Penn State Coach and Player Quotes from DeBartolo Team Luncheon

Head Coach Joe Paterno

On staying two weeks in preparation for the Outback Bowl:
“I think it’s a great experience for our kids to get in this part of the country. A lot of them have never been down this way. We went over to Clearwater Beach, stayed on the beach, and the kids had a great time. We had some good outdoor practices, which we would not have been able to do up at home. So it worked out well. The last time we came down we stayed in St. Pete and then came up. So we’ve been here since the 24th and we’re looking forward to Saturday.”

On whether his Nittany Lions have faced a team like the Florida Gators:
“Urban and the Florida people do so many things that are innovative, and they have so much quickness, I don’t know whether we’ve played anybody quite like that same kind of team. We’ve played some good football teams. I don’t mean to take anything away from some of the good ones we’ve played, but Florida plays a little differently. They play with so much enthusiasm and they give you so many problems, it’s a little bit different than most of the teams we’ve played.

Coordinator Tom Bradley

On the team’s approach to Florida’s three quarterback attack:
“If we were playing them just in a week’s time we’d have a better idea what they can do. They’ve had a month off, so I’m sure they’ve progressed each quarterback to do more things because they’re very skilled athletes. They can do a lot of things. Those guys play wideout, they play tight end, they play quarterback; they do a lot of things. Burton, he’s their second leading receiver, second leading ball carrier, plays some slot and does a lot of things. How far they can expand their package, who knows with this amount of time off.”

Coordinator Galen Hall

On his previous history with Florida:
“I just think things happen, either for the good or the bad. Things happen and you have to move on with your life and not sit and be a hermit. You’ve got to go out and try to be successful. This is the profession I’m in and you’ve got to make the very best of everything that comes along.”

On whether he has considered stepping away from coaching:
“I really enjoy it. I think it’s something you wake up in the morning, you want to go and you want to get better as a person yourself. You want to get your team better; you want to have them ready to go out and compete. As long as Joe will have me I’ll stay around.”

On the success of Penn State and his relationship with Joe Paterno:
“I think we have the utmost faith in Joe, of what he is doing is right, what he is doing is really good for Penn State University, college football, the players that he is coaching. That is very, very good. You love to be a part of it. I’m not ready to go golfing every day. My game’s not good enough. I respect Joe very, very much.”

Cornerback D’Anton Lynn

On why he isn’t looking at the National Football League:
“If the NFL is in my future it’s going to be there this year or next year. I’m really not worried; if I make it I make it, if I don’t I don’t. I’m not in any hurry. I’m in college right now enjoying life. I’m not in any rush to leave and be on my own right now. I’m just having fun in college.”

On the Florida receiving corps:
“They’re definitely fast. They’re probably the fastest team that we’ve played, similar to LSU last year. Probably a little more speed and not as much size for the receiver spot. The first series will probably be the biggest difference and then we’ll get used to the speed of the game.”

On what the experience against Alabama earlier in the season taught them:
“That first two series we hadn’t really seen that kind of speed before. Now that we’ve seen it, it’s definitely going to make it easier going into this game.”

Wide receiver Derek Moye

On quarterback Matt McGloin:
“I think he’s gone out and shown everybody what he can do as far as his abilities. He took control from the moment he walked in. I think that’s one of the great attributes about him, he’s a great leader.”

On the perceived speed of the SEC versus the strength of the Big Ten:
“It’s just a perception of the two conferences. We don’t really, I guess, look too much into it. We look at it as somewhat of a challenge, but at the same time we have to go out there and play no matter what people say about us. It doesn’t really matter to us. We just want to go out there and prove to everybody that we’re just as capable athletes as they are.”

Quarterback Matt McGloin

On how he approaches the game as starting quarterback:
“I’m just having fun playing the game of football. Ever since I’ve been young it’s something about me. I just like going out there and I like playing in the moment, playing in front of the crowd. It’s something that really doesn’t last forever, so I try to cherish the moments I have right now and enjoy playing the game with my friends.”

On the benefits of the team’s bowl schedule:
“It’s good because it gives you time to focus on other things obviously other than the game. Coach Paterno does a great job of keeping our minds away from the game at times and gives us a lot of free time to do that. But he also reminds us when the game comes near to focus on it. He does a good job of balancing the time.”

Running back Evan Royster

On Penn State’s offense:
The offense as a whole is really clicking right now. Everybody is getting their assignments right and we’ve really come a long way since we first started preparing. I can’t speak for the defense, but I feel pretty good about our offense right now.”

On this week’s practice:
“I think we’re at the point where we’re starting to turn down a little bit. We were conditioning a lot last week and just trying to stay in shape. This week we’re kind of more into getting our legs back and focusing on the mental aspect of it.”

On the Florida defense:
“We see some holes in their front seven, but I think we really just need to come out and have a good game up front. If we can control the line of scrimmage, we can control the game.”

Lineman Stefen Wisniewski

On the Florida defense:
“They look good. Good defense; they really move well. The linebackers move well. Good cover people. They bring a lot of blitzes and stunts that we’ve been working hard on to make sure we’re ready for.”

On the Penn State offense:
“I think we’ve got to run the ball as an offense. I think if we do that and control the game that will help us a lot. Definitely not turning the ball over as well will be real important. If McGloin keeps playing at a high level like he has been I think we’ll be able to put up some points.”