Blue White Illustrated

COACHSPEAK | EXCERPTS  FROM  BILL  O'BRIEN'S  WEEKLY PRESSER This situation with the QBs is obviously different from last year. Is that because they're young players? Sure. I think that's part of it. You've got an 18- and a 19-year-old guy here. That's part of it. They just got here, basically, to Penn State. Christian just got here a month ago or a little bit more than that. Tyler was here in January. Last year, you had a seasoned guy [Matt McGloin] who had been through a lot here at Penn State and was going into his fifth year. Totally different story. Again, it's more about what's best for the team. The team understands the direction that we're headed within the building there at Lasch, and they know where we're going. So that's what's important, too. And, to me, it's important going into a first game not really knowing what your opponent is going to do. I don't really think they know what we're going to do. They're a very, very good opponent. I think it's important to do what's best for your football team, especially going into the first game. What were your observations on preseason camp to date? Has it been a lot different from last year? I felt like we had a very productive camp. I believe our guys came back and they understood the expectations of camp. They understood the systems on both sides of the ball, on special teams, and we had a lot of returning players. I believe we've got some strong leaders on this team that showed the young players the way. Did we have great days every day? No. But I don't think we had any bad days. We might have had a bad play here or there, or a bad series here or there on both sides of the ball, but I don't believe we had any bad days. I think we came out of it healthy, which is very, very important, for the most part, especially with our top players. So I believe it was a productive camp. But at the end of the day, the proof will be in the pudding with how we play early in the season. TIGHT-LIPPED Bill O'Brien wouldn't name a starter at quarterback, safety or right offensive tackle on Tuesday. "You'll know on Saturday," he said. Tim Owen How close has the competition been between Ryan Keiser and Malcolm Willis at safety? Has a starter been picked? I'd say the same answer there compared to the quarterback. You'll find out on Saturday who starts at safety for us, but both guys are really good players. They'll both play for us. Malcolm is a leader back there. He's a guy that has played a lot of football for us, and he's come in here and for the most part been healthy and had a very good, productive training camp. Ryan Keiser... you look at him as somewhat of an unsung hero right now. He's a guy that does a lot of different things for us. He's involved in all four special teams. Actually, five, because he's our holder on PAT/field goal, and he does a really nice job with that. Then obviously he's going to play safety for us. So, he's an improved football player. It was a great day last year when we were able to put him on scholarship, because there's a guy that really deserved it. Another Pennsylvania guy that understands the meaning of playing at Penn State. Have you made a decision about the starting quarterback and told your staff and the rest of the team? Just to clarify, you'll find out who the starting quarterback is on the first offensive play on Saturday. A U G U S T   2 8 ,   2 0 1 3       13 [Incoming freshman safety] Neiko Robinson – is he still here? No, Neiko is not here. Basically, what I'm going to tell you on that is: What happened there is between Neiko and myself. Neiko is a fantastic kid. It had nothing to do with discipline. Nothing. This kid is a fantastic kid. It just didn't work out here at Penn State. He will end up somewhere, but he won't be at Penn State. How much did Zach Zwinak's success surprise you [in 2012]? Judging by the fact that I had him as the third- or fourth-team running back at the beginning of the year, I would say that was some bad coaching. In eight and a half games, he gained 1,000 yards. Zach's a tough guy. I love coaching Zach. He's very hard on himself. He demands perfection of himself. He's tough. He's a big guy. He can run. He's got deceptive speed, and he can catch the ball. He loves playing at Penn State and, again, he's a big part of our team. Is Adam Gress still No. 1 at right tackle or is that a position we'll find out about on Saturday? Yeah, that would be one of those things you'll find out on Saturday. But, he'll play. Gress and [Garry] Gilliam will play. BL UEW HI T EON L I N E. COM

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