Blue White Illustrated

ing in the whole Penn State experience and doing really, really well with it." Johnson won honorable mention All- Big Ten notice as a sophomore and re- cently received a second-team All-Con- ference nod from the media and third-team notice from the coaches. In addition, he was on the watch lists for the Lombar- di and Bednarik awards head- ing into bowl season. And while postseason honors aren't what drive him, the Big Ten has, in its own way, helped in- spire Johnson to compete at a high level. "I watch a lot of film, and seeing other players not running to the ball on other teams, that motivates me," he said. "I notice that stuff, and I want to run to the ball and make as many plays as I can for my team because if I don't, then I know that I'll be letting them down. I don't want to let our de- fense down or let the whole team down. If I don't run to the ball and try to make a play or make a difference, not just in the middle but on the outside, as well, that is letting my teammates down." That approach has helped turn him into a highly marketable NFL prospect should he choose to come out early. He's the No. 7 defensive tackle in CBS- Sports.com's rankings and a projected second-rounder, while NFLDraftScout.com has him No. 5 at his position. Other amateur draft experts concur, and they've got some backup in Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, who earlier this season labeled Johnson and fellow defensive tackle Anthony Zettel "a nightmare," declaring them both to be first-round picks. While coaches are always effusive about players they are about to face, Fitzgerald's assessment may not be all that far from the truth. Not that Johnson is paying any atten- tion. "I'm not really thinking about that at all," he said. "I'm just trying to play to the best of my ability and make every play that I can, just trying to make the biggest difference that I possibly can on the field." ■ W hen Penn State inside linebacker Jason Cabinda was asked recently to name the players he most admired from Linebacker U's storied past, one of the names that came immediately to mind was Jack Ham. (The other was LaVar Arrington.) Ham may have pre- dated Cabinda by more than four decades, but he is one of only two Nit- tany Lion football alumni to be in- ducted into both the college and pro football halls of fame, and his ties to the program are strong thanks to his ongoing role as color analyst on the Penn State Sports Network broad- casts. Ham recently took the time to dis- cuss Penn State's current defense with Blue White Illustrated magazine editor Matt Herb. Here, edited for length, is what he said: How gratifying has it been for you to see that the current players, guys like Jason Cabinda and Jake Cooper, show an appreciation for the pro- gram's history, and specifically, your role in it? There's a lot of history at Penn State. There's a lot of history and tradition that's come before them, and they want to continue with the Linebacker U moniker that Penn State has had for so many years. But at the same time, it's for them to build their own legacy at Penn State. I'm proud and honored, and I really believe the fact that they understand the history of our univer- sity is something special. Have you had a chance to spend much time with either of those guys? Not really. I go to the practices. I've talked to Cabinda a couple of times because he's been thrown into a role as a vocal leader of the defense. An injury occurs and you never know what's go- VIEW FROM ABOVE PSU legend oers thoughts on Lions' defense I N T E R V I E W J A C K H A M BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE Ham calls the 2014 Blue- White Game along with broadcast part- ner Steve Jones. Photo by Steve Manuel

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