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PENN STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 14, 2008

Joe Paterno

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to our weekly teleconference with Coach Paterno. We'll begin our questions today.

Q. One of your players said this morning that you mentioned the losing streak to Michigan right after the Wisconsin game. I was wondering why you felt you had to do that.
COACH PATERNO: You tell me. I don't know why I said it. It was after the game. I just wanted to get things in focus, try to make sure that we didn't walk out of there with our heads in the clouds. Just said, Hey. I forget exactly how I did it.
I think we haven't beaten them in nine years or something like that probably. Is it nine years? I'm not even sure I'm right on that.

Q. When you look at this Michigan team on tape, what are some of the bigger differences between this team maybe and some of Lloyd Carr's teams?
COACH PATERNO: You got to be careful when you look at the Toledo tape. Then you got to go back and look at their Notre Dame game. You got to look at their Illinois game, some things like that. They're almost like a different football team.
You know, obviously they're struggling a little bit in certain key positions. But there's talent all over the place. They've got a lot of good kids that are going to be really good. I just hope they're a week away.
Again, I'd have to go back and think about Lloyd's teams. I really haven't been that interested in those teams as I am in this team. I mean, I got to worry about this team, not the ones that Lloyd had.

Q. When you've lost to a team like that nine times in a row, can it be a mental thing? Is that perhaps why you brought that up after the game?
COACH PATERNO: No, no, no. It's not a mental thing. We had a couple tough ballgames that could go either way. And a lot of it was not due to the people playing the game. Some outside people blew a couple things and made it a little tougher to win.
But, no, I don't think it's a psychological thing at all. Even if Lloyd were there, that's not the problem. The point I wanted to make is, Hey, you're not going to have a bunch of guys coming in from state college and they're going to be in awe of us or anything like that. We've got to be ready to go out and play and go out and play a good, tough football game.

Q. After the last game you gave the pluses and minuses of coaching from the press box. I wonder how you feel this week. Are you considering coaching from the press box the rest of the season?
COACH PATERNO: Well, I'm playing it day to day really. I'm not sure what we're going to do this week. Some days, you know, I really feel that I can go out there and almost jog. Other days it's really sore. I just got to play it by ear, play it one day at a time, and then when the season's over, have somebody take a look at it, get it fixed up.

Q. How much do you think Aaron Maybin has improved in the last year?
COACH PATERNO: Well, I think he has improved, but he's always been a really good prospect. He's been a little flighty, a little bit undisciplined, played his own defense at times, which made you a little bit nervous about him. But he settled down and he's paying attention to details.
I think if he gets a little stronger... He's not the biggest kid out there playing. He's a 240-pounder that should be a 255-pounder. He's got a body fat percentage of about 4%. He's struggled putting weight on because he's got so much energy.
But I think he's getting better. I think he can get better. But I think, number one, he's got to get a little stronger.

Q. Speaking about Michigan, can you assess this defense they've played this year and how that will affect the way you play your offense.
COACH PATERNO: Well, they play basically two looks. They play what most people are playing, the four-man down. But the minute they get in some kind of a passing situation, they go with three down guys, an extra linebacker and an extra defensive back.
They're a typical Michigan team when you look at them. As far as personnel, they have kids who can run. They hustle. Against Toledo, that's a really bad evaluation. You really get in trouble if you start to evaluate that football team based on what happened at Toledo, or what happened with Toledo.
So I don't see a lot different in the way they play. Their enthusiasm, the fact they're football players, they'll hit you when they get there, all those kinds of things. Playing a club like Toledo, they're going in to score, kid makes a little mistake, throws the ball, runs it back a hundred yards for a touchdown. Sets the tone. They're not that experienced yet. They're still struggling with a lot of young people. That probably has a bigger impact on that kind of a team than it would an experienced football team.
But I don't see a lot of difference in the type of people they have, than the ones we've played against through the years.

