Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/663838
his testing numbers at linebacker, and his testing numbers are solid. But when we put him on kicko( coverage, he actu- ally was playing at the speed he tested at, and a lot of times you have guys who play slower. They may run a certain number in shorts and a T-shirt, but we time our guys on kicko( coverage, so we'll time them on how quickly they're getting down the 'eld. Some guys play as fast, and some guys play slower. Very few play faster. So we want to look at all those things. With Saquon, all these testing num- bers are wonderful in the weight room and in Holuba, but how can we make sure they translate onto the 'eld with him, with the scheme, with the improve- ments that we're making on the o(en- sive line with their experience and their strength and their size and the depth that we have there? It's also just [a matter of] understand- ing football: understanding what cover two means, understanding zone blitzes and where they are coming from and why and really embracing and studying the game. That's some of the stu( that I love. I kept sending text messages to our guys about some of these quotes that Peyton Manning talked about. We talk to our players all the time about control- ling the controllable, and you know, Peyton talked about how there were more-talented guys, there was more of this, there was more of that. But he con- trolled one of the things that he could control, which was preparation. Nobody out-prepared him. So I think the next step for Saquon is to really become a student of the game and master all those things so he can play fast and aggressive. Your special teams generated some concern last year. How much are you spending this spring overviewing those and making adjustments? We actually improved in the return game but gave up way too many plays in our coverage, and I think that had to do with a number of factors. I think we're going to have a more competitive two-deep this year, which is going to help there probably as much as anywhere. I think our kicking, the con- sistency in our kicking, is going to be re- ally important. The height of our kicks, the hang time of our kicks, the kick loca- tion, the depth. I think you guys remember me talking about the Northwestern game. Every- body thought our plan was to squib it. We weren't supposed to squib any of those. So consistency [is a priority] in our kicking. But those guys now all have ex- perience, good and bad experience that they can learn from. [Sam] Ficken I think is a great example. It's not where you start; it's where you 'nish and how you handle the adversity and grow from it. ■ That's right...If you're a parent of a current PSU student or a member of the Penn State Alumni Association, this offer is for you! Come stay with our Lion Country Lodging family and receive a 15% discount on your stay each time you visit. It's simple to get started. Go to lioncountrylodging.com, click the "Parent" or "Alumni" icon on the home page and register. :H¶OOVHQGDQHPDLOFRQ¿UPDWLRQWR\RXWRTXDOLI\IRUWKH 15% discount at any of our hotels listed below.* ID for Alumni: 8SRQDUULYDOVKRZ\RXURI¿FLDO PSU Alumni Association Card. ID for Parents: We will send you an ID card to use. Penn State Fans ...Get 15% Off your hotel stay! lioncountrylodging.com CARLISLE, PA *Not valid on Special Event Weekends or PSU Football Games That s s r i g h t . . . I f y o u ' b f t h u ' re re a p a re e n t o of a c u r r re n nt PSU student or S U U s t u d e n nt o r a t h i ff f i m e m b e r o f t h e f o r y o u ! C o m e s t ta re e c e i v e a G o t o :H¶OOVHQGDQHPD a t a ay with our Lion Country Lodging family and w i t h o u r L i o n C o u n t r ry L o d g o n y yo u r s t a y e a c l i c o n t h e h o m e p a g e DLOFRQ¿UPDWLRQWR\RXWRTXD t a n y o f our hotels listed below u r h o t e l s l i s t ted below d below below e l o 8 L O K I t h i s o of ffe fe r i s g i n g family and family and family and m i l y a n d a c h t i m e y o u v i s i t . c k t h e e a n d re re g i s t e r. r. DOLI\IRUWKH I\ o w.* I¿ L O 8SRQDUULYDOVKRZ\RXURI ¿FLDO ¿ CARLISLE, PA CARLISLE, PA

