|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
PENN STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEOctober 22, 2019Dan ChisenaUniversity Park, Pennsylvania Q. Your surprise scholarship announcement, what was that moment like getting mobbed by your teammates? DAN CHISENA: Yeah that, moment is something I'll remember for the rest of my life, and words can't describe it. It's such a special moment. I was happy to score a touchdown in the game and then when I heard Coach Franklin come on to the microphone and say I had been awarded a scholarship, just overwhelming feeling of gratitude and thankfulness. Just such a blessing in my life. Something that I never imagined and just super appreciative of it, and especially to have the support of all my teammates. It was, as you said, them running off the sidelines to embrace me, it was just a really special moment. I can't even put it into words, but it's something I'll cherish the rest of my life. Q. Going through the season, in what specific ways do you try and be a great teammate for everybody else, whether it's on special teams or offense or whatever? DAN CHISENA: Honestly, I'm a pretty -- I'd say I'm a pretty quiet guy and pretty reserved. I'm not much of a vocal person but I just try to come in every day, and work as hard as I can and almost prove that scholarship wasn't a mistake -- wasn't a mistake, and when I'm in the building, that I'm taking it seriously and I'm not taking it for granted. Is. Especially being away from it for a few years. I don't want to take any day for granted. So just coming in and being appreciative of every opportunity and giving my best and giving everything I've got while I'm here because it won't last long. Q. How long were you away from football, and was there a time when you thought your football career was over, and to follow up on that, obviously, what were the kind of mechanisms that got you back involved? DAN CHISENA: So I left the team during the spring semester of 2016; so right after my freshman season, and then I came back to the team not this past summer, but the previous summer, so I guess summer of 2018. So I was away for a couple years so -- what was the second part of your question? Yeah, who I told Coach Franklin I was going to pursue track full-time and accept a scholarship for track, I was walking out that door, I was certain I would never play football for Penn State again. Something I've mentioned to people before who have asked me; I always missed football, so part of my original plan, how I thought it was going to look is I would run track until I was done here at Penn State, graduate and then transfer somewhere for a fifth-year, like a smaller school where I could hopefully play right away and just have that last moment of playing football, the sport itself, again. So when I tore my hamstring, that's when I really sat down and thought about what I wanted the next 18 months to look like. I just love this place and love Penn State and all I wanted to do growing up, all I ever wanted to do was to come to Penn State and play here. I just prayed about it a lot and thought if that opportunity would be possible again, I'd love to see if that could happen. Set up a meeting with Coach, and he received me extremely well, and something I wasn't expecting, especially after leaving. He received me really well and I explained to him, you know, where I was at and my desire to play again. He was all for it, and checked with a few of the other coaches, and Coach Rahne and Coach Corley, who was the receivers coach at the time, and they also received me extremely well. Just to be given that opportunity again is something I'm extremely thankful for and don't want to take for granted because I very well could have walked in there and said, you left, like that's kinds of it. Like you can't just walk back in here whenever you want. So for him to receive me to graciously and give me that opportunity again was really, really special and I'm very thankful for that. Q. Out of shape person reporting for duty. What's the difference between running for track and running for football? Is there anything mechanically that's different? Is there anything about how you go about your body that's different? DAN CHISENA: The biggest thing in track or a race or whatever, for example in practice, you can do a 20-meter sprint and you just coast out for the next 50 meters. Putting on the brakes is not a thing in track. They don't want to you do that and they don't want you to intentionally slow down. Obviously football, especially as a receiver, you go from running full speed to stopping yourself and cutting out of a break and stuff. I'd say that's the biggest difference is just the change in direction, and not just running in a straight line. Was something that was a challenge to adapt back to, but it was something that I've worked hard on. Q. Is special teams kind of a nice like intersection between those two things? There are very few moments where you'll run a hundred yards or 60 yards or stuff like that? DAN CHISENA: Special teams, specifically on coverage which is where I've kind of found a role there, it is an opportunity where you can just in a sense run straight and run fast, as fast as you can. You want to try to -- the goal is to try to beat the ball down there, which doesn't always happen as far as Blake's kicking it. But it is a good opportunity where you can just open up and fall back on those track experiences where it kind of crosses over, as you said. Q. You showed some emotion when you tackled Jones on Saturday night. Talk about limiting the big plays on special teams. DAN CHISENA: Yeah, Coach Lorig's motto is just change the game. There's no small role on special teams. Special teams is a huge part of every game and it's a huge part of our team and there's guys that make plays every week, and guys take pride in being on those units and willing to make an impact even though it might go overlooked in small moments. But like even on like an extra point it seems like an automatic thing. Like those guys are battling every play to make sure that they protect and get that extra point. It makes a difference and it gets overlooked sometimes, but like I said, I think a lot of guys on those units, they take a lot of pride and a lot of guys have found roles on their units who don't get the offensive and defensive reps that they necessarily hope for, and it's great to have