Q. Could you talk about any type of influence you think Jay has had on you maybe recently? Have him and Galen convinced you to go and do different things offensively?
COACH PATERNO: Well, I hope every one of the assistant coaches has had some impact on me. I try to listen to them and learn, watch them coach. Sometimes they come up with some things that are really awfully good and I try to make sure that I'm not blind to the fact that maybe we didn't do it that way 10 years ago, that we're not going to do it this year.
I think they've all had an impact on me. But basically I go back to it depends on who they want to do it with. With whom they want to do it, I guess. We're not going to do some things that they may like and may look good on the blackboard if I'm not comfortable if we don't have the personnel to do it.
I think this year our offensive personnel suits exactly what Galen and Jay want to do in the passing game. I think we're on the right track. I think I'd say the same thing defensively.
At one time I was nervous about the scheme we were in because we had to get rid of a couple guys, and then we had some people hurt. We debated whether we would change a couple alignments. But the defensive coaches felt that they could get that done with the way we had been doing things, so I went along with it, and they were right. That's the same thing that happened on the offensive side of the football.
You have to get Bill Kenney, Dick Anderson and Mike McQueary some credit, too. Bill and Dick have been with me a long time. They know exactly how much time I'm going to give them to practice. I'm not going to let them have all the time they want, worry about some different things that would not have occurred to a younger coach who had not been around here.
I think obviously they've had an impact. But I just want to make sure that all those coaches out there, that's a good staff, and again, I'm going to say what I've said 50 times, I listen to all of them and watch 'em all.

Q. It seems offense lines in general are known for having their share of characters. This team has a few. What does it say about this group, that they're able to transition from lightheartedness to being one of the better lines in your tenure?
COACH PATERNO: You know, I should have taken more psychology courses I guess in college.
Everybody's got a personality. One of the hardest parts of coaching sometimes is when do you sit on it and when do you let them go. When is it a good combination. When does it look like it's going in the wrong direction, maybe the wrong guys are leading the pack. Those are all things you have to take into consideration when I would answer that question.
I think the combination and the chemistry and the respect for each other that the offensive linemen have, they may clown around, they may horse around. I'm not sure what they do off the field, but when they're on the field, they're business. They'll have a joke. They'll tease me a little bit, play a couple games on me. But that's fine. That's fun.
They know when to go to work. The minute they don't, then of course obviously I got a problem. But right now I think it's a good group of kids who are working hard together.

Q. Every player on every team in the country talks about taking their season one game at a time, maintaining focus. Some players can't seem to do it that way. This team doesn't seem to have a lot of those guys. Did you expect that because of how many seniors there were? Are you pleased with how well they've done it so far?
COACH PATERNO: Beginning of the season I was hopeful it would happen that way. When you get into a season, you kept asking me how good we are, and I kept saying I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. We have to wait till we see some adversity, see if we have the kind of leadership that will carry us through.
So far so good. I think we've had good leadership. I think the leadership starts with people who are mature enough to understand that you don't win the game talking about it, you don't win the game in newspapers, you don't win the game unless you're ready in pads each week to play against a team that's out there to beat you and can beat you. You see that every week.
I think we have some mature kids that understand that. In the locker room they probably talk about it a lot. I think it's so far so good. You get to a point where after a big win, as we had against Wisconsin, where things went so well for us, you always have something in the back of your head you got to watch and make sure nobody gets out of line, nobody gets carried away with the one win, that they can focus in on the next win.
I can't tell you today whether we have or haven't. We only practiced yesterday for about an hour and 10 minutes without pads. Get a better feel for it after practice tomorrow night. But I think we'll be okay.

Q. What is the status of wide receiver Brett Brackett and also tailback Brent Carter?
COACH PATERNO: Carter's going to have his knee operated on. He has an ACL. Brett, I don't think they're going to let him go this week, had a pretty good concussion. He was on the practice field yesterday but didn't do anything. So I would doubt either one of those kids would play. I know Carter won't.

Q. Daryll Clark, seven starts, are you surprised how well he's picked up every part of that very difficult job of being a quarterback?
COACH PATERNO: Well, I thought he started to do that at the end of last year. I thought when we put him in there against Texas A&M, I thought he handled himself well, knew what was going on, was poised. So I had high hopes that hanging around with his wideouts, the other skilled people during the winter program, then in spring practice, that he'd come out of it ready to be a big-league quarterback, as I felt both he and Pat Devlin would. Both of them are big-league quarterbacks.
So I think it's not a surprise to me, but you're never sure. Again, I think he's done what you said he's done in the seven games he's played. He's played with maturity. He's been alert. He knows what's going on. Comes out in the football game, knows what's happening. He's learning all the time.
You know, I always like to stick Pat Devlin in there because Pat's in the same boat.

