Blue White Illustrated

COACHSPEAK | EXCERPTS FROM BILL O'BRIEN'S WEEKLY PRESSER How would you describe the season to this point? I think, obviously, we'd like to be 8‑0. I think we've played tough. I think we've battled hard. We've competed. It's been a little bit up and down at times. At times we've played well as a team; at times we haven't. I think after the season is when we'll really focus on that and see why that was. Right now it's important for us to level it off and continue to compete and play well. We had a good practice on Monday and we're up to the challenge for Minnesota. Minnesota is an excellent team. I think that question is a great question, and it's probably something that we have to really analyze after the season. How much have you gotten to know Jerry Kill? Just from watching the film, can you give the thoughts on the job he and his entire staff have done during a tough [medical] situation? I have a ton of respect for Jerry. I feel bad for what he's had to go through. I called him two weeks ago and spoke to him on the phone to see how he's doing. I've gotten to know him a little bit at the Big Ten meetings and things like that. Great guy. Obviously he has a fantastic staff that has a lot of cohesion as a unit. You can see the kids feeding off of that. Give Jerry and his staff a lot of credit. They've done a great job of coaching these kids and recruiting for the type of football they want to play. I can't say enough about Jerry Kill and his staff. Could you talk a little bit about Ryan Keiser? How important is he to your secondary this year? He's a very valuable member of this football team – just from the type of kid he is, the type of player he is and the maturity level he brings to the locker room. He comes from a coaching family. I believe his mom is a coach. Athletics have been a part of his life his whole life. I think he does a great job. I think he's an instinctive player. I think he was a little rusty when he first came back from the hand injury. He'd probably be the first one to tell you that. But I think in the Illinois game he really played a lot better, and he made a nice play on the bubble screen. Then he got the tipped in- SERIOUS SITUATION Bill O'Brien said Penn State has policies in place to prevent hazing and bullying within the team. "We don't allow hazing at Penn State," he said. "I'd say if anybody gets hazed, it's the coaches." Tim Owen terception. He's a fantastic guy – a great guy to coach and a team guy. What did you see in Bill Belton that you thought would make him a good running back? When we first got here, we started having those crack-of-dawn, early-morning workouts. I think it was the very first morning. We had a lot of change‑of‑direction‑type drills to really try to evaluate these guys and see where we would put them. Again – just to remind you – I didn't watch any film really on these guys before I got here. I was trying to give everybody a clean slate. So when I watched Billy, I saw a kid that was 5-foot-11, maybe 185, 190 pounds, and a thick-looking guy. I said, "What position is he?" They said he was a slot receiver and a wildcat quarterback. Looking at our running back situation at that time, I said, "Why don't we try him at running back?" That's when we moved him. He got injured and he really improved a lot in training camp his first year at running back. Then he had a bad ankle sprain against Ohio and had a hard time coming back from that and never really hit his stride again last year. Then this year, in spring practice and in training camp, I saw this kid really improve to the point where he is now playing pretty well. N O V E M B E R 6 , 2 0 1 3 13 Can you address what policies you have in place to prevent hazing and bullying on the team? How different is that issue in general between the NFL and the college game? We don't allow any hazing at Penn State. I'd say if anybody gets hazed, it's the coaches. (laughs) The players bust our chops. But, no, we take [hazing/bullying] very seriously. We definitely address it right away, and we do not allow it. Believe me, I'm just trying to get ready for Minnesota. I know from working in New England that we had a very professional locker room with a lot of great guys in it – great coaching staff and fantastic ownership. So things like that never happened in New England. So I think there is a big difference there between pro and college football. I think college football is about getting an education. Playing as good of football as you can on the field. Young guys earn their stripes on the practice field. That's what it's about. Not earning their stripes by getting their heads shaved. We don't do that at Penn State. Have you noticed a difference in the way your team has played at home compared to on the road? SEE O'BRIEN PAGE 15 B L UEWH I T E ON L I N E .COM

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