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PENN STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 26, 2016

Brandon Bell

University Park, Pennsylvania

Q. Just curious, first off, what did it mean to you personally to finally be able to play on Saturday and play next to Jason Cabinda, and what kind of impact do you think that had on the team?
BRANDON BELL: It was everything honestly, just to be out there, back up your teammates. My teammates are the only thing that kept me sane the last few weeks.

Obviously it was big for the team, seeing their leaders, both leaders. We were out in the locker room, guys were always asking, when are you coming back, when are you coming back, and it was like five weeks. It was an awfully big deal.

Q. I know from talking to you before that you're a guy that likes playing on the road and embracing the role as the bad guy. What do you like about getting into some of these opposing Big Ten towns, and why haven't you had as much success on the road lately?
BRANDON BELL: What was the first part of that question?

Q. What do you like about opposing atmospheres.
BRANDON BELL: Kind of just the fans usually bugging at you, some teams, some towns, are usually a little bit more nasty than others. The fans are kind of bucking at you and kind of the only way to answer them is how you go out and play really. Don't try to get in a barking match with them, but try to impose it with your play.

And as far as the team, we've just got to kind of bring our own energy each time we go on the road, for those same reasons, usually we're the underdog or something like that and the atmosphere might not be in our hands, so just bring our own energy and make sure we focus.

Q. The last couple teams you played didn't run heavy -- statistically, Purdue, much more passing oriented. Is there a different mentality that you have to have going into a game like that versus playing a run-heavy team?
BRANDON BELL: Sometimes. Definitely if it's a run-heavy, bring the big boy pads and things like that.

With these type of teams, they kind of pass it to open up the run. So you still have to be ready to clap your pads together and stuff like that. But at the same time, definitely got to be more read-oriented on your reads and the wide receivers and the tight ends.

The team is going to try to make you look this way to throw it back this way. Definitely have to keep your head on a swivel, things like that.

Q. All the time that you were out, what did you learn about yourself throughout the process of that and what was -- you were doing a lot of the coaching type stuff on the sidelines.
BRANDON BELL: I think I said it after the game. I realize that nothing really affects me the way football does. Nothing makes me more sad. Nothing makes me more happy. I think I said even like with the ladies and things like that, you know, kind of gets me in trouble, when you don't have the same emotions towards everything else as I do football. Definitely realized that.

What was the second part of the question?

Definitely, that was different. I got to kind of see it more their point of view, their aspects, and I was just proud of all the young guys that stepped up, no matter the circumstances, especially in the linebacker room. We were kind of dropping like flies for a little bit and guys stepped up and that's all that matters. I was proud to see that.

Q. What does it mean for the first time to be in the Top-25 at Penn State, and a lot of fans have done the math on what has to happen for Michigan and Ohio State for you guys to win the division. Did you guys do that math?
BRANDON BELL: I'm not smart enough to do that math, and I try to -- I hear guys talking about it. Only thing we can do is control what we can control, and that's handle our business each week and each day and hope for the best.

Q. And the Top-25?
BRANDON BELL: Definitely cool. I haven't seen it yet. I have more people outside of football at home text me before I even noticed it. My friends, group chat, "Oh, you're Top-25." I'm like, "Cool, cool."

Q. I was wondering, back when Nyeem Wartman-White got hurt, Franklin said you went with him to a doctor's appointment and was there for support. Why did you feel like you should do that or why you wanted to do that for him?
BRANDON BELL: Nyeem's my boy. I was just talking to Mark, and Nyeem was the kind of guy that I looked to when I was like a freshman. So kind of as my world grew bigger here, we came obviously more close-knit and more tight.

Yeah, took him back to the locker room and the doctor, I don't know if he had told him -- just being a friend for him, being a shoulder that he could lay on. I knew it was an emotional time for him. If it was going to happen to anybody, it was going to happen to him; he's going to bounce back with his mind-set and his positivity. But just being there for a friend, really.

Q. Going back to your injury, what's going through your mind, because you said you felt it could be a longer time --
BRANDON BELL: At Pitt? At that moment? Well, I didn't really know exactly what it was. It was something different. And you know, obviously doctors, trainers did the tests and everything and was like, all right, I can still play, it's not that bad. It might not have been a good idea, though. But at the time, I'm just thinking, try to finish the game and try to win. That's the only thing you're worried about at the time. After, I realized it was kind of bad.

Q. They said they were shocked that you talked and said something and DaeSean did, as well. Why was it important for you to say something? Were you thinking about this beforehand, like, hey, I'm going to say something?
BRANDON BELL: It's something I've said in my little speech or whatever. I've always had things that I wanted to express to the team, things like that. And I'm kind of this year in more of a leadership role; I felt more comfortable doing that. I expressed that to them and making sure our minds are right before the game and probably continue to do that in practice and Saturday.

Q. Was that part of your mind-set or is that you?
BRANDON BELL: It's kind of me and kind of because I was dead-beat tired.

Q. Where did that message come from, you said you had things that you wanted to say to the team.
BRANDON BELL: Definitely that's kind of my own mind-set, and then being out for awhile and kind of just seeing the team come together and kind of where I felt our team was at the time, with the players and how things were going, I felt it would have pushed us in the right direction. And like I said, I wanted to emphasize, you know, the hype isn't -- it's like my speech wasn't for to get you hyped and riled up, because hype doesn't win games. I always feel that way. You wanted to make sure the team kind of felt my message.

Q. Brent Pry has been through a lot this year trying to sub guys in and figure out who is healthy. Is there a moment that stands out to you at practice when you were hurt or something like that or you're working with him and you're like, man, this guy is not backing down; how would you describe what pride has been like this year?
BRANDON BELL: Pry's been great. Honestly in every situation, he's kind of came to me or I came to him with an idea or if a guy is hurt or something like that, oh, should Jimmy play will or whatever, whatever. He's kind of related to me, but I'm thinking about putting him here, putting him there, and I'm like make maybe. Or if I agree with him, you know, we come together and think like that all the time. But obviously this year, we're dropping like flies and kind of had more of those conversations -- takes into consideration beyond the players, can understand where a player might feel if put in that situation or something like that, and he takes it in, and it's always, you know, who can we win with on a Saturday and who can they project to, grade out the best and do what needs to be done to win.

Q. Going back to Mike's question, when you signed with Penn State, the bulk of the sanctions were still in place. Did you realistically there would be a time this program would be in the top 25 in your career here?
BRANDON BELL: I probably say I wouldn't -- to be honest, even looking throughout colleges and I was going through the recruiting process, I wasn't looking like, oh, I want to go to the highest-ranked team type thing.

But when I saw Penn State, and obviously those things that happened, I personally wasn't thinking like, oh, I'm going to be there.

But you ask my dad, he wasn't shy in saying, he told everybody, going to make it to the Bowl game, going to make it to the top ranking. My dad doesn't know football like that but he had that mind-set in his head that Penn State could make it back.

Q. What does it mean for the program, knowing you couldn't go to a Bowl, for all these things to be happening for you?
BRANDON BELL: It's great. Definitely not over, though. I think it just the tip of the iceberg type thing. Got to keep pushing. Can't be satisfied.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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