guys who take a lot of pride in that and then want to be a part of that. Q. We had Sean this morning and he's telling us he's trying to figure out his out as a quarterback and also as a leader in this locker room. Just from the outside looking in, he seems to be more demonstrative before and during games, speaking to people on the field. Is that something you've noticed through seven games, that he's become more comfortable speaking up in front of everyone, in front of a big audience and all that? DAN CHISENA: Yeah, I think he's definitely gotten more comfortable. I think he hit the ground running and once he got that starting role, it wasn't much of a learning curve for him. It's all come natural to him. I think as you said, the more you doing something, the more comfortable you come with it, and as the season's gone on, he's just grown into that role even more so and then just been a really great leader in the locker room and on the field, and you know, I can't say enough about how hard he works. It shows and he's just -- he works hard to be that leader role but I think a lot of it just comes from who he is as a person. Q. I think the nation got a good chance to realize how close of friends him and K.J. are on did a night after that game. Is that something that's been obvious since really the time you've gotten to know them where they have a connection and that translates into game action? DAN CHISENA: Yeah, I think just the whole dynamic in the locker room in general is friendships like, that and everyone is pretty supportive of everyone. Everyone is pretty good friends with everyone. There's no like clicks or anything. Like everybody has each other's backs, and obviously when guys like quarterbacks and wide receivers, when you work together all spring and all winter, all spring, all summer, you build those relationships so much. You become close with those guys and obviously Cliff and K.J. are two of the most dynamic players on our team and make huge plays. Obviously you're able to see how close they are and I think that's just representative of our team as a whole, as well, of how close we are and how supportive everyone is of each other. Q. This wide receiver group in the stat sheet, there's a pretty steep drop-off after Jahan and K.J. How is everybody handling that week-by-week, and can you give us a sneak peek into when they do have their breakout, what will we see from Daniel George and Justin Shorter, because that's a particular position that thus far, has not necessarily been utilized as much as I think people were anticipating. DAN CHISENA: Sure. I mean, I can tell you wholeheartedly, in our room there's no sense of like entitlement or disappointment of -- that there is like that drop off after K.J. and Jahan. Like when those guys score, like every other receiver -- everyone on the team -- specifically for your question, like every other receiver is so, so happy for them. I can speak to myself specifically. I'm the Z behind Jahan, and every time he scores and makes a play, I am so happy for him because I know how hard he works. I just think it's our room as a whole, and it's not even something that's been forced, but it's just like the type of people that we have in our room where we are just like so happy for each other when other guys make a play. Just like wanting -- like putting the team before self. It has -- honestly like it hasn't been an issue at all. It's fun to make fun of the guys, like watching film, we're joking around with guys on film when they make those plays and you see something funny on film, it's just like a really great like environment to be in. So I'd say that hasn't even been a concern for any guy in the room. In terms of Justin and Daniel, they have just worked so hard and they consistently make plays every practice that hasn't necessarily like, you guys haven't necessarily been able to see in a game but I have no doubt those plays are coming. When it does, I don't know when it's going to happen but it will happen at some point just because of the work that they have put in and like behind the scenes and when no one's looking that will come to light like in a game. I think it's going to be special when they do. They are going to be great players for years to come. No doubt in my mind. Q. Back to punt coverage. How much fun is it to be able to run top speed, 60 yards down the field and the guy you're trying to tackle is literally just waiting and you have that big 60-yard head start and as soon as he catches it, you have pretty much the opportunity to not end him but make a big play and like on Saturday, you get really fired up. How much fun have you had when you're sprinting down that field? DAN CHISENA: Obviously it's fun and I think, you know, the first taste of that I had was during the Pitt game when I got a flag for hitting a guy too soon. People are saying like, oh, nice hit and I was telling them, yeah, it's pretty easy when you're running full speed and the guy is standing still. You know, it's just like a great opportunity to try and do your part on the team. I don't know, it's just a role that I've tried to embrace and take a lot of pride in. I think like even -- the other bullet, he is extremely fast himself and we just compete with each other to see who can get down there first. We're all just like communicating on the sidelines and talking to each other about the plays and what happened and if we need to like change anything. I don't know, but it's just -- I don't know if this answers your question -- it is fun and it's just like, again an opportunity that I don't want to take for granted because I don't have a lot of time left here to play for Penn State. I just want to always be appreciative for every moment, whether it's making a tackle or just being able to be on the field and run down and have a role. Q. Can you compare it to something you did in track? Obviously you don't tackle anyone in track but something where it's -- go, and it's kind of the same thing what you do in track, what you do when you're on punt coverage? DAN CHISENA: I think every race in track, you're just like, just go, like just go for it and just do it. Especially with sprints which is what I did. There's a little bit of tactics involved, but for a lot of -- like especially 60 and 100, you're just going. I don't know, I'd say those are the most comparable things to that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|