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PENN STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 16, 2018

Koa Farmer

University Park, Pennsylvania

Q. Koa, what have these last two games done to your team's overall confidence and what can be done to what's been lost?
KOA FARMER: Can you repeat the question -- the door.

Q. What have these past two games done to your team's confidence overall and what can be done to restore any of it that's been lost?
KOA FARMER: I don't think we lost any confidence. I just think ultimately, we've got to look at each other in the eye and look at the film and get better at all of it.

I don't think losing games destroys our confidence. That's not who we are necessarily. I just think we've got to take one day at a time, look the at film, look at the corrections each and every practice and get better. That's the only thing we can do.

Q. Coach Franklin said he watched the game from Michigan State, he said it was the first time this year he didn't think you guys got better through the course of that game. What did you see when you rewatched it, regarding your own play and then of course the linebackers as a whole?
KOA FARMER: Good question. I think as far as the defense, I think we did -- I think we played well. I think the last few games we did play well. Just ultimately, our defense has to take it to the next step as far as getting off the field, like when it's third-and-long or third and short or third and medium, whatever it is, we have to get off the field. We can't drop interceptions. We have to make that tackle to get off the field.

There's so many times where we get teams to the third down marker and we need to make a big play and headache that play and get off the field.

As far as the linebacker group, we had our best game, actually. Everyone graded out a winner. I actually had my best game. Actually everyone had their best game to be honest.

But as far as defensively as a whole, I just think the big message this week is, we have to do everything in our power to not drop those interceptions, miss those tackles, to get off the field.

Q. Koa, you're one of the older guys who obviously was around last year and around 2016. But do you sense any similarities or differences between the team's tone and mood this week, as compared to last year after the two losses?
KOA FARMER: Two years ago.

Q. No, I'm sorry. Last year. Like after Ohio State, Michigan State, and Ohio State and Michigan State this year.
KOA FARMER: I mean, yeah, going -- losing those two games, the same tone, you don't like to lose, especially as far as our unit.

But the tone is that we have to just get better. I mean, I think it sucks that we lost, two home games in a row, but ultimately, we've got to get better. I mean, we can't live in the past. I mean, we can't -- things need to be corrected from the last two games, and I just think we have to get better from here on out.

Q. We just found out Fred is out for the season. How was he playing for the first half of this year, first college action this year and what do you anticipate from that defensive tackle position? Who are you thinking is maybe ready to take a step forward?
KOA FARMER: Yeah, Fred, I think Fred does a great job in holding his gap. He's a bigger dude. I think he does a great job. I think being his first year of playing, he does what the expectation is, what the standard is.

And as far as some guys that need to step up, I mean, we've been here before. I mean, I think two years ago, we had every linebacker hurt. We've been here before. It's not the worst-case scenario. It's just guys getting an opportunity to get better and we need them right now.

As far as, you know, Rob is going to keep doing his thing. Kevin is going to keep doing his thing. I think we need to get some other guys involved. I'm not sure what Coach Pry is going to do when we go to practice today, as one of the leaders of the defense, I have to get those guys going and get them better so we can depend on them on Saturday.

Q. Curious, how do you attribute some of the lack of turnovers? Teams have put the ball on the ground a lot this year and you guys haven't come up with that many fumble recoveries or dropped interceptions. Is that a confidence thing or how do you put your finger on that?
KOA FARMER: Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, preseason and during camp and what we do at practice, we really work on getting -- like catching the football, picking up the football when it's a fumble. We did a great job in that. We just need to do what we do at practice and translate it to the game.

I mean, honestly, the best thing we can do is just keep doing what we're doing at practice because we're doing those things at practice. Guys just need to do it in the game.

Q. How you grade out, how is that information transferred to you guys? I assume they don't post a list of grades that everybody sees, or do they?
KOA FARMER: In the team meeting room, Coach Franklin gives a list of guys that had winning grades, and then he marks it each and every week. You know, there's 12 guys ahead this week; 36 guys ahead this week and ultimately we want guys that have -- we want to get better, so more guys need to get winning grades.

When we go to our individual meeting rooms, our position meeting rooms, for us, at least, Coach Pry gives us a sheet that we pass around, it a production chart, so how many tackles you had, assisted tackles, big hits, interceptions, etc., and you get points for all those things and that's how you get winning grades. So he literally looks at every single play, obviously, individually, and you get zeros, ones and twos.

So zeros are obviously you didn't do your job. One is you did your job and two is you did the extra effort to do your job. So you want to get ones and twos to get a winning grade, if that makes sense.

Q. Great question, Neil. The defense is playing great. Kind of a switchover the past couple years as far as the offense not putting up the points as they have been. Does that change your mindset?
KOA FARMER: No. I think as a defensive unit, we need to get our offense the best opportunities and best field position as possible so they can go down and score.

