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PENN STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 15, 2016Christian CampbellMike GesickiUniversity Park, Pennsylvania Q. Christian, Indiana's a team that's a lot like you guys in terms of a lot of downhill passes, a lot of chunk plays. But what do you learn from a game like that where guys get caught behind you and you're looking the other way when they're running with the ball? CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL: Really just doing my job. That's basically it. Just doing my job. Q. What's it like this week for some of your teammates? Going to Rutgers, a lot of guys are from New Jersey, was that thought about, and what's it like for them? CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL: Really not. We're just focusing on winning the game. We're not focusing on their fans or anything, or if it's like New Jersey. If it's an away game, we're just down there to win. That's it. Q. Just talk about what you guys are focusing on, and what challenges Rutgers poses and what you're trying to focus on this week? CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL: The thing we're focusing on the most is like just doing more this week than we did last week, which means by studying more film, coming in more, just doing everything right, and doing my job and just doing more than I did last week. Q. Wild Saturday of college football. Where were you guys at, the Iowa game? Did you catch any of it, watch any of it? What was your reaction to it? Did you catch any of that game? CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL: Oh, no. Q. Did you see it on Twitter, then? CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL: I mean, yeah, I saw that Iowa beat Michigan. But the only thing that my focus was on was Rutgers. So that's the only thing I'd like to talk about right now. Q. James has said he wants to keep you guys as fresh as possible this season. We've seen you guys rotating a lot of people. How do you feel physically? Do you think that rotation has helped keep you fresh at this point of the year? CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL: Absolutely. I think everybody on the team is not absolutely like just fresh, but our body feels good. We've got the hot tub, the cold tub that we can go in every day. I come in every day and sometimes get in the hot tub and cold tub and make sure my body feels good. I mean, my body is not necessarily fresh, but it does feel good where I can go out and practice every day and play the game like I want to. Q. I know the coaching staff has talked about worry about what you can control, which is Rutgers and Michigan State. But as a team, you have a chance to go to the Big Ten Championship if you win these last two games. Do you use that as motivation to stay focused and take care of business? CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL: We've got to play the game, one at a time. Just focus on Rutgers right now. That's all we've got to do is just beat Rutgers and that's it. Q. You guys have come from behind a lot of times. What is it about your make-up as a group that you don't panic? CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL: Really just keeping our head up. We've got leaders on the team that talk to us all the time. Absolutely like during a game if we're down, I mean, we've got leaders on the team that tell us to keep our head up. The game is not over. We've got a lot of minutes left. So anything can happen at any given time. So we've got to keep playing and playing hard. I think the main leaders on our defensive team is Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell. Q. I know you guys said you're taking it one game at a time and obviously focusing in on Rutgers, but how difficult is that sometimes? When we saw some of your teammates tweeting after the Michigan game and there's all this noise out there, how difficult is it to block that out? And how do you and other players on this team manage to block that out? CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL: It's not really difficult. Like I said, Coach puts in our heads all the time that we've got to keep focused on Rutgers, Rutgers, Rutgers. We have to abide by those rules and do what he says. It's not really hard. It's not hard at all. Q. When you studied film and you look at the Rutgers offense, their quarterback, just from what I've gleaned quickly, it seems like he's inconsistent with his accuracy. When you see that as a defender, what goes through your mind? Do you start thinking more about making big plays or forcing turnovers? Or is it still kind of the same way you view any other quarterback? CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL: It's the same that I view any other quarterback. Because sometimes quarterbacks have those games where they're just off. So we've got to treat them like any other kind of quarterback. You know, to still study the film, the way that I do, even if we play like another team like Michigan, we know we view the quarterback the same kind of way. It's nothing different about that. Q. James just said that Irvin Charles won a race of all the fastest guys on the team. Were you there? Were you involved in it? Can you corroborate that story? CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL: No, sir, I was not involved. Q. How about what Irvin is like covering? Because we don't see an awful lot of him, but James was talking him up? CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL: Irvin Charles is a great player, great receiver. He has a bright future ahead of him, and he's a great receiver. He's going to be good in the future. Really just how strong he is, how tall he is, and the routes that he runs, he's going to be a great receiver. Q. Trace has taken some hits this year and hasn't been shy about putting his head down and lowering his shoulder. But you as a defense, how fired up does it get you to see a quarterback do it, and do it with regularity like Trace has? CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL: That's really very exciting for us. It creates opportunities for us. As a team, we respect him a lot. Q. As this season has gone on, the front seven has gotten to the quarterback a lot quicker. How does that change the secondary where you have to cover the quarterback because there's not as much time in the pocket? CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL: It's wonderful. Our D-line -- our success