Penn State head coach updates status of team, tight end Andrew Rappleyea during bye week

Press Conference Start did you want to get there questions coach after looking at the at the tape and how would you assess your team's Defensive performance against Bowling Green defensive performance with yeah you know um after tackling really well in week one I didn't think we tackled as well um in week two um I think that was that was pretty obvious um and then on top of that we just we just made some mistakes made some things more difficult than they needed to be especially early in the game you look at our first half statistics compared to our second half statistics uh it wasn't even close but I think the biggest thing that really came down to was tackling there's some things that we've had to clean up um you know with the technology about what is best for Penn State and using the technology on the defensive side of the ball and at home um one of the best ways to use that whether we're using the mic system um and and some of the some of the things that you got to work through by doing that especially at home uh with the noise I think factored in um and then you know we had a couple bumps and bruises so we had some moving parts that caused us some issues on defense and on special teams but obviously the the bye came at a really good time to kind of spend some time working through some of these things uh get some things cleaned up but I think the biggest issues we didn't tackle as well James will there be any internal can I can I say one more thing yeah the only other the only other thing is um you know the sacks we've been more disruptive in the past but just like I thought after watching that tap their whole game plan was not to allow us to get sacks it was quick game it was run game it was move the pocket they weren't holding on to the ball so um you know in a lot of ways that's going to factor in a great deal with your production the other thing that factored into that is we didn't play well in the first half where if you play well in the first half and the score gets out of whack then they have to break their game plan and how they want to play and then that's usually when the sacks come so both both of those things would there be any internal punishment for a me after he was chared with the yeah I don't I I I think you guys know Amin Vanover internal punishment? that if covers for a long time I don't know if there's been very many times if any that I've talked about um internal um internal punishments that we've had we we released a statement on it um but I I think I don't think there's been many times where I've actually told you guys what the internal punishment was going to be James how would you assess the play of the offense through two games and are there areas where you think uh specific areas where you think Offensive performance through two games and areas to improve you can get even better because you've been productive but how can things kind of expand maybe yeah I I think the the biggest thing to me is third down and the reason I say that is it it really goes hand inand with all of our things that we need to get cleaned up on offense so what I mean by that is back to the first half right our defense there's extended drives our offense is not we're either scoring or going three and out a lot of times so what happens is the play count is out of whack we're not getting enough plays you've heard me talk about balance part of balance is not just running and being able to throw the ball in every situation it's spreading the field 53 and a third it's also getting Touches for guys we don't have enough opportunities to get enough guys touches because we're not sustaining drives defensively we got to get off the field our rep count is way up right now on defense um and our rep count needs to be higher on offense we get 10 more plays in the first half we don't have a hold on third down you know and we convert that third down or we don't drop the ball on third down that may equal another six drive six plays we do that two more times you're talking 10 to 15 plays in the first half you talk about over a game that creates more opportunities and more touches and we want to be able to spread to wealth that's us as coaches but that's also the players going out and executing so that we can stay on the field I I I think that's that will resolve a lot of issues our efficiency our spreading the ball for touches our third down percentage obviously the more we're on the field there's more opportunities to score points and it keeps our defense off the field so a lot of lot of reasons we're we're much more explosive um that's not a question um but we got to get these other things cleaned up Point did you get enough reps from the second and third Team guys in this game and will Enough reps for the backups last week or against Kent State? that be a priority headed into Kent State uh we got to win you know we we got to win um you know having that conversation or talking that way is just not something that that we necessarily do um more comfortable talking about past games than future games but yeah we would love to play really well um you know get the rep count and the ball distribution the way we'd like it to be and then get other guys on the field and get our guys out um we were not able to do that this this past Saturday James we didn't see you R today is there any Rappleyea update update regarding whether that's a longterm yeah that's a longterm injury James what did you think when you had a chance to go back and look at the way noan Ruchi played on Saturday kind of some of those other guys that we didn't see as much of them yeah he he did some good things we had we had a plan for rotation to get those guys to more reps Nolan Rucci assessment and then the game doesn't go the way you want it to go in the first half and you're scratching and clawing um and we were able to get him in the second half and did some good things we need more of that you know we got a the coaches have got to play guys uh we need to you know continue to build uh depth we've had more bumps and bruises than this year than we've had in the last couple years three years ago we had a decent Spike um in some bumps and bruises and we got that right now so we got to develop depth uh that that's going to be really really important for us moving forward we got to play them you find Value in winning a game where you didn't play very well early in the season do you find Value in coming at least away with that win yeah I mean obviously that's Winning a close game early in the year a benefit? not what you want to hear that's not what what anybody wants to hear but yeah I think I got a bunch of coaches and ads re reaching out to me