on the field. It's electrifying. You can feel the ground shaking. Just having the fans impact the game like that, that's huge. Just having some of the best fans in the country coming in and supporting you day-in and day-out, I think that just gives us pride playing for your university. Everything we do is just to make them proud.

Q. Is there a point where you get too excited?
GRANT HALEY: No, I think when you come out of the tunnel, obviously it's a great sight. It's a great atmosphere. But as you get through the game, you realize it's just another game. You can obviously hear it but I feel like for me, playing in front of a 100,000 people, I've learned to adjust and be able to kind of like almost zone it out, but you can still see the impact that it has on a different offense.

Q. One of the things you said was the ground was shaking, and I've heard some of your teammates say that, as well. Can you expand on that a little bit? Is that literal? Does it feel like a small earthquake? What does it feel like?
GRANT HALEY: I don't think, it's not a small earthquake, but you can definitely feel like a little rumble on the ground. I'm sure that makes people be like, wow, the stadium, these fans, they are crazy, like they love their school. They are going to have an impact on the game. So it's just amazing.

Q. James said last week that tackling was a point of emphasis, presumably with the younger guys. How would you assess the tackling for the defense as a whole so far this season?
GRANT HALEY: I think obviously it's something we need to work on, going. To the off-week, even though we might not have been in pads, we still did the technique and fundamentals almost as like if we were going back to day one of the camp. So I think that was a great help.

And I think going into this week, banging against each other this week, I think we did a better job of it the last two games than I think we did early in the season, so I think it's just progressing.

Q. Your official visit was for a spring game or something, or were you later, after the fact?
GRANT HALEY: No, it was before that.

Q. Like winter or something?
GRANT HALEY: Official visit weekend, I think.

Q. What did guys tell you about the White Out and how does that compare now that you've seen it?
GRANT HALEY: It's something that you can't really tell somebody about it until you see it. I've heard it's been crazy. I know before I came here, the last one was Michigan, and the overtime win. Just hearing about it and then seeing about it is two different things. When you see it, it's just something like, it just catches the eye. Like it's unexplainable, the atmosphere. It's unreal.

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