Q. When your program gets on a roll like it is now, do you or have you ever allowed yourself feelings of vindication? Do you enjoy silencing the critics now and then?
COACH PATERNO: I don't know what I have to vindicate. You know, you guys have got to write columns and you've got to figure out something to write. We've probably won more games in the last three and a half years than any team in the country. You know, we won 11 and 9 and 9. I don't know whether that's the best or what. I never felt I had to vindicate myself in any way.
My only job is to make sure we do the best job we can for the kids out there busting their butt and try to win as many games as we can and play as well as we can and do it with a little class, make our fans feel good about the team and their university.
But as far as vindicating myself, no. That's up to you guys.

Q. You talk about your leg and knee. Can you disclose the specific injury?
COACH PATERNO: I don't know for sure. It's probably something to do with the hip. I don't know. I haven't got time to spend time going through a lot of examinations and things like that right now.
We'll wait till the season's over, see what happens.

Q. Are you getting a lot of get well cards?
COACH PATERNO: No, I don't get get well cards. Can't we talk about the football team and not me, for crying out loud?

Q. You have a lot of fifth-year guys that were here in 2004, Shipley...
COACH PATERNO: Those are the guys that have won probably more games since they've been here than any group of seniors around.

Q. How good do you feel those guys were able to go through that 2004 experience and then kind of help you get things back?
COACH PATERNO: Well, obviously they're all helpful. How helpful? You know, they had some pride. They wanted to do well. They were good football players. The combination wasn't quite right. We were one or two players short. When things didn't go well, we didn't have a couple players that could play big plays.
We all knew where we were. It was just a question till we could get that thing straight. Maybe it took a year longer than I thought it would have. That was all it was to it. A bunch of good kids. I never doubted we'd end up with a good football team. We had a bunch of good coaches who enjoyed working with them.

Q. You've often talked about the importance of playing fast. With the success the defense has had recently, how much of that was physical speed, athleticism? How much of that comes with experience, knowing where you need to be?
COACH PATERNO: A lot of it comes with experience. I mean, I can line a guy up, line the same guy up three weeks ago, he won't make the two or three plays he made Saturday because he's not ready to anticipate, he doesn't read the formation, he doesn't have the kind of confidence in himself that when he sees something, let's go. He may wait a second and make sure what he sees he sees, which is one step too slow. That only comes with playing and confidence, staying healthy, repeats on the practice field.
So, yeah, I think that we're playing faster. We have to.

Q. Should Daryll Clark's name be mentioned more in terms of Heisman Trophy contention?
COACH PATERNO: I don't get into that. You guys are the guys that have to get involved in that. I don't see the other guys. For me to tell you that this guy's better than that guy, better than that guy, better than that guy... I wish I had the luxury of just sitting there and listening to all the pundits say how this guy's great, that guy's great.
I don't know. I think Daryll Clark's a heck of a college football player right now, heck of a college quarterback. Where would he rate? I don't know. We got a lot of football to play yet. Doesn't make so much sense to me to go out there and start saying, I think Daryll ought to be here, here and here. We got a lot of football to play, and a lot of things can happen in that period.
We started out early saying he's got to stay focused on what he's got to do, get better each week, and we'll see what happens.

Q. You've said in the past that having an undefeated or a national championship team every decade, you wanted to get one this decade. Is that something that's still in the back of your mind?
COACH PATERNO: Let's see if I get that question right. I have had an undefeated team or a national championship in every decade, is that what you said?

Q. Yes.
COACH PATERNO: Well, I think when we just missed out a couple years ago, it was a disappointment to me. But I don't know. I really haven't thought about it that way.
You know, certainly you'd like to be able to say, Hey, I had an undefeated team in X number of decades. But, you know, I really don't think about it. But I'm sure if it happens and somebody starts talking about it, I'll probably go and ask for a raise.

Q. One more question about the Heisman. Given all the success you've had, is it a little surprising you've only had one Heisman winner?
COACH PATERNO: Well, there again, you know, I thought Lydell Mitchell should have won it. But the circumstances that year were that the kid from Cornell had a great year, so the votes got split. Thomas was that far away from winning a Heisman Trophy. When he didn't score on that great drive, we gave him the ball eight, ten times against Alabama. Missed it by that much. Richie Lucas missed it. Very close.
We've had our shots at it, but we just missed a little. You know, I can't do anything about it, so it doesn't surprise me or bother me or whatever. I'm disappointed that maybe one or two of those kids could have had it. It would have been nice to have. It would have been nice for them more than anybody else, and their families. Obviously, it would be nice for the university. But first it would be important to them.

