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PLAYSTATION FIESTA BOWL: PENN STATE VS WASHINGTON

December 26, 2017

Mike Gesicki

Glendale, Arizona

Q. X and O-wise, what do you see in Washington's defense, are they like any Big Ten team you played this year?
MIKE GESICKI: I think that in a way you can kind of compare them to maybe like an Ohio State just because of how effective they can be at stopping the run. But ultimately each team's different.

And their front -- I mean, their defensive front and those linemen, they're big guys. And it's obviously going to be a challenge for us up front. They're definitely going to try to focus in and stop the run.

And on the back end they're long; they're athletic. So ultimately you're not ranked the 11th team in the country for no reason. So they're going to have a lot of talented players. And it's something that we're excited about.

Q. (Indiscernible) have you been sending texts to anybody?
MIKE GESICKI: Yeah, I've been Snapchatting my friends back home, my girlfriend and family, all that kind of stuff, sending them pictures of the pool. And they're sending me some snow and cold weather, it's like eight degrees back home.

It's definitely been a nice little get-away to be able to come out here in Arizona and enjoy the nice weather and everything they have to offer for us.

Q. For you knowing this is going to be your last game ever, does this make your feeling towards this game maybe a little different, maybe a little more bittersweet than you've experienced?
MIKE GESICKI: Yeah, absolutely. I think obviously I'm not going to change my routine or how I prepare or anything like that that goes into it. But when I'm out on that field I'm going to take everything in.

I'm not going to take a play for granted or take anything for granted when I'm out there. I'm going to cherish each and every moment. When that clock hits zero and it's all over, I can hang my head high and just know that I gave it all and I'm proud of everything that my team has done these past four years for Penn State.

Q. When you look back to the calendar year, with the program you came from to one that's now been to the Fiesta Bowl and Rose Bowl, did you ever imagine when you walked in this door that you'd be sitting here today having a conversation (inaudible)?
MIKE GESICKI: When I first committed to Penn State, they were -- everything was out and I wasn't going to go -- my team wasn't going to be playing in any bowl games for the next four years.

So to predict that we would be Big Ten champs and be playing in the Rose Bowl and playing in the Fiesta Bowl, back-to-back New Year's Six bowls, I can't say that I predicted it, because at that time we weren't permitted to be doing any of this kind of stuff.

But ultimately everything worked out for us. And now we're sitting here at the Fiesta Bowl with a great opportunity playing a great opponent on Saturday. And it's something that I'm really excited about.

Q. We talked about having to bounce back after (inaudible). One thing I've noticed is you've adopted is --
MIKE GESICKI: Absolutely.

Q. Could you explain that a little bit?
MIKE GESICKI: Back then, obviously especially for our team as well, people were hopping off the Penn State train. And at that time they were hopping off the Mike Gesicki train and all that kind of stuff.

I started doing that when I scored my first touchdown against Kent State my junior year, every time I'm doing this, I'm saying the train's left, but there's still seats open but we don't want anybody else coming because it's too late. So that's kind of what I'm saying each and every time. And it kind of tells a deeper story about myself and about this team ultimately where we are now compared to where we were back when when some people were counting us out.

Q. You've been talking to Jesse James about combine stuff. Did you have that discussion a few weeks ago?
MIKE GESICKI: If you know anything about football, he can catch a ball, reach out, he's got possession of it. So there's obviously some -- everybody's kind of confused about the whole rule and this and that.

But Jesse is having a ton of success up there right now and I know that he's going to continue to make plays and ultimately they just picked up a win yesterday. So I'm happy for them. I'll be keeping tabs on Jesse.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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