comes from our D-line, our rushing the quarterback, getting back there. It's wonderful having them and having them guys being there for us. And like I said, our success is because of them. Q. Let's talk about Rutgers this week, what are you guys preparing for, what lies ahead, and what you guys as a team or individually are looking forward to? MIKE GESICKI: Yeah, I think it's obviously another week to go out and compete. Going down to New Jersey, a great opportunity to play on a big stage, on a night game, another Big Ten team. Obviously Rutgers is going to come out with a lot of energy. It's a night game. It's going to be a great atmosphere. I remember playing there my freshman year, and they have a lot of talent. They're going to come out there and it's going to be a big game for both sides. We're just excited for another opportunity to play another Big Ten team. I'm personally excited to go back to New Jersey, play a game close to home. This is a great opportunity for us. Q. Let's talk about Pancoast and what you guys have in common and how he is a teammate and friend? MIKE GESICKI: Pancoast has been a pleasant surprise, not for me, he hasn't surprised me, but for the people outside the program. A guy that came in here, has switched positions several times. He played quarterback in high school. He always tells me about all his moments back in high school. He's my roommate in the hotel, so we're always talking, that kind of stuff. He's a good friend of mine. He has come in, played a significant role in the Ohio State game when he played like 31 snaps, something like that in that game. So he's a physical player. He knows his role. He's very reliable, and I'm happy that he's been able to have some success and get some notoriety. Q. (Off microphone.) MIKE GESICKI: Oh, I'm taking down T.T. any time of day, yeah. Q. Is there a mindset, a secret sauce? How is it that you don't lose your focus in all these games where you're trailing? MIKE GESICKI: You just have to take it one game at a time. I know it sounds cliché. I know everybody says it, but you have to take this entire season one game at a time. Every week is a one-game season, and our goal is to just go 1-0. So to have the opportunity to go to New Jersey this week and play Rutgers, you just have to be locked in, focused on them. Do everything in your power to just come out there and be successful and execute your role play in and play out. I think that's what we've kind of done all season, and we've seen the success, and we've seen what it can do for us. So we've completely bought into that mindset of just focus and locked in and one game at a time, one week at a time. I think we're going to continue to do that, and we'll be happy with the results. Q. (Off microphone)? MIKE GESICKI: What do you mean? Q. (Off microphone)? MIKE GESICKI: I think that in the game you have no excuse not to be locked in. You have no excuse not to be focused. But when you go down and you're losing at some point in the game and you're starting to struggle a little bit, I think that's when it really kicks in. I think that's when the preparation and the focus and all the stuff that you've done before the game started, I think that's when it really starts to kick in. I think we've shown that several times this season. I think that's when it's most important because that's when we need it the most. Q. You mentioned getting to go to New Jersey and playing close to home and all that stuff. How many people are you going to have there friends- and family-wise? And how cool is it to go back and play in front of some people that you don't normally get to play in front of? MIKE GESICKI: It's really going to be a great opportunity for not only myself, but for everybody. We have a bunch of Jersey guys on the team. My dad texted me this morning and said, If you can get a hundred tickets, I can get a hundred people to go. So I'm definitely scrapping for some tickets right now. I'm asking everybody. Doing whatever it takes. I definitely have a bunch of friends and family and people back home that want to come up and support not only myself but this entire Penn State football family. We're just excited to go there and have a great opportunity. It's going to be a phenomenal atmosphere. Just like we said before, take it one week at a time, and this is our next challenge. Q. Coach Franklin was in earlier talking about Irv and how talented he is. He also mentioned a race that he happened to win. Were you at that race, and can you detail that for us and talk about what makes Irv so special or talented? MIKE GESICKI: If he's talking about the race last year during like Bowl practices or something, we start off whether it's one-on-one kind of blocking, calling it lion's pride, or whether it's in that instance we put a bunch of speedy guys out there and they ran a race. Irv's obviously a physical freak. He can run, he can jump, he can catch the ball. He can do anything that you're asking a receiver to do. He has all the physical features. I think with time and maturity and continue to buy into what this program can do for him and what he can do for the program, I think that the sky is the limit for Irvin. Q. Do you think playing in New Jersey this weekend is the right time to play in New Jersey? Because it may be easy to overlook Rutgers, and I know you don't want to talk about the Big Ten title. But I'm sure you're aware of that reality. So is the fact that you're going into New Jersey and have something to look forward to a good thing to keep you grounded in this league? MIKE GESICKI: Yeah, absolutely. It's good for a lot of the guys on the team. A lot of guys are from Jersey or close to Jersey. So I think it's a great opportunity for all of us to go in there. Rutgers is a good football team. They have a lot of talent. They have a great head coach. They're going to be more determined and more focused than ever to get a win. So I think playing there in a night game on a big stage, all that stuff and a great atmosphere, I think it's a great opportunity for us. We're not overlooking anybody, and we're excited for this opportunity. Q. On Saturday, when you saw Paris and Connor have to go out of the game, what went through your mind? What was your mindset? Kind of moving forward, what type of confidence does this offensive line and you in this offensive line, what kind of confidence is there moving forward? MIKE GESICKI: I honestly didn't even know that we had the injuries until later in the game. So that just kind of