about those types of of things um the staff we've talked about it I mean you're going to have to win a ton of different ways throughout the year um there's going to be games where you blow people out there's going to be games where you're on the road scratching and clawing for every point you can get there's going to be games where um you know you're on the road you're dealing with weather there's there's a ton of different ways um and we're going to have to find multiple ways to win games that was one of them this Saturday I I I'd love for it to be different but I do think there's some values of you know having the grit to battle through um you guys saw you know winning is hard I know you guys are just like us you're in the Penn State submarine you don't watch any other games you don't see any other games but there's some people that would have loved to have a ugly win all over the country and um you know we'll take as many of them as we can get um I I prefer that uh we can play in a way that that we can build the confidence that we need going into Big 10 play and and get a ton of guys reps and and um and still be able to clean up some of the mistakes but but yeah I think there's some value What did you learn about Tom Allen during adversity of last game? in winning these types of games J we heard from some players in a post game on Saturday that they learned something about Tom Allen seeing him encountered with that situation at halftime I'm curious what maybe you learned about your new defensive coordinator coming out of the game not just in the moment at half time but I'd imagine as you kind of regathered each yourselves here at the facilities and went through the film well I think I think there's there's there's um you there's been a ton of opportunities to be around Tom and the type of man he is the type of Coach he is type of person he is the relational leader how he's developed relationships with our players on a very very significant level um and then like you're saying you have the West Virginia game which I thought defensively we played very very well especially when you compare it to the year before uh and then last year I mean last game you know we faced some adversity that we didn't anticipate the adjustments we made how we handled it uh and then you're also talking about transitioning back from being a defensive coordinator to being a head coach for seven years and then going back into that role and then on top of that college football has changed this year with the technology and and how you use all those things so I think talking to a lot of buddies all over the country there's a lot of people working through how to use the technology and how it impacts you um but I think I think Tom's doing doing a really good job this week is going to be a really important week for our staff um and I think it's going to be a really important week for the players uh and then to go in the next week um really with a lot of these things kind of cleaned up hey James how do you practice for contingency so you obviously have a plan a for everything but then probably a plan B and C how do you carve out time to practice those things without taking too much away from wanting to do the first thing well I think the first thing Preparing for contingencies is that's why in practice you rep the ones and the twos and sometimes the the threes because they're going to have to be developed they're going to have to be ready to play it's no different than having some of the scrimmage stuff that we do on Sundays you got to develop those guys they got to play um but then it's also what's great about our game is there's so many scenarios to cover so the scrimmages are really important when we do offense versus defense two-minute drill or whatever the situation may be there's a ton of situations that come up that you necessarily can't always plan and organize for that just kind of come up organically so um that's how we do that during training camp but we also do that during the season typically on Tuesdays we did it today uh where we'll do two-minute against each other we'll have a different two-minute situation typically each week um and that's a great way to do it um and we'll usually take at least 10 minutes of going good on good every day Wednesday we'll do third down a red zone and that's helpful with that um so that's probably the biggest way um and then obviously you know all the stuff that you're preparing for on on tape that you've seen of your opponent without chasing too many ghosts Kobe King progress as a player and leader two more guys James have you seen eobi Step Up In some ways given that he's one of the older guys on the defense and he's also adjusting to not having cin as a teammate just wondering how you've seen him step up this season yeah you know he's a veteran guy that's been here and played a ton of football for us and now is in a in a much more significant leadership role um you know he's a guy that's earned everybody respect in terms of his teammates and the coaches and staff um and kind of just has evolved into that vocal leader that maybe he wasn't two years ago um obviously your point I think is a good one you know he lost his brother who he'd been with you know all through high school and then all through college to the to the NFL um but I also would make the argument now after being here as long as he's been here he's got you know 124 Brothers in that locker room that he's very very close with and and very well respected kind of throughout the locker room so uh he's doing really well and we need him to be you know um you know like we've talked about before about being strong up the Middle with your D tackles and your safeties and your and your middle Lineback is really important he coach what's been your asssessment of Zan Durant so far um I think he's playing very very well we had kind of strong belief in Zane Durant assessment what he was going to be able to do this year he practices like that every single day he's super consistent um he's got bigger and stronger and more explosive he loves football like I think that's one of the things that's so important in today's day and age you you better recruit guys that love football and not love what comes with football they love football um don't like football and love the things that come come with it he's a guy that loves ball he and he loves everything that comes with it the you know the the strength and conditioning the summer running the winter workouts he understands it's all part of the process and he Embraces that he literally day in and day out punching his ticket and is consistent so he's a great example that we use all the time uh with really our whole team and specifically our D line thanks coach thanks guys