Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/904141
T H E 2 0 1 7 S E A S O N H e had already pushed the appointment back an hour, because he needed to hit the weight room. When a couple of re- porters dialed back into an early-Novem- ber teleconference at the rescheduled time to speak with Troy Apke, it was yet another 15 minutes of waiting until he joined the line. He was still getting his lift in. Penn State was only four days removed from a difficult road stretch that deliv- ered the first two losses of what many were forecasting to be a dream season. Apke, a senior from Mt. Lebanon, Pa., had played every one of the 158 defensive snaps in those games. Presumably, he'd be exhausted, worn out and reluctant to do an interview, but the voice at the other end of the line was not one of wear and tear. Anything but. Known for his cool, calm and depend- able demeanor – "He's kind of Steady Eddie," James Franklin says – Apke agree- ably explained that it's just part of the routine: Everyone lifts on Sunday, then they get another one in during the week. There's no shifting that, no matter how rough the previous couple of weeks may have been. Coming down to the final few games in his final year of eligibility, it's about making the best of what's left. If that means staying a little longer in the weight room during a Wednesday work- out, so be it. "It's [about] just staying strong," he said. "No crazy weight, nothing like that. It's kind of just keeping our weight the same and keeping the same strength that we have and just staying consistent through the whole year." An additional reason for the midweek weight training session is to recover from the game before. Stretching, regenerative exercises and calisthenics are all included to get the body as healthy as it can be be- fore the approaching Saturday. Penn State's defense has been the ben- eficiary of all that work. Through the first 10 games of the sea- son, Apke was second on the team in solo tackles with 32, trailing fellow safety Marcus Allen, who had 36. They're statistics that he had to work for – not only on game days, but on even longer days inside the weight room this past off-season. He added physical strength, but his greatest growth might simply have been in how he attacks the game. Thrust out of his redshirt the same day in October 2014 that classmate Allen earned his first start, Apke has played a lot of football in his career. Playing every snap isn't anything new. Against San Diego State in 2015, for instance, he not only played every series on defense but was also in on the majority of the special teams units as an underclassman. "So I'm kind of used to it," he said. "I think adrenaline kicks into it during the game. I think everyone is sore this time of year. I do my best to keep my body right throughout the week." One of the fastest defensive backs on the roster, Apke has his share of experi- ence. But he's had to work at becoming a more effective tackler at or behind the line of scrimmage. Position coach Tim Banks called him on it after his junior season, and Apke took the advice to heart. Since then, he's see- ing his efforts pay dividends. He's still not a lumbering thumper, or a heat-seeking missile like Penn State's other starting For veteran Apke, there's no time like the present |