BURG Sports Network

Opening Statement
First of all, I want to take a minute and thank the fans that came out and supported us. This was a tough year weather wise for us. I think there was a record amount of precipitation, which caused a lot of issue with parking and everything else. The fans that came out and supported us in some tough weather conditions, especially tonight, I can't tell you how much we appreciated it. Our attendance was unbelievable, all things considered, and we had a huge home field advantage. I think the thing that really stands out to me is that we were able to play well up front on both the offensive line and the defensive line. I thought our defense played fantastic. Maryland had been running the ball on everybody. The tackles for loss that we were able to get, the sacks, the pressure, played really well. Offensively we were able to run the ball consistently. Overall, some pretty positive things. We were able to win the penalty battle by playing very disciplined. We won the explosive play battle on both sides, which was huge. We did lose the turnover battle with the one turnover we had late in the game on a great drive. We were able to send the seniors out in the right way, which was special. I thought it was also great that we played a complete football game where we were able to get a lot of those fourth and fifth year seniors that have been on the scout team for four or five years, but haven't been able to get in the game a chance to play tonight which was special as well. It ended the way it should have ended. Obviously Trace McSorley was able to do Trace McSorley things. Yetur Gross-Matos had 20 tackles for loss this season, which is really special. We had 40 sacks; this was the fourth straight season to do that and the first time in program history. Tonight we had 15 tackles for loss, our fourth double-digit tackle for loss game of the year. A lot of really good things that I couldn't be more proud of. The staff, the players, the coaches we will all take a little bit of time off. Tomorrow we will go into a bunch of meetings, then the coaches will go out recruiting, and then we will get into bowl week. Wherever they tell us we are going, I am not sure when that is going to be but maybe in the next week or so, we will figure it out after the championship games. Wherever they tell us we are going we will be very appreciative of the opportunity. We will go enjoy ourselves and try to be 1-0. You think about this three-year run, I know that this season there have been some ups and downs and some challenges and adversity. When you talk about the Big Ten era this has been one of the best three-year stretches in program history. We have a chance to do some really special things by winning the bowl game. Again, I could not be more proud of our guys.
 
Question : James, is this the best that Trace has been able to have a burst of speed and explosion since the Iowa game? Secondly, what will you miss most about him?
Answer : I think that this game was the best that Trace has felt in a while. I think that the last couple games where we have been able to protect him has also helped. I think we gave up one sack tonight, which was one sack in the last couple of weeks. This night there was a lot of motivation and a lot of emotion for the type of game it was going to be, which probably helped as well. I think with Trace its probably not going to be the sexy quote that you guys are looking for, but it is consistency. Trace McSorley is what you want in all of your players. You love him because he is the same guy every single day. The guy has not had a bad day in five years. He has not had a day where he has had an issue academically, an issue with a girlfriend or an issue with family that he has brought into the Lasch Building. He is the same guy, from the day he stepped on campus during the recruiting process to now. You know what you are getting with him. He is going to be a great teammate, always a class act, unbelievable downtown with the community, compete like hell on Saturdays and he is going to prepare like nobody else. I think he is a great model for all of our young players and I think he is a great model for college football in general, just about how you go about your business. He did it in high school, he has done it in college and he will continue to do it at the next level; there is no doubt in my mind. I love his mom and I love his dad. I walked into the stadium tonight and his mom was crying, and you know me I am a big crybaby so I was trying not to cry with her, but then I look over and dad was crying so that threw me over. I came around the corner after that and Mrs. Bates was crying. We have been through a lot with these kids and we have been through a lot with these families. For us, it is so much more than football. It is the academics, the community service, it is watching these guys as 17 and 18 year-old men grow and develop and turn into amazing fathers, football players and CEO's. I wish I could get another four years out of them but I don't know if it's possible.

Question : What were you thinking about and what was going through your mind in getting Trace McSorley a curtain call?
Answer : Obviously, you would love to be in a situation like that where you can send Trace onto the field and take him off like we did. He has earned that and unfortunately you never know how games are going to play out, but like I previously said, I do not know if you could have written a better script for how this last game would have went for this senior class. Not only with Trace being able to get the curtain call, but Johnathan Thomas being able to get in the game and run the ball, Joe Arcangelo catching a pass, and Christopher Welde getting into the game. It was fantastic to see all of those guys get on the field and have a chance to play. Tyler Shoop getting on the field and playing as well. I don't know if you could have written a better script for the way that this regular season ended.

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Question : What were you thinking about as you watched the seniors take their victory lap after the game?
Answer : It's kind of surreal in a lot of ways to be honest with you. It feels like just the other day that Trace was in my office saying he's coming to Penn State with his mom and his dad. It seems just like the other day that I met Johnathon Thomas and Nick Scott and Mark Allen, that were committed already. I can go on and on about all those guys. It just seems like the other day that those guys were stepping on campus. They've been tremendous leaders and they are going to leave a legacy here that is going to go on for a very long time. It was just surreal. Their last game in Beaver Stadium, one of the more special venues in college football and in all of sports. I know that I am going to enjoy the last couple weeks that I have with them. We talked about that all week long, we only have so few days left with this football family then it's going to be different next year. We're going to have to start this whole thing over. I hope everybody enjoys the time we have together in the locker room, at the hotel, at the practices and meetings, because the clock is ticking. We only have so much time left together.