Q. How do you think Shane did in his return, Shane Simmons?
KOA FARMER: How did he do in this game.

Q. How do you think he did in his return action?
KOA FARMER: I'm not sure. I'm not sure how he played to be honest.

Q. Garrett Taylor had a pretty good game against Michigan State, and as a former safety yourself, how do you think he stepped into that role this season and as a leader? How have you seen him grow?
KOA FARMER: Yeah, Garrett's doing a great job. I think he was a guy that went from corner to safety, and I don't know if that's how -- how hard that position was for him but he's doing his thing out there. I think these last two games were his best games and he's going to continually improve. He's a leader. He's vocal. He's one of the more vocal guys on our defense and he does -- he's going to keep doing his thing out there.

Q. Building off of Neil's great question, Coach Pry mentioned last week there's a benchmark for third downs. There's some kind of barometer that I don't know if it's just the coach's judge or they relay that to you guys, as well. Do you know a certain amount of like percentages that you want to hold teams on third down conversions?
KOA FARMER: I mean, we want win 50 percent of our third downs or higher. I mean, for us, if we get to third down, that means we're doing a good job, but depends on if it's like third and short, third-and-long. If we do our work on first and second do you know, then we can put guys -- put an extra corner in, more safeties in the game to make a play.

I think third down, as Coach Pry says, that's where the magic happens. That's when the wild dogs come in or where the wild package comes in. That's when it gets really fun. That's what they always say, that's when the magic happens.

As far as that aspect, third down big. We want to have a high percentage as much as possible.

Q. The wild package, is that the one with Yetur?
KOA FARMER: Yetur, Shareef and Shaka.

Q. Looking ahead a little bit here, well, actually looking backward, with Franklin, we talked a lot about the veteran receivers, Juwan, DeAndre, and there's been a lot of focus on the lack of productivity out of those two in particular because of their track record coming in. You've sent a lot of time with those guys where do you see their confidence level now and how do they continue to be leaders, even when their play isn't necessarily up to where expectations were as frankly told us today?
KOA FARMER: Yeah, I was with Juwan yesterday and we were talking about that. I asked him how many receptions he has and he said three. I was like, "How do you feel? Is everything okay? What's going on?"

He's like, "Koa, honestly, I'm just going to keep doing my thing. I'm going to embrace my role and do whatever I can to help this team." So that's crazy how you just asked me that.

Q. A lot of people are asking about it, so figured I would, too.
Can you talk about the challenges Indiana brings to you guys defensively?

KOA FARMER: Yeah, they have a dual-threat quarterback. He's a dual-threat. So he can run the ball. He can pass the ball. He's getting better each and every week. Watched a couple games and he's actually really getting good. He does a great job leading their offense.

I think ultimately, we have to make him uncomfortable, whether that's blitzing, getting the wild dogs in, just doing everything we can to make him not set his feet and hopefully win the game.

Q. How would you assess your ability as a blitzer so far? How do you think you've done on that? Because they have sent you and Cam quite a bit.
KOA FARMER: I mean, blitzing's hard because sometimes the quarterback can see it pre nap and they get the ball off faster. I think that's why I'm so -- trying to disguise the blitz or Cam is trying to disguise me blitzing, but it's been hard because we play against some great quarterback and they can see it sometimes and they get the ball off quick.

Ultimately, I haven't got close to a quarterback as far as like blitzing, but when he gets off the pocket, I'm chasing him down and I'm getting pressure on him, so it's making him not be -- be uncomfortable in the pocket, so hopefully that's doing a good job.

Q. Coach Pry said last week and we've seen it on the field that you and Micah are essentially sharing a position. For someone with that starting experience coming in, how have you handled that and having to take these series on the sidelines and see him in there and how would you say Micah is different going into Game 7 than he was going into Game 1 of this year?
KOA FARMER: Micah, like I told you guys before, he's a freak athlete. He's a great pass rush. He's fast on the football. Ultimately, from Game 7 to -- the difference between Micah game one to Game 7 is he's a smarter football player. He's got experience and he's not making the same mistakes he was making in game one and he's just going to keep doing a great job out there for us.

Q. What's Trace's demeanor like on Saturday night after a game like that? You guys leave the stadium. How does he kind of regroup in those moments away from everything?
KOA FARMER: Yeah, I came home. He was watching film, getting the corrections made. It's not like he was mad or happy. He's just -- I don't know, it's hard to explain Trace's demeanor to be honest. I talked to him after the game. We were hanging out after the game and seems like everything is good and in spirits.

I think the important thing for Trace is a lot of guys look up to him, so he can't show too much emotion or too much anger because people are going to feed off that kind of energy.

I think what he does is doing a great job of holding that energy and rallying the troops back so we can get better.

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