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T H E 2 0 1 5 S E A S O N to live up to the standard he had already established for himself along the way. "I'm going to be the best Sean Spencer I can be, and I'm going to be the best Sean Spencer for Coach Franklin, the players, the fans here and this university," he said, recalling the blank stares of a reporter who had asked the question. "That's what I'm going to do." Looking back on his arrival, Spencer said he was fully prepared to embrace the challenges he had taken on. "I was never intimidated by anything," he said. "This is part of my personality. I'm a guy who worked for everything that I have in life. Everything. There was no way I was going to be intimidated. I've been preparing for this situation my entire life." Although their personalities are different, he and Johnson share many of the same football philosophies. They want their players to treat each play as if it's their last. They want them to play with reckless abandon. They want them to respect every opponent while fearing none. But despite the similarities, Spencer still needed to make a connection with the players he had inherited, some of whom regarded Johnson as a role model or even as a father figure. Spencer understood that, and he made sure to pay the proper respect. "I was never going to talk in a negative tone about what Larry did and what I would do. I'm not doing that," Spencer said. "I have so much confidence in what I'm bringing to the table and so much confidence in what we had done defen- sively in years past that I didn't need to do that. "I think because I paid so much respect to Coach Johnson and the other coaches they had before me, that the players un- derstood I was a guy who had my own confidence level. A lot of times, people say things about people to credit them- selves, and I didn't need to do that." Although the sample size is limited to a season and a half, Spencer's record with the Nittany Lions speaks for itself. In 2014, he oversaw Anthony Zettel's tran- sition from defensive end to defensive tackle, molding him into a first-team All- Big Ten selection in his first season at the new position. As a team, Penn State fin- ished third in the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing defense, allowing just 100.5 yards per game, and the defensive line produced 24 sacks and 56.5 tackles for loss. Through the first half of the 2015 season, the numbers were even more robust. By mid-October, the Nittany Lions were sec- ond in the FBS in sacks, averaging more than four per game, and sixth in tackles for loss at nearly nine per game. Individ- ually, defensive end Carl Nassib was first in the country in sacks and third in tackles for loss. A former walk-on turned NFL prospect, Nassib was garnering headlines for his contributions, but his starring role was in many ways an outgrowth of the steady, stellar play of Penn State's starting interior linemen, Zettel and Johnson. At no point was the unit's overall strength more evident than in Penn State's recent nonconference game against San Diego State. The Nittany Lions were holding a precarious six-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, and the Aztecs were pushing toward Penn State's end zone. Spencer told his players they would need to come up with a big play to secure the win. They did exactly that. With the Aztecs facing third-and-11 at the Penn State 25-yard line, quarterback Maxwell Smith was hit by Nassib and lost control of the football. The ball bobbled on the turf for a moment before Johnson grabbed it and began rumbling downfield. Zettel, racing to catch up to the action, delivered a de-cleating block to eliminate one would-be tackler, and Johnson reached the end zone. His 71-yard touchdown re- turn helped the Nittany Lions secure a 37-21 victory. "That's a defensive line coach's dream," Spencer said. Each week, with his Nittany Lions ful- filling his professional goals and life's work, Spencer is living that dream. And for that, he can't help but be energetic. "I wake up and I'm very excited about the day, just energetic about being granted the chance to coach the great game of football," he said. "I'm just happy about life." ■ THE SPENCER FILE HOMETOWN Hartford, Conn. ALMA MATER Clarion University, '95 PLAYING CAREER Was a three-year starter at safety and a team captain; made The Sporting News' 1992 NCAA Division II Preseason All-America team DEGREE B.S., political science FAMILY Daughter, Alysia YEAR AT PENN STATE Second COACHING EXPERIENCE Has been in coaching for 19 years with stops at the following schools: 2014- Penn State (defensive line) 2011-13 Vanderbilt (defensive line) 2009-10 Bowling Green (defensive line) 2007-08 Massachusetts (defen sive line, special teams coordinator) 2006 Hofstra (defensive line) 2005 Villanova (linebackers) 2004 Holy Cross (defensive line) 2001-03 Massachusetts (defen sive line) 1998-2000 Trinity College (running backs, passing game co ordinator, defensive line) 1996-97 Shippensburg (running backs) PROMINENT PLAYERS Chris Jones (2012 first-team All-American, New England Patriots), Caleb Azubike (2012 ESPN All-Freshman team), Valdamar Brower (2002 second-team All-Ameri- can), David Burris (2007 honorable mention All-American), Tim Fugger (2011 second-team All-SEC, 2012 sev- enth-round draft pick), Rob Lohr (CFL), Deion Barnes (signed by New York Jets), Brian Hulea (2005 first-team All-Ameri- can), Karon Williams (CFL), Vince Tay- lor (New England Patriots)

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