goes to show we do have the next-man-up mentality, because we didn't miss a beat. Obviously, missed those guys and want them back as soon as possible, but I think that we have the next-man-up mentality. We've shown it all season long. Whether it was earlier in the year with linebackers and now with the offensive line. I think that just continuing to stay prepared and to -- Coach Moorhead always tells the back-ups, you're one play away from being a starter. So those guys buy into their role. They're seeing what the preparation until the week is doing for them on Saturday when their opportunity gets called. They're going to continue to do a great job. Having one of the best running backs in the country back there, we need to put a good offensive line up there for them so we can get him the ball and put him in a position to be successful. Q. You talked about the game at Rutgers two years ago. I'm wondering what kind of welcome you guys got from the Rutgers fans. I seem to recall some choice words being said. MIKE GESICKI: It's just going to be a great atmosphere. I remember that visit in particular. There were a lot of boos and all that kind of stuff. But as a competitor and a guy from there, you love that kind of stuff. You feed off of it. So it's great for us. It's great for the team. It gets the juices flowing early and that stuff. It means no harm and that stuff, it's just the competitive nature and what the game means to both sides. So looking forward to it again, to be honest. Q. Trace was saying after Saturday's win that you're a guy on the sidelines that when something needs to be said, you're the guy that says that. Has that always been your style, or did that just happen this off-season? MIKE GESICKI: I think that high school that was something I would do. And when I got here, I'd come off the sideline and do the same thing every time. I'd sit in the chair and put a towel on my head and kind of sit there. Then I did it against Kent State this year, and against Pitt earlier in the season, we went down and went down big. I'm sitting there, and I didn't feel right sitting there. We as a team weren't going in the direction we wanted to go. The game wasn't going in the direction we wanted it to go. So I kind of took it upon myself to get the sideline going, kind of go say some things to some guys. I had no right sitting down when the team -- we had things to accomplish still. Ever since then, I don't sit down on the sidelines. I'm pacing up and down the sidelines. I'm talking to the O-line, giving high fives, telling people what we're going to do and all that stuff. It's kind of a role that I've embraced and something that I'll continue to do. Q. Different note, wild weekend in college football. Iowa pulls the upset. How did you find out the score of that game and what was happening there? MIKE GESICKI: I was just watching on TV, actually. Me and Tommy were watching it. We were just sitting there watching the game. It ended the way it did. Q. Did you guys lose your minds a little bit? MIKE GESICKI: You kind of know how it goes. I'm not going to comment on any of that kind of stuff. But obviously it was definitely an exciting game to watch. Q. I've noticed after the game you're one of the most outwardly excited guys. Especially during the alma mater, you get into it. Is that energy off of something that came this season? Where does that come from? MIKE GESICKI: It's kind of something I used to let out before the game, and I used to be out there before the game, dancing, jumping around and doing stuff that wasn't going to help me be prepared or ready to execute my job during the game. So I kind of hold it all tight. You see guys, and guys look at me now, Saquon will be looking at me doing some moves, like, Come on, M.G. No, I'm focused and getting ready. So I hold it all in and just really be prepared and focused for the game. Then when you get a win, it doesn't matter who you're playing or where you're playing, especially here in Beaver Stadium. When we get in front of that student section and sing that alma mater, it's a great experience and not something I'm going to take for granted. I'll enjoy every second of it. Q. You and Trace and Saquon especially have taken some nasty hits this year. You've had some injuries. Obviously, we're not going to talk about the specifics. But can you talk about the reality of having to play with an injury and kind of the mentality you have? Because I (indiscernible) my finger three weeks ago, and I can't get over it. It's ruined my lifting. MIKE GESICKI: That sounds like a tough one. I'll try to get Tim in here for you. Playing with an injury, if you're not ready to play through injury and play a physical game, football's not the game for you. Obviously I've had to play through some injuries, and Trace has played through injuries. Everybody does it. It's just something that's a mindset, if you tell yourself enough that you're not hurting and it's going to be all right. I came out here in the second half of the Ohio State game, you look around, see the white out and feel the adrenaline, you've got no more pain. It's just something that the game of football is going to give to you. You're going to feel sore. You're going to get hurt. You're going to do this and that. You've got to be ready for it and do whatever you can to stay on that field. Q. You're heading back to New Jersey, as has been discussed. I just saw that you were the slam dunk champion in the All-Star Game a couple years ago. Talk about what that experience is like since you're not in the forefront talking basketball too much? MIKE GESICKI: Slam dunk champion in New Jersey, yeah. Something that in high school I played in the New Jersey State All-Star basketball game. They had a few guys go out there and you had to go through a few rounds at practice the week before and get into the dunk contest, all that stuff. Had a few dunks scheduled out. Went out there and kind of executed them just like you do on the field. You have a role, you have a job. You have to execute it. I was able to do so and able to win the dunk contest and all that stuff. It was a good experience and something that was fun. Q. (Indiscernible)? MIKE GESICKI: It was myself, Dom Uhl, who now plays at Iowa, and there were two other guys. I don't remember their names, but they do play big-time basketball now. So there was some nice competition in there. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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