Q. How fearful are you that a program like Michigan can get it all together on one Saturday? They've struggled, but they do have a lot of talent and good coaches there.
COACH PATERNO: What's your point?

Q. Are you worried that this is a team that is somewhat dangerous and can play at a very high level?
COACH PATERNO: Yeah, I'm saying that. I'm saying I think Michigan is a good football team, and they can go out there and beat anybody probably if they can get a couple of kids that start to feel good about themselves, make a couple plays, get a little momentum.
You got to look at a couple other games. Forget the Toledo game. You literally have to wipe that thing out. They didn't play very well at all. But they got off on the wrong foot. I don't know whether they went in the game without looking back at a couple things. But then you look at a couple other games they played, they played really well. I keep saying they're a good football team. How good? How good are we? I don't know yet.
I think it's going to be a real tough football game.

Q. Michigan quarterback Steve Threet is questionable this weekend. Is it any more difficult having to prepare not knowing who the starting quarterback is?
COACH PATERNO: They both played half the game last week, so we saw both of them. The big kid started the first half, and the other kid played the second half.
They're fairly similar. One is a little better runner than the other. I won't get into which is which. One is a better runner. The other has probably more experience.
The thing they have coming back, they have a real fast wideout, No. 9, I don't know his name, who they have not had, who is a big plus. That other kid, No. 2, a freshman kid, starting to get better as a runningback. Ran for over a hundred yards Saturday. They're starting to get some people back now which will help the quarterbacks. I'm not sure they've made up their mind whether the quarterback is going to play or not. Have you heard something I haven't heard?

Q. No.
COACH PATERNO: But both those kids are good athletes. Both quarterbacks played against Toledo.

Q. You said they're fairly similar. Does that mean you can prepare for one quarterback?
COACH PATERNO: They're not going to change their offense because one guy's in or the other guy's in. They may emphasize one thing a little bit more than the other thing.
No, you got to get ready to play what you've seen offensively. They're a spread offensive football team. They'll go fast on you. They'll go slow on you. They'll change the pace on you. They're clever. If you're not sound in something, they'll pick it up, coaches will pick it up, and they'll keep coming back to it till you take it away from them. It will be that kind of a game.

Q. Earlier in your coaching career would you have ever put an offense on the field that looks like this one, everything spread out?
COACH PATERNO: I played it. Back in 1959 we went to two wideouts, two slapbacks, and Richie Lucas was under the center. We went to him when we had the lonesome end.
No, you play with what you got. I can't seem to get that across. It isn't the formation. It isn't the scheme. It's who's executing it.
No, we've been all over the place. But, you know, people are having fun with it. The fans like it. I think when you got the kind of wideouts, skilled people we have, it's kind of fun to watch, I know that. But if they weren't that good, Daryll and Pat were not capable of handling some of the intricacies of what they had to do, it wouldn't look so good.

Q. Seems like you're getting some positive contributions from some of your backups. Can you talk about the depth? Are you happy with the depth you're developing?
COACH PATERNO: Yeah, I am. That's one of the nice things about having had some games where we had pretty good control of it early. You could get some of those kids in, they get some experience, so they're not in shock when they go in.
I really like our young kids. I think we have a lot of kids that haven't played that are going to be really good football players. So I feel good about some of those young kids that have had an opportunity to play. Mauti is starting to play, Stupar. Even some of the kids that are a year older now, (indiscernible) and Gbadyu, are starting to do some things now. Wide-outs, we haven't seen a lot of Moye, but Moye is a going to be a redshirt freshman that's going to be a real good wideout. Zug has gotten in there and played well. Without Carter, Beachum is going to have to play this week as a third guy.
So there's a lot of good, young talent. I feel pretty good our depth. I'm still concerned about maybe two or three more offensive linemen that have to come to the front. That's always the toughest part. Maybe one or two guys on the defensive line, 'cause we can't afford to have anybody hurt on the offensive line or defensive line. We don't have anybody ready yet. But they're getting there. Other than that, I think we're in pretty good shape.

Q. Have you consulted with doctors for what your options would be to get your hip fixed up after the season? Would your ultimate goal to be to return to the sideline?
COACH PATERNO: Geez, you know, I don't have the slightest idea. I'm trying to figure out how we're going to beat Michigan. I'm not worried about where I'm going to be.

End of FastScripts

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